I don’t like losers
“They will tell you they enjoyed working with me.” “Do not lie to me.”
Dylan Kerr was a daredevil down the wing with lightning pace and possessed a deadly left foot. The recently appointed Black Leopards coach arrived in the country at the back of back-to-back championships with Kenyan crack side Gor Mahia and after also coaching Tanzanian giants Simba FC. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Thomas Kwenaite, the man reveals for the first time that following a sensational debut season with Arcadia Shepherds, in the good old NPSL, he was recruited by Ted Dumitru and was supposed to have joined Kaizer Chiefs. But going on holiday back home in England, he was sidetracked by English sleeping giants Leeds United who offered him a two-year contract, a contract that he accepted and left Amakhosi in the lurch. He also reveals his philosophy about coaching, the qualities he requires from a player and how he was let down by Godfrey Walusimbi.
Thomas Kwenaite: Dylan, how has it been at Black Leopards so far?
Dylan Kerr: It has been a good few weeks. So far, we have had about over a month of training and the players have adapted to the intensity of how I want to perform in training. Obviously, it is still early days and it will take time to fully understand everything, but you know in football, first training, new coach… especially in South Africa… players all raise their hands. They naturally want to impress and it’s normal. But also, (there are) expectations from the fans, who are very demanding. They always want their team to win.
TK: Have you, in this short period that you have been in charge, been able to assess the squad at your disposal?
DK: It is a little bit early and we don’t have a full assessment yet. But it’s been very good so far. I can speak very highly of the attitude, character and enthusiasm. I think they have enjoyed the different style and approach to training that I have introduced.
TK: How is the confidence of the players?
DK: When a new coach arrives, there will always be a positive attitude and players will try their utmost best to impress. As a coach, it gives you a good feeling when people want to train. We (have) got to maintain that same level of consistency, doing exactly the same thing at training that we did yesterday, only better. I have been impressed by the very high energetic and very enthusiastic attitude since we started our project. I’m aware that they are not used to the way I operate, but I want them to practise hard at every training session.
TK: And what have you noticed about the team in the early days?
DK: There is naturally a bit of nervousness because they don’t want to look bad, they want to do the right thing as you demand of them. I’m fully aware of these things and, like I say, it’s natural and we will iron them out as we get along.
TK: Have you been given a mandate by the Leopards management?
DK: I can confidently announce that the chairman (David Thidiela) has given me full control of things here. He told me he trusts me to deliver on good performances. That comes with high expectations. But you can go back to 2009 when I joined Mpumalanga Black Aces – if you speak to former players or particularly the group that we coached at the time, I strongly believe that they will tell you they enjoyed working with me as a coach. Get a former player from Simba, Vietnam… and ask them about how I work. I have no doubt that the answer would be the same. For me it’s all about the football players and not about the coach.
TK: We know a coach is judged by results and surely...
DK: (Cuts in) I want to win and I always want to finish at the top. And straight away, as a coach, you are under pressure whether at the top, mid-table or at the bottom. It all boils down to what you believe in. In my first three big roles as a coach, I have always done everything the way I was brought up as a footballer. I want to coach and win. I told management that we can be patient to build and do it the right way. It takes time. Sir Alex Ferguson took a couple of years to build Manchester United into one of the biggest teams on a global scale. He was given the opportunity to do it his way; the way he believed in. Look at the success he brought them. Now, are we going to do it right or do it our way?
TK: What do you mean, coach?
DK: Everything that you do… training, working, pushing… it’s got to be designed in such a way that the player enjoys himself. I’m there to advise. But I want my players to work really hard and yet also have fun at the same time. When they go home, they must not have fear, but the knowledge that I put in a hard and honest day’s shift. There are absolutely no boundaries to which they can play and enjoy themselves.
TK: Exactly what is your coaching philosophy?
DK: For me, coaching has been the same since I was a player – enjoyment. It is hard work, getting the best out of you as a player and as a team. I want them to remember that they are in the big league, which is a massive responsibility on the shoulders of these young players to produce the required results. They must be cognizant of the fact that we are in the Premiership for the long haul. They need to understand that their stature has changed from where they come from (National First Division).
TK: That is serious man-management…
DK: We must try as best we can to give them enough to make sure they live the right way. But in addition, the level of competitiveness and the pace of the game, these are the things they have to master. Teach them the ability to always look after themselves both on and off the field. We must also find the right balance between our training and a match situation.
TK: Would you mind explaining a bit more about striking the right balance?
DK: Of course not. We must find the right balance in the team at the back in order not to concede. The midfield must be able to assist the defence and be able to create enough opportunities but, most importantly, to win and score goals. TK: Quite interesting. DK: Throughout my coaching career, I found that we create a lot of scoring chances in Asia, Africa and even in Europe. It’s not something that is confined to a particular country, but it is a global problem – we just do not have that clinical finisher blessed with the ability to score, something I also tried to perfect myself. How we miss the target even from crazy positions is shocking – sometimes we tend to say it is an easier chance to score than to miss.
TK: And what qualities do you look for in a player?
DK: I just want them to do what I’ve done throughout my playing career – I look for energy, a smile on a player coming to training. To nearly collapse in training and yet give you the sense that he enjoyed the hard training. We’ve got a fighting mentality, which I have seen in my players already. That’s important. As a player – and meaning no disrespect – coming from the NFD last season was a fantastic achievement. But I want to go to bed at night and the last thing they say should be: “No more NFD!”
TK: Wow, you are really lighting a fire under their bellies coach.
DK: I don’t like losers. I’m acutely aware that we are not going to win every game. But I want you to hurt when you lose. I do not want my players to accept defeat easily. If we lose, then it should be to a much better team. I don’t want to lose because we have not tried hard enough. We should never come off the field with: “What if?” That can never change the results. The chances in football are very far and few in between. You struggle for so long (in the lower divisions), then get into the big league. The pressure to stay in that league (Premiership) is massive. The question is, “Do you want to get back (to the NFD) or stay in the Premiership and challenge?” TK: You have an interesting way of motivating your players. DK: You see, if you fight and work hard in the Premiership after all, that is what you fought for when you were in the NFD, then people take notice. You get to be selected to the national team. The possibilities are endless; the kind you can never enjoy in the lower league. TK: Few people are aware that you played for Arcadia Shepherds in the defunct NPSL and you were blessed with a sweet left foot. DK: Recently, I was showing my left sided players how to cross the ball. Maybe the players didn’t know much about me, but once I started swinging my left leg for the strikers and midfielder to score, they were completely gobsmacked, utterly surprised. I can still fondly remember those years, although it was a good 32 years ago. TK: Do you still keep in touch with some of the guys you played with? DK: Yeah, I had a call from Mark Seligman the other day. And, of course, I am constantly in touch with Sammy Troughton. Then I had a chat with Mike Lambert, Noel Cousins and Deshi Baktawer among others. It has not been easy but I would also like to meet up with Stanley Lapot (his former coach at Arcadia), hopefully.
TK: You went to England and also played for Leeds United.
DK: I have an interesting story to tell, which I’m sure many South Africans are not aware of. After one season with Arcadia Shepherds, I was approached by the late Ted Dumitru and actually agreed terms to join Kaizer Chiefs. Then I went back home to England for a holiday. While there, I was offered a chance to join Leeds United. Howard Wilkinson (the Leeds manager) offered me a contract and I signed without hesitation. Saul Sacks (then Arcadia Shepherds Chairman) bless his soul had already agreed a fee with Chiefs, but he lost out as I joined Leeds.
TK: How did you feel when, in later years, Lucas Radebe and Phil Masinga joined Leeds?
DK: They swear by Lucas down Elland Road (the Leeds stadium) way and Radebe was and is still fondly remembered as “The Chief” by Leeds faithful. I was naturally proud and I still keep in touch with many of the former Leeds players. Sometimes it is not just about money, but football is also about friendship and that is something about Elland Road.
TK: You won back-to-back titles with Gor Mahia of Kenya but then left so unexpectedly. What happened?
DK: I had a chance to go to Polokwane City, but didn’t think it was the right time then. I had intentions to go back to Gor Mahia and received a couple of offers including one from Indonesia with an obscene amount of money as salary. Then, of course, there was the Leopards offer as well. I spoke to the chairman and heard a lot of excitement in his voice. I looked at the challenge, the club’s fan base and obviously I know South Africa. I put that to the fore in my decision rather than purely based on money and I spoke to the chairman of Gor Mahia and told him I had accepted an offer from South Africa and would he give me his blessings. He never hesitated and the Leopards chairman told me that he was very happy at the way I handled the whole situation.
TK: What did you do to turn things around at Gor Mahia when you arrived?
DK: I tell players to show me what they can do. A player must trust you and you must trust a player. We had a policy where everybody was assured playing time. Everybody was involved. Everybody was given an opportunity because of the way I want things to be done. I want my players to come to training with a smile and go home happy, knowing they worked very hard and scored goals. I want them to know that tomorrow they are gonna be doing exactly the same thing, only better!
TK: You were quite upset when Godfrey Walusimbi left Gor Mahia to join Chiefs.
DK: To be quite honest, I do not really want to talk about it. But in a nutshell, I always tell players to please be honest with me. Do not lie to me. Do not tell me you want to do one thing and then go on and tell something different. Do not tell me how you feel and then, an hour later, you tell me you have changed your mind. If you are not playing, give me a valid reason and let us discuss it like adults. And if I’m not playing you and you ask me why, I will give you a reason and explain why I am not playing you. Obviously as a coach, you get it wrong sometimes, but then you learn from that and become better. As a player, if I get dropped for a reason, I have to do something about it to get back into the team and make sure you make the starting XI.