Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates interim coach Eric Tinkler says the Africa Cup of Nations break will give him time to install his methods ahead of the gruelling Absa Premiership title race next month.
Having little time to make his presence felt since replacing Vladimir Vermezovic two months ago, Tinkler welcomed the break, saying it would make his side a force to be reckoned with.
“There are couple of tactical challenges that I need to work on and this is the perfect chance to do so,” he said.
“I am thrilled that all the players are hungry for more success. We showed late last year that we want to make our fans happy and that is the objective.
“The backing from management is awesome and I am looking forward to 2015 with so much to play for.”
With the Soweto giants 20 points behind their traditional rivals Kaizer Chiefs, Tinkler said steering the team back to calmer waters would not be easy.
“Chiefs are favourites to win the league but we are not going to fold our arms as there are two other competitions we intend to do well in.
“We are fourth on the log and while the margin might look big, football is a funny game and anything can happen; hence we need to concentrate on ourselves and stop worrying about our rivals.”
The former Bafana Bafana hard-tackler, who assumed the caretaker coach position for the second time in less than a year, said being appointed head coach would be a dream come true.
However, he aimed to first deliver by winning both the CAF Confederations Cup and the Nedbank Cup.
“We are the defending champions of the Nedbank Cup and having participated in the Champions League and lost in the final, we are prepared to clinch the Confederations Cup.
“We have most of the squad that ensured that Pirates reached five finals last year and that is a plus for us.” – Sapa