Jenkins – We Have To Believe

Huw Jenkins says it’s important for all the players to believe that the Swans can stay up

And the Chairman believes that strong displays against both Liverpool and Manchester United will give the players further confidence that they can compete in the Premier League.

He told the Evening Post “Whatever we all think behind the scenes, the most important thing is that the 11 players who walk out each weekend believe they are good enough to stay up

“And I think especially over the last two games, against Liverpool and Manchester United, the players have shown they can compete with the very best teams at this level.

“Before that we had a couple of wins and a draw, so I think there’s been enough in the recent run of games to give the players fantastic confidence going into the weeks ahead.

“Brendan has to keep doing the same things he has done since he came here and we must do the same things we’ve done as a club

“Part of that is ignoring probably 99 per cent of the comments the pundits make on television.

“If we do that, we will not go far wrong.

“We will carry on with our positive attitude and keep focusing on the good things we can produce on the football field.

“It’s a bit like when we first went into the Championship,” he suggests.

“We had the same thing then, when we had to get some experience of the division and then we developed.

“The players gradually saw then that with the way we play, we had the ability to compete at that level.

“I think it’s the same now — our players are starting to believe that we can compete in the Premier League, even against the biggest players around.

“I think everybody knows that in this division, there are four or five teams who are very good and that after that, the rest are pretty much on a par.

“The battle for all those sides is to find some consistency and that’s our challenge this season.

“Whatever level of football you are at, you need to keep things as tight as you possibly can at the back and then take your chances when they come at the other end. When you get up to the Premier League, the margin for error is a lot less at both ends of the field and that’s what we need to get used to.”