THE BACKPAGE phakaaathi.co.za De Sa ready for task
STARS COACH: HE IS AWARE THERE WILL HAVE TO BE A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Roger de Sa says plans to overhaul Platinum Stars are underway after they were booted out of the Absa Premiership, dropping into the National First Division, the second tier of South African football.
“We have a lot of planning and organisation going on and we are trying to rebuild the team from scratch. It is going to be pretty much the same when you join a new team and you start all over again. At face value, there will be no difference,” De Sa told Phakaaathi after confirming he would stay on.
De Sa’s problem, however, is that he could lose some of his key players to top-flight teams who have been showing interest in his players following Stars’ ordeal.
“There have been some agents calling, but in the end there are players who want to join our team as well so we have to add up all those factors before we make any decisions,” he said.
While De Sa knows the ins and outs of coaching in the elite league following stints at Orlando Pirates and Bidvest Wits, he is aware that the second tier requires a different approach.
“The National First Division is a lot different from the PSL (Premiership), so we are probably going to need different types of players to compete in the NFD. We know that and that is what we are going to try and do.
“I haven’t targeted anyone in particular but I do know we are going to need a player in every department to come and compete. It could either be a goalkeeper, a defender or a striker.
“There are players who are staying and there are players who are going, some will be retained and some will be acquired as the NFD has a lot less sponsors and less interest as opposed to the PSL. We hope everything will fall into place soon and that we will be able to kick off in July.”