Former Orlando Pirates boss Augusto Palacios believes former players should slowly work their way up to the head coaching role.

There's been a trend in the PSL of head coaches going back down to the assistant coach role, and Palacios believes it's because they realise, they are not yet ready for the top job at clubs.

Manqoba Mnqithi, Mandla Ncikazi, Fadlu Davids, Bernard Molekwa, Shaun Bartlett, Duncan Lechesa, Rhulani Mokwena, Allan Freese, and Patrick Mabedi have all gone from head coach down to assistant coach in their respective coaching careers.

"You know, I always say in coaching you need to take time because sometimes coaches jump directly from being ex-players to being a head coach, when he never passed the process," Palacios told KickOff.

"And the process obviously, is good to know development - to coach young players, after that you become an assistant coach and then having experience, you jump to be a head coach.

"Some of the coaches, according to me, have knowledge but they are in a hurry. You need understanding to follow your studies. Studying does not mean you have no knowledge of football; you have knowledge of football but it's a step-by-step (process) to being a coach.

"If you were a good player in the PSL and when you retire you think you can go directly into coaching, you need (to follow) a process.

"Some coaches think the job of an assistant coach is to put markers, but the name says, 'assistant coach', so you need to assist the coach."

- TEAMtalk media