Yeah good afternoon to members of the media um first let me congratulate DGA for for winning photographer of the the is it the season or the year it’s the year yeah we are all talented in many many different ways and it’s good to see that your your talent was recognized so congratulations for
That um no congratulations to the football club I think uh a fantastic uh turnout the fans were amazing the Y nation and uh was great to see them happy and support the team the way they did and congratulations to them first and foremost congratulations to the entire
Club very important three points with a very very good performance so congratulations once again to uh to the players uh they they played really really well and gave uh a good account of themselves and and represented the football club very well so congratulations to to to this
Fantastic group um and that includes the technical team very good very good uh preparation um congratulations to the coaches coach Michael coach wender especially also because of that setpiece goal with Peter was something we worked on a lot and uh also congratulations to to coach mova also because of uh his
Contribution and his his influence in in helping us to prepare during the FIFA break so so incredible team performance uh both on and off the pitch and congratulations to everybody thank you very much coach colleagues it’s your opportunity to ask questions uh your name and publication please we’ll start with Mr
There from uh coach how are you handling the sort of the double expectation of this and that after winning the f and how the team has been playing there’s a lot of expectation for this team to win the champions league but also internally there’s that it’s something that last
Happened in 2016 so they push to to try and and retain this title yeah look pressure is built from um from that expectation an expectation comes as a result of being able to have shown that you have the capacity to do that and the only way you can uh deal
With that is by preparation and working very hard to make sure the team improves and gets better and and we pay attention to every small detail we we go game by game and now we have to recover um the players have to go home rest now it’s
Not easy even the bafana players you could see even with the lineup we we we we tried our best to to rest Mishi even though he was on the bench in case we needed him we arrested tza uh because they come from a very gring very grueling two games for for
The World Cup qualifiers and uh but needs must you know and we needed to to have sailor play a couple of minutes but but now is is is important for us to recover and uh and um drink lots of water watch the game we do some review tomorrow and debrief about the
Performance and then and then we go for Super Sport because it’s going to be a very very difficult game against a very good side but first things first is recovery and and getting the body back and and then focus on the next one thank you coach thanks to coach thanks
Ken uh coach um in the past four four seasons three seasons in the Champions League you find teams that um I’m going to make an example with Al when Ali made it to the finals when coach piz was still there they struggled at the beginning of the group stages and I
Think they made it into the group stages uh after a Sundowns through with alhilal and you see what happened with wead yesterday losing the first game how how it goes back to the question I asked you from something SK is the limit when he said games that seem easy are the hardest to
Win 100% how how how important is it to stamp your Authority as one of the favorites for this Champions League um edition of the 2023 2024 how important is it to St your Authority in the first first game and take the first three points that’s on
Offer it’s a very good question I think first first what’s important is is is uh to say to you that um the most important thing for us is we we know where the standard is and the standard is not in terms of what everyone sees uh what we see is the 90 minutes
But what happens behind that is the hours of preparation and and there’s a certain standard that we’ve we’ve we’ve we’ve set and there’s no compromise on that and the players know and so it was very important that when uh we had the entire group coming back for the first
Time together we had a very very important discussion about it that’s number one because that’s that’s where everything lies the the there’s no there’s no hidden secrets uh success has the same Clues and and we have gotten to where we have gotten because of the work that we do and the
Amount of attention to detail that we try to put in and so that that we will never ever a compromise on you know that’s and that’s number one to say number two is is of course it helps when you have a squad of players that understand the importance of that and
This group is a is a group now that’s maturing and and and uh they’ve got a very strong Brotherhood uh and and they work and they they they fight for each other and and and that also makes it a little bit easier number three is it the talk becomes a a
Bit a bit more easier to receive when uh I I said to the players just before kick off said you know my late grandmother told me one thing she said she said to me intelligent people learn from their mistakes but the wise learn from other people’s mistakes and and and and when
You look at the the scenarios that you’ve put up we that yesterday against Shan and I was fortunate enough to try to catch some of the games uh belad it was so difficult physical aggressive but but they got the result eventually but it’s these games are tough MAA pyramids
You saw how physical and aggressive that game was tight these games are tough Jan versus we I watched It’s the physicality the the the aggressive defending and and numbers behind the ball these games are very very difficult but but then you go first in that space to say guys you
Can’t and then you listen to the coach speak and he says we underestimated the opposition and that’s what we got and so it’s easy to say to the players you can’t go there NIU you go through the lineup and you you you you speak about how many of the their
Players are in the national team the type of quality and you could see it even now cidd the number 28 unbelievable makran the number nine very strong very aggressive um MIM in the Midfield the number eight unbelievable s number 19 incredible so so it is a team that can cause BM the
The captain the number 11 is a is a team that can cause you a lot of problems and uh so we try to do that and also we try to to to learn from from them it could be a mistake but but the reality is you
Don’t want to put uh your fate in the hands of others you know if it wasn’t for the save of ronin maybe I’ll actually speak a different story last season and don’t qualify from the group stages so so we trying to to make sure that we set specific targets and we work
To towards those targets day by day and uh and keep our feet firmly on the ground and not get too far ahead of ourselves because because that that only leads to to to disaster and but like I as I say the most important thing out of everything is that you’ve got a you’ve
Got a squad of very good human beings who who understand the tasks the goals the Ambitions but also understand the process and that it’s not about just arriving there it’s about working every single day to get to that point and uh and a huge compliments to this group for that thank you
Coach um coach congrats on the on the win thank you sir check um what did you make of Nea personally I felt he struggled a little bit with sharpness and how important does he become in in the absence of someone like I don’t know how long is going to be
Out yeah you don’t me to start on auy because I I I’m I’m I I I must say to you I’m I’m I’m still very upset with au mba’s injury you know because because yeah let’s leave it at that um no no I thought no did reasonably well I
Think uh a little bit better than what he’s been he’s been struggling for form but I but with with what one thing with noo is is he’s a very honest footballer you know he he may struggle with with finding Rhythm and and and and and that’s normal you know sometimes with
Players there’s there’s always drop in form and and what he needs In This Moment is a coach that shows him a lot of support and a lot of love and and makes him realize how important he is and and just before uh we went to bed
Last night we showed him a couple of Clips where from last season and especially his performance against alak and and uh some of the good things that he did but it’s the same that I can say about Terren today I thought he was also very good it’s not easy to come in and
And and and deliver the type of performance in a Champions League game you can say the same about Ren stable zero mistake and and and and and that Brian onyango came on was was was good zero mistakes very focused good with the Ariel Jules assisted with the buildup
Also and uh and you you you speak about Leu Mau also you know so it’s is you can say the same thing about all these players what what what helps them is that they are honest and they give you an honest shift and and that’s the least
We we ask of them we ask of them to to to give us their best and if their best is a 6 out of 10 then I’m happy I go home and I and I’m proud of them because that that is their best and then of
Course we we analyze and we say but from a six how how do we go to 6 and A2 and from 6 and A2 how do we go to seven always trying to get better and uh fortunately as I said all they already good players all of them very very good
Players who and and who happen to be honest human beings and and I’m very proud very very proud of the performance of noo but I can say the same about I’m I’m happy for for tapel Morena being out for so long and he comes in and he makes
That type of contribution Peter shalu has been out with injury and uh struggled a little bit with um still with a knock during the FIFA break so we had to manage that but you see the quality that he provides Lucas rero you you can see why we missed Lucas so much
Uh him and Peter and tapel and when when they play they they they they give the team so much more and um the same as I said about Terrence the same as I said about Brian and rashen and Musa in in a very difficult moment where we don’t
Have andala we don’t have grand kakana so they they had to step up a little bit and Leo Mau also you know so I’m very proud of the players and proud that when we rotated the team the not only did we did we win but the standard didn’t drop uh because that’s
Been something that we’ve been speaking about a lot thank you coach uh coach congratulations on the win I just want to find out from you coach with all the changes are you able to name the elements that impressed you about the team despite all the changes
You make and I asked us to say are you a fan of rotation is will that be a con feature you know as we navigate this busy period I think I’ve made my my when the season finished um when the season finished I I spent
Offseason sh is here because I was I was running into Shi a lot at the CL cop and there was almost no one but I spent I spent the off season most of it majority of it at CL cup and I went through all our games all our games from last season
One of the and there were three big things that I spoke to the team about and I would not speak about all of them here but one of them was rotation and uh I’ve even made my feelings and I can say it here because I’ve made it known
To them that I I am not so sure where the rotation is the right thing in big clubs uh because of cohesion chemistry fluidity and and and and also because last season when we dropped points against amazulu against maritzburg against stellos when we lost in the in the cup uh when we
Drew to stellos in captown 111 When we dropped points against golden Aros even we rotated a lot and and and most of the points and the defeat the defeat against TM BOS was when we rotated the team so one of the things I’ve spoken to the
Group about has been that is that if if we if we have a squad of 36 players all 36 must make a contribution last season we had 36 we used 35 only one player didn’t get game time and and and the reality is if we are going to have and
And on our roster a squad like this and it has to be that people play but when they play they’ve got to make a contribution to the success of the team and it’s not because we are giving we are handing out performances and care and and and appearances we are not in in
That space for for for charity and then it becomes very difficult because now you you have that understanding that you’re dealing with human beings who happen to be footballers and footballers want to to be on the pitch to play to be happy so when they are happy they are
Happy as human beings not as footballers that’s the one part but the other part is now football is a is a game that is based on meritocracy you have to earn the right to play and so it’s a it’s a it’s a very difficult situation that we
Find ourselves in and and I’m happy that when these type of situations happen where we try to make the human being happy by giving a performance to now a chance to play Ki who was I thought was very good today a chance to play Musa Rosen and they don’t drop the standard
They still make not just themselves happy but the club Happy by getting the result and then that also speaks to the the part of meritocracy because that then says the next time they they are afforded an opportunity to BL not because we’re handing out appearances it’s because the last time they played
They they they they they performed very very well so it’s a difficult one but generally I’m I’m I’m not a fan of of of rotation for the sake of rotation because it kills it kills it kills what I believe is the first thing about competitive Sport and the first thing
About competitive sport is is earn everything you get it’s like when you you win the game you have to win it because you’ve earned it you win the trophy you win it because you’ve ented that’s what competitive sport is about nothing is given to you and so so when
You give um starts to people because of just rotating and freshness and many other factors I think it kills the the the basis of of what competitive sport is and competitive sport at the end the the starting and the the the the the start and the end of competitive
Sport is meritocracy in my opinion thanks coach for squeezing the last two questions MAA and matad okay um coach two months since you last played a domestic League game is it going to require some mental shift for for the players for Wednesday and The Balancing Act because now you are obviously
Traveling doing champions league and domestic League for the next little while and if I could ask just a tribute uh to uh the late papy now I see coach trappa is here gave him his ba debut 1998 if I’m not unbelievable mistaken yeah in fact I should have
Started with that um and thanks thanks for that MAA that one is um is a is a little bit of an emotional one because uh um um I grew up in in Orlando West as you all know and which is a walking distance to what was known before is the Simba
Sports Center is now known as the Nike Center and and from the Nike Center I’m I I I’m trying from the top of my head to to do the the the Geographics is about three or four houses before you get to the Nike center from from from from mapona
Mall you on that road not the main road with the Paraguana but the road of of getting into Nike Center is is is is at the stop sign is one two yeah three or four houses from the corner is where uh um the the Comm houses and the family
Stays there and um because because of my history with with with uh with the Orlando Pirates and and the family every time I went to the Nike Center Simba grounds as a player even as a small kid thatman treated me like his son up until
The time I I went to work at Pirates he used to come and visit me and and and support and he was he’s he he has always been always been um an a other figure towards me and and when I heard the news um really I I I broke down I I
Broke down not because of of of of the sadness of the the the situation because it it death uh there’s a poem I I remember I remember we did in in uh in in high school was titled death be not proud and even though they you know you get you
Get the news of someone passing away almost every single day but we can’t get accustomed to it you know it still affects us and hits us very very very hard but this one hit me even harder because I could only picture what a is going through because uh it’s not only
The son but it’s also his beloved wife and and and so I think it’s very important that uh I use this platform to not only uh wish their souls a peaceful rest and and and that God welcomes them graciously with with his angels into into into a place of rest but also to
Extend sincere and very heartfelt condolences to the to the Comm family the the football fraternity as a whole because of the contribution that puppy made but also because it goes beyond that is is is is to lose two family members in in a accident is extremely tragic and so really uh heartfelt condolences
To the family and to the bereaved and um my prayers and my thoughts are are are with and that AER is what an incredible human being I don’t know how many of you have had the privilege to to meet him and speak to him but so so humble and
And and so warm and and and just an unbelievable human being um yeah uh may may may their souls rest in peace and uh sincere thoughts and prayers uh are with them and uh they the bed and I speak not only on my behalf I speak on my behalf a little bit
In the sense that of the relationship that I have with d Easter but I would like to extend that on behalf of the football club uh the M family our players and the and and the technical team to to to everybody that um that unfortunately is affected by by
By this uh this tragic news and and and yeah once again May their souls rest in peace um yeah difficult to to speak about football after you know uh but yeah the is yeah that one is a very difficult one very very difficult one very difficult
Um fortunate there’s a lot that we have to play for uh the league is not done there’s no there’s no league title that’s ever been won uh in November December so so we know what we have to do um but as I said to you first is just
To recover uh I think you’re tired of hearing me say this is drink lots of water get lots of sleep and then barefooted walks tomorrow at training and yeah but this is is the reality you know this is what we try to do every day and and recover the and recover the
Bodies and um do some some corrections and and debrief Tomorrow there’s already uh work that’s been done but the adless uh Mario uh was already were already showing me some clips that I spoke about at half time and then what changed in the second half so so we will be showing
That to the players tomorrow but uh yeah there’s a lot to play for very difficult game uh for they also playing against an Egyptian side so let’s see how that goes and uh then I start tonight cuz I haven’t also started on Super Sport so I start tonight with with doing that
Analysis and and trying to give the players as much information for the preparation so we’ll start with that today coach you you have often in the past spoken about um how you know the universe rewards meritocracy and hard work and all kind stuff I bumped on to the professor
During the week and he had some nice things to say about you and having walked even going through the right steps to to get to where you are now but this not about you um the reason I’m saying this you know how happy will it make you to see someone like Mar the
Joining coach um stars aligning for him and getting an opportunity to coach in the PSL because he’s getting to a point where he’s going to become bigger for for the B league with due respect to that league but uh you know do you think he can come to coach in South Africa and
And uh and you know show us what he’s got here uh they they they has to be two parts to my answer unfortunately and and I’ll try to be very brief the the first part is is I I I’m humbled by by what the professor said and he he is one of
The he’s one of the very few coaches that I I am in touch with he he believe it or not he he sends me notes about the performance of the team almost every single day he sends me good luck messages almost every single day we speak at times based on our busy
Schedule he’s he gets busy and I get busy and we speak sometimes telephonically or or meet for for dinner and he’s he’s made incredible contributions to to South African football is a man that has has worked very very hard and has produced some incredible players in this country and
So when you hear those type of words coming from uh from Prof it’s extremely humbling and and I just want to publicly thank him um and and and say I’m humbled by by those words and um he didn’t have to but he did and uh U coming from a man
Of his stature and his contribution to to South African football it means a lot um and I thank him and and I’m truly humbled the second part is I think is very simple because I don’t know what morena’s Ambitions are he’s done exceptionally well even when we’ve and
When I say we as because I count myself as a South African because I am by birth a South African and I I I want the best for this country especially from a football perspective and and he’s done very well when the country has given him
An opportunity even with the CAA cup and and and uh even in the past before with maluti college and and and and and and and his uh the facts are on the pitch I don’t know what his aims are because maybe his aims are even beyond the PSL
So I can’t speak and say oh yeah let him Coach in the PSL what if his his Ambitions are even greater than coaching you once maybe to coach in the Gulf or coach in North Africa or maybe even in Europe is possible because was uh he’s shown his capacity based on the results
Uh he’s a champion in bwana he’s he’s done exceptionally well when he’s uh when he’s been given the opportunity to lead the national team with the ksafa team so um it’s great that we have uh South African coaches doing very very well on the continent and and particularly uh from outside of the
Borders of of of of their own country and um it inspires even many of us including myself to say you can coach outside South Africa and you can succeed and you can win um yeah but you still have a long way to go for me to be outside South Africa
Because I’m here at sown for a very very long time so don’t yeah I’m just letting you know that I’m here for a very long time I know I know I I I live in this space I I know what’s happening and the talks outside I’m just
Saying to you guys that I’ll be here I’m not leaving this chair not yet not not anytime soon now thank you very much coach
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