Weeks of speculation as to who would take over the reins and replace Eric Tinkler at Orlando Pirates were ended yesterday following the appointment of Muhsin Ertugral as their new head coach. But what does this mean for the veterans and the youth at Mayfair?
The Turkish-born coach is very experienced and knows the ins and outs of local football, having arrived in South Africa in 1999, ironically, to coach the Bucs' cross-town rivals Kaizer Chiefs, with whom he won numerous cup titles – with the exception of the coveted league title.
Ertugral is renowned for his faith in youngsters, and during his two spells with Amakhosi, he gave a lot of young players the nod ahead of seasoned campaigners – one such rookie was Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu).
This trend continued during his tenure at Ajax Cape Town, where he famously dubbed his exciting youngsters as "spring chickens".
The 56-year-old's ability to nurture young talent is second to none, and the recent crowning of Aubrey Modiba as the PSL Young Player of The Year bears testimony to this.
The Turkish tactician has done a magnificent job in polishing the Mpumalanga Black Aces youngster, who was originally discovered in the Nedbank Ke Yona search as a rough diamond.
With that said, are we going to see newcomers like Menzi Masuku and Roger Majafa taking centre stage at the Sea Robbers, and the emergence of the Ghosts' spring chickens under Ertugral?
