Cape Town - Orlando Pirates midfielder Thandani Ntshumayelo has moved to dispel the perception that his boss, Irvin Khoza, has an intimidating personality.
The Iron Duke as Khoza is referred to, has a notorious reputation for being a tough, no-nonsense individual.
However, Ntshumayelo has revealed Khoza is approachable and has a close relationship with the Bucs players.
"When I do wrong things, he (Khoza) talks to me like a father and he respects me. He doesn't show me he's the boss of the club," Ntshumayelo told Soccer Laduma.
"He's worked with a lot of players over the years and you must tell him what you want. A happy player performs I think. If you're happy, you'll perform. He knows that if a player's happy, he'll perform.
"Dr Khoza plays a big role in the team. As much as people don't see it, we as players know what kind role he plays. Whatever he says to us makes us want to go and do better because the rewards are really big. He rewards us as players."