Pitso Dladla (right) and Vasili Manousakis co-coaches of Richards Bay FC. File Picture: Sydney Mahlangu, BackpagePix
Durban – Richards Bay co-coach Vasili Manousakis has credited realism and a healthy environment for being the key factors behind his club’s exceeding of expectations so far this season.
Prior to the start of the season, most would have expected the league newcomers to be stuck in the relegation battle. Instead, they find themselves in second place, only behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
While the KwaZulu-Natal-based outfit will not win the league this season, given that they trail Sundowns by a mammoth 16 points, a top three finish would earn them continental qualification, something which would be impressive given their circumstances.
“The chairman did not demand that we must be in the top four,” said Manousakis.
“The second thing is that there is a group of players here that want to improve, get better and are coachable. They perform like they do every week in training, which is remarkable.
“I’ve said it before and will say it again: There are no egos in this team, not within the team nor management.”
Now 13 points clear of the relegation zone, Richards Bay have probably achieved their mandate for this season, which was to avoid the drop. They also remain alive in the Nedbank Cup but have a tough Round of 32 assignment away against Sundowns early next month.
The Natal Rich Boyz will now have to focus on finishing the league as strongly as possible though whether continental football will be beneficial to them at this stage is up for debate.
The earning potential from African club competition is not as lucrative as in Europe and in addition to this, the demands of navigating Africa can be taxing, particularly for a league newcomer as last season’s league runners-up Cape Town City are finding out this term.
Manousakis has also praised his side for their bravery.
“There are a whole lot of heroes in this team. There are some gems that have been uncovered. It’s coming together nicely from a group of players that are willing and able to put (in) the work that makes the difference,” he said.