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| FOUR GAME STREAK: Pirates caretaker boss Eric Tinkler |
ON Saturday at 2.30pm, if there is any justice in the
football world, Eric Tinkler will lead Orlando Pirates out for the Soweto Derby as the club’s PERMANENT coach.
Tinkler, twice caretaker/interim/stand-in boss, deserves at
least that, though I am writing this before Pirates versus Free State Stars tomorrow night.
Still just 44, the nuggety midfielder played at the top
level in Portugal, Italy and England not to mention his 48 games for South
Africa. He was a tough opponent on the field and as Benni McCarthy found out after
the 2011 Telkom KO final, Tinkler has transferred that passion to the coaching
role.
The paragraph that annoyed Wits boss Gavin Hunt before his side's 1-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns tonight: "The title-holders have two relatively easy matches this week against Bidvest Wits and Free State Stars while the runaway leaders will be engaged in tough encounters at home to both Ajax Cape Town and an Orlando Pirates outfit that suddenly believes the title is no longer out of reach."
The article in the Star newspaper, written by my old pal Matshelane Mamabolo served only to motivate Hunt's men. He said: "They have no respect. The Star article said it would be Sundowns easiest game.
"It didn't come from the Sundowns officials, it came from the journalist himself. We put it up on the dressing room wall. Sheez, they show us no respect."
Link to full article here: http://www.iol.co.za/sport/soccer/psl/title-race-could-get-interesting-1.1826345#.VPYQqnyUcXE
