AmaTuks appoints new coach
Tlisane Motaung boasts with the unique distinction of possibly being the first AmaTuks coach to have genuinely come through the ranks.
AmaTuks football team have appointed Tlisane Motaung as their new interim coach ahead of the 2020/21 season.
His ultimate goal is to help the team to play in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) again like the team did in the 2012-2013 season.
AmaTuks have struggled since they got relegated to the first division about six years ago. In the season that has just ended, AmaTuks finished eighth on the log standings winning only nine of their 30 games while losing 10 matches.
The statistic of scoring 37 goals and conceding 39 is equally disconcerting.
“I am not going to change too much from what the previous coach did. I do intend, however, to bring in a more attacking style of play as I want AmaTuks to be more dominant. But it should not be at a cost to our defensive play. The team conceded far too many fouls during the past season. We need to find ways to rectify it,” Motaung said.
Motaung said one of the concerning things that he wanted to address was complacency.
“I have learned in the time that I had been the assistant coach that at AmaTuks, we are spoiled. We have some of the best facilities in the country,” he said.
“It makes sticking to a game plan easy when playing at home. With away games, things tend to get unpredictable. The players will have to learn to adapt to whatever conditions they are facing.
“Complacency is also something I want to address. There were times during the past season that AmaTuks played brilliant football, but after a while, it seemed as if the players started to lose focus,” he said.
Motaung boasts with the unique distinction of possibly being the first AmaTuks coach to have genuinely come through the ranks.
“I am who I am today due to the support and guidance I have received from the decision-makers of TuksFootball and the University of Pretoria.
“I started playing for them in 2004. From 2005 to 2009, I was captain of the team. Definite highlights were winning the USSA Football Tournaments on two occasions,” he said.
He said a big turnaround in his football career happened in 2010.
“Somehow I got poisoned ending up spending two weeks in a hospital intensive care unit. I thought I was going to die. TuksFootball supported me through this whole ordeal, and I am forever grateful for it.
“I tried to make a comeback, but it was to no avail. My mind was willing, but not the body. Still, TuksFootball was not prepared to give up on me. They encouraged me to stay involved as an assistant team manager,” he said.
Motaung said his biggest surprise came when he was asked to consider coaching one of the club’s teams.
“I was reluctant at first because I never considered becoming a football coach, but I have no regrets.”
A definite highlight was coaching Tuks to win the Varsity Tournament in 2017, he said.
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