7:00am Saturday 22nd December 2007
By Neil Perrett
BELEAGUERED boss Kevin Bond apologised to supporters for Cherries' latest defeat after admitting he had been "smashed to pieces" by criticism from a section of irate travelling fans.
Bond incurred the wrath of a number of Cherries followers as he watched his side crash to a dispiriting 4-1 re-verse against fellow strugglers Northampton last night.
Some fans turned on him by loudly calling for his head after the Cobblers had netted their third goal at the start of the second half on their way to ending a seven-match winless run.
The angry taunts cannot have escaped co-owner Jeff Mostyn as supporters also chanted for the Cherries chairman to "sort it out". Mostyn sat with fellow board members in the Main Stand.
Asked by the Daily Echo whether he had any sympathy for the supporters, Bond said: "I feel for everybody associated with the football club. I feel hard and hurt for everybody, including the fans and myself.
"I totally understand and sympathise that they have come an awful long way and I'm very thankful and very sorry that they have seen what was a disappointing performance. I made the players aware of that."
Bond, speaking after Cherries had failed dismally to follow up their victory over Gillingham, added: "We prepare the players as best we can and they go out and do their jobs.
"Tonight, we didn't do the basic stuff anywhere near as well as we did against Gillingham and, to a degree, there is only so much you can do. It was the same set of players that did their jobs against Gillingham that didn't do their jobs as well tonight. There is only so much I can do and I feel really hurt about that."
Bond was left to rue seeing Cherries concede "poor goals at bad times" as they failed to improve their desperate plight in the League One relegation zone.
Cobblers boss Stuart Gray, who was interviewed and overlooked for the Cherries job in favour of Bond, told the Daily Echo: "Kevin and myself have both got a budget to work to and I don't think either of us has got the biggest in the league.
"You've just got to keep your head down and work it through. We're in a profession, which is media-driven, some and some high-profile managers have lost their jobs. But Kevin can't work any harder than he is and it's about the tools you've got to work with "I know Kevin will stick at it and work very hard and they will turn it around. You've got to win your home games and Bournemouth have started doing that so hopefully they can keep doing it."
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