Whenever things go wrong in football, the coach is usually the first person to bite the bullet.

In some cases, the coach is to blame for using ineffective tactics. In other cases, players are to blame. Orlando Pirates lost a match against Polokwane City they had no business losing in the Telkom Cup quarterfinals.

At one stage, Bucs should have been leading 4-1. Players missed a penalty and two glorious chances. It's now history that those misses came back to haunt Bucs as they eventually lost that match in a penalty shootout.

I perfectly understand why Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic says he was left with a bitter taste.

There are times when players are the problem, not the coach. In their match before that, against Mamelodi Sundowns, Pirates failed to capitalise on Downs' mistakes.

Srejodevic can only coach players to do the right thing, but can't physically help them score easy goals.

During Ruud Krol's tenure as head coach, he won many cups because he had a captain in Lucky Lekgwathi who led from the front. Those days now seem like a distant memory.

I hope when Bucs boss Irvin Khoza reviews the coach's performance, he also reviews the performances of players.

I must also congratulate Polokwane City under the guidance of a young coach, Bernard Molekwa, for a job well done. The emergence of coaches like him can only mean good news for the future of our football.

Richardson Mzaidume

Pimville