Amakhosi reloaded
Dutch ‘adviser’ defends thin CV
Kaizer Chiefs showed off their reinforcements yesterday. Team manager Bobby Motaung, far left, poses with Siphelele Ntshangase, Kabelo Mahlasela, technical adviser Rob Hitting, Leonardo Castro, Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and coach Steve Komphela at the club’s headquarters in Naturena, Joburg.
“Don’t kill the baby before it’s born.”
With these words, Kaizer Chiefs’ new technical adviser Rob Hutting appeared to be asking not to be judged before he gets down to work at the club.
Hutting, 62, was introduced to the media in Naturena yesterday. His thin CV has raised questions about his real value to Amakhosi. Chiefs, however, have mentioned that he holds a Uefa Pro licence.
The club named the littleknown Dutchman as adviser on Tuesday and an internet search revealed that he has only coached at amateur level.
The last club he coached was Germania Teveren in Germany’s regional Landesliga Mittelrhein Staffel 2 league.
Smartly dressed in a grey suit, Hutting didn’t defend his credentials, but suggested that his work would do the talking.
He has signed a six-month contract with an option to extend.
“I’m very positive and I know what the mission is. I will do my utmost best. I’m not the European who comes to explain how we play football. I’m here to help the club. We have a mission, very important mission,” he said.
“The only thing that I want to ask you is that don’t kill the baby before it’s born… You can choose whether you want an internet coach or a qualified coach. For me your question is OK, but I would prefer that you come after three months and ask the same question.”
Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung insisted that Hutting is not at the club to replace head coach Steve Komphela, who has six months left on his contract.
Motaung also clarified that Hutting’s position is that of an “adviser” and not the director of the technical team, which means he doesn’t have authority over the technical team.
“To clarify, the mission of bringing Mr Hutting is to deal with the technical aspects and advise both the head coach [of the senior team] and the youth academy,” Motaung said.
Komphela, meanwhile, appeared comfortable to work with Hutting and confirmed that he played a role in Hutting’s appointment.
“Whatever he brings from his observation – you only advice after your observations – [it] is going to be very important that we see things in the manner that they are and rectify them,” Komphela added.
New Kaizer Chiefs striker Leonardo Castro has big ambitions for the club, but what will he contribute to the cause?
The Colombian has signed a contract with Amakhosi that will see him through to June 2020. Chiefs fans have welcomed the new recruit and he said he’s ready to deliver.
“I feel happy to be here and I want to say thank you for having faith in me. I want to make history, because I play for a big team. In a big team you need to win trophies and be a champion,” said Castro yesterday in Naturena, where Chiefs’ new signings were officially unveiled. He will don the No8 jersey.
The trouble is that the 28year-old last scored a goal in April last year, while he was still with Sundowns.
To make matters worse, the last time he played a full 90 minutes was in March last year.
So as much as Castro is confident of hitting the ground running, the reality is that he may struggle at the beginning.
Chiefs coach Steve Komphela admitted that Castro is still far off in terms of fitness.
“Leo, we know the qualities, but he might be [lacking fitness], because when I asked him, he said he’s on six out of 10. It’s not bad. We can still survive without exposing him to injuries. We will have to get him to 10 out of 10 quickly,” Komphela said.
Fourth-placed Chiefs have scored just 13 goals in 16 matches, which the mentor admitted has been their big letdown.
“If you look at the log, it gives you a true reflection of what you have done – you are not scoring en ough goals. Yes, you have tried to defend better, but [not] scoring, which is why, then, you can see our intervention and attempts to try to solve the problem.
“Shall we get it from the new inclusions? We hope so,” he added.
Speaking of attacking players, it’s still not clear how long Kabelo Mahlasela would be out for. He suffered a knee injury during his first training session last week, but Chiefs’ medical team are still working on his recovery time frame.
Chiefs will face Polokwane City at FNB Stadium on Saturday (8.15pm).
‘ ‘ When I asked him, he said he’s on six out of 10