I just need grass and 11 players

AND I OBSESSED, “I AM NOT DESPERATE HAVE NOT BEEN I WAS FOR THE MONEY. TO BE DESPERATE NOT IN THE PSL AND RECOGNISED THIS IS ALL I AM STILL NOT. PLAYERS WHO ABOUT THE THERE.” HAVE NOT BEEN

It took Clinton Larsen a little over a year to take Magesi FC to the topflight of South African football, working his magic with a team that many may not have fancied to win automatic promotion from the Motsepe Foundation Championship to the DStv Premiership. The Limpopo-based side secured promotion with two matches to spare, avoiding the drama of the final weekend which often comes with a lot of twists and turns. Larsen will now have a big job on his hands to ensure Magesi are competitive in the elite league and this is where he is going to need to use his experience to maintain the team’s Premiership status. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, the former Chippa United and Golden Arrows coach talks about how promotion was achieved and reveals his plans for next season.

Tshepang Mailwane: Congratulations on winning promotion, coach. Talk to us about the feeling of guiding Magesi FC to automatic promotion…

Clinton Larsen: Firstly, it was a bit of a relief not to have to go into the last game of the season needing anything. To clinch it with two games left was a great achievement and I am very happy with the way it turned out this season. So much work went into putting this team together in the off-season, strengthening the playing staff and the technical team and putting the right structures in place. A lot went into it and finally we reaped the rewards of all our hard work and all our planning. But I must give special mention to our CEO and our chairman because I am working with two very intelligent individuals and humble administrators. They gave me carte blanche to put this team together and sign the players I felt could make a difference. It’s very rare to have that authority, more so in the NFD (Motsepe Founformerly dation Championship, known as National First Divlot ision). I must be the envy of a of coaches because interference is rife within our football. Plaumanagement dits must go to our for the trust they showed in me, as well as the patience they had in terms of putting this project together. I’ve been with the club for 15 months after coming in midway through last season, so to do it in record time is an unbelievable achievement for this little team from Moletjie in Polokwane.

TM: Where would you say this ranks in your list of achievements in your coaching career?

CL: I think it’s up there with winning the Telkom Knockout with Bloemfontein Celtic. What makes this more special is the fact that this is an unknown team. There are people today who still don’t know who Magesi Football Club is. People are going to be surprised to see this club as one of the 16 teams in the PSL (DStv Premiership) because not everybody knows this name. That’s what makes this so special.

TM: When you came in 15 months ago, what did you think needed to change at the club?

CL: Everything, from players and we needed to strengthen the technical team. We needed to put better structures in place. Everything needed to be overhauled and, like I said, credit to management for coming on board and embracing the changes. Sometimes change can be uncomfortable for people, but our management and people I am working with embraced it and it’s the reason we are where we are today.

TM: How did you manage to get all the players you wanted, considering the budget is probably not as big as that of the topflight teams?

CL: I had to be very shrewd in the market. I went to my former team, Summerfield Dynamos, in the ABC Motsepe League. I took three players from that team. I took Anathi Ngwadla, (Mcedi) Vandala and Deolin Mekoa from Summerfield Dynamos. They were three very good players who were regulars in my team at Summerfield. I found Rhulani Manzini sitting at home without a club, when he was released by Venda (Football Club). The same with Edmore Chirambadare. These are players who have contributed massively. These are some of the strategic moves we had to make in order to get to where we are. Getting a player like Diamond Thopola, who had left All Stars, was great. Then head hunting Jomo (Tshepo) Matsimela from La Masia, so we managed to assemble a competitive squad. But at the end of the day, it was all about structure and discipline within the framework.

TM: What did you do during pre-season to get the team ready and, at the time, did you believe that automatic promotion was possible?

CL: The moment I was given the go-ahead to talk to the players I felt could make the difference, I became very confident. I knew the players, which made my job easier. They are players I’ve coached before. I coached Diamond Thopola at Chippa, where I also worked with Rhulani Manzini. I had Samuel Darpoh at Summerfield Dynamos, and he was with AmaZulu for five seasons in the PSL. Deolin Mekoa, Anathi Ngwadla and Mcedi Vandala… all these players played for me previously, so buying into the way I do things and into my philosophy was very easy because they knew what I was about. Getting them to pass on this information to the players who had not worked with me was something important. Once I got that buy-in, it was very easy.

TM: What are some of the difficulties you faced during the season as you battled for promotion?

CL: There’s always challenges and hurdles to overcome, but those were all in the beginning of the season. I came into a new set-up and people had to learn about me and how I do things. Sometimes that can be uncomfortable. We had to bring discipline within the squad. Remember it’s a team that was in the ABC Motsepe League, so discipline

was not on top of the agenda in that division. So, I had to change a lot in terms of discipline within the club. So, there were quite a few challenges, but collectively we sat down, discussed them and overcame them one by one.

TM: Some years ago, you mentioned that you were not a coach that was desperate for a job, so what attracted you to the job at Magesi FC?

CL: At the time when I came here, I was employed by Summerfield Dynamos, and I was very happy there. It was actually a very interesting project. The chairman of Summerfield was trying to buy a NFD franchise, so I was a little bit sad to leave that project. We got to the quarter-finals of the Nedbank Cup as an ABC Motsepe League team and we won the league in the KZN division. That was a bit sad, but what made me seriously look at the project (at Magesi) was a phone call I got from Jacky Ledwaba, who is my assistant coach here. He was the previous head coach here and he promoted them from the ABC Motsepe League. That made me comfortable. For someone who was a head coach to say that he wants me to come here because he felt he was not ready for the task is so honest. After speaking to him, I felt that maybe it was the right time for me to step up a division and give it a good go. After speaking to the management and getting their trust and approval to put together a strong team, I was confident we could do something special.

TM: What did you make of the battle you had with the teams around you, especially because University of Pretoria were leading at some stage?

CL: I think what helped us is that nobody gave us a chance. The football fraternity, journalists, football experts… nobody gave us a chance.*

That was a good thing because we could work quietly behind the scenes and get along with our work. All the talk at the beginning of the season was about the big teams, like Tuks, Maritzburg United, Marumo Gallants, Baroka FC and Black Leopards. That attention on those clubs kept us under the radar and I think we hit the front at just the right time. You don’t want to get there too early, but you still want to be in the race and be in the conversation. I think we managed that throughout the season, staying in that top five. When we came back after the Christmas break and I signed the three players, which were Mekoa, Chirambadare and Rhulani Manzini, we never looked back. We’ve lost one (game) in 11 and that’s the reason we are champions.

TM: Have you already started planning for next season in the DStv Premiership, considering you won automatic promotion?

CL: I started at 06:00 this morning (Monday). I’ve already identified the players. I know the type of players I am looking for. You can’t have a team that’s too young and you can’t have a team that’s too old. I’ve called the players on pre-contracts. I have players from PSL teams calling me. I have players with contracts ending calling me. I have been busy already, so preparations have started. That’s one of the advantages of winning automatic promotion. It gives you time to assemble a decent squad. Now it’s about putting the puzzle together and getting the right players.

TM: Has the chairman promised that he will give you the budget to bring in as many new faces as you need?

CL: Yes. It’s not all about spending. We are not going to buy players because we can’t afford players. There are players who are at clubs and their contracts are ending. There are players who are 29 or 30 years old, and they are sitting at home, with years of PSL experience. So, getting players is not going to be a problem. We are going to put together a very strong team.

TM: How important will it be to have a discussion with the chairman about being patient when you are building the team, especially if the start of next season does not go so well?

CL: That is a strong possibility that could happen. I’ve seen it happen. These are some of the candid discussions that we have. We are going to go through some tough times, but I just hope we have a good start. Those first 10 games are always key to get off to a solid start and then the rest takes care of itself.

TM: Before we let you go, how much have you missed coaching in the topflight?

CL: Not at all. I just need grass and 11 players, and I am happy. Whether it’s in the ABC Motsepe League, SAB League or Motsepe Foundation Championship…I think there is an obsession with coaching in the PSL (DStv Premiership) for financial gains. So many coaches are not prepared or so many coaches are chasing money, and passion is not there. I am not obsessed, and I have not been desperate for the money. I was not desperate to be recognised in the PSL and I am still not. This is all about the players who have not been there. I am just happy for the club.

TM: We take our hats off to you and the incredible job you’ve done with the ‘baby’ you’ve been entrusted with, Magesi FC. See you next season!

CL: Thank you, Tshepang.