Tinkler – A Win Vs Chiefs Is What We Need

Ahead of their mid-week fixture against Kaizer Chiefs Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler says that while the team are desperate for a win, there is no panic at the club.

City are yet to win a game after five DStv Premiership matches, losing the first three, before drawing their last two, including Saturday’s derby against Stellenbosch.

Tinkler said he is looking to get that result on Tuesday against Chiefs, but he is not adding the pressure of it being a ‘must-win’ game.

“I hope so,” Tinkler said after the draw against Stellenbosch.

“I hope so, a win is what we need. A win is what we desperately need. And as much as people are saying, no, you haven’t won blah, blah, blah, it’s still early in the league, go look at the league table. Because see what happens if we win two in a row. Everything changes. There’s small margins right now.

“So I’m not panicking, I’m not gonna put my players into a panic. We go to the Chiefs game, looking to get a positive result, which is a win. And that’s what we need right now, is a win.

“But if you go into those games, saying it’s a must-win, it’s a have-to-win, and I apply all that pressure on my staff, and apply all that pressure on my players. We ain’t going to achieve nothing.”

Tinkler also laughed off any talk of pressure, saying it’s part-and-parcel of professional sport.

“All the games are important,” Tinkler said, saying he never has a good night of sleep.

“I never have a good sleeping night whether I win or lose. I went 14 games without a loss and I still didn’t sleep at night.

“That’s the pressure of football, my friend. If you can’t handle pressure, then don’t be involved in sport. That’s just a fact.

“As a player, if you’re a striker, the pressure is to score goals. The fans, that’s their expectation you must score goals. When you walk on the street,  ‘ah, but why didn’t you score?’

“So if you can’t handle the pressure, then don’t be involved in the sport. So stop asking me about the pressure, because I don’t give a shit about the pressure.”

You can read the latest edition of iDiski Times, while we also hear from Kaizer Chiefs Marketing and Commercial Director Jessica Motaung who gives a timeline for the club’s women’s team, discusses the current revival under Arther Zwane and a lot more. We assess Bongani Zungu’s return to Mamelodi Sundowns and also hear how social media star Aunty Diski went from being a fan to a game changer in both the media and football space. Shaun Bartlett reveals how his role at the helm of Cape Town Spurs was 30 years in the making. Read all this and more in iDiski Times Edition 67 below: