AFC Bournemouth: New loan signing Kenwyne Jones tells all
By Neil Perrett (Bournemouth Echo)
NEW Cherries loan signing Kenwyne Jones yesterday faced the media for the first time since his move from Cardiff City.
Here is a transcript of his interview.
Were you expecting this move?
“No. Actually, it caught me by surprise. I didn’t think there were many things in football that would have surprised me any more and this actually did. It threw me off a little bit because I was on my way to training at Cardiff on Thursday and, literally, it took place in half an hour so I’m still trying to understand how that came about.”
What explanation were you given as to why Cardiff were letting you go?
“It’s a funny situation. We’ve been dealing with a funny situation all season. Basically, I was just told I was going, more or less. I didn’t really have a say in the matter. I think it was already done before I got the phone call so I’m here.”
Nathan Blake said he felt you were misused at Cardiff. Would you go along with that?
“Well, I think he probably has his opinion of what was needed for Cardiff. Cardiff went through a situation this year that has been very topsy-turvy from the beginning of the season until now. We have lost managers, changed managers, lost managers, changed managers and then you have the uprooting of players, some who you thought were fixtures. They left, for whatever reason, and the team has been unstable all season. So, for what Cardiff is going to be, you are going to see that properly next season. Well, hopefully.”
Do you feel let down by Cardiff at all?
“I’m sorry, I don’t carry those feelings around with me. Football, we know, is a business. It’s a short career and you have to make the best of it. Things like this happen, sometimes every year for people.
"So, at this present time, I’ve been with Cardiff for one year and now I’m here until the end of the season. Where I am in a couple of months, whether it be here or abroad, who knows? That’s the life of a football player so I’m just looking at the moment for now.”
Are you pleased to be at Bournemouth?
“Yes, of course. It’s an exciting time for Bournemouth. They have a very good set-up here, the coaching staff are very good and they have a very good playing philosophy and I’m happy to at least sneak in and be a part of it for a short time.”
What have you made of Eddie Howe and how does he compare with managers you have worked with in the past?
“It’s been a short time. I’ve been very impressed with his work-rate, attention to detail and his philosophy so, on the club front, without fail, he’s probably the best manager I have worked with in that short space of time.
What have you been told about you role?
“I’m here to bolster, I’m here to challenge but it’s all about lending experience to try to get the guys over the line. Maybe, with the remaining fixtures, it might call for different things however the manager sees it and he will make that decision when the time comes. But I’m here just trying to become part of the furniture for the moment and work as well as the guys and, hopefully, that will go well.”
Do you feel you fit in with Bournemouth’s style of play?
“To be really honest, I think my style of play is mistaken. For the teams that I’ve played in, of course, they adopted the more direct situation, based on ability. But away from here with my national team, I don’t play that style of football so there are quite a few coaches and managers that know that about me. I don’t think the manager here didn’t know that before he enquired about me so, hopefully, I will fit in well and be able to lend some experience and, of course, get them promoted.”
Do you see this as a step up?
“In some ways, yes, in some ways, no. Here, they have the right idea and the right way to go about things. I’m not trying to damn myself, things weren’t happening in the right way at Cardiff. They have an ambition here and they have done well over the past few years and would fare pretty well if they went up again into the Premier League because the manager believes in his philosophy and he trusts the players 100 per cent and the players trust the manager and work for him and work for each other.”
Are Bournemouth equipped to step up?
“If you leave this division and go to the Premier League, you can have the tendency to interfere too much and destroy the philosophy you have been working with for the past few years. That again is down to the manager and the staff when that times comes. Over the past few days training with the team and inter-acting with them and the manager, (top of the league) is a true indication of where they are. The way they train and the way they prepare, it has been on point. In all honesty, over my career, it’s nothing that I’ve ever seen before and I’m quite excited by it. They do have the formula to do well so kudos to the manager, the staff and the club for the way they have been going about their business and, hopefully, they will be able to take that into the final seven games and also into next season.”
How different has it felt to be at Bournemouth?
“I’ve played at Bournemouth before. It’s always been a smallish club. But for the ambition that they have, I’m guessing that things would happen for them to expand somehow in whatever stages they feel necessary. They have a brilliant fan-base. Everyone supports the club properly and the club has been working in the right direction to get to where they are. It doesn’t have the fit of what you think a small club might be.”
Do you have aspirations to get back into the Premier League, potentially with Bournemouth?
“The aspiration at the moment is to work well and to keep the run going. Being on top, winning games, playing well and hopefully tipping them over the top to promotion. From what I have seen from the past few days, they are of the mindset of actually finishing first and not just getting promoted by finishing second. I’m happy to come into a place where everyone is of the same mindset so that in itself makes it easier for you to come in to push yourself and to become part of the furniture so that’s the aspiration for now. When that finishes, we’ll have a rest and then see what happens.”
What was a Cardiff player’s version of Callum Wilson’s disallowed goal?
“To be fair, we didn’t have an explanation of why it was disallowed. I’ve been in that position before where you stand outside the box in front of the goalkeeper and they try to say it’s unsporting conduct, even though you can stand outside the box. But when the goalkeeper is at the top of the box, they say give him a few steps, even though you are outside and I guess that’s what they blew for. I’m not a referee, I don’t know!”
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