Malesela rallies Bloemfontein behind Gallants

Marumo Gallants coach Dan Malesela is optimistic they have assembled a good team that will compete well and retain their status in the Betway Premiership this season.

Malesela, who replaced Dylan Kerr even before the new campaign started, said he had the luxury of bringing some players and personnel, which he thinks will suit his philosophy.

Gallants will start the season with a match against Kaizer Chiefs at the Free State Stadium on September 14, before travelling to Golden Arrows in their second game.

“There are challenges here and there...” Malesela told the media after the launch of the Betway Premiership in Sandton yesterday. “The first one is to get the team right, get the playing personnel right. I managed to reduce the team from 48 players to about 33. That was the first thing.

“And then we'll see if we can bring a way of playing that is suitable for everybody, not for me, but for the players as well because there are several players I found at the club but I also had the luxury to bring in certain personnel. We tried to choose carefully ... to have people that can adjust to the system.”

Having relocated to Bloemfontein, Malesela is also looking forward to the challenge of winning over the people of Mangaung to support the team.

“I think it works well if you can think of the Bloemfontein Celtic of old, they were very popular and that’s why the supporters associated themselves with the team. It was the style of play that attracted them,” he said.

“We will try and play the kind of football that when they [fans] go home they are satisfied. You don’t want supporters to come [and watch the game] and when they go home they are not happy. It is a blessing in disguise that we are playing Kaizer Chiefs first.

“Every supporter will want to be at the stadium and I think it is a beautiful launch for our team that we play Chiefs [first] and I hope we win so there is a buzz.”

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