Having started his coaching career nearly 30 years ago, current SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt has revealed the one thing he dislikes about matchday preparations.
Read: Benni Tells All: It Was The Worst Moment Of My Life
Hunt has gained a reputation for his straightforward ways, which to a large extent, he has earned him the success he has enjoyed as a coach in the domestic game.
Of late, Hunt has been at his most vocal, revealing his disappointment in the talent of Phakamani Mahlambi, whose once promising career appears to have dwindled due to his off-field behaviour.
He has also been quite critical of coaches 'hugging players' and using fancy football jargon.
The latest of the 59-year-old's revelations is his dislike for camping before games. It has become a norm for players to camp at a hotel, sometimes a few days before the game to fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming matches, though this is something that the four-time PSL winner loathes.
Hunt is of the opinion that the ritual is draining towards players and contrary to popular belief, is counter-productive before a match.
"I've played my best games when I went out the night before. There's this thing in South Africa where you must put them in rooms and hotels. I'm the only club that doesn't want to camp – I don't camp. I don't believe in camping. I think it's the worst thing to do with players, put them in a room 20 hours before the game, eating supper three meals a day. So, they eat, lie down, eat go lie down. You can't have meetings with them and talk to them because there's too much," he told MacG's Onside Podcast.
"I feel you come into the game so if you go into a camp 5:00pm and you're playing the next night at 8:00pm, when you come into camp at 5:00pm, have a meal at six, you already come to a game the day before - you shouldn't. I think you are better in your own surroundings.
"Now, the married guys like to go to camp, and the single guys don't wanna go to camp.
"Most people will say, 'well they'll go out drinking.' Well, if they go out drinking, they disrespect our team, they disrespect the game, they disrespect me and they will get caught out and I will get rid of them.
"The other side of the coin is that they say, 'we build this bond together, but then they don't sleep because they're two in a room, the other two come in their room they play PS the whole night. I think it takes and it's draining the lying [and] sitting.
Read: Pitso: Sundowns Don't Have To Call Me
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
