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When asked directly about his Kaizer Chiefs future following another defeat to end the DStv Premiership season in fifth place, coach Arthur Zwane responded by saying the job has made him tougher.
SABC Sport reported last week the Amakhosi hierarchy are understood to be contemplating replacing Zwane in the off season as the club’s trophy drought stretched to eight years.
Chiefs ended their campaign with a deflating 1-0 loss to Cape Town City on Saturday afternoon, but the coach put up a brave face.
"I'm a believer, I'm a hard worker. If there's one thing that football taught me is never be in the game if you don't have a big heart. In football, you develop a thick skin. I'm not the first one that has been in this situation. I've seen coaches struggle in their first season then they come up different in the following season," he said.
Zwane took over interim duties in April last year after Stuart Baxter was sacked with seven matches to go, and then later given the head coach position on a three-year contract to rebuild.
He says his maiden season was to experiment.
"It was more like a learning season for me for the fact that me now being the head coach, making decisions. Obviously with the help of other technical team members but I've always been this supporting member of the team. Supporting other coaches that have been here before," the coach explained.
How then does Zwane, a former Chiefs player well aware of the demands and expectations, sum up the 2022/23 campaign?
"I would say imperative one in terms of learning things that I know that maybe I should have done this or that. When you do introspection, you always know this is what we should have done here, this is what we can do going forward in terms of players that should come in. Now you learn that maybe this player has talent but doesn't have the character. So, now you look for character more than talent. I'm just making an example."
