He has been fired after 8 defeats in 9 matches. However, I believe that the reason for his sacking has a lot to do with the team’s overall performance lately. The performance of the team has been dismal and the team spirit was very low.
Can we really blame the coach for the players’ performance? Remember, this is the same team that played with heart, guts and spirit just 4 months ago.
What role did the players have in the firing of Santana? Our players are to blame because they let the country and the coach down with their dismal performances. They did not show any hunger and willingness to win. They collapsed under pressure from media and the public. Santana’s mission was to put together a team that would do at least qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup next year. This vision should have propelled them to do better and show that they deserve to be in the final 23 member squad.
8 losses, 1 win
Losing so many friendly games was always going to get the coach fired. Clive Barker was also fired after losing too many friendly matches. Of course, there were other factors, i.e. compensation issue. I believe that he was also fired because he kept playing the same “tried and tested” OLD guard. Do you see the similarities?
The “Leader”
Mokoena has also been taking a lot of criticism from the public about his performances for the team. In trying to not buckle under pressure, Santana stuck with his “trusted” captain and leader of the team. I have never seen a coach who insists on playing a guy who makes so many mistakes. Mokoena has not played a good game for Bafana in 5 years but has remained the first player on every (Perreira, Queiroz and Baxter) coach’s list. Maybe he is a great player.
I believe that Mokoena needs a move away from the English Premier league. His game has not improved since he started playing in England. He makes the worst tackles and decisions for an “experience”. It does seem that his teammates have lost confidence in him because he has failed to inspire them on the field.
What did Santana do right?
During the Confederations Cup everyone in South Africa started to believe that the team had a chance at next year’s world cup. Although, he played a defensive game, the team played very well. They should have at least beaten Brazil in the semi-finals. Santana’s system gave the players confidence because we seemed to keep the ball much longer than the opposition and were finding space. The players played with confidence, freedom and dictated the rhythm of the game. However, we were let down by our scoring and lack of good passes to our attackers.
So what did Santana really do right in his job as a Bafana Bafana coach? SANTANA gave South Africans and the team HOPE.
What next?
Pitso Mosimane and Jairo Leal have been appointed caretaker coaches. This is good news because Pitso Mosimane there will be a bit of continuity in the team, for now. Appointing a new man would really upset the team “structure”. We all know where the problem is and we have to ‘fix’ it. Is it possible to do that?
The New man
The new man has got to be a person who has coached the team before or someone with vast international and world cup experience. This description however excludes Jomo Sono. Sono took Bafana to the 2002 World Cup and he also had his own challenges that led to the team not qualifying for the next round.
1. He selected Andre Arendse ahead of the experienced Hans Vonk. Arendse let in 2 soft goals against Spain and one against Paraguay.
2. He left Delron Buckley and Steven Pienaar on the bench. These two players had already had European or international experience.
3. In the first match against Paraguay he played two defenders (Cyril Nzama and Aaron Mokoena) on the right.
Is he (Sono) the man to take us forward? I think not.
Carlos Perreira is another man who once coached the senior national team. He seems to have the right credentials but it also took him a long time to get the team to play well. He failed to qualify for the second round at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.
Remember Bafana lost to the USA in our own backyard. That game was one of the worst matches we have played in years. Bafana were totally outplayed by the US.
People have called for the appointment of Gordon Igesund. Simply put! Gordon Igesund is not the right man for this job. Remember, he played a very defensive game while coaching Manning Rangers, Santos etc in African Champions league. His little experience in African competitions and the PSL has not prepared him for the hottest seat in the country.
Gavin Hunt
Is he good enough and does he have the right experience for the job? What has he done for Supersport United to deserve the Bafana job?
I hear, “he has won the PSL league title twice in succession. He has a FIFA A or B coaching license”. These achievements are not enough for the Bafana coaching job.
Question: What does he need to get the job?
Answer: The right experience.
Who will take over from Santana?
Your guess is as good as mine.
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