Tinkler's City riding on the crest of a wave

Cape Town City flying

Cape Town City flying

Published Dec 4, 2016

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It may be easier coaching Cape Town City than Orlando Pirates, but it doesn’t make the former’s remarkable run of form so far this season any less of an achievement for Eric Tinkler.

A fourth-place finish at the end of the previous campaign under a different name - Mpumalanga Black Aces, whose franchise was bought by John Comitis, given a new name and relocated to Cape Town - was enough evidence for them to be considered a surprise package.

But dark horses in the Absa Premiership race and a date with SuperSport United in the Telkom Knockout final on Saturday? Not a chance.

“The pressure is the same,” says Tinkler when asked about his two jobs over the last nine months.

“My boss (Comitis) expects me to win every game. That is normal and that is also expected at Pirates. Obviously the demand by the public is different. Social media is a headache for coaches and you guys (the press) are always scrutinising us and at Pirates you get scrutinised more than anywhere else. That’s the added pressure you have.”

So, many thought he was the problem at his old club, where there have been suggestions there is a pattern of meddling in the coach’s affairs by administrators in the form of a technical committee.

Memes on social media with Tinkler’s picture captioned “And they said I was the problem” perhaps speaks to the general feeling since he took over at City, a side he’s led to the summit of the log table boasting an unbeaten run of nine matches going into the cup final at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

But he remains grounded and reiterates it’s too early to talk about their title hopes.

“I don’t think I was ever the problem (at Pirates) and the chairman (Irvin Khoza) never saw me as a problem,” he says.

Comitis clearly saw something in Tinkler that everyone struggled to pick out during his tenure with the Buccaneers, where he reached the CAF Confederation Cup and the Nedbank Cup, but lost both. He gets another go at it.

Cape Town City boss John Comitis

“It was important to go into the final four points clear at the top (after beating Bidvest Wits in a thrilling 3-2 victory in Joburg on Friday night). We got a great result against a very good team and we are going up against a team that had just beaten that very good side,” Tinkler says.

No doubt this City team have naysayers, those who keep thinking the Capetonians can’t possibly sustain their incredible momentum halfway through the season.

The next one is going to be a banana skin, they keep saying.

“I know that,” says Tinkler.

“But I expect us to score. The problem is that we are conceding very poor goals, silly goals, gifting teams certain goals. That is something we need to rectify.”

While he works on the defence, he’s got very little to do when it comes to his strike force, even with a high-profile name like Lehlohonolo Majoro misfiring. The ex-Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates striker watched from the stands as City put three past Wits to go top of the table, with Aubrey Ngoma and captain Lebogang Manyama combining again to terrorise the opposition.

“Their work rate has been phenomenal,” Tinkler says.

“There has always been that fear that I have been pushing them too hard, but that has been positive. Pushing them has made them be in good condition physically.

“And you see Lebo making those sprints right at the death. I don’t remember him doing that at his previous clubs.”

Tomorrow, City players return from a two-day break after spending an entire week in Joburg for their 1-1 draw against Chiefs on Tuesday and the emphatic 3-2 win over Wits three days later.

Big week for Tinkler. Big week for City.

@superjourno

@extrastrongsa

Sunday Independent 

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