You just cannot keep a good man down

By Andile Dladla and Mandla Dladla

Supporters of the beautiful game love to see coaches on the touch lines working on their tactics for the game and adding pressure to their jobs by demanding results.

It is with sadness when a coach finds himself out of a job just like anyone would and so it is then that fans begin to wonder what coaches really get up to when they are not employed by any team.

Such is the case with former Swallows FC head coach Dylan Kerr who parted way with the Dube Birds after results were not coming their way.

“It’s been a long time since I left Swallows and fortunately the FIFA World Cup in Qatar took away a lot of the anxiety and we never really missed football as there were great games,” says Kerr.

“I am not Argentinean or French but it was a good win for Lionel Messi and Argentina. As an English fan though I thought we stood a good chance and it was our best one yet to get to the final and possibly win it.

“I got to do some reporting for the football association of England with some match analysis and stats which was good for me than for them but it was good to be asked to do analysis of all the games.

“I’ve been enjoying walking around the beach in Durban, Umhlanga and walking as far as Ballito. Been walking almost 55km a week to keep myself mentally and physically fit and strong.”

With the league looking likely to be heading to the capital city once again as Mamelodi Sundowns continue their dominance in the league, teams keep find it increasingly difficult to dislodge them.

Kerr thinks one of the reasons why they keep getting stronger and stronger is due to the fact that they have a good team and strength in depth as well as a professional structure.

“Rulani Mokena and the co-coaches don’t change their team as much as they can because they got a balance of very good players.

“Khuliso Mudau is my former player at Black Leopards and I put him in that position, players like him have been brilliant. Ronwen Williams and his defence have been rock solid and the foundation of their success.

“My record with Sundowns has been good. I’ve done really well against them. We try and put in the minds of the players that it’s 11 vs 11 and it’s about who wants to keep the ball more and cause more problems.

Kerr confessed that wherever he goes he bumps into people that ask him when he is making a comeback.

“The honest answer is that I don’t know. The dynamics of football have changed now. I’ve got this reputation of keeping people in the PSL maybe that’s going to happen again, I don’t know.

“Going back to Swallows, the promises, the ideas, optimism that the chairman used to talk to me about kind of gave me that inspiration to grow, develop and build the team but obviously I didn’t get the opportunity to do that.

“Two results went against us. We got beaten 4-0 and we were the team playing better football but pressure from other people at the club was too much to bear.

“When I played here in the 80s, the late Abdul Bhamjee was absolutely fantastic what he did for the NPSL that then before it became the NSL.

“He was very innovative and thought of ways of getting people into stadiums, for example having double headers and Ellis Park, Kingsmead and Cape Town would be full because he made sure that fans would go there and have a good time.

“Yes we see Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns only filling stadiums but we need to get younger people in, we need the younger generation involved in football administration as well.

“If you look at the supporters now they are all in their late 20s, 30s, 40s and even older.

“We need to get younger people watching the game. Kids that are eight, nine years old need to be given free entry at stadiums, give them a chance to go and watch football and bring their friends.

“It’s a shame with a country that’s got so much vibe in football and everybody loves the game. Sometimes what happens on the pitch might not be spectacular as they expect because of the implications in football, the money is so high so it’s important that the PSL and SAFA try and get younger fans at the stadium.

“The players love it when there’s a crowd, let’s find a way to get the youth involved.

Over the last few months coaches have been doing their D licenses and have been approaching me on social media platforms and I try and share as much information as I can to help them on their journey.

“There are coaches who are sixteen and sixty years old who love the game. I was talking to the legendary Professor Ngubane the other day exchanging some ideas of when we played in the 80s in the glory days of South African football as I remember it.

“The way that the game is evolving with statisticians, analysts, fitness coaches, food and diet people. All the top clubs have all these but as a coach you need to have all these

“So you are not just a football coach but a brother, uncle, father and a mentor. You got all these and many clubs don’t have the luxury of having all these people on board so as a coach you’ve got to learn and take in as much knowledge by coaching with enthusiasm.

“Try and embrace ideas from other people when you are watching on television but also don’t lose your identity as a coach. If you got ambitions to coach in Europe then why not. I came to Africa because I couldn’t coach in Europe.

“I got my opportunity through Sammy Troughton back in 2009 at Mpumalanga Black Aces and changed my life. I’ve been successful where I’ve been, never got relegated as a player and coach.

“My words of wisdom to anybody is that you must have no regrets, don’t let anybody tell you that you are not good enough or you will never be. That’s their opinion, it’s your opinion and it’s your life do what you want to’ do.

“I’ve been trying all my life to get back into English football and it’s been very difficult but my success has been abroad in four continents, I’ve been successful in America, Europe (as a player), Asia and Africa (as a coach) so people must have dreams, listen and ask advice from people”.