Kaitano Tembo spent quite some time working in the youth structures at SuperSport United and as an assistant coach in the senior team at the club. But, in a short space of time, he got to find out how thankless working as a head coach in the big league can be, as he was first let go of by Matsatsantsa and was only in charge at Babina Noko for a few months before the two parties went their separate ways. The former centre-back now has another opportunity to prove himself at Richards Bay FC, who did not finish last season so well following an explosive start which saw them spending a lot of time in the top three positions for the first few months of the campaign leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 53-year-old has a big job of trying to ensure the team stays away from the relegation zone, but he maintains he is ready for the challenge. Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane spoke to Tembo about how he wants to make a mark in his coaching career after his last two jobs.
Tshepang Mailwane: Hello, coach. You are back in a DStv Premiership coaching hotseat after leaving Sekhukhune United late last year. How does it feel?
Kaitano Tembo: Look, it's a new project and it's an exciting one. It's a different province as well, so I think it's really another opportunity for me to really show what I can do. I was quite happy in the way I was received by the club and the response that I am getting from the players has been fantastic. Hopefully, we can build a strong foundation for the team going into the new season.
TM: You spent a lot of time working in the youth ranks and as a first team head coach at SuperSport United, before losing two jobs in a short space of time as a PSL head coach. Oh the cruelty of the coaching business!
KT: Look, it's the nature of our industry. I think what's important is when you are in this industry, you've got to know that it's expected. You just have to adapt to that. For me, I've been a football person throughout my life. Football is all I know. I've seen coaches go and I've seen players come and go as well, so it's something that I am really used to. I can adjust to that. It's not something that's foreign to me, but I also want to try to leave a mark in terms of my coaching career. That's important, and I'm happy that I got another opportunity to be able to do that.
TM: Sure…
KT: I've learnt from my first job as head coach. I spent about four years at SuperSport and I got into two cup finals. We won one and we lost one and we had never been out of the Top Eight. I went to Sekhukhune and it was a different environment, where I had to try to build a team with a lot of new players. Things didn't really work out at the beginning, but I was happy in the way I built the team in terms of foundation and what I left there. Someone had to come in and take it from there and be successful. That's what happens sometimes in football. I've got another opportunity to build at Richards Bay FC. I've learnt in those last two jobs and I'll take that experience from those jobs to Richards Bay.
TM: What happened at Sekhukhune?
KT: As much as we were playing well, we couldn't score goals and we couldn't win games. That's how it was. At the same time, club bosses start panicking and you are second from bottom and you are facing relegation. Obviously, something's got to give. The club had to make a decision and that's what happened. I don't hold any grudges with the club because I think it's normal. It's something that happens in football, and it makes me learn from that, which is important. We go through that for us to learn as well.
TM: What were the discussions like with management before you left? Did you not try to make them see that you were trying to build something and that it was a process?
KT: They knew, and they saw what I was trying to do. I still speak to the bosses. They call me. They could see what I was trying to do and they could see where the club was going and they were quite happy with that, but at the same time, you start worrying why we are not winning. We are playing well and there is no luck. Maybe if we make a change, that luck will change. That's maybe how they thought about it. That's what happened. To be honest, they could see what I was trying to do. I had a lot of players who called me, telling me what they learnt during my time there and what I did for their playing careers. They wished me well and that's when I knew that I made an impact in other players' careers, as well as the technical team members I was working with.
TM: Coming to Richards Bay, did you apply for the job or they came for you?
KT: They asked me to send my CV and my manager sent it, and then I got the call that I got the job. When a team says, "Can we see your CV?", already they know and they have an idea of what type of coach you are and they know my philosophy. They have been tracking in terms of seeing the way I do things. The moment they asked me to send my CV, I knew that they had probably done a background check in terms of my way of doing things. That's how I got the job.
TM: What was it like when you first arrived at the KZN-based outfit, considering there were all these rumours about the club possibly getting sold? Was there any unhappiness among the players?
KT: I think the rumour was (spread) way before I joined, so when I got there, I found that everything was perfect. There was not even a word from anyone at the club talking about that. For me, it was not a worry because I could see that people were really focused in terms of working for the club, to make sure that the club becomes a success. Even from the players' point of view, there was no uncertainty. You could see that they were focused and that's when I realised that everything was normal.
TM: What do you make of the squad you have and how well do you think the team can do this season?
KT: At the moment, we are a little bit unbalanced. We've got more players in certain positions and less in other positions, so we need to have a little bit of balance. Looking at the previous season, there are certain areas where we need a little bit of depth, like in attack where we could not score a lot of goals, as well as in defence to add a little bit more experience, especially at the heart of defence. We brought in Lucky Mohomi to stabilise our midfield because we've also got a lot of good young players, but for young players to really prosper, they need to play in a team where there is experience, then you can be able to see the best of these young players. So, we need a striker and possibly a defender.
TM: Have you discussed this with the chairman, and will you get his backing in the transfer market?
KT: Yeah, we discussed with the chairman and we've got a few players we are looking at. The chairman will make an announcement at the right time.
TM: What mandate do you have from him?
KT: There wasn't really a mandate per se, but obviously it's about doing better than last season. That means we've got to be a little bit more consistent in terms of our performances. We need to win more matches than we did last season and finish better than last season. That's what I believe in and I also believe the club wants this. It's our second season in the topflight, which is going to be the toughest one because everyone now knows who Richards Bay is and what we are capable of doing. So, we've got to brace ourselves for a very tough season.
TM: Taking into consideration how things went at Babina Noko last season, how important is it to start well in the coming campaign so that you don't find yourself in the same situation of losing your job?
KT: I think what's important is to make sure we are solid and that we can be able to sustain our performances consistently throughout the season. That's very important. Obviously, not starting well can put you under pressure, so we want to start well and then we can be able to build from those performances.
TM: Before we let you go, what are your thoughts on your former team Matsatsantsa signing all these players when you had a young team with some of them getting sold?
KT: The situation was a little bit different at that time. I think the team didn't have money. There were no sponsorships for the club, hence we had to lose a lot of young players and we also managed to make money out of those young players. I'm talking about Sipho Mbule, Teboho Mokoena. Those are the players we managed to sell. Now there is money, there are sponsorships, so that's why they are spending money to strengthen the team. That's why I strongly believe they should be able to win the league this season.
TM: Really?
KT: Yes, they have a good chance, because they've been spending. There is more money. Look at the players they are bringing. When I was there, we could only dream of those players. I strongly believe that they should be able to win the league.
TM: Interesting. Thank you so much for your time, coach, and good luck for the season ahead.
KT: Thank you.
