Former Orlando Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi says the chance to take on a different challenge at Golden Arrows influenced his decision to leave the Betway Premiership champions.
Ncikazi has returned to KwaZulu-Natal after a five-year spell with Orlando Pirates and is now back in charge of Golden Arrows, having previously left the club in 2021.
The experienced coach said his return offered an opportunity to test himself again while working with a group of younger players. He also believes he had already achieved everything he could as a coach at Orlando Pirates.
“I thought with gratitude, where I’m coming from, I think I achieved everything as a coach. I’m grateful to the big institution and all the memories,” Ncikazi told journalists.
He said the decision was also shaped by his previous success with Golden Arrows, a club he remains closely attached to.
“I thank the supporters for sharing such memories with them. Then your next phase, after you have won everything, now as a coach, maybe [go for] a different challenge,” he added.
“Let me go back, work with young players, challenge myself. I don’t want to retire as a coach, not having the stress that I have today. I thought it was an opportunity for me when Arrows gave me the opportunity. I said the club is still very close to my heart.”
Ncikazi reflected on the progress Golden Arrows made during his earlier spell, claiming the club reached its highest position in his presence and broke several records.
“The highest position that Arrows ever achieved was in my presence. We broke almost lots of records, maybe that crave was still there,” he said.
Despite his enthusiasm about returning, Ncikazi faces an immediate test because Golden Arrows have a demanding run of fixtures. The schedule has left him with limited time to work on the tactical and technical changes he wants to make.
He acknowledged that the situation is different from his first spell at the club, when he had more time to establish his methods. Golden Arrows are due to play again on Tuesday.
“Now we have a challenge right now. At the time when I started, I had the time. Right now, there’s not too much time. We have another game on Tuesday.
“So we want to train certain aspects, but we are playing games. But that’s the responsibility of a coach,” concluded the former Orlando Pirates tactician.
