Tinkler grits his teeth for helluva fight
Coach will push his men to put City to the sword
SUPERSPORT United coach Eric Tinkler says there will be no room for sentiment when he comes face to face with former team Cape Town City in the MTN8 final at Moses Mabhida Stadium tomorrow.
Tinkler coached City in their first PSL campaign last season where he helped them to a respectable thirdplaced finish and also to Telkom Knockout success‚ earning many admirers.
“There is no sentiment because if you are a professional‚ you move on. It is about SuperSport United and winning things for them now‚” the former Bafana Bafana defensive midfielder said as United readied for a clash that has the ingredients to be a thriller.
“We are going there with the attitude and mentality that we want to win‚ and if that happens we will celebrate with humility.
“At the end of the match we will still be friends regardless of what happened.”
Tinkler‚ now in his third full season as a PSL coach after his time at Orlando Pirates and City‚ dismissed suggestions that he will have an edge over former Bafana teammate Benni McCarthy‚ who is in his first season as head coach of the Cape side.
“Stuart Baxter left a very good foundation here at SuperSport United and that is one of the main reasons why I chose to come here – because of the quality of personnel at the club‚” SuperSport’s coach said.
“But at the same time I am bringing something different and new to the club and I have my own beliefs and philosophy.
“It will be the same at Cape Town City with Benni‚ who will have a different view on how he wants to play. I have seen that and it is fairly different to the way we were playing.
“He has changed the squad a little bit‚ but an advantage that I know the strengths and weaknesses of the players who were in the City squad last season‚ and I will pass that information to my players.”
Tinkler revealed that apart from long-term injury casualties in the form of Onismor Bhasera and Thato Mokeke‚ he has a clean bill of health going into the final.
“Bhasera and Mokeke have been out for a while and we expect them to be back around mid-November.
“Everybody is fit and raring to go – the guys who came back from the national team are all good. Bradley Grobler had a bit of a knock on the ankle but he is fine‚ Morgan Gould‚ Clayton Daniels and Ronwen Williams are good and we have a clean bill of health.
“Having all the players fit gives me a bit of a headache in terms of selection and it makes my job a bit harder, but that is a good problem to have.” — DDC