Meet Pirates’ new coach
A heck of a nice guy, but will the 54-year-old Swede thrive or crack in the hottest seat in South African football? Football writer Mazola Molefe looks at five immediate challenges Kjell Jonevret faces.
UNLIKE the last two European coaches that Orlando Pirates hired, Vladimir Vermezovic and Muhsin Ertugral, the club has gone for a calmer figure in Kjell Jonevret. “Shell” – as Jonevret’s name is pronounced – must douse the flames that have engulfed Pirates which sees them sit in the bottom half of the league with the second worst defence. The players’ confidence has taken a battering because of this, not helped by them going nine games without a win in a year Piratescelebrates turning 80. The Buccaneers struggle to hold onto their lead and concede, what Jonevret described as “stupid goals”, because they then play with fear of not wanting to make mistakes. It’s a delicate situation that requires intricately managing players. “He (Jonevret) has staying power in the teams he has managed,” Pirates’ chairman Irvin Khoza said. “That’s been our challenge (with previous coaches). He stayed a long time with the club he has managed, even during trying times because of his Swedish temperament. We hope he will impart his temperament in the team. I said last week that it would be useful to get coaches who are teachers not preachers. More often than not when we get coaches who aren’t teachers, they become the centre of attraction. We need someone to stabilise the team and improve the players’ confidence.” Jonevret went on the charm offensive at Rand Stadium after he was announced as the head coach, having signed a three-year contract. He spoke about trying to bring joy back into the players and make them smile again .
He will get insight on the players from Harold “Jazzy Queen” Legodi because his academy nurtured a number of them including the captain Oupa Manyisa.
Legodi will serve as Jonevret’s assistant along with Benson Mhlongo after Bradley Carnell accepted an overseas coaching gig.
“I am not here to work for a short time,” Jonevret said.
“I want to be here for a long time. The chairman talked about marriage earlier. I hope that I am the beautiful wife, so that I stay here for a long time.”
The Buccaneers have had a number of their “marriage partners” ditch them in troubled times. More often than not coaches have resigned rather than get fired. Ruud Krol is the last coach to see out his contract. After a rocky start, Krol brought three trophies in his last season. Jonevret intends to also see out his contract.
“If you want to build a team, you can’t change the coaching staff every year,” Jonevret said.
“It’s the same in any job. It would be difficult to do your job if they constantly changed bosses and you have to work differently. It’s going to be tricky at first, but after we have worked together for some time the players will be confident. It’s difficult to start all over often. There are coaches who like to be there for a short time; I am not one of them.
“In my last two clubs (Molde and Viking of Norway) I was there for four and half to five years at each club. It’s much easier to do that if the club allows you to work. But you must bring results, especially at a club like Pirates. I understand that. You can work for a long time in a club that believes in you.”
BIDVEST Wits fielded four academy players in the Caf Confederation Cup last year and their early elimination was no surprise. On Saturday, when they beat SaintLouisienne from Reunion to set up the club’s biggest continental experience with Al Ahly in a match that will determine who goes into the group stages of the Champions League, veterans Daine Klate and Sifiso Myeni, men who know the Egyptian side all too well, were among the goal scorers.
What a difference a year can make.
Myeni getting the nod to start at the weekend was expected given that he has been a bit part player since arriving late in August. Klate, pictured, being in the line-up was yet another indicator of how important he is to Hunt – to not only conquer the domestic league, but to prove to his detractors that Caf tournaments aren’t distractions to his focus here at home.
“It’s important for everyone who gets involved to bring their part,” said Klate. “We have good depth. Even in our first game this year against Ajax we had a very strong bench. We were 2-0 up when we started making changes and we went on to win 5-0. So, the competition is important and everyone should get a chance. If a player is going to come in, he has to make that position his own and that is a good thing for us. When we make changes, we are still good enough. We have a backlog of games and it’s important for guys to come in and not weaken the team when they do. When the coach makes changes, we would like to think the team is going to be on the same level. Seeing that we play on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the coach has to rotate.”
That has certainly been the argument throughout this 2016/17 campaign, that Wits are genuine title contenders. And their overall quality suggests that they might even give the Champions League a go, especially with Klate and Myeni in the side.
“It’s not just a two hour flight to Egypt. It is eight, and it will be important for all of us to look after ourselves,” said Klate, who, along with Myeni, played for Pirates in the final of the 2013 Champions League against Al Ahly. The Buccaneers were beaten 3-1 on aggregate, with the North Africans winning their eighth title. “From now on, training is probably going to be minimal, which means those not playing are going to have to put in extra work as well to be able to be ready on the same level as the regulars. After that, it’s one game at a time.” The next match is a home Premier League fixture against bottom of the table Baroka FC tomorrow night as Wits play catch up. Their Caf commitments left them with three matches in hand and with just two points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs. Klate said struggling Baroka will not be a banana skin, but the Clever Boys won’t be complacent. “We will obviously have to shift our focus back to the domestic league again and consolidate our position at the top,” the winger explained. “The games in hand are putting us off a little bit at this point in time, so we can’t really judge where we are. We will accept nothing less than three points (tomorrow).”