Pule defends under-fire Zinnbauer: ‘We all take responsibility for what happened’ | Sport

Orlando Pirates attacker Vincent Pule feels
the criticism of head coach Josef Zinnbauer is unwarranted and that the players
must also take responsibility.

Zinnbauer has come under fire despite
breaking the club’s six-year trophy by delivering the MTN8 trophy.

‘The Ghost’, the club’s passionate
supporters, are not satisfied with a third-placed league finish, especially
with how the club had bolstered their squad with several high-profile signings.

Reports coming out of Orlando are that the
Bucs bosses met this week to talk about the German tactician’s future.

As reported on Monday, a 51-year-old Welshman,
Cameron Toshack, is linked with replacing Zinnbauer.

But Pule, the club’s top goal scorer for
the season with six strikes to his name, has backed his coach and said it was
the players who had primarily let the fans down.

“As a team, we need to support each
other. As players, we are hundred per cent behind the coach because we lose as
a team, and we win as a team,” said Pule.

“Now that the things aren’t going
well, we must point fingers. No, we are a team. We all take responsibility for
what happened. It wasn’t the coach’s fault that we were inconsistent. Being
criticised is a package of playing for Pirates; you have to win every game at
Pirates.

“We must be consistent. Consistency is
key. When you want to win the league, every game, you [have to] take full
points. We’ve told ourselves that next season we’re pushing to challenge for
every available trophy,” said Pule.

“The second round of the season is
very difficult; hence you must make sure you do well in the first round. If you
can win maybe 12 games in the first round, you have a realistic chance to win
the title, and that’s our plan going forward.”