Hughes is facing up to the fear
MARK HUGHES admits Southampton’s match against their neighbours Bournemouth is one of the biggest of his managerial career.
Hughes knows the Saints have to beat Eddie Howe’s side to stand any chance of producing a great escape.
“Given where we find ourselves, arguably it is one of the biggest games of my career because it is a huge game for the club,” he said.
“The consequences of going out of the Premier League are huge and it doesn’t matter if you have been in it a short time or a longer period, as Southampton have. It still has an impact on the fans, the area,
businesses and everything. A lot of business, work and finance is generated by having a Premier League football club in the town. We know it will impact a lot of people if we go down.”
Hughes has labelled the St Mary’s showdown a “must-win”. The former Manchester United striker, who has never been relegated, said: “It is more difficult as the games get ticked off. Clearly it gets harder and harder if you are not putting points on the board.
“We know what we have to do. It is a difficult situation but not one we’re apprehensive about. We are determined to get the job done.
“The press use must-win too soon, but we’re at that situation now. It’s black and white. We need to win the game if we want to make the games after this significant. We need three points and they’ve been a long time coming.
“No one quite knows how each player will deal with the pressure. Everybody’s different, they’re not clones.
“Some will embrace it and really enjoy the challenge and others will be a little fearful but will need to overcome that.”
Bournemouth have all but secured their Premier League status but Hughes feels the Cherries will be fired up.
He said: “Bournemouth I’m sure would like to beat us, given our circumstances, and damage our place in the Premier League. We have to prepare for a team who will be properly motivated.” Andrew Surman certainly will be. The Bournemouth midfielder began his career at St Mary’s and his parents are still avid fans of the club where he spent 13 years and played 133 league games – but he will have no qualms about deepening their crisis. “My family don’t want to see Southampton go down but unfortunately the bottom three will go,” he said. “They are frustrated with the way the season has gone because everyone can see Southampton have a good team with good players. “I’ll try not to think about it but I suppose if I score I’ll get hammered afterwards.” Surman also faces flak from the in-laws. “My wife’s family are big Saints fans but luckily for me my wife is a Bournemouth fan,” he said. “The kids are also Bournemouth fans.”
The Cherries are set to reign supreme on the south coast by finishing ahead of Brighton, Southampton and Portsmouth for the first time in their 119-year history.
Surman is shocked to see his former side doing so badly, saying: “It’s surprising because of the players they’ve got. They’re a dangerous team who have shown they can score.
“They have four games left and are still in with a chance. They have to take the positives from their last few games even though they lost. They’re going to be fighting for their lives and doing all they can to get the win.”
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