DURBAN – The future looks bright for Steve Komphela at Lamontville Golden Arrows following the club chairperson’s show of approval about how he’s been managing the club.
Arrows boss Mato Madlala told Independent Media that she is yet to come across anyone as hard-working as Komphela. She was speaking after Arrows reached the semi-finals of the Telkom Knockout cup.
Komphela took over the reins last year in December. Last season they were Nedbank Cup semi-finalists.
They must now beat Mamelodi Sundowns to reach the Telkom Knockout final. Arrows are sixth in the league.
Said Madlala: “I’ve never seen someone who works as hard as Steve Komphela does. Steve’s job doesn’t start and end at training. Steve can phone you at 11pm and talk football. That’s how passionate he is about his job.”
Abafana Bes’thende are eager to end their trophy drought. They haven’t won a cup for the past decade. Komphela will also be looking to lift his first piece of silverware as the head coach at club level.
“If you have a coach like Steve and his assistant coach, Mandla Ncikazi next to him, you sleep peacefully because you know that if they fail it is not for the lack of trying. If they fail, it is because it was beyond their control. They work really hard those two. They want to achieve things wherever they are,” she added.
Arrows entertain Sundowns in the league at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont in an Absa Premiership showdown on Sunday. Abafana Bes’thende are yet to taste defeat at home this season across all
competitions.
“Coaches are not the same. There are coaches who sound strong publicly but when it is time to implement and keep the discipline they run away. Right now, I’m in the right space, I have a very strong technical team in terms of discipline and know-how. I don’t have to worry.
"At times you want to know the thinking of your coach, maybe on Tuesday when the game is on Saturday. But that happens when you have a shaky coach. Right now, I don’t know even when they are playing. That’s how comfortable I am,” said Madlala.
Komphela and Ncikazi have built their squad around young and unknown players as Arrows are working on a shoestring budget.
“Steve understands that when I want to know about the team, it’s not like I’m interfering. I have to make sure that everything does happen. It becomes easy when you have a mature coach like Steve. I’m completely comfortable with his leadership,” Madlala elaborated.
“Steve doesn’t panic when he is facing challenges. He is not that type of a coach that succumbs to challenges. When you are facing a challenge he will address the players as if everything is normal but you find that the situation is not that normal.”
Manqoba Mngqithi is the only coach to have delivered silverware for Arrows in top flight football.