Bernard Molekwa has no experience as a Premier Soccer League head coach‚ but has been given the assurance by club chairman Johnny Mogaladi that he will remain as boss of Polokwane City until the end of the season.
Molekwa has been a long-time assistant coach at City‚ where he had been acting as team manager before the departure last last week of head coach Luc Eymael to Bloemfontein Celtic.
He insists that he has not been appointed in a caretaker capacity‚ and is the current head coach of City‚ which he will remain until the end of the season.
The closest Molekwa has come to being a PSL head coach was when he assisted goalkeeper-coach Makweni Mayala – who had been promoted to caretaker-coach – after the departure of Kosta Papic from City in November 2015.
Asked to clarify his current position‚ Molekwa replied: “My position is the coach‚ at the moment‚ of the team until the end of the season.
“The chairman has asked me to lead the team until the end of the season‚ and that is what I am doing.”
Asked about his inexperience as a PSL head coach‚ Molekwa said: “I’ve been at this club for a long time‚ and been an assistant here for a long time. With the experience I have gained working with a lot of coaches the chairman entrusted me with the job.
“It’s an opportunity and I will see. I will try by all means to do everything – and not alone‚ but as a team – to make sure this team goes forward.”
Molekwa is being assisted by Phuti Mohafe‚ who had been second in command to Eymael.
They take over a team that is in a healthy position in the PSL in sixth place on 27 points from 21 games‚ though City have not won in eight matches. The pair started brightly with a 0-0 draw against African champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night.
Molekwa had screamed himself so hoarse in that game that he could barely speak to the media in the post-match press conference.
“I was trying to motivate my players. Because I needed to do that. At times I needed to encourage them more‚ because I knew they might lose focus‚” he said.
“Our ambition is still to try to finish in the top eight. To do that we need to start collecting maximum points.
“We’ll try by all means to do that in our next game against Bloemfontein Celtic.”
Student faces master in Polokwane’s next game‚ as Molekwa will come up against Eymael on the touchlines when City face Celtic at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on April 1.
If the fixture on the same day between Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium might be labelled a clash of titans‚ some might call the City-Celtic match the April fool’s match-up of the charlatans.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
Polokwane City's Bernard Molekwa says he's no caretaker-coach‚ and there for the season
Bernard Molekwa has no experience as a Premier Soccer League head coach‚ but has been given the assurance by club chairman Johnny Mogaladi that he will remain as boss of Polokwane City until the end of the season.
Molekwa has been a long-time assistant coach at City‚ where he had been acting as team manager before the departure last last week of head coach Luc Eymael to Bloemfontein Celtic.
He insists that he has not been appointed in a caretaker capacity‚ and is the current head coach of City‚ which he will remain until the end of the season.
The closest Molekwa has come to being a PSL head coach was when he assisted goalkeeper-coach Makweni Mayala – who had been promoted to caretaker-coach – after the departure of Kosta Papic from City in November 2015.
Asked to clarify his current position‚ Molekwa replied: “My position is the coach‚ at the moment‚ of the team until the end of the season.
“The chairman has asked me to lead the team until the end of the season‚ and that is what I am doing.”
Asked about his inexperience as a PSL head coach‚ Molekwa said: “I’ve been at this club for a long time‚ and been an assistant here for a long time. With the experience I have gained working with a lot of coaches the chairman entrusted me with the job.
“It’s an opportunity and I will see. I will try by all means to do everything – and not alone‚ but as a team – to make sure this team goes forward.”
Molekwa is being assisted by Phuti Mohafe‚ who had been second in command to Eymael.
They take over a team that is in a healthy position in the PSL in sixth place on 27 points from 21 games‚ though City have not won in eight matches. The pair started brightly with a 0-0 draw against African champions Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night.
Molekwa had screamed himself so hoarse in that game that he could barely speak to the media in the post-match press conference.
“I was trying to motivate my players. Because I needed to do that. At times I needed to encourage them more‚ because I knew they might lose focus‚” he said.
“Our ambition is still to try to finish in the top eight. To do that we need to start collecting maximum points.
“We’ll try by all means to do that in our next game against Bloemfontein Celtic.”
Student faces master in Polokwane’s next game‚ as Molekwa will come up against Eymael on the touchlines when City face Celtic at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on April 1.
If the fixture on the same day between Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium might be labelled a clash of titans‚ some might call the City-Celtic match the April fool’s match-up of the charlatans.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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