Football
Nick Said, Special to ESPN 7y

Josephs tips Pienaar for Pirates, lashes out at current stars

Former South Africa international goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs has suggested that former Everton and Sunderland midfielder Steven Pienaar could be on his way to Orlando Pirates.

At the same time Josephs launched an extraordinary attack on the players at the ailing Soweto club, calling them "Instagram Stars" after the team slumped to their worst league finish in 30 years in the recently completed 2016/17 season.

Josephs, who played with Pienaar at Ajax Cape Town and with the national team, has tipped the playmaker to join Pirates for next season after he was released by relegated English Premier League side Sunderland.

"'Schillo' [Pienaar] is a big Orlando Pirates supporter. Big, big, big, massive, massive," Josephs said on Wednesday.

"I think he can bring that spark back to Pirates; I am vouching for Steven to come to Orlando Pirates. Pirates need a player like him, not these players who are Instagram players ... they need a player like Steven Pienaar, a real star to come and turn things around for Pirates again.

"Many of these [Pirates] players are Instagram stars, they are not doing the business for Pirates. There isn't pride any more for the team, they are not playing for the team, for The Ghost [supporters], for the ancestors, as they say. They are playing for Instagram. Whatever they are doing at training is done for Instagram; that is c**p." 

Josephs spent five seasons at Pirates where he won six trophies in just two of those seasons, including back-to-back league titles.

"Bring the stars, the real stars, that is what Benni [McCarthy] did for us at Pirates, they brought a big star and he turned Pirates around for us.

"I love Orlando Pirates, they have been good to me, they gave me a stepping-stone to play on the biggest stage and to see the players now doing what they are doing, representing the team like they are, with the fans hungry for success ... I don't care if they win the Nedbank Cup, with the type of football they are playing, the way they are going about losing games, and the next day they are on Instagram as if nothing has happened.

"That p****s me off, a team like Pirates needs more than that, there is not enough pride." Josephs won the recently completed league title with Bidvest Wits.

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