Pirates are getting better - Tinkler
Orlando Pirates kept their hopes of winning silverware alive with victory over Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup.
|||Johannesburg - While Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela took full responsibility for his side’s early Nedbank Cup exit at the weekend, his Orlando Pirates counterpart Eric Tinkler – perhaps feeling confident enough to express his view following an important victory over their bitter rivals – argued that the wave of criticism this season meant he had been denied a fair shake.
Pirates breathed life into what was turning into a dull Soweto Derby when striker Tendai Ndoro scored twice in the 76th and 84th minute to send the Buccaneers through to the last 16 of the competition. In his post-match remarks, Tinkler, who has been unable to build his side into Premier League contenders this season, lamented a “lack of support”, particularly from the press, during a congested 2015/16 campaign.
Chiefs missed out on a last chance to end their campaign with a trophy as they, too, have struggled to keep up with log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
Tinkler was, however, able to mastermind a 2-0 win that guarantees they are still in the running for silverware having failed to clinch the CAF Confederation Cup title in November after defeat to Tunisian side Etoile du Sahel over two legs.
“I am obviously very happy with the results that we have achieved against Chiefs, but what is more important is wanting to win trophies. That is why I became a coach, and I am at Orlando Pirates. The big disappointment was getting to the Confed Cup final and losing it,” Tinkler said.
“Just ahead of that final, we had to play Chiefs (in a Telkom Knockout semi-final clash) in an effort to try and make another final, which is something we really wanted to do as well, but unfortunately we lost. Those are hard things to take and to a degree, I don’t think we have ever been given any real support by the press considering how long a season we have had and what we have had to endure.”
Komphela might soon identify with Tinkler if Amakhosi’s CAF Champions League campaign, which is only in the first round at this stage, progresses further. The Buccaneers have not been the same since returning from their second leg against Etoile with their heads buried in their hands.
And the “criticism” was that Tinkler appeared to use the African sojourn as an excuse for their poor domestic form. “Yes, we have had a lot of criticism, but not a lot of support. And I think it is important that we have shown character. We are getting stronger and getting better now,” said Tinkler, who is optimistic that Pirates can claw their way from seventh place in the league standings to finish in the top five, with nine matches remaining.
“We can still finish the season on a positive, and the objectives we have set ourselves are still possible. At the beginning we set a target to reach five finals like we did in 2013 and come away with at least one trophy. We haven’t done that, so this hasn’t been a good season for me.”
Komphela, sitting next to Tinkler in the FNB auditorium, looked dejected, but refused to single out any player for individual errors.
“I would be very careful to go into our mistakes because I would be pointing fingers at the players. When you have choices in the final third, you can’t get into a players’ head, he’s got to make the right choice. If he makes the wrong choice, you have to live with it,” the coach explained. - Cape Times