Johannesburg - Jomo Cosmos boss Jomo Sono has hit out at players that have been sucked in by the lure alcohol.
In one of the more colourful but damning quotes of the past week in the PSL, Sono said: “You know you go to the shebeen there is a lot of bottles there, you'll never find the bottle falling - it's a person that will drink, drink and fall and not the bottle. I tell my players that all the time. “The bottle will stand there and tomorrow morning when you come it's still there so you can't compete with nice time - nice time has been there for all these years.”
Meanwhile it was a sad time for Baroka FC coach Kgoloko Thobejane who saw his club's dream Nebank Cup run ended, while Renielwe Letsholonyane said goodbye to Kaizer Chiefs.
According to PSL.co.za Thobejane said Baroka would not be changing their free-flowing style of play should they win Absa Premiership promotion. They lost 2-0 to SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup “We will not change our style of football. We will continue with the same type of football come next season. With this kind of football we are not just going to add numbers, but we will be there to compete for everything within our reach.”
It was also time for a farewell as Letsholonyane announcing he will leave Kaizer Chiefs at the end of the season. “I have spent the majority of my career with South Africa's biggest club and it has been a wonderful journey. All journeys, however, have an end and I have decided that it's time to travel on a new path.”
SuperSport United striker Jeremy Brockie then spoke out on conditions in Nedbank Cup semifiinal against Baroka. “The conditions didn't help, it was swirling around and the ball was skidding on, but the coach calmed us down at half-time and told us to play our natural game and the result will take care of itself, and that's what we did.”
Luvuyo Memela revealed his Thabo Matlaba inspiration after Orlando Pirates beat Free State Stars 4-2 in Nedbank Cup “The guys pushed me every day at training, especially when it comes to defending and it is more like my weak point. But they always pushed me, especially Thabo (Matlaba) when he pushes me to go.”
SuperSport coach Stuart Baxter plays down the choice of Peter Mokaba Stadium, their alternate home, for the Nedbank Cup final. “I think finals are finals. We could have played at FNB (Stadium). It's Pirates' alternative stadium, but I don't think we would have been fazed by that. I also don't think they are fazed by Polokwane.”
Ea Lla Koto assistant coach Bradley Carnell had this to say on how they failed to pitch against Pirates. “I wish the game started at four o'clock, because that's when we came out to play, in the second half. We got caught dearly in the first half, going two goals down. “Sometimes the occasion weighs more in the legs than the situation itself. In the first half the players were thinking too much about how big the game is. Unfortunately we paid the price early on.”
In the Orlando Pirates camp, coach Eric Tinkler is optimistic about his future in Soweto “I have one-year contract with a one-year extension. I'm a professional coach and I will continue doing my work and we are preparing for next season, nothing changes.”
Final word to Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela on their below-par season. “We will be going back to the drawing board. “We will review this season and will come back stronger next season. We have lessons which we have learnt from the past season and we have to work on those lessons.” - African News Agency (ANA)