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Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele feels head coach Eric Tinkler must be given full support by the club's supporters and insists the blame for the team's woes must rather be shifted towards the players.
Tinkler’s contract with the Sea Robbers is set to elapse at the end of June and his future at the club looks uncertain, as the Soweto giants finished the 2015/16 season empty-handed, despite reaching the CAF Confederations Cup and Nedbank Cup finals.
While former Nigerian national coach Steven Keshi is a strong contender to move to Pirates, Jele would like to see Bucs retain Tinkler's services.
“I honestly believe that he (Tinkler) is a very good coach and he deserves to be at the helm of the team,” the 29-year-old Jele insisted.
“And we as players support him every day and we also respect him.
“I just wish everyone would stop putting the blame on him and start blaming us players, because we are the ones to blame, not him.
“We are the ones playing all the time and keep letting the team down, but that’s football.
“I really wish that the club would give him another chance to prove himself.”
