In poker, the river card is the final card revealed, the one that can make or break a player’s game and win or lose the pot. It’s the card that always has the most dramatic effect on a tight game, that players watch with pleading eyes as they try to build that winning hand with what’s available and what they believe – hope – will be dropping on the final reveal.
Will Jose Riveiro be the river card that Pirates are looking for?
Jose is alright
Jose Riveiro looks set to temporarily halt the revolving door at Orlando Pirates when it comes to coaches. Since Ruud Krol finished his contract with a domestic treble in 2011 – and was, shockingly, shown the door as a thank you for his effort – only one coach at Pirates has lasted for more than two years.
Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic could have in fact lasted longer. The Serbian’s blood is black and white. He understands not only the culture but the politics at the club as well as what tickles the fancy of the Happy People. He did after all admit that before he is a Pirates’ coach, he is a supporter of the club. That bond made his second coming a joyous occasion in 2017 after the disastrous spell under Kjell Jonevret.
Sredojevic controversially left the Pirates after two seasons where he went toe-to-toe with Mamelodi Sundowns in the fight for the DStv Premiership, losing it on both occasions. He cited a family emergency for his departure, only to resurface at Zamalek while there was a warrant of his arrest in the country on allegations of sexual assault. Sredojevic’s abrupt departure led the club into a tailspin that they looked to have recovered from under Josef Zinnbauer, but the German coach wasn’t the full package.
Flair and finals
Pirates don’t only want to win, but they want to do so in style. If you ask the Ghosts who their favourite coach at the club was, many will cite Kosta Papic and Sredojevic. The pair failed to win the league, coming agonisingly close in second place. But their teams played enterprising football. Papic is still held in high regard at the club because of the football his team played.
Krol might have won the domestic treble, but he ranks low in the opinion of many of the club’s faithful when it comes to their favourite coaches. That’s because the football the club played under the Dutch coach wasn’t pleasing. In fact, some were calling for his head at the start of the third season before leading Pirates to their first league title in seven years.
Riveiro has to do better than all these men if he is to have an extended stay at the club. He showed that he has the most important attribute for being a success at Pirates – heart – when he talked about his experiences in the country.
The Spanish coach was emotional when discussing the inequality in South Africa. He found it alarming how one country can have some of the wealthiest people in the continent on one block, and a few blocks later have some of the poorest people. This was a massive culture shock for Riveiro who came from Finland which is one of the most equal countries in the world.
Instead of sounding like a patronising European, Riveiro sounded like a compassionate human being who is embracing his new challenge along with the idiosyncrasies it came with. His heart is an important attribute because the club has been burnt before in bringing Europeans as coaches. They have either been polarising, combustible, downright terrible, or blatant racists with a handful of success stories.
It will take more than heart
But just because his heart is in the right place doesn’t mean that he will always have the Ghosts’ hearts. The Buccaneers supporters are a demanding bunch. The Spaniard has brought solid structure and organisation at the club and Pirates are one of the toughest teams to break down. Nothing highlighted that more than Mamelodi Sundowns, the team with the deadliest attack in the country and who have won the league five times in a row, finishing a match against Pirates without a shot on target. That happened in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal.
In the league, Pirates have conceded just six goals in 12 games. The problem has been on the other end. The club went six hours (four games) with none of their players finding the back of the net. The only goal they scored during that period was an own goal from Veli Mothwa in the 1-1 draw with AmaZulu. Monnapule Saleng’s brace against Golden Arrows saved the club’s blushes. Before their 2-0 win over Abafana Besthende, Pirates had taken 118 shots in their first 11 league matches. Of those shots, only 39 were on target and they scored just six goals.
These numbers just don’t scream championship material. It’s a problem that the club has to quickly address because they have the squad that can challenge Sundowns for the league. But they aren’t ruthless enough to count as a serious challenger. With a man advantage for the most part of the game, Pirates couldn’t break down DStv Premiership rookies Richards Bay in their own backyard. This is the difference between Pirates and Sundowns, when the Brazilians sniff a vulnerability, they make you pay.
It’s time to go all in in
Riveiro has done well in a short space of time. He has laid a strong foundation that the club can build on in their quest to bring the league to Orlando for the first time since 2012. It’s been a massive 10-year wait. If they don’t improve upfront, that wait will continue.
The club has strengthened their attack with Kermit Erasmus, Evidence Makgopa and Bienvenu Eva Nga who joined a squad that had Zakhele Lepasa, Vincent Pule, Kwame Peprah, Thembinkosi Lorch and Deon Hotto. But none of these forwards regularly score 10 goals or more a season. That means goals will have to be distributed among them if Pirates are to challenge Sundowns who are led by the prolific Peter Shalulile.
If Riveiro can address the club’s goalscoring woes, this could go a long way in making him a success at the club. The minimum requirement for the Spaniard this season is bringing any form of silverware to help Pirates celebrate their 85th anniversary in style. With this being his first season in South Africa, the management will have some patience. But, with the signings they have made, he needs the league soon as that’s the ultimate prize. And, for that success to matter, it must come with an enterprising brand of football or it will amount to nothing for the club’s supporters who have high standards.