Turbulent times for soccer coaches

IT’S OVER, and now it’s time for them to conduct a critical hypothesis of needs and wants when appointing a new national coach.

Former coach Shakes Mashaba made the fatal error of “biting the hand that fed him” and so he was red-carded without a backward glance. In any event, the writing was on the wall for him, so his actions can be construed as deliberate.

Safa has a glorious history of failed incumbents who just could not get the ball sewn to the SA squad’s feet. Clive Barker, Pitso Mosimane, Jomo Sono and Gordon Igesund tried, to no avail.

Even hiring Carlos P, the godfather of Brazilian football, did little to extradite us from the gallows of world football. So what makes Gavin Hunt a choice to end the voodoo?

I’ve come to the deduction that you’re born a soccer star and can’t be taught how to play attractive and attacking football. You either have it or you don’t!

At what stage does a club coach become eligible to commence national duties? I presume demand emanates from success at club level. If so, I believe Mosimane deserves another chance, though the furthest he might take us is African glory. For now, vodka-toasting in Moscow is an uphill battle.

How much money has Safa wasted on giving national coaches the marching orders and paying them out the remainder of their contracts?

National coaches have a difficult job, corralling players from leagues in various parts of the world. Selections can be nerveracking. Some clubs aren’t happy to release key players, and there’s the case of club commitment versus country allegiance – the Steven Pienaar issue comes to mind.

Soccer is the most popular sport in SA. The amplification of poor performances and the exacerbation of further losses makes the position a hot seat. Our moorings have been adrift for far too long, as we flounder in our seas of inability to notch up a winning combination.

We need an able captain to steer us to Russia in 2018.

For the sake of SA soccer, Safa, the fans and the players, it is a berth we must secure. KEVIN GOVENDER

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