RECENTLY appointed Saints manager Nathan Jones is hoping to find the right balance between enjoyment and hard work in order to get the most out of his new squad and help revitalise their struggling season. Replacing Ralph Hasenhuttl less than one week before the Premier League pressed pause for the World Cup, Jones oversaw Saints’ 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield before getting the benefit of nearly six weeks without domestic football. After the players were given a break, Jones and his squad headed out to Spain for a training camp, and while abroad, the 49-year-old offered his thoughts on how to get the most out of this group.
Nathan Jones said: “There has to be a balance, I was a player who always had to work hard given my ability levels but I always did it with a smile on my face and if they can see that, they can see that we care about them and want to get to know and make them better, that we’ll work harder than anyone for them to be successful, then we can do it with a smile on my face. If you’re enjoying things you’re more relaxed and we believe we can get the best out of them. This is a good group, I’ve worked with good groups, bad groups and mediocre groups and this is a very good group. If you’re holed up for a week together you create bonds and I’ve got to know a few of them, how they work, how they move, how they speak and interact, and it’s been a wonderful week. It’s been more British weather than Mediterranean but the work we’ve done is key.”
Now back at Staplewood as preparation ramp up for Saints’ return in the League Cup against Lincoln City, Jones’ side are looking healthier than at any other point this season with Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters ramping up the recoveries from their respective injuries.
