New Chippa United coach Daine Klate will have struck a chord with many when he promised to introduce more local talent to the club.
After years of watching the club cling to their PSL status after surviving numerous relegation battles, Eastern Cape soccer fans will be wanting more stability under Klate.
It is hoped trigger-happy Chippa owner Siviwe Mpengesi gives Klate a fair chance to implement his plans.
If things do not go according to plan in the opening games, Mpengesi must not revert to his preferred method of making his coach a scapegoat.
There is no doubt Klate has the credentials needed to transform Chippa into a force to be reckoned with.
The new mentor faces a baptism of fire when his club face SuperSport United on Sunday in their opening game of the new PSL season.
After taking charge of the team from interim coach Kurt Lentjies, the former SuperSport, Orlando Pirates and Chippa United midfielder aims to hit the ground running in his new role.
Experienced Klate is the most decorated player in SA football history and he is hoping to use all his experience to help bring a winning mentality back into the Chilli Boys’ ranks.
He is also a son of the Eastern Cape soil, having been born and raised in Gelvandale.
Klate, a former Glenville Celtic amateur player, won six PSL winners’ medals in addition to various cup wins in a glittering 16-year career with SuperSport United, Pirates and Wits.
When his stint with the Eastern Cape side ended at the conclusion of the 2018/2019 season after 14 appearances, Klate had amassed 280 PSL appearances, scoring 42 goals.
He also made 13 appearances for Bafana Bafana, scoring just once in a friendly match against Malawi in Germiston in 2008.
Klate points out that Chippa is the only team in the Eastern Cape and the club wants to make more opportunities available for them to stake a claim.
He said one of his main aims with the Chilli Boys was to instil a winning mentality among the players.
It is hoped Mpengesi gives a Klate a fair crack of the whip.
HeraldLIVE