After suffering a 3-1 defeat to Cape Town City in the iKapa Derby, their seventh straight loss, Cape Town Spurs head coach Shaun Bartlett has said he is not ready to throw in the towel, and will carry the team until a decision is made.
It has been a disastrous start to the DStv Premiership for the newly-promoted Spurs, who are yet to pick up a point this campaign, and are five points behind their nearest opponent, Richards Bay.
Understandably, the pressure is now on the former Bafana Bafana striker, with rumours circulating that the loss in the derby may be the final straw.
With Spurs not making many major signings, and key players missing, Bartlett cannot be solely held responsible for the club’s situation, however, the coach is the one who shoulders the responsibility.
But Bartlett insisted that he would not resign and that it wasn’t in his nature to give up when things get tough.
“I’m not someone to just throw in the towel,” Bartlett .
“In my whole life I’ve always persevered. I’ve always had my back against the wall. That guy with the blue shirt knows me (referencing veteran journalist Mark Gleeson), he’s been around my whole career.
“Nobody gave me a chance. So I’m always going to try my utmost best. That is my character.
“Where I come from, that is what they taught me to be in this position. I’ve got a very thick skin. I’ve got broad shoulders.
“That’s why I’m carrying this team and I will continue carrying the team until the decision is made. But that’s something for another day.”
But Bartlett’s future may not be in his hands. However Spurs are set to play fourth-placed SuperSport United at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday, and they will need to re-focus after this loss very quickly.
When asked about the support and future, Bartlett was coy.
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“The best way to answer that is in the next 48 hours to see what happens and what what conversation will be had, and what’s decided,” Bartlett added.
“I don’t really disclose too much as to confidential stuff. We all know what the situation is.
“We’ve always been a club that promote young players and not go too much into the market.
“But sometimes a level-up is maybe too much for certain players.
“So those are things that we have to assess and see where we can make changes.”
While Spurs are yet to announce Bartlett’s future, they did announce former Black Leopards coach Northern Irishman Sean Connor as technical director.
