VV sticks to victory plan

Orlando Pirates players and fans alike have come to love coach Vladimir Vermezovic, and it is clear why.

The Serbian wants all the prestige he was rather unfortunate not to achieve in his eventually hostile spell with the Buccaneers' bitter rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, who they face in the MTN8 final on Saturday.

His arrival was met with a fair amount of confusion on Valentine's Day, but what has become clear is that it will only be a matter of time before the man nicknamed VV turns Pirates into a mean machine.

It might be Chiefs who boast an unbeaten record so far, but how Pirates finished the previous season - winning the Nedbank Cup title - and getting to a fifth final in a row this weekend, said he's close, if he hasn't done so already.

"I want to make history, and I want glory. There is this strange habit of players who don't celebrate against their former teams. When we win, I will celebrate for sure," he said yesterday ahead of the clash of the titans at Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium.

"When these guys [pointing to four of his players seated next to him during a press conference] are on form and in a good mood, then I am calm and confident. There's a wining mentality in this team because of their experience from last season."

Soweto derbies usually have a life of their own - often turning into a damp squib because of the cautious approach from both teams who seem prepared to avoid defeat at all costs.

On Saturday, there has to be a winner. Vermezovic's counterpart, Stuart Baxter, said this week he was preparing his players for a "high-energy" encounter, but the Pirates coach said that wasn't always the best approach.

"A lot of energy can burn you out. This is my opinion. It's not good to be so excited, but yes this is a game that brings pleasure. We've done our homework and scouted the opposition. It all depends on how they are when they wake up that day," said Vermezovic.

The coach was again flooded with questions about his in-form strikers Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro, who are yet to start a match together. Erasmus remains VV's leading man.

"You never know if I will change my mind. But if it keeps working like it has with Majoro coming off the bench, then that is the system we will stick to," he said.