“They would be killing themselves,” Edward Motale – Former Orlando Pirates defender
“It is a tricky one because when you play a hard-hitting team like Black Leopards at home, it is always going to be tough. But Pirates players need to look at the bigger picture here. Yes, they need to concentrate on this game and not take Leopards for granted because I get this feeling that they do take these so-called ‘smaller teams’ for granted sometimes, but they would be killing themselves if they do it in this game. Also, it is time for the team to get trophies. It’s no use playing beautiful football but there is nothing to show for it.
"At the end of the day, results do the talking and, so far, there is nothing to show for the hard work the team has been putting in. We are happy to see the progress in the team, we are happy to see the players fighting for each other on the field and it is nice to see them playing in Africa and contending for the league, but it would be nice to win this competition and give something to the supporters who didn’t give up on the club. Looking at the number of games that the team has to play, yes, it’s a lot, but I think they can do the job and do well in all three of the competitions they have to play in now. I honestly believe that Bucs can go on and win this cup – well, they do have the quality both on and off the field.”
I am not trying to scare them, but…” Jwarha – Orlando Pirates supporter
“Our first game is one that we hope that our players are ready for. It is in Thohoyandou is not easy for any team, but I believe that we have the players who can do the job for us. We all know that when we go there we are going to face a tough battle, but this is a competition and if we want to be winners, then we need to play these tough games. Our players have experience and I believe that we are going to win this one and then move into the next round. When you see how the team plays these days, you see that the players have a fighting spirit and they know that they need to give us something after losing the Telkom Knockout.
"As the supporters, we are 100 percent behind them, so they just need to go out there and do the job. Any player that gets a chance to play for the team must know that they are not only playing for themselves but for thousands of people that love and support Orlando Pirates. I am not trying to scare them, but it is a reality that they need to face because a big brand like this can’t go for so many seasons without winning anything.
"Yes, we play good and beautiful football and we like that but, no, we also want trophies. We always pray for our team and for the players to make us proud whenever they are on the field and they need to take every game seriously. It is not easy because the team has to play here and in Africa, but we have many players and they can come in and do the job. In this tournament, there are many surprises where a small team can come and kick out one of the big teams and our players need to know that very well so they can’t take any game for granted. Maybe it was good for us to get such a strong opponent for this first game so that we don’t lose focus. I think it is also an advantage because we know how Leopards play, unlike the other PSL teams who have these clubs that they don’t know much about. We need to get past them and move on because we need this cup to come home with us. We are tired of hearing other supporters saying that we are trophy-less. Sorry to say, but I think the players are going to feel a bit of pressure because they know that we as the supporters want this trophy. I would like the technical team and the players to know that we have moved on from our failures in the past and that we look forward to the future and our future of winning something begins this weekend. All the best to my team!”
Dylan Kerr – Black Leopards head coach - “This is an extremely important and tough match for us to go into, especially as the first game of the competition. However, we are going to be well prepared for the game and we also call on the supporters to fill the stadium and give us the support that we need on game day. We are aware of our opponents and we know exactly what they are capable of, but again, they have a good idea of how we play. I think it is going to be an interesting match and a good battle on the field. From our side, we want to do well to progress, but again, it isn’t going to be that easy when you are playing against a team that is gunning for the league and playing in Africa. What makes it more difficult is that they have depth in their squad, so saying that fatigue is going to be a problem, I don’t think so. We will go out there and do our best.”
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