Eymael handed reins as Troughton leaves
RIFT: OUTGOING COACH SAYS RELATIONSHIP WAS UNHEALTHY He also said he would not work with Stars’ new man.
Luc Eymael has been named the new Free State Stars head coach after Sammy Troughton yesterday left by mutual consent, just two games into the new Absa Premiership season.
Troughton insisted yesterday that the decision for him to leave the club was “mutual”.
“I wasn’t happy and they were not happy, it was not a healthy working relationship,” he said.
Troughton was brought in by Stars in July, and lost his first game at AmaZulu, before picking up a creditable home draw on Wednesday against champions Bidvest Wits. Even this, however, was not enough to convince either party that he should carry on.
The former Tuks and Stellenbosch FC coach hinted that even when he was first interviewed for the Stars job, the club wanted him to take up a co-coaching role.
“They wanted a dual-coaching role and I said that wasn’t really to my liking,” he said.
“It was mentioned when I had my first interview and in their minds I think it was always on the cards, but I could not see it working.
“At the end of the day we couldn’t see eye to eye, with the situation at the club I was the last man in and already had my squad and technical team.”
Troughton added that he would never have been prepared to work with Eymael – “I don’t know the man, he did some good work at Polokwane City, but I don’t know him.
“I believe things need changing and they think the new guy is someone who can work under the current circumstances.”
The Belgian Eymael arrived to coach Polokwane City for the 2016/17 season and impressed, losing just five of 22 matches.
Eymael resigned as Polokwane City head coach in March and attempted to take up the reins at Bloemfontein Celtic, but this never happened as City successfully took him to a Premier Soccer League Disciplinary Committee, as he was still under contract with Rise and Shine.
City finally released Eymael from his contract in July, but Celtic opted not to hire him.