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I am the best coach South Africa‚ says Baroka's Kgoloko Thobejane

Kgoloko Thobejane, coach of Baroka FC celebrates during the 2016 Nedbank Cup match between Polokwane City and Baroka FC at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa on April 24, 2016.
Kgoloko Thobejane, coach of Baroka FC celebrates during the 2016 Nedbank Cup match between Polokwane City and Baroka FC at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa on April 24, 2016.
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Kgoloko Thobejane has never been one to shy away from singing his own praises and the Baroka FC mentor was at it again on Thursday when he declared himself as the best coach in South Africa.

Baroka are perched at the premiership summit and Thobejane said his unheralded side would emulate English club Leicester City and march to an unlikely league title next May.

“Personally‚ I believe that I am the best coach.

"I strongly believe that I am the best of the best‚” he said.

Thobejane's charges have also reached the quarterfinals of the Telkom Knockout and they face Bidvest Wits in Johannesburg on Saturday night.

“Going into this game against Wits‚ we are more than ready and we want to bring this hoodoo we have against them to an end‚" he said.

"We have never beaten them after three matches but we normally lose to teams that are struggling (Wits are struggling and second from the bottom on the table).

“We do well against teams that have muscle‚ these teams that we meet while they are struggling have our number.

"The Telkom Knockout is not like a league game‚ there must be a winner and we will be ready.”

When asked again if he still believed that Baroka would hang on to top spot and win the league title‚ Kgoloko said:

"Yes‚ of course!

"If you want to eat nuts‚ do away with the shell‚ just crack it.

"We are there in position number one at the moment and there is no reason for us to be afraid.

"For us is to keep our position we have to fight with everything that we have.

"There are people who said we are keeping the umbrella for someone there at the top but it has been a few months since the league campaign started.

“We want the league and we are number one

"How many teams have played in top leagues for many years and have never been to number one?

"It is because they don’t believe they can be there.

"There are people who say at least I want to be number eight and what happens when you don’t get number eight‚ you will be last and chased down by the dogs.

"We are all in the PSL and why should we take the back seat?”

Thobejane said he would not pay too much attention to Wits in his preparations for the match.

He said his focus would be on improving his team and plotting a maiden win over their hosts in the fourth attempt.

“No and a big no‚ I would never spend my energy on the opponent.

"I will spend my energy with my players and talk football because if I talk about the opponents‚ I will scare my players.”

- TimesLIVE

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