Newly appointed Maritzburg United coach Fadlu Davids met his players for the first time on Monday and made three key promises to them.
Maritzburg announced his appointment on Monday ahead of the team’s return to training after a short break.
The Pietermaritzburg outfit are back early while other teams break for the FIFA World Cup, with the DStv Premiership set to return after Christmas.
Here are the three promises Fadlu Davids gave to his players who are concerned as the team languishes at the bottom of the Premiership table.
FADLU DAVIDS TO GIVE A CHANCE TO EVERYONE WHO WORKS HARD
One of the things players complained about during the Maduka-era was the issue of favouritism. In the last meeting with players and the chairman, Farouk Kadodia pointed out there were young players he was unfairly ignoring.
“He said anyone who works hard and deserves to play will get a chance to showcase their talent. That’s what we want, and selection must be by merit. You must earn a starting place. Luckily, none of the players came with Fadlu. He found all of us here,” a player told FARPost.
GUIDING THEM TO AN ACHIEVABLE TARGET
He set a target that seems achievable for the players after a difficult first round of the season. “He told us we need to push to reach 30 points and be safe from the chop. He said he doesn’t like the position where we are,” said a player who attended the meeting.
The Team of Choice has collected 11 points from the first 13 games of the season. They won two games and drew five times, losing six times.
They will need 19 points to reach their target and hopefully be safe from the drop.
A TOP-EIGHT FINISH
Further to that, Davids assured Kadodia that they could possibly finish in the top eight despite the shaky start. “He said anyone who doubts that they finish in the top eight can leave the club.”
He stressed that a top-eight finish was very much possible if they all pull in the same direction.
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