Johannesburg - New Richards Bay coach Vasili Manousakis has admitted that part of his team’s rapid fall from grace is a consequence of thinking they had “arrived” in the Premiership.
The KwaZulu-Natal based outfit surprised many in the first half of the season as they proved to be a formidable team, surging clear of the relegation zone and causing a few upsets along the way.
Guided by the experience of Manousakis and coach Pitso Dladla in a co-coaching capacity, the Natal Rich Boyz finished the first half of the campaign in second place on the league standings having lost just three of their opening 15 games.
However, with a place in the top flight seemingly secured for next season, the wheels seem to come off in the new year, leading to what has now become an eight-game winless run, which includes six defeats in a row.
Manousakis, who has been entrusted with the task of turning around the team’s fortune admitted that he does think the players thought they knew what they were doing.
Richards Bay fell to defeat against Orlando Pirates at the weekend in Manousakis’ first game in charge and he revealed that in the weeks leading up to the match, his players were complacent.
“In the weeks before today (Saturday), there was certainly an element of that (thinking they had done enough to avoid relegation) that has been creeping in, no doubt,” Manousakis said.
“A couple of players went into their comfort zones and thought that we had arrived and we had done enough.”
Manousakis also revealed that part of his duties will be to address the mentality of his players if they are to solve their immediate problems, and is confident the club’s ownership will support his cause.
“That’s what (the complacency) we’ve been trying to break down in the last two weeks, so we can rebuild it again and as you know, anything that you build takes time,” he explained.
“So, whether the chairman has got patience or not, let’s see but he seems to understand the situation that we’re in and we’re now going to build for the new season without taking the foot off the pedal because the reality is we’re not safe.”
Richard’s Bay are currently sixth on the log, but are just three points off 12th-place Golden Arrows who they next face this Saturday.
@ScribeSmiso
IOL Sport