Palacios calls for patience from Pirates supporters

Both players moved to Johannesburg to join the Buccaneers from Ajax Cape Town at the start of the 2016/2017 season to work with former Urban Warriors coach Muhsin Ertugral.

The pair have shown glimpses of the form that earned them the big move from the Mother City to Pirates, with Nordien making nine appearances this season without a goal to his name, while Mobara has been deployed at right back, in central defence and in the holding midfield role.

“They need some time to adapt to the pressure and responsibilities at Pirates. The pressure at Pirates is not the same as the pressure at other clubs, so I think we should not criticise the Cape Town players,” said Palacios.

“Look at [Clayton] Daniels. Look how long it took him to adapt [in Gauteng]. He was at Sundowns and then Celtic, and now he is at SuperSport. Some players need time.

“I think also Ayanda [Nkosi], Gift [Motupa], Donald [Makondelel] and Thabiso [Kutumela] need time to adapt to life at Pirates,” he said.