Jones brings a breath of fresh air to the game

Jan 31 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

Kenwyne Jones’ decision to commit himself to Sunderland was a timely boost ahead of tomorrow’s derby. He tells Mark Douglas about his debt to loyalty to the Black Cats

PERHAPS the most compelling case for smashing the transfer window is the damage it does to football’s already slightly tarnished reputation.

While the rest of the country shivers in the middle of the worst economic depression for a decade, a small clutch of Premier League clubs have continued to flash eye-watering sums in their not-so-subtle attempts to unsettle players.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been a serial offender, his public declaration of interest in Sunderland’s star player Kenwyne Jones a depressing continuation of a murky policy that has reaped rich rewards, while those determined to play it straight, like Ricky Sbragia, have floundered.

So Jones’ pledge this week not to be one of the “b*stards” with mercenary intent represents not only a major boost for the Black Cats ahead of the derby, but a small victory for loyalty in a month where the very notion of it seems quaint.

Committing his future to Sunderland was hardly a charitable act – Jones has been handed a significant pay bump to bring his wages up to a level befitting his status as one of the Premier League’s most exciting striking talents.

But turning his back on interest from big-spending Tottenham and the seemingly Champions League-bound Aston Villa is most definitely a positive development – both for football and Sunderland Football Club.

Jones doesn’t exactly see it that way. While he is modest enough to recognise that his reputation has grown vastly since Roy Keane gambled a hefty £6m on an untried Championship striker in August last year, he is of the impression that he owes the Black Cats.

The forward’s speedy rehabilitation from the knee ligament injury inflicted by David James’ reckless challenge back in May was in no small measure down to the skill and attention of Sunderland’s medical staff, and Jones admits that played a part in his decision to sign a four-and-a-half year contract extension this week.

“Of course it did. I couldn’t say it on radio but you don’t want to be a b*stard. It’s not a good thing to show disloyalty sometimes,” he said.

“Apart from that, Sunderland is a big football club. It has a lot of potential to be a big club, the manager has that ambition, the chairman, the owner – they all have it. I choose to be part of that and hopefully that will materialise.

“I think the concept of loyalty in football is a bit of a two-edged sword – if you treat the player right, I think he will treat the club right.

“But it happens on both sides. There are times when a club wants to get rid of a player and he has no choice – they do everything they can to try to get rid of him.

“Most of the time they focus on the player wanting to leave and throwing fits and all of that. But you never know when a club wants to get rid of someone and what they will do when they want to rid of someone.” That is unlikely to happen anytime soon for Jones at the Stadium of Light where, along with Djibril Cisse, he has assumed responsibility for scoring the goals that will deliver Sunderland away from the relegation zone.

The Black Cats can take a huge stride towards safety by completing the double over Newcastle at St James’s Park tomorrow.

There seems to have been a concerted effort in the red and white camp to play down the significance of the game, perhaps in recognition of the way the team allowed their concentration to drop after winning in October.

“We as a football club go out to play well, do well as a team and win the game. There’s nothing more to add to that really,” Jones said. “Results went downhill after the last win but that’s what you get for living off the last one. For the fans, it is the game they look forward to all the time, but we have to remember that we have plenty of games to play to maintain our standards.

“If you look forward to one game, you are guaranteed to be going down.

“It is a big game – don’t get me wrong – but then it’s only another game. We have to get three points to get up the table.”

A valid criticism of Sunderland has been that they have been over-reliant on Jones and Cisse since the Trinidad & Tobago forward made his return from injury.

But that has not stopped questions being asked about their partnership, a pairing that despite yielding 12 goals this season, is yet to gel.

That accusation has annoyed Jones, who feels people are ‘nit-picking’ and should be satisfied by their excellent return.

“Everyone is trying to nit-pick but then one game passes and then me and him score. Two games pass and we score again. Three games pass and we score again. So I don’t understand what exactly they are nit-picking about,” he said.

“But we don’t score then someone on the street is going to nit-pick when I flick on and he is not running to the ball. That might be a worry for them but it is not a worry for us because we are getting the results.

“People talk about the chairman (Niall Quinn) and Kevin Phillips – but everyone knows that there was only one Niall Quinn and only one Kevin Phillips.

“Me and Djibril are two different players, but I think so far in terms of the goals we have scored that tells a story in itself.

“I’m not sure how pretty the public want to see the partnership or however they want to see it at the end of the day we are reaping the benefits of playing together.”

Jones believes those benefits can include a top-half finish this season, believing that Sunderland’s ambition has out-lasted the exit of former boss Keane.

“Since I have been here I don’t think the vision has changed,” he said. “The only thing that has changed is the manager.

“The chairman hasn’t changed, the structure hasn’t changed so the vision they have for the club endures no matter who the manager is.

“I think Sunderland have the potential to be a top-seven team constantly at least. Hopefully in the coming seasons they can achieve that.”