Orlando Pirates reserve team coach Simon Marange has revealed how Fadlu Davids influenced his coaching style after rising to lead Zimbabwe at the 2025 COSAFA tournament.
Marange has been in the Pirates development structures for over seven years now. While he acknowledges Davids’ inspiration, the Zimbabwean coach says he has also learned from Rulani Mokwena, Josef Zinnbauer, Mandla Ncikazi, Mandla Qhogi, and Joseph Makhanya.
Marange himself has been carving a niche at the Soweto giants. Between 2018 and 2020, he was the Pirates Under-17 coach and helped the club win the Future Champions Trophy. At the moment, he is serving as the Under-21s coach.
Plausibly, his track record earned him a special place in Zimbabwe, where he has not coached at a professional level. First, he was appointed as the Under-20 head coach in March 2024.
In addition, he was entrusted with the Emerging Warriors squad that participated in the COSAFA 2025 tournament. Though they failed to go beyond the group phase, his team gave a decent account of themselves.
WHAT THE ORLANDO PIRATES RESERVE TEAM COACH SAID ABOUT FADLU DAVIDS
In an interview with FARPost, Marange said he adopted many of his principles from past and current Pirates coaches. In particular, he has been following in Fadlu Davids’ footsteps regarding his clarity and planning strategy.
“I’ve been privileged enough, you know, to work at such an institution where there are high-level coaches that have come in, especially at the senior side,” Marange told this publication.
“So I have always tried to watch closely and learn from them. I mean, most recently, Jose Rivero, and I’m a development coach, so I really liked what he did with the young players. He gave them the belief and the confidence that they can play at that level, while also demanding that they give the right output and the right quality of work.
“So he’s one that I’ve looked up to. I also worked under coach Rulani, coach Josef Zinnbauer, and coach Fadlu Davids. I think all of the senior coaches who have been at the club have left something. I’ve always tried to pick up something from them.
“I think coach Fadlu is very, very organised. It’s something that I’ve tried to pick up from him, being clear about planning and getting things sorted. I think that the players understand exactly what they’re expected to do, how they’re expected to do it. I’ve learned that from him,” added Marange.
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