Stylianou: I remember during our time…

Chiefs’ legend Lucky Stylianou has emphasised the importance of the coach’s involvement in signing players. Stylianou, who made history in 1978 by becoming the very first white player to play for Amakhosi, was prepared to speak on record about the state of affairs at the club.

“It really depends, honestly. The issue of players has been another area of concern for Chiefs because you can be a good player at an average club, but it doesn’t mean that you will do well at Chiefs where pressure is at its highest level. I remember during our time at the club, we once had a player who came from KwaZuluNatal from one of the clubs. He was talented but couldn’t cope with pressure at Chiefs. When he came on for his first match, within 20 minutes he had made a few errors already and from there he kept on passing the ball backwards. At training, he had been performing leading up to the game but during the game he struggled. There are a lot of things that are looked at when a player is signing for a big club like Chiefs and one of the characteristics is the character of the player. That’s why some of the good players that have been signed by the club haven’t made it, they lack some of the qualities. There is so much (that goes) into football and being a good player than just ability. So, for Chiefs to sign the right players, they will need the input of the new coach on how he needs to play and all those things. But I’m confident in the board, sporting director and everyone, and I think they realise how important it is for the team to improve,” said Stylianou.