Mokwena philosophical after another Pirates defeat

by Staff Reporter

Sunday Sep 22, 2019. 13:00

Saturday’s 4-3 loss to BidVest Wits will have turned up the pressure some more on Orlando Pirates coach Rhulani Mokwena, who says he is proud of his players despite the loss.

Pirates were on the wrong end of the 4-3 Absa Premiership thriller, a leaving Mokwena with just a single win in six games since he took over from Micho Sredojevic in August.

For Pirates as a club it is one win in eight, which has included surprise exits from the MTN8 and African Champions League, but Mokwena is staying positive despite the dismal run.

“As a football supporter, [it was] a good game of football to watch. As a football coach of Orlando Pirates, [I’m] proud of the character, proud of our fight and never-say-die attitude,” Mokwena said.

“Disappointed that we conceded four goals. When you score three, you should normally win the match so disappointed that we lost the match having scored three goals.”

The rookie coach then got philosophical, saying he is a mere servant of the fans, a line perhaps to try and ward off growing criticism of his ability to turn things around at the club.

“We’ve got a responsibility. We are Orlando Pirates. As Orlando Pirates our job is to serve. We are servants, we are not coaches, we’re not football players,” he said.

“We are here to serve the magnitude of the people that supports this club, ours is to make sure that we are even prepared to lose our lives for this club.

“And that’s the responsibility that we have. Last week we did the same and we won the match. This time we scored three and were very dominant from the start.”

Pirates are next in action at home to Cape Town City on Saturday.