Southampton manager Nathan Jones said he “let his players down” after their 3-0 loss at Brentford, and “got carried away” because they were in the Premier League.
The Saints are down the board, three points from safety.
They have lost eight of their 13 matches since Jones was appointed in November.
“I want to be brutally honest with this, I let the players down,” Jones told BBC Match of the Day.
“I was recruited to do certain things and I don’t see my team in that. I flattered myself a bit, left and tried to accommodate what we have.
“I didn’t really put my own stamp on it and I should have had it by now, I really should have had it.”
Jones led Luton to the Championship play-offs last season, where they were beaten by Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals.
He took over at Kenilworth Road with the struggling Hatters in League Two, guiding them to second place in League One when he left for a doom with Stoke City in 2019.
After winning just six of his 38 games at Stoke, he returned to a Luton side 23rd in the Championship, helping them stay up on the final day of the 2019-20 season.
“I was recruited to do a certain job, to play a certain way because my teams did very well,” Jones added. “We defended the area, we were aggressive, forward, we put the teams under pressure, we pressed, we counter-pressed very well.
“I blame myself. I should drive the standards. Everywhere I went I drove the standards, I didn’t let anyone get away with anything. I was above everyone.
“I may have gotten carried away with the fact that they are Premier League players and you have to give them this and that, but no more.”
Southampton have conceded 53 goals in their last 27 Premier League appearances, keeping just one clean sheet in that span, and they were opened several times by Brentford on Saturday.
Chants of “you get fired tomorrow morning” and “Nathan Jones, get out of our club” were heard from away supporters at Gtech Community Stadium.
Rooted at the bottom of the Premier League, Saints are hoping to improve on a run that has resulted in four defeats in their last five games.
“The manager sets the standards. I have received many accolades at my previous clubs and manager of the year and statistically one of the best in the country and one of the most aggressive managers,” Jones continued.
“On an absolute minimum, by the way. Pound for pound, there was no one else in the country competing like we did in terms of points per pound.
“I tried to give people what they want, I tried to really work with the players to give them a system that works for them.
“But that doesn’t suit me. It doesn’t suit me as a manager or why I was recruited to come here.”
