Alexander: Papic took away my fear

Cape Town - Cole Alexander has paid tribute to Polokwane City coach Kosta Papic for giving him the freedom to play without fear.

Alexander was nominated for PSL player of the 2014/15 season and he puts his improved form down to a combination of his own hard work and Papic’s influence.  

“Playing under Kosta Papic has really helped me a lot, his training and his philosophy has really helped my game a lot and I am very ambitious and want to go forward and grow in my career,” Alexander told Sport24.

“One of my qualities is that I can adapt easily.

“I have played for a lot of teams but I must say that under Papic I have played my best football.

“It’s about freedom; what he changed in me was that I was scared to make mistakes.

“Papic took the fear of making mistakes away from me.”

Papic is a well-known proponent of free flowing, crowd-pleasing football in which he seeks to get the best out of his more technical players.

Alexander holds Papic in high regard.

“He’s an all-rounded guy, he’s not only a coach but also a father figure, he is one of the most complete coaches that I know.   

“If the coach has confidence in you it makes you shine.”