When Orlando Pirates parted ways with Julio Leal, they called in Augusto Palacios in the final 12 matches of the season to help complete the double treble in 2011/12. Soccer Laduma had a moment to chat with Palacios about his time in charge of a team which had the likes of Benni McCarthy, Daine Klate, Siyabonga Sangweni and Lucky Lekgwathi.
How the move happened
I came in when there was 12 games to go. I was sitting at home and the chairman (Irvin Khoza) called me at around 6am to say that I should go to Rand Stadium, but he did not explain why. That was the only communication we had. I was waiting there and he arrived and he asked the kit manager to give me a kit and I was surprised. He said to the players that there are 12 games left in the season and that I would be the one taking charge of the team. He wished me well and that was all. When I arrived, I think the team was in fifth position and the chairman did not indicate where we should finish.
First day on the job
I remember very well that I had a meeting with the senior players, like Benni (McCarthy), (Siyabonga) Sangweni and Daine Klate. I spoke to the senior players because I knew that they were key. It was guys like Andile Jali, Oupa Manyisa and others. This was on a Monday and we had a game away from home against Santos. I did not have enough time with the team to coach them, so I said Teboho Moloi should take the team. Unfortunately we lost that game and it would turn out to be our only loss until the end of the season. We lost 3-0 and a few days later, on Saturday, was the Soweto Derby. From the game against Santos, I had already prepared my line-up. I believe that when you have a solid starting line-up, you should not change too much. I don't believe in rotation. I believe that the players who perform must continue. When I had a meeting with Senzo Meyiwa and Moeneeb Josephs, we said that Moeneeb would play the home games and Senzo would play away because at times the supporters were booing Senzo.
My assistant
Teboho Moloi was my assistant. He was helping a lot and we had a good relationship. He knew the philosophy of the team and the patterns of play. I am a coach who allows the assistant to their jobs. I don't want an assistant coach who just puts markers. You must empower the assistant coach because he is assisting you. Sometimes, he would take over the training. Remember I knew Teboho from the development, so we knew each other. We would prepare the players and he took several training sessions and he also played his part in the team talks in the change room and on the training pitch. We were working as a family.
Who was in the team
The group I had was matured players and there were a few young players. I remember we would have either Josephs or Senzo in goal. We would have Lucky Lekgwathi at right back, Sangweni and Rooi (Mahamutsa) in central defence and Thabo Matlaba on the left. We had Oupa Manyisa and Andile Jali in midfield, with Daine Klate on the left and Tlou Segolela on the right. Upfront, Benni McCarthy was the regular and sometimes we would play (Ndumiso) Mabena, Drogba (Bongani Ndulula), (Thulasizwe) Mbuyane and (Tokelo) Rantie and Rudolf Bester. This was the core of the team. We had Mark Mayambela and Terminator Mabalane in that team. (Isaac) Chansa was also there. What was important was how hard the players were working. Everybody was fighting to get into the team and they wanted success. In 12 games, in fifth position, we played good football and the commitment of the players was fantastic. The maturity and character of the team gave the team the league title. We also did not put pressure on the team and we had good communication. We were not talking too much about winning the league. We were taking it game by game.
Who was the captain and why
Lucky Lekgwathi was our captain and sometimes it would be Sangweni. I had known Lucky for many years. I remember at one point his contract with Pirates was finished and he played almost six months without a contract. He is someone who arrived early to training and he would speak to the players. He was a typical leader. You can't have a captain who is quiet or who is swearing at players. He talks to them properly and the likes of Sangweni and Happy Jele followed. You would never see him arriving late or getting to training smelling of alcohol. This was key to him being the captain.
Who picked the team?
I picked the team according to performance. No one could tell me to put which player. I think the many years I worked at Pirates, people knew me and they knew how I worked. We could share ideas, but you could not tell me which player to pick. One thing I liked is that every player got a chance to play. Every player can say that they got 30 or 40 minutes to play. I would only announce the team in the change room.
Best thing about the job
It was how united the players were. They were hungry for success. We were in fifth position and we had 12 games to go. Game by game, the players showed fighting spirit. You could see in the final game of the season against Golden Arrows. Arrows scored first and we equalized with Sangweni. They scored through Dillon Sheppard and we equalized through Lucky Lekgwathi to make it 2-2. The third goal was scored by us through Benni and he scored the fourth goal to win the title. There was something special about that group. They only cared about winning. The players understood that we had to bring the supporters to the stadium. Remember, the last game of the season Swallows were playing against Maritzburg United. If we had drawn, we would not have won the championship. This memory for me is untouchable, of all my years at Pirates.
Worst thing about the job
One of the habits that South African players have is time management. I warn you the first time and the second time I warn you and then I fine you. The chairman had no problem with this. The only thing is that some players would arrive late, but we corrected this with fines and talking to the players. I spoke to the senior players to talk to the players who arrive late.
