Cape Town City upset the odds in 2016‚ with Tinkler finally rewarded for his workaholic ethic

To many‚ the rise of Cape Town City in the first half of this season and the success of their coach‚ Eric Tinkler‚ has been a surprise … but should it be?

Perhaps that surprise comes from the fact that City are a new club‚ formed only in June. Yet the core of the squad is made up of players from the Mpumalanga Black Aces franchise that were also third in the league this time last year‚ the same position City find themselves during the current festive season break.

Or is that surprise because they have excelled under Tinkler‚ a coach who is said to have failed at Orlando Pirates despite leading the club to two cup finals in the space of six months.

The working conditions at Pirates for coaches do not necessarily allow individuals the full rein they would like to truly stamp their authority on a team. At City‚ Tinkler has that and perhaps now we are seeing his true colours.

The victory in the Telkom Knockout final over SuperSport United on December 10 was a true statement from this side and gave Tinkler his first trophy as a coach.

But it is not only that this team has been winning games‚ but the style in which they have been doing so‚ with their quick-passing game arguably only second to Mamelodi Sundowns‚ with perhaps Chippa United also a contender‚ for excitement value in the Absa Premiership.

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Certainly the least surprised person at City with the success that Tinkler has managed to gauge is owner John Comitis. He has admitted that Muhsin Ertugral was his first choice for the role of coach‚ given the fact he had worked with the core of the squad last season at Black Aces and because the two have worked extensively before at Ajax Cape Town.

But he also couldn’t believe his luck when Tinkler became available‚ deemed surplus to requirements at Pirates as Ertugral took up that hot-seat instead.

“To find such a highly qualified coach in South African football is rare‚” Comitis told Times Media Digital.

“Most coaches are qualified by experience only‚ but Eric has a Uefa Pro Licence and is exactly what we need – a person who can structure the club to match European standards.

“He is a methodical coach who can build this club from the bottom up. He also comes with an academic way of thinking and so when he was available it became a very easy decision for me.

“That’s why I have given him a straight three-year contract – there are no options or anything like that. Because I believe that with the team I have behind him‚ he will be very successful for this football club.”

Roger de Sa‚ who had Tinkler as his assistant at both Bidvest Wits and Pirates‚ once told this reporter that there is no harder-working person in South African football than the former Bafana Bafana midfielder‚ who puts absolutely everything into his tasks‚ leaving no stone unturned.

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Tinkler is meticulous in his planning‚ but also open to ideas from others. He is well-liked by his players‚ and is not one to rant at them from the sidelines.

He tends to look and sound exhausted in post-match press briefings‚ even when his side wins‚ having put so much mental and physical energy into games as he prowls the touchline‚ figuratively heading every ball and feeling every tackle.

If City needed a coach to engage with their squad‚ which also had a number of new players to integrate into the Black Aces core‚ then they found their man.

Someone who really wants to understand what makes each player tick and how to get the best out of them.

But‚ at the end of the day‚ a coach can only do so much and it comes down to execution on the pitch – another area where Tinkler was let down at Pirates‚ as subsequent boss Ertugral and now Augusto Palacios have found out.

The best-laid plans only work when the players stick to the programme and fulfil their roles to the best of their potential.

The selection of Lebogang Manyama as captain at the start of the season was an interesting one‚ but the attacking midfielder has thrived in the role and it seems to have spurred him on to comfortably the best form of his life.

He is second on the Absa Premiership scorers’ charts with eight goals (nine in all competitions) and also has a number of assists.

His link-up play with‚ in particular‚ Aubrey Ngoma‚ but also Sibusiso Masina‚ Bhonglowethu Jayiya and Lehlohonolo Majoro‚ before the latter was injured‚ made City among the most pleasing sides on the eye in the PSL.

Although not all of their foreign imports have worked out – Australian James Brown found the pace and physicality of the PSL too much for him – they have discovered a couple of gems in Brown’s compatriot Matt Sim and Austrian Roland Putsche.

Those two have been largely excellent in allowing the more free-flowing players ahead of them to operate.

Right-back Thamsanqa Mkhize could prove to be one of the buys of the season – and City got him for nothing – while striker Judas Moseamedi is developing into a very fine prospect.

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City do at times switch off from set-pieces and have conceded too many goals in that department this campaign‚ which is something Tinkler is well aware of and will no doubt occupy his mind for over the next six weeks.

As for how far they can go and whether they be South Africa’s ‘Leicester City’‚ the simple answer is yes. They have the players and the coach to deliver that.

But they are also up against some other excellent sides this season with bigger budgets and more ability to shake things up in the January transfer window‚ so you would have to say it is a long shot.

But whatever happens in the second half of the campaign‚ this has been an excellent‚ impactful first season for City.

And with nine players having been selected for the South African Under-19 squad recently‚ more than any other club in the country‚ the future looks bright too.

TMG Digital/TMG Sport