The honeymoon phase is over

Delmain Faver: Coach, you’ve already got your shoulder to the plough as the new assistant coach of Cape Town Spurs alongside Technical Director Sean Connor, who is currently the interim head coach. Upon first glance, what are the main things you are looking to change?

Vasili Manousakis: I think the first thing is to change the mentality. I think at the moment it’s all, you know, psychological and mental. That’s the aspect where the boys are very low in confidence and it’s not for the first time that they have gone ahead in a match and then let it slip. So, we are working on the mental aspect. We are working on playing a little bit differently, you know. We have got our own identity that the Technical Director is hoping that we will bring across and that’s my job to support him. Yeah, this (Carling Knockout Cup) is a cup competition, but certainly after that we need to now start picking up points. I mean, that is the reality. You know, every game that goes past that we don’t pick up points just makes it a little bit more difficult, but again, the spirit is high, the attitude is good. We shared our philosophy with the players and they seem to be on board.

DF: Do you see this new cup competit ion as a distraction as you desperately need points, or is it a platform where you can gain confidence by getting that muchwhich needed win, would then obviously spill over into the league campaign?

VM: Yeah, I think that what you mentioned is the reality. It gives us the opportunity, you know. We will be the underdogs. Nobody’s gonna give us a chance, especially against (Orlando) Pirates, a fantastic cup team. We have seen the pedigree, but sometimes you need these games to go out and express yourself and that can lift the confidence. Of course, yes, it’s about the result, but s ometimes not about the results… not much for us. We need to see that we are getting closer to playing the way that we wanna play, trying the different combinations so that we are ready to face Stellenbosch FC in the next league encounter. So, not a distraction at all. Actually good timing, in our opinion.

DF: A lot of people are a very brave into the kitchen hottest. The question was the thinking the job when you decided that with trouble, rather available opportunity?

VM:

would say you man for stepping when it’s at its then is, what behind taking up could have easily the club in such wait for the next

I think that’s the easy way out and those that know me, you know, (know that) I don’t like to take the easy road. Also, the vision that was pitched to me from the management was very positive. They have presented a short list of coaches, which certainly says to me I’d love to be working next to one or two of these guys, whoever it may be in the end. So, that excited me, and there’s been no great chef made out of very neat and clean kitchens. Sometimes the chaos allows you to almost make your own recipe and cook the dishes in the way that you want them cooked. So, my role at the moment is (to be) very supportive – supportive

Usually when there is a fire in a building, the people around it would try and get as far away from it as possible in fear that the flames could engulf them. However, in the case of Vasili Manousakis, he has bravely headed in the direction of a raging inferno, hellbent on extinguishing it and bringing much-needed calm to the situation. That smoking hot volcano is Cape Town Spurs, the Premiership returnees who have endured a turbulent first season back after five years in the jungle. These developments led to the parting of ways with the man who masterminded the path back to the land of milk and honey, the legendary Shaun Bartlett. While they look for a replacement for the former Bafana Bafana striker, the Urban Warriors have turned to, among others, Manousakis. He joined as assistant coach, working under Technical Director Sean Connor until a permanent head coach is found. Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver had a face-to-face with the man at the Carling Knockout Cup launch in Johannesburg to discuss the mammoth task he has embarked on down in the Mother City. to the Technical Director, supportive to the head coach that will be coming in and this fantastic group of players. And yeah, one could say ‘brave’. Somebody else mentioned earlier: brave or stupid. You know, either or, it doesn’t really faze me. I know the task at hand and I think we are up for it.

DF: About eight games into the season, a lot of people would say there are still so many points up for grabs, while others might believe it’s actually too late. Looking at it, is what appears to bea sinking ship capable of being saved? VM: We hope to turn it around soon, you know. Once you get to 10 games, you almost have to win every second game, which is a very tough task. But the management are listening. I think there’s one or two free agents that we are trying to recommend and to push, just to add a little bit more depth to the team. But certainly savable. If I didn’t think so,

I wouldn’t have taken that job.

DF: The FIFA break must be a blessing in disguise for you as the technical team as you get a chance to finetune your plans and get a week or two to work with the players without the demands of playing matches. Which areas will you be targeting during this period?

VM: The mentality must change. Also, some of the boys are really young, but they are gonna have to grow hair

on their chest to realise what task is at hand. That’s why we might need one or two players with a little bit more PSL (topflight) experience to help guide the ship. I have been in a similar situation before with Richards Bay FC in the back end of the league (season) and it starts to get tough for the players that don’t really have PSL experience. But the mentality must change, and they must understand that the honeymoon phase and the warm fuzzy feeling of competing in the PSL is now… it’s over. It’s a ruthless league. It’s tactical, it’s very technical. So, yeah, you either go to… should I say jump on the bus with us, and those that don’t are gonna get left behind very, very quickly.

DF: Some tough talk there, coach. Now, you’ve just touched on your time at Richards Bay, where you had that blistering start to the season that actually saved your status because towards the end, the results just weren’t coming. You are now on the other side of the coin where the club has had a slow start and will probably need a massive finish.

VM: Yeah, definitely! Yeah, that was an incredible start at Richards Bay. We also had our challenges later, especially in front of goal. You know, I don’t want to talk too much about last season, but certainly when you look at 20 goals scored, we were the lowest-scoring team in the league. It was the clean sheets that were getting us through. So, when you score 20 goals in 30 league matches, you know it’s not a good return, and now we need to reverse the roles. We have conceded the highest number of goals… I think it’s around 17, which is not a good number. So, we need to shut the back door knowing that we will have one or two opportunities up front.

DF: Will you be tapping into the well of knowledge that is Benni McCarthy as a Spurs old boy and as a confidant who can give you all the help you need albeit from the opposite side of the world?

VM:

Yeah, I think the first couple of calls were, “This is the opportunity that’s presented itself.” He gave me guidance and his opinion. I think everybody knows we talk often, maybe on a weekly basis. We talk tactics, we talk family, we talk everything, you know. It’s good when you have somebody… firstly, that calibre of a coach, as a player that’s played there, but also someone that’s close to you, that believes in you and also motivates you to jump in, add value, take the project. So, yes, (I will) tap into his knowledge and it’s not many people that are able to do that, so I’m really grateful for that. And yeah, we are gonna go for it. Same with Moeneeb Josephs, old Spurs goalkeeper. We’ve spoken. We’ve spoken today (Tuesday), we’ve spoken a couple of days ago. So, it’s those kind of relationships that also give me the positivity to say listen, we are heading in the right direction, it’s a good project and now we need to turn the ship around.

DF: Lastly, on Benni, he has made a fantastic jump from AmaZulu FC to Manchester United, where the fruits of his work with the forwards is evident. As someone close to him, it must be a really proud feeling for you to see his growth. VM:

Listen, when it was announced that he was going to United, obviously I knew a little bit before, and everyone was going, “Wow! Wow!” Some may be even a little bit surprised, but I’ve known his quality, I know what kind of coach he is and I know what kind of manager he is. He’s dynamic, so I’m not surprised at all at what he’s doing with the players. I’ve read article after article talking about how much the players love him and respect him. He speaks the languages and that’s the environment that he creates. That’s why, for me, you know, he’s the number one that I’ve ever worked with, and who knows where we will end up together in the future again?

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