Phakaaathi.co.za Tinkler to get thinking cap on
COACH: I NEED TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS, THAT IS JUST THE HARSH REALITY OF THE GAME
SuperSport have won only one of their last 10 matches.
Eric Tinkler is confronted by two conundrums – one: he has to find a decent replacement for Jeremy Brockie; two: he needs to make sure that his side rediscover the form which saw them reach the Caf Confederation Cup final in November last year.
Last week, Brockie jumped ship to join crosstown rivals Mamelodi Sundowns and with Bradley Grobler out with a long-term injury, Tinkler has little option but to go into the market.
“Right now we are thin. We are forced to go into the market. We always have been forced to go into the market,” said Tinkler.
“This is a team who are in a transitional phase right now and unfortunately those transfers we want to bring in are not going to happen overnight. We need to make the right decisions on who those players are.”
SuperSport United are experiencing their worst spell in the Absa Premiership, having only managed a single win in their last 10 league games, leaving them 11th with five points separating them from bottom team Platinum Stars.
Be that as it may, SuperSport can create a bit of breathing space when they host Bernard Molekwa’s Polokwane City tonight at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Tinkler is, to a certain extent, feeling the pressure as a lot was expected from him when he joined Matsatsantsa.
“I put pressure on myself when I am down there and I put pressure on myself when I am up there, nothing changes,” Tinkler said.
“We play to win in every single game and right now we are not capable of doing that, which is obviously a huge concern for us. We need to work on that as a technical team to ensure we get these guys motivated for the Polokwane match.”
United will continue to be without goalkeeper Ronwen Williams who has missed the last 12 games due to injury. Nonetheless, Tinkler will not sulk over the absence of the Bafana Bafana international.
“Ronwen is a highly experienced goalkeeper, he has been the main goalkeeper for SuperSport for years and we miss him all the time just like when we miss our top players. But I can’t sit and worry about that and make it an excuse, I need to come up with solutions. That is just the harsh reality of the game.”