Ncikazi must take opportunity to coach Orlando Pirates on interim basis with both hands

When Mandla Ncikazi joined Orlando Pirates four seasons ago, he was tipped to become the head coach of the club in the near future.

But that’s yet to take shape. The closest he came to calling the shots was when he was a co-coach alongside Fadlu Davids.

His influence in the team alongside Davids didn’t bear fruit during the 2021/22 season as he was deployed as an assistant when Jose Riveiro arrived the next season.

Ncikazi didn’t sulk or moan around under the Spaniard.

Instead, he welcomed Riveiro with open arms, supported him and learned from him.

The duo did incredibly well at Pirates together - they won five trophies, finished as runners-up in the league three times in a row and reached the CAF Champions League semi-final.

And so as Riveiro sat for his last game against Golden Arrows, Ncikazi’s former employees, that must have been emotional for Ncikazi as well.

In Riveiro, Ncikazi won’t only miss a colleague or supervisor, but a brother who played a huge part in broadening his coaching knowledge in three seasons.

But the time for Ncikazi to be emotional is over. He has to reflect on what he learnt from Riveiro and put it into good use in the last four games of their seasons in the league.

It would be easier to say that Ncikazi is not under pressure as the team has cemented their No 2 spot, behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns, on the log.

But no!

The job is far from over.

Ensuring that Pirates bags all 12 points will go a long way in trimming the gap at the top and finishing the season on a high.

Pirates need to be closer to Sundowns by the time the curtain falls on their league season to ensure they lay a perfect foundation for Riveiro’s successor and their plans for next season.

The team will also want to head to the off-season on a high, knowing that they took Riveiro’s lessons and put them into good use, even if he was no longer with them.

A good outing in the remaining matches will also go a long way in ensuring that they already impress whoever will take over Riveiro for the new season and going forward.

At this juncture, that person that doesn’t look like it’ll be Ncikazi, as multiple championship-winning coaches such as Pitso Mosimane and Rulani Mokwena have been linked with the job.

Nciakazi must take that on the chin, though.

Should he do well in the remaining matches, the club would have no option but to keep them as an assistant yet again.

The assistant coaching role is usually seen as secondary, but one can bet that Ncikazi wouldn’t know most of the things he knows now had he not learned from Riveiro.

The 56-year-old can’t market for an extension of the club by just being present on the dug-out for the remaining matches, though, as he has to put in the work and get the results as well.

His job will be cut out for him, though, as his troops will host TS Galaxy, who want to cement their No 5 spot, at Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3pm kick-off).

But if there’s anyone who can lead the team to a strong finish, it’s him.

His former supervisor Riveiro has backed him as well, extending his support by saying he’s just a phone call away.