(Reuters) – Beleaguered Southampton boss Nathan Jones took full responsibility for the relegation-threatened club’s dire performances in the Premier League, days after he said he had not put his stamp on the team and pandered to his players.
Jones, who was appointed by the struggling south-coast club in November, has seen his side win only one league game as Southampton sit bottom of the standings with 15 points from 21 games — four points from the safety zone.
After Saints lost 3-0 at Brentford over the weekend, Jones said in a post-match interview that he had compromised on his style of management due to fan pressure, which did little to improve his popularity among the Southampton faithful.
“I have made decisions here and I live and die by those decisions. I accept responsibility for every single thing I’ve always done as a manager,” Jones said ahead of Saturday’s home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I can assure everyone we work hard and do good work on the training ground. The only thing is I can’t back that up with results.
“I just want results to turn and then you’ll see that good work we’re doing. I genuinely think I can turn things around, but we need results quickly.”
After the Brentford defeat, Jones had claimed he was “statistically” one of Europe’s best managers when he was at Luton Town but that he may have got carried away while dealing with Premier League players.
“I like to give certain people autonomy. I am not a dictator, I am open,” Jones said on Thursday while explaining his methods.
“We ask for the players’ opinion and then have a debrief based on that. It’s a good process and one I’ve always done. I’ve improved players in the past with that process.”
Jones said he has “gone back to basics” for the game against Wolves and though he is the odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager to get the sack, the Welshman said he is ready to face the music.
“The be all and end all is you are a manager and the higher you go the more scrutiny you will have,” he said.
“You have to have broad shoulders. I am a religious man, I believe in God. God gives me strength.
“I have had to work hard to get here and believe in what we do. I believe that my track record says I affect players positively and have done that at whatever level I have been at.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
