FN Rangers head coach, Arreshaat Daniels is a wily old fox – his successful track record as a pro player and amateur coach speaks for itself.
Needless to say, ‘Saatjie’ or ‘Shakes’ as he is affectionately known, has been in the game long enough to know exactly what is required and when.
Surrounded by equally competent coaches who live and breathe football such as former Ajax Cape Town player Shaun ‘Jiks’ Oliver and others, they are well and truly on a mission to start turning the club into a pro outfit with a possibility of National First Division football – should all go according to plan that is and not putting a commentator’s curse on them.
As much as the players deserve high praise and recognition, so too does their technical team for their selfless and tireless work behind the scenes to ensure Rangers operate like a well-oiled machine.
However, the undefeated log leader in Stream A of the Motsepe League has experienced a rather surprising dip in form of late with back-to-back draws against Hanover Park and Ikapa United which has given their rivals a glimmer of hope.
With five games to go, Rangers (29 points) still enjoys a decent lead of six points over its closest rival, Hanover Park FC (22), followed by Santos FC (21) who have played a game more.
However, Daniels has stressed there is no reason for panic or to set the alarm bells ringing as their destiny is still in their hands.
“It is still ours to lose,” Daniels explained to No Bones with Jones. “Look, it is a mental thing and it comes with the territory, you know. We just need to continue what we’ve been doing well and control what we can.
“Look, the draw against Ikapa was an extremely difficult match and I am satisfied we came out with a point. The lighting wasn’t the best and it was challenging for us but I guess it is the same for all the teams and the home team. So, I will take that point and move on,” Daniels added.
With the league on a break due to the Bayhill Premier Cup over the Easter weekend it gives Daniels and his troops much needed reprieve to recharge mentally before they host Ubuntu FC on 6 April at the Royal Road Sportfield.
“I think we need to be more clinical to kill off teams you know,” Daniels further explained. Defensively I have no issues as we can hold our own but offensively we need to make it count and start sharing the responsibility,” Daniels concluded.
