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Stern: No regrets over swap deal
Friday, August 31st 2007
REALLY HAPPY: Stern JohnTrinidad and Tobago striker Stern John says he has no regrets over having to give up his place at Premiership club Sunderland in exchange for compatriot Kenwyne Jones, who moved from Southampton.
John, who turns 31 in October, was part of a swap deal in which Sunderland paid £six million for Jones on a four-year deal, while John moved to the Championship Division club on a two-year deal. This was the second time John had to make room for another T&T player, having to join Coventry City when Dwight Yorke arrived at Birmingham City two years ago.
"Obviously it's disappointing to have to leave Sunderland, but only because I think I wasn't given a fair enough chance by the manager. I had a good pre-season and I had only 45 minutes so far in the League and one goal to show for it. Obviously, he had other strikers he preferred and now he's put out money for Andy Cole as well. That's part of the game as well and I have accepted that. Nothing surprises me in football and you learn that as your years in football go on," John told Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) media officer Shaun Fuentes.
"But at the same time I'm really happy for Kenwyne to get this chance. To have a club offer six million for you is fantastic. And the option was there for me to stay at Sunderland.
"The manager didn't actually tell me to go as he also gave me the option to stay on. He said, though, that I wasn't guaranteed playing time and it was up to me whether I wanted to stay on with that in mind. But the only way Kenwyne could come was if Southampton were also getting me.
"I had a good think about it and I felt it would be great for Kenwyne to get this deal. Both of us had a good talk about it as well. In life you get chances and you have to grab it and this is Kenwyne's time. I'm going to be 31 this year and I have to look after myself. Going to Southampton also means a better deal for me and it means Kenwyne can go into the Premiership at 22 which is fantastic. Everybody is happy at the end of the day," John added.
John said they even stayed in touch during the final stages of the deal.
"When Kenwyne and I were doing our medicals, we phoned each other to make sure it went well. It's nothing personal and while he has a chance to experience the Premiership at this time, it's also a chance for me to take up a new challenge and I'm looking forward to that. It's down to trying to take Southampton back up again. I've been part of that experience at Birmingham and Sunderland so why not a third time."
Looking ahead to Southampton's match against Queen's Park Rangers tomorrow, the former Nottingham Forest hitman admitted he wanted to make an immediate impact.
"I trained at the club for the first time today and there was nothing strange about it. It's a nice dressing room and the rest of the guys have accepted me. They also see me as a senior pro coming into the team, taking teams up and playing in a World Cup, so now it's just about me performing for the club."
And Jones told the BBC he was absolutely delighted to make the move and is ready to face Manchester United tomorrow.
"I'm just really happy to be a Sunderland player now. At some point in time you will have to play them so why not now? I think I will be welcoming the challenge to play against the Manchester Uniteds and Liverpools now," Jones said.
"Sometimes when you look at it it's not going to be everyone, but some people only get this opportunity once in a lifetime. I'm happy that it came at this age for me. It was not a difficult choice. My decision to come here was basically a heart and head decision. A few words from certain players (led to) the manager putting the icing on the cake. I speak to Dwight, Carlos and Stern a lot, even before this we normally speak. All they had was praises for the club, the manager and the fans."
Friday, August 31st 2007
REALLY HAPPY: Stern JohnTrinidad and Tobago striker Stern John says he has no regrets over having to give up his place at Premiership club Sunderland in exchange for compatriot Kenwyne Jones, who moved from Southampton. John, who turns 31 in October, was part of a swap deal in which Sunderland paid £six million for Jones on a four-year deal, while John moved to the Championship Division club on a two-year deal. This was the second time John had to make room for another T&T player, having to join Coventry City when Dwight Yorke arrived at Birmingham City two years ago.
"Obviously it's disappointing to have to leave Sunderland, but only because I think I wasn't given a fair enough chance by the manager. I had a good pre-season and I had only 45 minutes so far in the League and one goal to show for it. Obviously, he had other strikers he preferred and now he's put out money for Andy Cole as well. That's part of the game as well and I have accepted that. Nothing surprises me in football and you learn that as your years in football go on," John told Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) media officer Shaun Fuentes.
"But at the same time I'm really happy for Kenwyne to get this chance. To have a club offer six million for you is fantastic. And the option was there for me to stay at Sunderland.
"The manager didn't actually tell me to go as he also gave me the option to stay on. He said, though, that I wasn't guaranteed playing time and it was up to me whether I wanted to stay on with that in mind. But the only way Kenwyne could come was if Southampton were also getting me.
"I had a good think about it and I felt it would be great for Kenwyne to get this deal. Both of us had a good talk about it as well. In life you get chances and you have to grab it and this is Kenwyne's time. I'm going to be 31 this year and I have to look after myself. Going to Southampton also means a better deal for me and it means Kenwyne can go into the Premiership at 22 which is fantastic. Everybody is happy at the end of the day," John added.
John said they even stayed in touch during the final stages of the deal.
"When Kenwyne and I were doing our medicals, we phoned each other to make sure it went well. It's nothing personal and while he has a chance to experience the Premiership at this time, it's also a chance for me to take up a new challenge and I'm looking forward to that. It's down to trying to take Southampton back up again. I've been part of that experience at Birmingham and Sunderland so why not a third time."
Looking ahead to Southampton's match against Queen's Park Rangers tomorrow, the former Nottingham Forest hitman admitted he wanted to make an immediate impact.
"I trained at the club for the first time today and there was nothing strange about it. It's a nice dressing room and the rest of the guys have accepted me. They also see me as a senior pro coming into the team, taking teams up and playing in a World Cup, so now it's just about me performing for the club."
And Jones told the BBC he was absolutely delighted to make the move and is ready to face Manchester United tomorrow.
"I'm just really happy to be a Sunderland player now. At some point in time you will have to play them so why not now? I think I will be welcoming the challenge to play against the Manchester Uniteds and Liverpools now," Jones said.
"Sometimes when you look at it it's not going to be everyone, but some people only get this opportunity once in a lifetime. I'm happy that it came at this age for me. It was not a difficult choice. My decision to come here was basically a heart and head decision. A few words from certain players (led to) the manager putting the icing on the cake. I speak to Dwight, Carlos and Stern a lot, even before this we normally speak. All they had was praises for the club, the manager and the fans."
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