New Durban City coach Gavin Hunt has opened up on the disappointment of not getting Kaitano Tembo as his assistant for the coming season, revealing how having him as second in command would have helped him.
Hunt identified Tembo as a candidate to work beside him at City, with the two having a history of working together at SuperSport United. Tembo, however, has stayed on at Sekhukhune United and Hunt is working with Pitso Dladla as his assistant. Dladla was with the club last season as City won automatic promotion.
READ: Hunt Admits Lepasa & Maboe Interest
“He was supposed to come, then obviously something happened at Sekhukhune, I don’t know,” Hunt said to Soccer Laduma.
“I was disappointed because he would have worked well with me, but in saying that, I’ve got Pitso Dladla with me. We’ve kept him on, and sometimes continuity is a good thing. Keep him in the mix, and he has been very good to work with, you know. I trust his opinion and I trust his judgement, and obviously, he’s got to learn how I like to work and how I don’t like to work. Day by day, we are getting better.”
Having Tembo on board would have no doubt made things easier for Hunt, considering their history. Coaches often like to work with assistants they have worked with previously, so having Tembo around would no doubt have eased the load on Hunt.
"He (Tembo) knows how I like to work and the training we like to do. He would have helped me split the load a bit at the beginning and obviously as we go on. Everybody is different. It’s very seldom you get a guy who is going to do the same things. If he had come in, we would have hit the ground running. Obviously, now, it’s a bedding in period. There are certain key things we need to do, and I want to enforce them into the team and you need someone to understand what I am trying to do. If you bring in an assistant that you know, it’s smooth sailing."
Hunt has a big job to keep City in the top flight after coming in for Simo Dladla, who was let go by the club after winning promotion. Dladla has since joined AmaZulu as assistant coach to Arthur Zwane.
READ: Cardoso Reveals Transfer Decision Makers After Basadien Deal
"You've got to make the players realise that the intensity level is going to go up. The quality levels go up. Mistakes get punished more and you've got to make your chances count. It's very basic," Hunt said.
"You've got momentum taking you, but we've got to be careful that we don't have a drop. I've been with two promoted sides in the past. You have a huge upsurge in the beginning and then it (the drop) comes. Hopefully, you have enough points by then. It's natural."
