After 31 minutes in the company of Mark Hughes, it is pretty easy to see why Saints have made the decision to entrust him with the task of ensuring their Premier League survival.

Hughes exuded positivity, confidence, the aura of a winner in his first time sat in front of the press at Staplewood yesterday.

Of course, he is hugely experienced in dealing with the media, and whether what he portrays is a reflection of his true views or something designed to convey a particular message we will never know.

Hughes is also hugely experienced in dealing with Premier League players. His message to them sounds as if it was fairly similar, again all surely designed for a reason.

It’s part of the attraction of hiring him, because you fancy that if Hughes is to have the ‘bounce’ effect his appointment is clearly intended to bring, then these first days will be absolutely vital, and his experience has helped him strike the perfect tone from the outset.

There is no room for sentiment or emotion from Hughes, there are no fears about upsetting egos, no sleep lost over whether players like his style or not. There is only one thing that matters – results.

“When you’ve got the luxury of a little bit more time you can build relationships and that takes time,” explained Hughes, who has eight Premier League games in which to save Saints.

“Sometimes you have to step on people’s toes and we are probably in that situation. We have got no time to wait. We have eight weeks and we have to get on with it. If we upset people along the way they will have to accept it.

“It’s about the end game and making sure we are successful when we look back on this period.

“There’s a willingness in the two days we have been here, a real energy to the club which I’ve liked, and everybody is pushing in the right direction, but we have to keep that going by winning football matches, and that is the hard bit.”

Hughes says he has already demanded intensity from training sessions, and confessed he has been told that some of that was perhaps lacking, though he went very careful not to criticise his predecessor Mauricio Pellegrino, who was sacked on Monday.

“Everybody works in a different way and there’s no right or wrong way. The only right way is to win football matches,” insisted the 54-year-old.

“I work a certain way and I like a certain level on a daily basis and I’ve seen that and I can only judge them on what I’ve seen in the two days I’ve been with them and I’ve been pleased with that.

“When you walk into a club you are apprehensive as to what you will find – are they disenfranchised, are they fragmented as a group, are their levels too low that you don’t have the time to bring them up? I haven’t found that which is encouraging.

“I have got a good group, a willing group that is ready to work to make sure we are successful from now until the end of the season.”

There seemed almost a wide-eyed surprise from Hughes that he found himself sat in front of the press as Saints manager. Certainly it seemed to come out of the blue for him.

It is only a short-term contract with just eight games to save Saints from relegation, plus the FA Cup – though of course success could lead to longer.

Hughes explained: “The club was quite clear about what they were offering. I could have taken the easy option and not taken it on board.

“I've never been relegated and a lot of lot of managers wear that badge a little too keenly. Clearly I've put it at risk and that doesn't bother me. It's about being successful here at a club I've got an affinity and history with.

“I just wanted to help. Given my experience and what I've been through as a manager and a player, it's a good fit.”

Hughes, of course, does have an affinity with Saints.

He spent two years at the club towards the end of his playing career.

Things have changed a bit at Staplewood since then. When he was playing the idea of training ground development for Saints was erecting another temporary building, now they have a state-of-the art facility. Indeed, he even joked that the only thing he recognised was an old hedgerow.

Still, Hughes’ previous Saints spell, which included the famous ‘Great Escape’ relegation battle, at least means he understands a lot of the culture of the club.

“I came at the fag-end of my career, which was a shame,” smiled Hughes when talking about his time playing at The Dell.

“The first year was a little difficult I have to say. I think they still call it the ‘Great Escape’.

“Even now I don’t know how we did it.

“It was a difficult time because we were always in the bottom three up until the last six or seven games of the season.

“So we've been in that situation before and been able to get out of it. Maybe that will help me.”

While it is clear that Hughes’ top priority is to keep Saints in the Premier League, there is the small matter of an FA Cup quarter-final at Wigan to contend with first.

It represents a great chance for a win, a feel-good factor, Cup progress, and for Hughes to really assess a few players ahead of a huge top-flight fixture at West Ham in a fortnight’s time.

“I have always used Cup runs as a real positive,” explained Hughes.

“I think they can help your form. If you are struggling and you have a good result and you progress you have that to look forward to and that confidence can lead into your league form as well.

“I don’t see a game against Wigan in a quarter-final as hindrance. I see it as a real positive and one we can use to good effect.”