Manousakis makes plea to Spurs management after eighth defeat

Cape Town Spurs coach Vasili Manousakis has made a plea to the club’s management as the new technical team looks to turn around the club’s fortunes.

Manousakis was in charge when the Urban Warriors suffered a 2-1 defeat to SuperSport United on Wednesday, their eighth DStv Premiership straight loss.

Despite the positives Manousakis took from being in charge for only two days, he also admits the problem currently is a mental one more than anything.

VASILI MANOUSAKIS IMPRESSED WITH PLAYERS’ ATTITUDE

“Positives? Good attitude. Very little time to work with the team, they responded well,” he said.

“I only arrived yesterday [Tuesday]. The technical director has been working with the team for one or two days. We asked them to do something completely different today which they responded well.

“The positives are that we have a good group of players who are willing to learn. They understand that they are going through a tough time so the challenge is not physical, but mental at the moment. We will need to overcome,” added Manousakis.

“But a good group of players, excellent facilities, one of the best in the country to work at.”

MANOUSAKIS’ PLEA TO SPURS MANAGEMENT

The former Richards Bay coach is relieved the club will have some time to correct mistakes during the FIFA break. He has also pointed out that there is a general understanding from the club’s hierarchy that the technical team needs time to work with the team.

“The management team that is supportive, hands-on, that is saying what do you guys need and we are going ‘just give us a little bit of time’. I know it’s difficult and that’s what we need now,” he said.

“Maybe it is a blessing that we have two weeks now to work on some of the positives. We are dealing with a group of players that are lacking confidence. [That] are making errors that shouldn’t be made at this level.

“But they continue to lift their heads and give their effort and if anything. Certainly from yesterday’s training session and today’s game that I have seen, we have something to work on here.”

Spurs are expected to announce a permanent coach to take over from Shaun Barttlet soon.

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