Killer Giants still searching for coach

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Correspondent | Wednesday July 28, 2010 00:00

 

The Zimbabwean left after the club relegated from the Premier League last season. Killer Giants' communications manager, Offmann Montsiemang said they released Tamirepi because they could not afford to pay him in the lower division.

'We had to be honest with ourselves because it was difficult to pay both the coach and players' salaries in the Premier League.

 'It was going to be even more difficult to keep Tamirepi in the lower division where there is no sponsorship and the gate takings are low,' Montsiemang explained.

Currently, the Ramotswa club has tasked a technical team, which includes veteran defender, Silver Matsake, to guide the players while the hunt for the coach continues. Montsiemang said their target is a coach who will be near the club's base to minimise his travel costs.

He said after losing veteran Donald 'Coach' Mopako to village rivals, Letlapeng FC, they are trying hard to stop player exodus. Players such as Barcos Mosimanegape, Lawrance Malope were on loan and the club has expressed interest in either extending their loan spells or buying them outright.

'We had quite a number of players on loan and we would like to keep some of them because it is not our plan to stay in the First Division for long. But we have the same challenge of finance which would worsen in the new campaign but we would not just sit and say there is no money,' Montsiemang said.

He stated that some players are being enticed away from the club and as much as they would want to avoid departures, they will not stop anyone who has been given a better offer. 'We are also looking at signing a few more players to reinforce our squad and it is only logical that we have to sell some especially if there are teams interested in their services,' he said.

Montsiemang blamed complacency early in the league campaign for their demotion. He said the team woke up late and could not avoid relegation.

'The players seemed to realise that relegation was with them only late and I believe that if they had approached all the games with the same spirit and determination, we would not have even gone to the play-offs,' he said.

Meanwhile, fans in Ramotswa are bracing themselves for some charged encounters between Letlapeng and Killer Giants.

Montsiemang said the drop of Killer Giants to the First Division will provide the village fans with some mouth- watering matches. 'The rivalry is still there, it is unfortunate that often it turns nasty with some fights over minor issues but it is the football that we should be interested in and not the petty things,' he said.