Hatters boss takes responsibility for unsettling his players with Southampton speculation ahead of Stoke defeat

Luton boss Nathan Jones took responsibility for unsettling Town’s players with the uncertainty surrounding his own future as manager ahead of their 2-0 defeat at Stoke City last night.

With news breaking on Monday that Jones had been given permission to speak to Premier League side Southampton about the vacancy at St Mary’s, the Hatters squad had to try and put any thoughts about losing their popular leader to the top flight out of their mind and focus on the trip to the Bet365 Stadium.

However, an awful 15 minutes defensively proved Luton’s undoing on the evening as behind after just three minutes when Nick Powell was left unmarked to head home, a second arrived when Tom Lockyer deflected Morgan Fox’s excellent cross into his own net.

Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Jones, who had seen his side keep a magnificent clean sheet at Blackpool on the weekend, knew they would have found the rumours a distraction, saying: “I think for the players it ultimately would be.

“For me these things happen, you have to deal with speculation, have to deal with certain things, for players the uncertainty that surrounds it, of course it is.

“I’ve been a player when a manager has speculation and of course it does.

“These are a great group, we're tight, fantastic, we are a club that is really tight and pride ourselves on a fraction of the budget of clubs like this and we produce performances and results regularly.

“So of course it was going to be distraction for them and that's my fault and not theirs.

"I've probably let my players down, not in getting approached, but tonight, it was probably the last game they needed to come and have to handle themselves.

"To be honest it was probably everything that Stoke needed tonight as they needed a lift and probably me coming back gave them that.”

Jones was also eager to shine the light on his squad for getting him into the position where his work has been coveted by a top flight side, as he continued: "It's what they've achieved.

“If I get any accolades it's because of my players.

“I’ve got players there that would die for me and that's brilliant.

"Where we are for the resources we have, it shows that they are a group, so any accolades or anything surrounding me is just down to them.

"As I've been a manager at two clubs and I've had a categorically different set of players at both clubs and the ones that I have now would die for me and have put me in this position so it's all down to them and not me."

The Luton boss also didn’t want to go on record in saying it would be last game in charge of the club, as Town have one more match to go, at home to Rotherham, ahead of the break for the World Cup.

He added: "I don't want to say that and give any headlines, there's a lot of things to do and a lot of things to go yet.

"It's a wonderful Premier League club, but I've got a wonderful club here as well and that can't be forgotten either, so let's just see what the next few days hold.

“I'm really flattered to be linked with a Premier League club, so we'll see what the next few days bring.

"I can't ask for anymore from my players as they give me absolutely everything and week in week out they produce for me.

“The club I have, the fans, the board, the players, everything, it's a wonderful place so it will take something really special to take me away from that.”