Great football players do not necessarily make great coaches!
But Junction Rovers’ head coach Chrissando de Weber (pictured right) has been squashing this notion with his continuous and positive progress with the Heideveld-based team.
Not to mention last season’s historic promotion success from the Hollywoodbets Third Division to the more challenging ABC Motsepe League where they are also making waves.
It goes without saying that – De Weber, an exceptional player in his heyday for Hellenic – has earned his stripes and commanded respect from the football fraternity- despite his limited (Caf D-licence) coaching badges.
However, things weren’t always as prosperous and smooth sailing since De Webs’ appointment back in the 2016/’17 season.
De Weber had to dig deep in his first season as he was trying to adjust and getting used to the demands of the cut-throat league with Junction nearly getting relegated.
“By the grace of God we survived and from there we started to become more competitive, ending in the top eight,” De Weber told No Bones with Jones. “But looking back it wasn’t easy at all, hey. I was all focussed on giving back to a club in my hometown which I know means a lot to the people of the area.
“We had a five-year plan in place and it just happened to be that we achieved our objective in the time set out. As I said, it wasn’t easy as we had to start from scratch and it was very difficult building a team in the Third Division with no budget at all.
“At one stage we only had two (practice) balls and it had to be shared between the goalkeepers and the outfield players. There were many obstacles we had to overcome to get to this point. I think our members and fans who have walked the road with us, are aware and that is why they are so passionate and appreciative of what we achieved and where we are today,” he added.
Junction is currently punching above their weight (fourth) in a difficult Stream A of the Motsepe League causing a great stir and holding their own with great admiration. Their emphatic 4-1 victory over the star-studded Hanover Park FC is testament to how far De Weber and his team have come.
The Junction mentor maintains that they do not harbour any ridiculous expectations other than retaining their status for next season.
“We stay humble in our approach and we are not getting carried away because soccer it’s a funny game – if you get big-headed and stuff…it will bite you in the backside very quickly. I have been long in the game and am very wary of this. I preach to my players to remain grounded and like our saying goes…. ons gee nie krag weg nie,” De Weber concluded.
Another example is FN Rangers’ Arreshaat Daniels who could hold his own on the football pitch.
Daniels’ rise as one of the top local coaches in the Mother City is no different. In fact, he is one of the few coaches who has gone through the ranks with great ease and the shortest amount of time.
Saatjie, as Daniels is known, won promotion from the LFA to the Third Division in his third year. Two seasons later he conquered the Third Division and subsequently won promotion to the ABC Motsepe League.
Daniels’ Rangers are also the favourites to win the Second Division title after coming close on a couple of occasions – there are big expectations that this could be their season and they are the only team with a perfect record – six wins from six matches and leading the way.
“It is not just about myself as a coach but also my technical staff like Shaun “Jiks’ Oliver, Kyle Januarie and others. “I coached him (Oliver) back then and seeing his growth into a coaching role is great.
“I am not alone on this journey. My technical team and backroom staff play a vital role which is not always noticed and appreciated, you know. As the head coach I need the buy-in of everyone to become successful and without them we cannot achieve our goals. That said, we are here for the development of the players as well and we shouldn’t forget that,” Daniels concluded.
