Ntseki needs to bring fear factor back to Chiefs, says Igesund

Former Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund, who won the Premiership four times, says new Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki should be given a fair chance to do his job.

Igesund, who faced Chiefs as a midfielder in the 1980s, notably for Highlands Park, and led many sides against them in a coaching career from the 1990s to 2010s, believes one of the most important goals for Ntseki will be to make Amakhosi a feared combination again. 

“Years ago, when Chiefs went out to play against any team, they were already 1-0 up because of the fear most teams had for them,” former Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ajax Cape Town coach Igesund said.

“That fear is not there any more, that respect is not there any more.”

Ntseki’s appointment to the position held last season by club legend Arthur Zwane appeared to receive far more negative reaction than positive from Amakhosi supporters on social media.

The former Bafana Bafana and SA under-17 coach’s track record of never having coached a Premier Soccer League team, let alone lifted a trophy at one, has raised questions. He takes over at a time when Chiefs have gone an unprecedented eight seasons without silverware.

A big positive for Ntseki is that he has spent two years at Naturena working as head of technical matters and development, so he knows his surrounds at Chiefs’ world-class facility and is familiar with the players.

Igesund described Ntseki’s appointment as a “big decision” by Amakhosi but advised the new coach to be strong and assert his authority if he is to achieve success with the Soweto giants.

“Ntseki has been given the opportunity now to coach Chiefs. I think we should give him the opportunity to do his job,” Igesund said on Thursday. 

“They employed him for a reason. They feel he knows the players and it’s difficult to make a judgment call on a coach before he has even started his job.

“It was a big decision, but a lot of clubs are getting coaches who are inexperienced in certain departments, though I don’t think he [Ntseki] is that inexperienced. Now you have to let him do his job.

“He knows the players well and the philosophy or ethos of Kaizer Chiefs that has to be implemented,” Igesund said.

“He has to be strong, make tough decisions and be strong with the players.”

Zwane has been demoted to Ntseki’s assistant coach alongside Dillon Sheppard.

Igesund, who has also coached Santos and SuperSport United, hopes it was Ntseki’s decision to keep Zwane on his technical team. Ntseki and Zwane have worked together before at Bafana as coach and assistant.   

“I’m sure the coach [Ntseki] has decided to pick his own technical team,” he said.

“At the end of the day, he has got the responsibility. Chiefs have chosen him because they feel he is the best coach around for the job, so now let him get his job done.

“Whether he is the best coach for the job, that’s not the point right now. He obviously has to be a coach who can make decisions, be strong, have what he wants to give himself the best opportunity to be successful.

“If he is not a strong coach, he is not going to be successful by trying to please everybody. Kaizer Chiefs are normally a good group of supporters, but they want to see a coach who is working hard and knows what he is doing and be strong.

“They don’t want to see any favouritism. He coaches a big team. Chiefs need to get him what he needs and say, ‘For the next two or three years we are going to work on this team and we are going to start winning things’,” Igesund said.