THE appointment of Roger de Sa as Orlando Pirates head coach this week drew mixed feelings from the football fraternity.
A section of the SA football family believes the former BidVest Wits' coach was a wrong choice for Pirates, while there are those who think he is the right man for the job.
We are among those who are excited that Pirates' boss Irvin Khoza opted for the wily but sometimes petulant trainer.
This is an investment in a local coach who did not only play at the highest level but also proved his technical and tactical nous with unfancied clubs in the Premier Soccer League.
This is perhaps a call to other PSL teams to give local coaches a break. There is no doubt that we have many coaches in South Africa who can match or even do better than their foreign counterparts. So why are they not given a chance?
Hats off to Moroka Swallows for appointing Zeca Marques as head coach. Marques has done fairly well so far, winning two of their three league matches - including a 3-0 drubbing of Pirates. He has also steered The Birds to the MTN8 final.
We were also greeted by good news the other day when Wits brought in former Bafana Bafana short-stopper Andre Arendse as their goalkeeper coach.
Shaun Bartlett is Muhsin Ertugral assistant at Lamontville Golden Arrows. Great.
There is quite a number of local former players attached to PSL clubs, especially in development structures and we can't wait to see them one day calling the shots from the dugouts as head coaches.
As things stand today we have local coaches at the helm of two of the most high profile benches in the local game: at Bafana and at Pirates.
While we welcome a major shift in mindset of some of South African football bosses the seemingly irrational sacking of coaches continues unabated in the PSL.
The self-same De Sa was the first casualty of the new season when he was shown the door before a ball was kicked at Wits. He was to be followed in next to no time by Manqoba Mngqithi who was fired by newly promoted Chippa United, two matches into the season.
As the league goes into its fourth round of fixtures this week the coaches at Mamelodi Sundowns, Platinum Stars, AmaZulu and Arrows must be worried about their futures.
The four teams have not had the best of starts but club bosses have given assurances that they are not about to press panic buttons yet.
We have heard that one before and will hear it again and again until the next coach bites the dust. Who will be next?
Have faith in SA coaches
THE appointment of Roger de Sa as Orlando Pirates head coach this week drew mixed feelings from the football fraternity.
A section of the SA football family believes the former BidVest Wits' coach was a wrong choice for Pirates, while there are those who think he is the right man for the job.
We are among those who are excited that Pirates' boss Irvin Khoza opted for the wily but sometimes petulant trainer.
This is an investment in a local coach who did not only play at the highest level but also proved his technical and tactical nous with unfancied clubs in the Premier Soccer League.
This is perhaps a call to other PSL teams to give local coaches a break. There is no doubt that we have many coaches in South Africa who can match or even do better than their foreign counterparts. So why are they not given a chance?
Hats off to Moroka Swallows for appointing Zeca Marques as head coach. Marques has done fairly well so far, winning two of their three league matches - including a 3-0 drubbing of Pirates. He has also steered The Birds to the MTN8 final.
We were also greeted by good news the other day when Wits brought in former Bafana Bafana short-stopper Andre Arendse as their goalkeeper coach.
Shaun Bartlett is Muhsin Ertugral assistant at Lamontville Golden Arrows. Great.
There is quite a number of local former players attached to PSL clubs, especially in development structures and we can't wait to see them one day calling the shots from the dugouts as head coaches.
As things stand today we have local coaches at the helm of two of the most high profile benches in the local game: at Bafana and at Pirates.
While we welcome a major shift in mindset of some of South African football bosses the seemingly irrational sacking of coaches continues unabated in the PSL.
The self-same De Sa was the first casualty of the new season when he was shown the door before a ball was kicked at Wits. He was to be followed in next to no time by Manqoba Mngqithi who was fired by newly promoted Chippa United, two matches into the season.
As the league goes into its fourth round of fixtures this week the coaches at Mamelodi Sundowns, Platinum Stars, AmaZulu and Arrows must be worried about their futures.
The four teams have not had the best of starts but club bosses have given assurances that they are not about to press panic buttons yet.
We have heard that one before and will hear it again and again until the next coach bites the dust. Who will be next?