Nathan Jones
SAINTS boss Nathan Jones insisted there were “no egos” in his squad and described that as “fundamental” to the way his team would work. The former Luton manager took charge of his first game for Saints ahead of the World Cup break, resulting in a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool. After giving his players some time off, the manager got to work on the grass at Staplewood last week, before jetting out to Spain with the group on Monday. And, speaking to the club website ahead of their training camp across the continent, Jones insisted the response from his players had been what was desired.
Nathan Jones said: “We were able to come in and bond with the staff at the stadium and training ground, and really get our bearings and make a plan for this week to run smoothly and we’ve really been able to come in and hit the ground running. We asked for a response from the players and we’ve got it, and that’s really positive. They’re a good group with no egos or anything, and that’s fundamental to the way we work. We’re not egotistical. We like to work hard and work structurally and they’ve responded to that, and that’s been excellent. That’s all you can ask from a coach and player relationship. All we’re looking for is that buy-in and that response to implement the game plan, and providing our work is good enough and they implement it then that’s how you get results.”
Saints are currently 19th in the top-flight table, with 12 points from 15 games played. They host Lincoln City at St Mary’s in their next competitive game – the fourth round of the Carabao Cup (7.45pm). The St Mary’s side’s next Premier League game comes at home against Brighton on Boxing Day (3pm).
