Hunt insists he’s in for long haul
RUMOUR MILL: COACH HAS BEEN LINKED WITH TWO CLUBS
Sy Lerman
More than a few pundits had suggested that a trek back to coachless SuperSport United for Gavin Hunt after Bidvest Wits’ conspicuously disappointing and deflating season was a proposition definitely on the cards.
But the straight-talking Hunt has this week summarily ended all such speculation that he would return to the club where he had enjoyed a good deal of success in the past, with the unequivocal assertion he was going nowhere and, in fact, was looking forward with some relish to rectifying the shortcomings that brought the deposed Absa Premiership champions back to earth during the immediate past season.
And, it would seem, for the meantime, at any rate, the Bidvest hierarchy of founder Brian Joffe and company, have retained full confidence in the coach who helped earn the Students their first major league title in 97 years.
This, however, has not halted the perennial coaching merry-goround that does the rounds during the football off-season, with the immediate question up for answering regarding who will take over after the mid-season departure of Eric Tinkler at stuttering SuperSport, if not Hunt.
Mentioned in this respect has been departed Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela, but SuperSport are remaining cagey.
And this, of course, brings up the most intriguing coaching question of all – namely who will succeed Komphela at Amakhosi as they seek to end a frustrating three-season title drought that has left their myriad supporters ruffled and often in a veritable rage after being spoilt by heaps of success in the past.
Meanwhile, out of a coaching job at the moment are such local luminaries as Komphela, Gordon Igesund and Tinkler, with the future of relegated Platinum Stars’ Roger de Sa also open to some speculation.
De Sa, of course, was part of the consortium that bought the franchise of the all-ready troubled Stars for a reported R22.5 million and therefore has other concrete ties with the club that would appear to tie him up where he is for the challenge of regaining promotion from the NFD next season.
But when it comes to coaches logically remaining where they are, stability is quite likely to be thrown overboard.