Southampton: Nathan Jones ‘genuinely’ believes he can keep club in Premier League
Nathan Jones says he “genuinely” believes he can keep Southampton in the Premier League – and is not trying to shift blame for their dismal form.
Jones has lost six of seven league games since taking over in November, with Saints bottom of the table.
He said after last Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford that he had let his players down and “pandered” to things since taking over.
But Jones said on Thursday: “I don’t get pressured from anyone.”
He added: “I listen to people but I have made decisions here and I live and die by my decisions.”
Jones was ridiculed by fans during and after last weekend’s defeat, while former Premier League forwards Ian Wright
and Chris Sutton were also hugely critical of his remarks.
On accusations he was attempting to deflect responsibility for Southampton’s dreadful run, he added: “I wasn’t doing that at all. In fact, I was doing the categorical opposite.
“I was accepting responsibility for all the results. What I said was I’ve compromised certain things I do on a day-to-day basis, which are my decisions.”
Southampton, four points from safety, host 15th-placed Wolves on Saturday, hoping to avoid being cast further adrift of their relegation rivals.
“What we have to do is make sure we get results and get results quickly. We’ve been very close on a number of occasions but we have to really focus on this weekend and make sure we get the result,” Jones added.
“I genuinely believe that I can [keep Southampton up],” he said.
“The be all and end all is you’re a manager and, the higher you go, the more scrutiny you get and the broader shoulders you have to have.
“I haven’t got here by a silver spoon or by fly-by-night. I’ve had to work hard and I’ll just continue to work hard and believe in what we do, because I do believe in what we do.
“I believe that we as a staff, but me personally, affect players, affect players positively. My track record says that at whatever level. That’s what I want to continue to do and get back to really, really affecting them.”
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four times to move past the 500 career league goal mark as Al Nassr beat Al Wehda 4-0 in the Saudi Pro League.
The Portugal forward, who turned 38 on Sunday, struck in a 40-minute period either side of the break.
He has now scored 503 league goals for five different clubs in five different leagues.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Al Nassr in December, reportedly on a salary of £177m per year.
However, he did not enjoy the most prolific of starts with his new employers, managing one goal from the penalty spot in his first three competitive appearances for the club.
Ronaldo left Manchester United in November, having scored 103 league goals across two spells at the club.
He scored 311 times in La Liga for Real Madrid, registered 81 goals in Serie A for Juventus and managed three in the Portuguese top flight for his first professional club, Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo’s four goals ensured Al Nassrreturned to the top of the table on goal difference and with a game in hand on second-placed Al Shabab.
