Durban - Royal AM coach John Maduka says he feels no pressure to prove himself, following his return to the club earlier this month.
The 52-year-old departed Thwihli Thwahla at the beginning of the season in a shock move to neighbours Maritzburg United.
His stint at Maritzburg was short-lived as he was let go in early November, following a string of poor results .
Now back at Royal AM, Maduka has waved away any suggestions surrounding his need to remind the football fraternity of his abilities as a coach, considering what he has done in the past.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove to anyone, it’s football. Things don’t always go the way you want them to,” Maduka said.
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“I was at Bloemfontein Celtic and I did well there regardless of all the challenges that Celtic had, but I managed to do well.”
The former Malawian international managed a cash-strapped Celtic team to a respectable finish in the Premiership during his time there and was instrumental in their impressive Cup runs.
“There was no time where Celtic was fighting relegation and that alone should tell you of my ability as a coach. I still believe I’m one of the good coaches and working under those difficult conditions and still managing to get to two finals,” he said.
“I took the team Africa so I don’t have anything to prove. I just want to work hard for the team and take the team to the next level, like I did in the previous season.”
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Maduka's departure from Royal AM shocked many as they prepared for their first journey into Africa.
When asked about whether he feels pressure to rescue Royal AM as they currently languish three points off the relegation zone in the league, Maduka revealed that the mission statement from the club’s board is clear and he will look to achieve those goals.
Although the Pietermaritzburg-based outfit are ninth on the standings, they could easily get dragged into a relegation battle.
“The pressure is always there and because we did well last season, the pressure is always going to be there to try and take the team to another level as well because we haven’t been doing well in the league,” Maduka said.
“The mandate is to take the team up again because everyone can see the team is not where it’s supposed to be so with 11 games to go and a Cup, it’s just to get better and this team is good enough to fight for top four or five so it will be good for us to do that.”
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