I must confess, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Eric Tinkler had it in him, but boy, has he proved me, and so many others, wrong.
Not long ago, talk at the Saxonworld shebeen was that he wouldn’t make it to Christmas as the Cape Town City coach after John Comitis had given him the gig shortly after the businessman purchased the Mpumalanga Black Aces franchise. Maybe that’s why nobody can locate this drinking establishment near the Gupta mansion in that posh suburb because apparently there’s a lot of hogwash being spewed there.
‘Tinks’ is the man.
But you know how funny this game is - hero today, villain tomorrow. Just look at Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba. Sorry, I’m rambling. Back to ginger-haired Tinkler.
What a ride. Of course we are all wondering whether he can help City stay top of the Absa Premiership table throughout the 2016-17 season, the kind of start that probably has Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza singing Brian McKnight’s “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda” after letting him go at the end of the previous campaign.
Tinkler admitted last week that, while the pressure is the same at Pirates and City in that he’s expected to win games, the demand from both sets of fans is akin to chalk and cheese.
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons he is thriving in the Mother City, flying under the radar with pretty mild expectations from supporters and the press. Over the past four months or so, Tinkler has shown determination and focus as a coach, similar to when he was a footballer himself. He was a little annoying when he was in charge at Pirates, to be honest.
I remember one or two confrontations he had with the media. But I think it was just too hot in the kitchen at the time, and hopefully he’s learnt his lesson. The 46-year-old is a lot calmer now, as you would expect and this is a massive week for him and the club.
Photo: Chris Ricco
The league title race may yet still prove to be too far a distance for Tinkler’s javelin to reach, but there’s a chance for an immediate reward this Saturday in Polokwane. Two of the country’s in-form sides square up at the Peter Mokaba Stadium when City take on SuperSport United, who are three points behind the league leaders. If you are a football romantic, you can’t help but want to see Tinkler and his men lift the trophy to end off a roller-coaster year.
He already has a notable profile having reached a domestic and continental cup final while at Pirates, so in that sense he isn’t desperate to win a trophy. But if he does eventually tick the box, then it’s proof that he does in fact have more tricks up his sleeves. You can almost hear a pin drop if you are reading this in the midst of Pirates supporters.
It’s true what they say in that you never really know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it. One man’s trash has proved to be another man’s treasure. The wheels may well come off as the second half of the season is generally the toughest because teams have kind of figured each other out, but Tinkler is legit. Please let me know when anybody does eventually trace the Saxonworld shebeen, I’d like to drink to that.
@superjourno