New coach set to take the mental approach

Orlando Pirates have finally named a new coach in Swedish-born Kjell Jonevret, and he was quick to put himself in a good position by admitting he needs some time to adjust.

It is good that he was appointed for a longer period, and he will now immediately try to stabilise the team until the end of this season. By saying football is not a quick fix, he wants to make sure that he works on his philosophy and the mentality of the players.

I have said in the past that most experienced and quality coaches can do well with Pirates, but from my side, I believe his management skills will play a huge role in terms of making sure that he will be successful or fail.

We have seen good coaches leaving Pirates. Unfortunately they could not handle the behavior of the players and they somewhat failed to instill a positive attitude into the players. If he has those management skills outside of football skills, then he will be successful.

Coach Ruud Krol was also very good in managing players outside of football. He kept them focused and always committed. If Kjell Jonevret can do that, then I don’t see him failing. If he fails to do that, it will be a huge problem for him to see out his three-year contract.

I would have loved to see a South African leading a big club like Pirates, just like at Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns. I think when Pirates went through the criteria, the available candidates locally couldn’t meet the criteria and that is why they looked abroad.

But the main objective is to deliver. We also need the expertise from other countries to move forward as nation.

My main concern is how the technical team deals with the attitude of the players. How will they inspire their players to live a good life outside of football? Sometimes you can tell that some players are not living a healthy lifestyle because of the commitment they put out on the field.

Harold Legodi has been there and he has been in football for a very long time – he is a legend. I believe and I trust that his expertise will play a huge role in terms of instilling a positive attitude.

He is a person who acts like a father figure, and at the same time he can act as an adviser. I have personally learned a lot from him, his focus and determination is of a high standard. For Pirates to have a person of those qualities as the coach’s right-hand man will assist him in making sure Jonevret settles in well.

Playing against Kaizer Chiefs in the upcoming Soweto derby will be a huge motivation. The management and the technical team have to work hard to make sure the concentration levels of the players are as high as possible all the time. They don’t have to sharpen their performance only when they have to play against Chiefs, Wits or Mamelodi Sundowns.

I would like to congratulate Sundowns, more especially their management, on lifting the Caf Super Cup.

They were determined to become successful, and now everyone is talking about them – they are the best club in Africa – both management-wise and on the field. I hope their energy is now rubbing off on the other teams.

It is good for South African football to see Platinum Stars, Wits and SuperSport United doing well in the early stages of these Caf competitions.