Jones loving life at the summit
Despite that shock defeat at Old Trafford, United remain on course to top the mini-table covering all five games of the festive period.
Having been given a reprieve by Manchester City’s shock defeat at Sunderland, the Red Devils will remain in the thick of the title battle if they have better fortunes than their neighbours when they head to the north east to face Newcastle tonight.
To enjoy such experiences is one of the major reasons why Jones left Blackburn last summer.
And whilst helping his hometown club secure their top flight status on the final day of last season represented a fulfilling achievement he will never forget, Jones concedes it is far better to be involved at the other end of the table. “I am excited,” he said. “I am loving it. It was a nice feeling to get out of trouble with Blackburn on the last day of the season. It is an even nicer feeling knowing you are at the top of the table with a fantastic chance of winning the English title.”
Jones was scathing of United’s performance against Blackburn but the aftermath has been full of conjecture about Wayne Rooney, and a lesser extent, Republic of Ireland midfielder Darron Gibson, both of whom watched from an executive box at Old Trafford when it had been anticipated they would be involved.
Although there has been no word from United about whether the pair will be part of Alex Ferguson’s squad for the trip to Tyneside, it would be a major surprise if they were not on the team bus given the speed with which both parties have expressed a desire to move on from the disciplinary measures invoked by Ferguson following their St Stephen’s Day night out.
That offers the best chance of United bouncing back from their first league defeat since that 6-1 hammering by Manchester City in October.
And the response from that loss, eight wins from nine games, leaves Jones to suggest United do have what it takes to eventually clinch title number 20.
“Never for one second did I think we weren’t good enough,” he said. “The way we bounced back from the Manchester City game was unbelievable.
“Not everyone thought we would. But that is what Manchester United does best; prove people wrong.
“When the chips are down, you see who the real fighters are. That is the beauty of Manchester United.”
Meanwhile Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has admitted Ferguson has simply been too successful to be considered the benchmark for his managerial colleagues.
Pardew and his players are hoping United can be vanquished at St James’ Park tonight as the Magpies look to keep pace with the top six.
However, Pardew insists aspiring to match Ferguson is a task too far.
Asked if the Scot is the benchmark for all other managers, he said: “He isn’t really because he’s just ridiculous.
“Something like 50 trophies — you just can’t possibly imagine getting yourself into a position to win that many.
“But in the terms of the way he handles his club and the way he runs his club, he is a bit more fortunate than a lot of us because he has a lot of power there and he has earned that power.
“That’s what we all aim to do.”
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