Pick the best coach, not the best speaker

Pick Gordon Igesund over Steve Komphela

Posted: 19 June 2012 Time: 02:53 pm

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For those Safa officials who are jumping for joy after Steve Komphela's impressive presentation during his interview for the Bafana Bafana job, consider this.

Is this the very same Steve Komphela who came up with an impressive Under-23 Wonke-Wonke programme that cost Sasol millions of Rands, but only produced Luvhengo Mngomeni?

Is this the very same Steve Komphela whose Under-23 team failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite getting all the support he wanted?

Maybe not… maybe the Steve I’m talking about is the one who works for that bank in a radio commercial. Yes, the one who makes all the great promises to clients about great interest rates and lower bank charges but fails to deliver.

Let me get straight to the point before I get caught up in using William Shakespeare’s flowery English that seem to have found a place in the hearts of so many South African football fans; making a grand power point presentation doesn’t guarantee success and is not the way Safa should judge a coach.

Candidates for national team jobs should be judged on previous success obtained at club level or previous national team(s) and, judging by this, Igesund is the best man for the job.

The Moroka Swallows coach has proven over and over again that he is one of the best this country has ever seen. Battling relegation and winning League titles … he has seen it all and done it all.

He might not be well equipped in the world of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, but is that how we want to judge our coaches? Make a great presentation and speak grand flowery English?

I bet not…

Many South Africans want a coach who will get Bafana to win matches and get us to the World Cup.

Now Safa, please stop wasting our time with these fancy presentations and Visions and get us a coach who can help us win matches. That man is Gordon Igesund…

Follow me on Twitter @ZolaDoda * This is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of KICK OFF.

Article by: Zola Doda

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Anonymous
posted: 03:18 pm
I've heard these words before somewhere, lemme think... hmmm, Ohhh it was on Marawa's show from one Mark Gleeson last night.
.petro
posted: 03:35 pm
ha ha ha ha i thnk its Steve 4rom da FNB commercial!
Anonymous
posted: 03:43 pm
Whoa Zola???
Anonymous
posted: 03:46 pm
When Gordon fails to qualify for 2014 and also plays uninspiring football, this choir will be nowhere to be found
SEKHUKHUNI
posted: 03:47 pm
couldnt have said it better myself,well said n straight 2 de point.i like it'pick the best coach not de best speaker'which is true
Tshawisto
posted: 04:04 pm
Zola, what is wrong with Steve being eloquent? Yes everybody knows that it is not good presentation that maketh a good coach but there is nothing wrong that Steve has done wrong to have all these negative ideas about him. Let SAFA appoint the best man for the job and that man could either be Gordon or Steve. Don't be an unappointed spokesperson for Gordon. I hate self-hating Black like you.
zimi
posted: 04:06 pm
Gordon must be given a chance because he has dome much better compared to Kompela who was fired in the under 23 Gordon won three PSL trophies with three different clubs, he must be considered ahead of the preacher in the name of Kompela.
Anonymous
posted: 04:08 pm
Zola Doda mfana wam, your campaign of Gordon will be reduced to zilch come 30 June. We need steve Kompela more than this Mlungu. imagine having to watch the old crocks and loosing....Gordon is only good for non pressure teams ie Maritzburg, swallows, amazulu etc. am gonna rrepeat, Kompela must be signed for this post.
zimi
posted: 04:10 pm
Look at him while we are tucking in these people are getting fater and fater Pitso cant even run because he is fat has eaten this money now it it Kompela his body was beautiful at Stars he got just one and gain fat, SAFA must appoint a coach that will bring results and not get fat so fast like Kompela and Pitso and that man is Gordon.
Donald Duck
posted: 04:21 pm
Assumptions are a dangerous thing, the fact that they had to present in no way suggest that SAFA is judging coaches based on their presentation skills. Rational will dictate dat what is more important is the content of the presentation in terms of moving the national team forward (i.e. vision). And the fact that neither we or you Zola were in de interview panel means this article of yours is full of assumptions that may be way of the mark.
life2
posted: 04:26 pm
@zola unfotunatly not all of us will be able to follow you on twitter, but u wll have to come back to kickoff and read our comments; I do not think Stive Kompela should judged based on his ability to speak english expecially by the supporters, the man has a pedegree in our football, we have seen his work, yes he did not succeed while with under 23 , but that does not make him a bad coach. the man knows his work we have seen him working with various teams to mantion the few Platinum stars and free state stars he is passionate about development of South African soccer, he has done marvelous work with free state stars. Yes I m not qualifying him to be our National team head coach over Gordon Igesund who have achiev big in our PSL, but all I say we should not look to much to his good english and under 23 failures,off which his intentions was to develop SA soccer and he come up with new ideas no person taks a national/coaching position with an aim of failing, therefore one way or another he should be in our national technical team also because he always wants what is best for our national team.
Fela
posted: 04:33 pm
Haaikona Zola did Steve bonk your girlfriend? your remarks are biased.

Your comments are good but you are unfair to Steve. SAFA will surely hire Steve on the basis of his ability to express himself, he merely shows how confident he is and there is nothing wrong with that. Both these candidates lacks experience internationally though Steve has coached under 23s. So please be fair.
Dooba (Glory Reclaimed)
posted: 04:38 pm
Zola "Wonke-Wonke" Doda, you are speaking like a child, grow up- you are one of those people who failed to read CAF rule 14.1... and I think you are one of those people to first lobby for Pitso only to dumb the poor lad in the mess of his career twilight. People like you belong in the zoo!

Yes we want Gordon, but not for the reason you put forward. We past success has little bearing on future success... it is merely an indicator- like an academic qualification- past success does not tell us about Gordon's aptitude or attitude, it also does not tell us about the altitude of such attributes- so please stop smoking.

We want Gordon because he is a proven motivator, I for one believe Steve is a better tactician than Gordon, but Gordon is a good motivator, something SA players need at the moment. The talent is there, we need a voice to realise it!
Mac_Mathye
posted: 04:44 pm
@ @ZolaDoda

you are attacking the man,its clear u want Gordon to be coach hence u discrediting Kompela, What national experience does Gordon have? lets judge the man by his current performance, he (komphela) has upgraded himself doing coaching courses, if it wasnt for the incompetence of refs in PSL FS stars could"v won the league...let what ever critea being used work its cause, Gordon was fired by multiple teams also in PSL why aint u mentioning...# Dont do a presentation on why Komphela mustnt get the job# I pause
Hoi Mash
posted: 04:52 pm
Whoa Zola, it seems like you are not Happy that Gavin wasn't considered. Gavin is good but lacks one skill, which is also evident for any1 to see when you hear his match interviews. In my Opinion the 2 best motivators are Gordon and Steve, they managed to guide and motivate their meagre squads to killer teams this season regardless of the circumstances, which is why they were considered.
Sokipa
posted: 07:25 pm
Who is this Zola? I don't see why we should use past success as a measuring tool here because both would be found lacking. Gordon never played nor coached any national team (even under 12's) and does not have any idea what a national team environment is like. Steve was the captain and worked with Quiroz and though he failed with under 23 he was there. Steve never won any trophy as a coach and won only a handful as a player. Now based on the current state of things Steve is already there while Gordon still have to learn how things work in a national team environment. We don't have time for experimenting, he (Gordon) can at least come in as an assistant and learn. I like both but for Zola to lash Steve tells me he was never coached. What a Cow,mmmmuuuu!!!
Eight
posted: 07:37 pm
as for following You on twitter, to hear de same bile dat You spitting in our face

your opinion will stay your opinion and please keep it safe for the 30th of June 2012 when the new Bafunny coach will be unveiled
M.O.B
posted: 07:43 pm
when will we learn that BEE coaches will never do good for our sports?they tried it with rugby,Peter De Villers failed dismaily,as for soccer we tried Pitso,Trott,Jomo the result Bafana failing dismally.what has Steve achieved in his profile in order to be apointed as Bafana coach?jst bcoz he won games against Chiefs&Pirates in the past season?when last did Free States Stars even feature in any cup final,if I can rememba it was the Coca cola cup during his days as a soccer player.he was given a chance2coach Platinum stars,he failed;he was given a chance@the national u23,he failed to even qualify for the olympics,let alone All Africa Games.People critising the apointmnt of a mulungu raising the issue of race,tend to forget that the most sucessful coach in this country is a Clive Barker,who happens2b a mulungu.Chose a coach based on his sucess,accolades&his colourful c.v not based on his colour;Shakes Mashaba is way better than Steve Kompela based on his past results&international experience
Fofana
posted: 09:37 am
Political Appointment, due to Bhutana Khompela on the sports portfolio in parliament! I will not be surprised if Steve gets the coach position.
Skhothane bakhothe
posted: 11:33 am
@Fofana ha ha ha , like the way you think but that might also work against Steve, I think Steve is just like Pitso. I will hate to see Gordon not given the fair chance, so I think Steve should be given the post, he will fail to quallify for Brazil, we fire him and hire Gordon for AFCON and going forward.
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