NEW PIRATES COACH WILL NEED THICK SKULL

ORLANDO Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has finally realised that local is lekker.

After years of denial and time wasting, the Pirates boss went for a local coach to turn the team’s for tunes around.

Hats off to him for finally seeing the light and giving deserving son of the soil Owen Da Gama an oppor tunity to prove his worth with the team.

Depending on how you look at it, the last time Pirates had a local coach was when they won the PSL championship in 2003.

Roy Barreto was the man at the helm and even though he is a Zim babwean national, many consider him a local man due to the years he has spent in the country.

Barreto’s knowledge of the local game, having spent many years with Free State Stars, is up to scratch and at that time made him one of the best locally.

And if you fancy looking at it the other way, then Gordon Igesund was the last local man to give Pirates something to smile about when he helped them to the PSL winner’s podi um in 2001.

Unfortunately, both coaches never enjoyed their subse quent terms at the Buccaneers and left under different circumstances.

Their successors were imposters, some of whom claimed credentials that could not be verified.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were actually basketball and gymnastics coaches back in their native countries.

It is clear that Da Gama comes to Pirates at a time when the chips are down, and their millions of impatient supporters are going through what biblically is best known as seven years of hunger.

Despite his success at Silver Stars where he ele vated the un known bunch of players to be among the top PSL teams and kept them going for four years, this is going to be a different ball game for him.

But Da Gama should be com mended for being brave enough to walk away from his comfort zone at Stars to take new challenges head on.

I cannot claim to know better, but certainly things will not be as easy at Pirates like they appeared to be at Stars.

While Da Gama dealt with small time but hungry players at Stars, he would have to learn to manage egos and perceptions at Bucs where some players think they are bigger than the skull and crossbone insignia.

Also, there is someone within the establishment who is well known for always giving coaches a tough time. I can almost hear him say: "De Owen ma field my players from de debeloment or I gi hi de kni."

The level of the chairman’s tol erance is probably worst than all the card-carrying supporters combined, and those who know him better say he always has a dismissal letter in his jacket.

I have no doubt that over and above teaching Pirates players how to score when enjoying superior ball possession, Da Gama will be able to deal with the side-shows like a true professional.

Now it is your time to eat or be eaten at a bigger stage, Rubber Doll.