City need to show more ‘fight and arrogance’

Jan Olde Riekerink has the full backing of chairman John Comitis who believes in his man and says he is going nowhere. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

Jan Olde Riekerink has the full backing of chairman John Comitis who believes in his man and says he is going nowhere. Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix

Published Jan 17, 2020

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CAPE TOWN – Since Benni McCarthy was sacked as head coach of Cape Town City for only winning twice in 18 games in all competitions the club has played a further nine matches in the PSL, seven under new Dutch coach Jan Olde Riekerink, and registered one win against then bottom-placed Baroka FC to go with three draws and three defeats.

The latest setback was a 3-0 defeat away to league leaders Kaizer Chiefs that dropped City to 13th place on the standings and a point above the relegation spot currently occupied by once third-placed Polokwane City.

McCarthy’s record for the first nine games of the league season delivered one win, five draws and two defeats. The former Bafana Bafana great was sent packing at the start of November and is currently in Scotland with his wife and family. No doubt he will feel that his run of results were the work of his under-performing talented squad that had been strengthened for the new season.

Olde Riekerink’s tenure has seen a team that once topped the goal-scoring charts now battling to find the back of the net and looking lost trying to implement the coach’s philosophy that has been hard to read from game one. Some of the club’s supporters have seen enough and vented their frustration on the club’s Facebook page calling for him to be fired.

This is unlikely to happen as Olde Riekerink has the full backing of chairman John Comitis who believes in his man and says he is going nowhere.

All the players can do for now is soldier on and hope for a change in fortunes starting with a home match against fourth-placed Wits at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow (8.15pm kickoff). The Clever Boys won the previous meeting between the two teams 2-0 at home in December.

City midfielder Thabo Nodada was spitting fire at a media conference at City’s training ground in Hartleyvale on Wednesday, saying the team needed to “show more anger, fight and arrogance”.

The 24-year-old, who McCarthy believes is good enough to play in any top league in Europe, added: “Our assistant coach Vasili Manousakis always tells us you don’t become a bad player overnight. To get some of that arrogance back will do us good. It will get everybody believing in their ability and knowing they can do it.

“We need to get that back that arrogance that says: ‘hey you are in Cape Town you are playing against Thabo. You must know that you are playing against Thabo today’.”

Nodada singled out Bradley Ralani as an inspiration to him. “He inspires me with the way he plays; he’s taken the ball in some tight situations and instead of passing responsibility to the next man, he dribbles one, dribbles two and he shoots.”

Mike de Bruyn

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