In a space of three days, Orlando Pirates coach Eric Tinkler went from The Ghost’s public enemy No1, to being their darling.
It’s a sharp, bipolar-like mood swing which is part of the package that comes with occupying one of the hottest coaching jobs in the country.
“It’s the harsh reality that the pressure is on, it’s always on at a big club like Pirates,” Tinkler said. “You’re expected to win every single game. We beat (Kaizer) Chiefs, we went home to celebrate and the fans were happy. But you’re only as good as your last game. That’s the harsh reality.
“I know that. I have accepted it. I don’t live with the fear that I will be fired. It doesn’t follow me like a shadow. I just got in and as long as I have prepared the best way that I can, I go home, sleep well and move on.”
Tinkler must have spent last week Wednesday night and Saturday struggling to sleep for different reasons. He woke up on Thursday with a huge axe on his back as Pirates fans chanted he must go after a demoralising 2-0 loss to Golden Arrows.
But Saturday night was different. The Soweto Derby win over arch-rivals Chiefs did more than just help the Buccaneers get three valuable points, it brought back confidence that had escaped them.
They will carry that confidence into tonight at 7.30pm when they take on a grieving Ajax Cape Town side at Cape Town Stadium in the Absa Premiership. It will be the first time that the Urban Warriors play without the late Cecil Lolo. It’s a loss that forced Ajax’s match with Platinum Stars to be postponed for a second time. Ajax goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola will be suspended for the encounter, while Tinkler won’t have such problems to worry about.
Instead, he will be worried about which Pirates side will show up. The outfit, like it’s fans, has bipolar tendencies. In big games there is this unstoppable force that they come with, while in small matches they whimper through them.
It’s a characteristic that Tinkler must shake from the side if they are to rise from 12th place in Premiership standings after eight rounds and just two victories. Even though Tinkler admits there needs to be change, he says he won’t be tinkering with the team. “Nothing changes,” Tinkler said. “During the good times, I didn’t change anything. We continued working the same way we did.
“During the bad times, I also didn’t change anything. I continued believing that what we were doing was the right thing ... I gave them confidence to go out there and perform to their best abilities. We have been losing a few games, we have to play catch up”. - The Star