Not long after retiring as a footballer, Roger Feutmba was given the big responsibility of being caretaker coach at Mamelodi Sundowns and had some interesting times working with players who were his teammates before.
He took on one of the hottest seats in South African football, showing he is not afraid of the challenge. Soccer Laduma caught up with the Sundowns legend to talk about his spell as caretaker coach during an era which had the likes of Isaac Shai, Michael Manzini and Godfrey Sapula.
The season
I think it was in 2002 if I remember well. It's amazing how time flies and answering this question makes me realise that I am getting old. Time really flies. It was when Patrice Motsepe was coming into the team. The team was still under the control of Natasha Tsichlas and Angelo and I had retired at the time. I had just come out of football.
How the deal happened
The season had started and the team was not doing well and they brought me as a caretaker coach. What's interesting is that most of the players who were there had been my teammates before. That's how I got into coaching. I had those leadership qualities already and I had a lot of experience when it came to football and I had a good relationship with the players before most of them had been my teammates and we got along well. It was quite nice being there, even though coaching comes with a lot of stress. Now, you sit on the bench and you try to direct the team when the game is on, but you are not really in control of anything because it also depends on the quality and hunger of the players to go out there to do the right thing. It was hard at times to watch and then someone makes a mistake and it's a mistake that you believe that if you were on the pitch, you would have been able to solve. So, it becomes difficult. I remember there was a time we were playing Orlando Pirates and we drew that game. I think it was 1-1. We were leading and we conceded a goal from a situation that I had explained during the team talk. I was so upset because I had explained to the defenders what we need to do when we attack and defend. We conceded and I remember I got up and I kicked a chair next to me and my leg was so painful. But it was quite a good experience and I am not surprised that the team is doing so well now because Patrice Motsepe had a vision.
My first day
I can remember it. As I mentioned, most of the guys had been my teammates, so it was like a friendly affair. They knew what type of person I was and they knew that I was always serious about what I was doing and everything had to be done correctly. I tried to also make management know about the high level of football and it was always about the interests of the team. That's the mindset I had when I was there.
Who was in the team
I remember guys like (Michael) Manzini, (Godfrey) Sapula, Bennett Mnguni, Sipho Nunens. Most of the players from my era were still around. Sashi Chalwe was there and I think Gift Kampamba was still around. Isaac Shai was also there. There were some good players in that team. Some had just gone out and the team was starting to rebuild. Sapula had just come in as well.
Who was the captain and why
If I remember well, it was Mambush (Daniel Mudau), but Manzini was also there. For me, Mambush is like a brother to me and, even today, we are well connected. He was a hard working player and he always wanted to be the best striker. With that spirit, he tried to transmit it to his teammates and he wanted to do everything to win. Another thing about him is that he would listen to his teammates as well. He had a positive mindset. That Sundowns team was a quality team in terms of the character and vision. I made the players understand that we were there for business.
My assistant coach
I don't even remember who was assistant. There is a picture of me on Google, when I was on the bench and Peter Koutroulis was there. But I can't remember who my assistant coach was.
The best thing about the job.
As I achieved a lot personally with the team, so I had that respect from the Tsichlas family when they put me in that position. I think they knew I would be able to control the mindset of the players and give them that motivation. They knew I was young in coaching and that I needed the support of everyone because it was not only about me.
The worst thing about the job
You know in football, the worst things are when things don't go your way, like that game I mentioned against Pirates. I nearly injured my leg because I could not control my emotions because I questioned how a mistake could have been made after I had explained (it to them). That was a reaction from someone who had just come from playing football.
Difficult conversation with the chairman
With the Tsichlas family, we had a lot of meetings, but I can. They knew why they brought me there and I had to make sure the team did not go down relegated, and they were preparing to bring in a new coach for the following season. Patrice Motsepe also came in and we had a lot of meetings where we spoke about the team and future of the team, because he needed to understand a few things about the team. So, I was one of the right people to speak for him at the time.
