Orlando Pirates legend Gavin Lane has slammed the players following the club’s recent poor performances.

The Buccaneers suffered their third successive defeat at the weekend when they lost 1-2 to Cape Town City in the DStv Premiership match.

With 15 games completed, the Buccaneers find themselves 19 points behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

Lane has not been impressed with the attitude of the players as he feels they are letting the team down. 

“I just think players must look at themselves as individuals and ask themselves what is going on. Why are we not performing the way we are supposed to perform?” the ex-defender Lane asked.

“I think each individual player must look at themselves and say ‘we are playing for the supporters, the badge and a huge club’. They have to take their own leadership and it’s up to them to pick up the pieces. I mean, it’s terrible.”

It is not a secret that the Buccaneers have not been convincing this season, with only five matches won while suffering six defeats and four draws.

They have scored 10 goals while conceding 11 in the process. But Lane feels blaming coach Jose Riveiro wouldn’t be fair.

“It is not good news for any team, especially a big club like Pirates to lose three in a row. It is a difficult one and everyone will say let the coach go, but who are you going to bring in?” he said.

“It is always difficult to change the coaches all the time. It is easy if you are watching from the outside and say ‘let's get rid of the coach because he is bad news’. But is it him or his tactics wrong? Or is it the players not performing up to the standard?

“If you look at the Sundowns team, the whole bench and everyone looks happy and comfortable in their positions and every player wants to play for the team.

“But with Pirates players, they look like they are not interested.”