Spurs appoint ex-Chiefs assistant coach Bartlett as head coach

Struggling GladAfrica Championship side Cape Town Spurs have announced the appointment of Shaun Bartlett as their new head coach. 

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The former Kaizer Chiefs and TS Galaxy assistant coaches replaces Dylan Dean who was sacked by the club last week following a poor start to the 2021/22 season.

Following his appointment, Bartlett said he was happy to be back in Cape Town and is looking forward to the new challenge of leading Spurs out of the relegation zone. Spurs are currently 14th on the log.

“I am excited about the appointment, it caught me by surprise having only left my previous employer not too long ago,” Bartlett told the club’s website. “But I am very happy to be back in Cape Town and the prospect of working with the players and seeing how far we can push it to get back to the elite level where I believe the club belongs. 

“There is good enough quality at the club to get the club higher up on the table, firstly and secondly, no player or club becomes bad overnight. When you hit a stumbling block it is about having the mental strength and psychological capabilities to get out of it and that is what the players need to realise,” Bartlett added.

“We are not always going to win every game, we just need to know how to bounce back and that is what we will be working on.”

“I think the players also realise that they have been employed by the club to do a certain job and everybody will understand that, that job means giving 100% the minute you come through the gates, whether it be for training or on matchday. That is the mentality and mindset that we will have for the rest of the season, starting with the next game,” continued the former Golden Arrows and University of Pretoria coach.  

Bartlett is excited to be working with Spurs captain Bevan Fransman once more, having worked with him during their time at TS Galaxy. 

“I think it is always important to have that balance of young players breaking into the first team along with the experienced players in the squad. I always expect the experienced players to be guiding the younger players,” Bartlett explained. 

“Everybody will be treated the same but I always have a saying: ‘some are more equal to others’. I can’t treat Bevan the same as a young player coming into the team. Bevan’s experience will be vital, having worked with him before. He is a true professional, he always looks after himself and he is a true leader, and for me that’s going to be important especially considering the situation we currently find ourselves in. You need that leadership on the field.”

Bartlett is confident that with time he can help Spurs climb to the summit of the GladAfrica Championship standings. 

“To be honest, whether it be the DStv Premiership or GladAfrica Championship, every game is about results and that is what coaching is about as well. You’ve got to make your players understand that, we don’t play just to keep possession, we’ve got to make sure that we score goals and win games. That is what we will be judged on and we have got to ensure that we do everything possible to get those results,” Bartlett stated. 

“The only difference maybe between the two leagues is that in the GladAfrica Championship the incentives are there for you to get to the top league and that is what we are going to try and do from the first game; is to make sure that we get as many points as possible leading up to the break in December and take it from there. 

“At this point in time it is game by game, I always look at it as a ladder: the first step is on Wednesday. It is small steps in order to get to the top, but we will take it one step at a time,” he concluded.

Bartlett’s first match in charge of Spurs will be against AmaTuks on Wednesday.