Jones says he's still the man

Last updated : 11 November 2007 By Michael Morris
Dave Jones insists he's still the man to turn arround Cardiff City's fortunes.

City's poor run of form continued with a 3 - 0 slump at the Valley which now makes it only one win for Jones' side in the last 11 league games.

Jones thought his side should have had a penalty (and I agree) at one end of the pitch but within seconds the team was 2 - 0 down. Poor defending again allowed Charlton two goals in as many minutes.

"A penalty was given against us when we played Crystal Palace and it wasn't a penalty.

"Now we had a decision go against us when we should have had a penalty against Charlton. We have to accept that, but it's not easy.

"That penalty could have put us in front. It might have changed our season. But we must also accept that we gifted them two goals.

"Until the fourth official put his board up on 45 minutes we looked safe and when we broke out we could have scored.

"I can't legislate for somebody pushing a player in the back when there was no need. You can say it's stupid, but we should still defend the situation better than we did.

"Then we conceded a second from a long punt down field and, again, we should have defended better. Then we had to chase the game and, again, we had chances.

"We've lost 3-0 and deserved far more than that. What do you want me to do? Lay down and die.

"I am still confident I am the man for Cardiff City. It's no good to keep chopping and changing. It doesn't work.

"You keep fighting for your life. I know we can turn this round. There is so much happening at this football club."

Jones' supporters are becoming fewer as each disappointing game comes and goes. There were even altercations between Cardiff City's own supporters in the stands at Charlton as chants for "Jones Out" are getting louder and louder.

At the other end of the scale Alan Pardew saw his side move to 2nd place in the table.

"It was a strange game really and I felt that there wasn't a lot of electricity on the pitch in the first 35 minutes or so.

"That was probably a good thing for us though because it allowed our quality to come through.

"We were very fortunate to go in at half-time with a two-goal lead but we've played very well in first halves this season and not got anything so maybe we deserved that fortune.

"With the two-goal cushion we did invite them to try and break us down and then look to hit them on the break, and with a few extra passes we could have done that.

"It's a system that I know well and you have to send positive messages to the team because it can look like you're not going to break down the opposition.

"I think we can play a lot better in this system at home if our energy levels are higher."

The former West Ham chief also highlighted his side's strength at the back and was quick to hail his defence.

"When they had their good spell we threw our bodies in the way and we defended very well," he added.

"The partnership between Jonathan Fortune and Sam Sodje is working well for us.

"We perhaps could have had a couple more goals but I'm very happy with the result."

The Addicks suffered three straight defeats following the last international break and having forced their way back into the promotion places, Pardew is keen his side remain focussed on their next league clash at Preston.

"It's important for any team, especially in this division, not to get carried away with defeats or victories and just keep a constant flow throughout the team," he added.

"We didn't panic when we lost those three games, we had a steely determination and a positive attitude to turn things around.

"We have to keep a steady head now because my experience of this division tells me that December and January are going to be very important months.

"The season has been complicated by the internationals, especially in the Championship because of the eight extra games - and that could be a factor come the end of the season."