Glenn Hoddle might be under pressure at Molineux after Wolverhampton Wanderers' ugly end to the season, but at least he is still talking 'a beautiful game'.

The under-fire manager's hold of the Wolves hot-seat has been loosened by the jeers of frustrated fans, a barrage of media criticism and even the open admission from his own chief executive, Jez Moxey, that this season has been a "complete disaster".

But Hoddle is convinced he can still bring Premiership football back to Molineux playing the right way.

"As manager, I take full responsibility for not having achieved promotion," said Hoddle. "But a disaster? No.

"Others will have their opinion, that's Jez's opinion and I don't agree with it but to say disaster is too strong a scenario.

"Seventh in the league is not a disaster and, in my opinion, the way we've played football is not a disaster.

"I've got principles about the way I want the game played. I was always told to treat the ball as if it was a precious diamond and you wouldn't give a diamond away, would you?

"I'd rather give the game up than have to compromise by smacking the ball. What you do is learn and look at where you can improve. We might need to be a bit more physical next season at times in certain games when the pitches change but my principles will always be the same."

While Hoddle maintains that the long-term outlook can still be set fair, his short-term problem is how to win the fans round.

Recent chants of 'Paul Ince for Manager', instigated by a prematurely-conceived newspaper phone poll asking fans who they thought the next Wolves boss should be, were unfair both on the veteran skipper and his manager.

Yet it is still hard to find a Wolves fan not turned off by their team's often boring, sometimes almost fearful approach this season. The way they have turned on Hoddle

has been no real surprise. I had it when I first went to Chelsea, but we turned that round," said Hoddle. "Twelve months ago, don't forget, I had people coming up to me out-side the stadium pleading with me to sign my contract but that's football. Things change and results change them."

The first mutterings were actually heard long before the ill-timed run of six games without a win that has trig-gered the recent outpouring emotions on the terraces but Hoddle is confident he will still be in the Midlands next season.

"Why would I think any different? I'm here on a 12-month rolling contract," he said.

The only thing Hoddle wants to see change with regard to their promotion chances is a reduced level in expectation to match his club's expected reduction in budget - from probables to mere possibles.

"We haven't hit the targets but it has been the same frustration for every manager here over the last 20 years," he said.

"I still don't know if finances are available or not next season but, if the constraints are there, expectations have got to change for whoever is in charge.

"I can understand the fans' reaction, borne of frustration, but we'll pull together and see where we can improve once we've seen what the budget is.

"It's a frustrating way to end the season, but you're always learning in football."

Hoddle delivered his defiant words ahead of tomorrow's final home game against former Wolves boss Mark McGhee's relegated Brighton.

"Nobody has been more disappointed with what's happened after all the hard work put in," said Hoddle. "There have been key elements, not excuses.

"Sometimes you can get away with losing players but we lost Jackie McNamara, Paul Ince and the two main strikers at the same time and the crux between being where we are and being right up there is the amount of chances we've created and not finished.

"If we were a million miles away, maybe it wouldn't be so frustrating."