Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler says the club can't wait to get the Caf Confederations Cup behind them so they can concentrate on their shaky Absa Premiership form.
The first leg of the Caf Confederation Cup final takes place in Soweto on Saturday, and while the Buccaneers' boss has seen his team grow from strength-to-strength on the continent, they have faltered domestically.
Just three wins in nine games is not something that the clubs' demanding fans are proud of. It is form that has left them precariously placed in 10th position on the Absa Premiership log.
In an interview with PSL.co.za Tinker, 45, this week, spoke about those fans and various other things surrounding the club this season. “It's been a very, very long season for us considering that we've been actively involved in the Confederation Cup, which meant that when everyone else went on holiday, we had to continue. Currently, we already find that we've had to play 22 games this season, whereas everyone else is averaging between 10-12 games. So it's been quite a hectic schedule, there's been a lot of ups and downs obviously.
“The African journey has been a very successful one, but the downside to that is the result we've been showing in the PSL haven't been good. So it's a lot of work in progress trying to improve. I think the sooner we can get the Confederation Cup out of the way, the better it will be for us, it will allow us to shift our focus fully on our league performances.”
Talking about the big games coming up in Africa shortly, Tinkler said he was proud to where he had taken Pirates.
“I'm extremely proud of the fact that we managed to get to the final. It's been a very long and hard journey. We've played many big name teams and we've come through with flying colours.
“Right now it's a fantastic achievement, but it will mean very, very little if we don't bring the trophy home. That's very important right now, that we go out there and try to win the competition.”
Tinkler said the club had always had ambitions of wanting to be achievers on the African continent. “When you travel throughout the African continent, everyone knows Orlando Pirates. The league obviously gets a lot of coverage on TV, but I think the past success of the club and its exploits have clearly put it on the map.
“I think the mindset of the club is one of a desire to always do well in Africa. So there's no doubting the ambition of the club.”
Win or lose, Tinkler realises the next two games rank as the biggest in his career as a coach.
“I've been in charge of the team for just over a year now. Unfortunately as a head coach you are judged purely on the number of trophies you have won. Obviously if I win such a massive trophy such as the Confederation Cup, that will boost my confidence and boost the confidence people will have in me as a coach.
“People now days are not judged on the number of years they've been coaching, but more on the trophies they won. So that's important for me as well. I've been a coach now for 10 years, one of which has been a head coach, so I do have experience, but I will only be recognised the day I bring trophies home.”
Tinkler also believes Pirates can win the league or at least challenge for African qualification once again.
“I have to always maintain a positive attitude and I have huge belief in the squad that I have. I know we can turn the season around, I know we can perform much better than what we have done because it can be seen how we've performed in the Confederation Cup. - African News Agency (ANA)