Southampton: Nathan Jones 'genuinely' believes he can keep club in Premier League
- Published
Nathan Jones had two spells at Luton and one at Stoke before taking the helm at Southampton
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, external 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."
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