SuperSport boss gets tough with players
SuperSport United director of football Stan Matthews has issued an ultimatum to his players to finish the season inside the top six or face the consequences at the end of the premiership campaign in May.
SuperSport United director of football Stan Matthews has issued an ultimatum to his players to finish the season inside the top six or face the consequences at the end of the premiership campaign in May.
United have lacked consistency under coach Kaitano Tembo‚ who was given the job on a full-time basis after he impressed as caretaker following the dismissal of Eric Tinkler‚ and Matthews said the players have been made aware that they are playing for their contracts.
“Players are either going to earn themselves new contracts or the new broom is going to have to come in and sweep clean‚” Matthews said.
United are eighth on the premiership standings with 26 points from 19 matches. Their mission to force their way into the top six continues on Sunday when they visit Golden Arrows at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium on Sunday.
They were recently dumped out of the Nedbank Cup by Cape Town City, where they lost 2-0.
“I have shared it with them very clearly that if we are not in the top six‚ most them will either be offered their clearances or transfer listed‚” he said‚ adding that the club is careful how it operates on the transfer market because it is tightening its belt.
United only brought in Mxolisi Macuphu from Bidvest Wits and George Lebese from Mamelodi Sundowns on shortterm deals until the end of the season during the transfer window and Matthews said they did not want to make panic recruitments. “I don’t want a situation where we panic sign because we want to finish fourth instead of sixth and we hurt the club for the next three to four years because we have not brought in the right quality of players.”
“We know what type of quality we want‚ we understand that we are underperforming at the moment relative to where we have been for the last 15 years. But we also understand that the football club is in a transitionary phase and unless we are ready to tighten the belt‚ we are going to be reckless and we don’t want to do that.
“With a new coach I made the Cup final and managed to tighten my budget substantially with all the cut backs‚ I say to you my board is happy with me.
“That is what the board want to see this year and we will relaunch and regroup for July with a stronger backbone because the three-year cycle of contracts that I have been living with since 2016 are about to come to an end in July.”