Posted in News on Jun 18, 2009.
Coach you must be glad finally you here at the Village…
(Pauses for a while) This is one of the biggest clubs in South Africa and there are lots of expectations from the millions of supporters who I hear rally behind the team through good and bad times. I am very impressed by the organization here. I went to the fields, they are top class and it is there where I am going to spend most of the time with the players. I am very happy to be here and looking forward working with everyone in ensuring that we achieve our goals.
What does it mean for you to come to South Africa just under a year before the kick off of FIFA 2010 World Cup?
The spotlight is now on South Africa, already the Confederations Cup is here and I am impressed with the level of organization despite having been here for the past four days. It is good for my career to have an opportunity to work with a great Club in a country that is about to host the biggest soccer spectacle.
You are only the second Serbian coach to take reigns at Naturena after Kostadin Papic…do you know him?
No, I don’t really know him but I have heard that he has coached here; hopefully I will meet him some day for a chat.
What is your philosophy in coaching?
I always play to win! I like my teams to be organized and I also enjoy working with intelligent players. My teams play very hard but smart.
You played as a defender during your hey day, how good were you as a player?
(Smiling) I played as a libero (sweeper) for Partizan Belgrade, which to me is an equivalent of Kaizer Chiefs back home. I cannot say I was a top player but I was an intelligent player that relied a lot on intelligence more than anything else.
The game now has changed so much now. I represented my country at both junior levels (15 U-21 caps) and senior level (2 caps). I also had an opportunity as a player to play in lot of derbies that involved Partizan and Red Star an equivalent of Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates here in South Africa.
Today I like my defenders to use more intelligence than being just hard and it is an area I always emphasize on my defenders.
There is a lot of pressure for you to win the league…
To build a winning team you need time but I do not have the luxury of time as the supporters expect results from the word ‘go’. I am happy that I will be working with people like Donald Khuse who knows the culture of the Club and the weakness and strength of the players.
We are in a unique situation this season in the history of the Premier League here that by end December we should have played 24 games. We need to have lot of depth in the team, as we will be playing two games every week. I am confident that with everyone’s support we will achieve our goals this season.
Chiefs have in the past produced some of the best players in the league. How important is the development in your plan of taking the Club back to the top?
The development is the future of the team and I am hoping before the end of the week that I meet with my colleagues at the development. The development is very important for the success of the team and good players there will be invited to train with the first team.
Coach, how do you spend your free time?
(Smiling) I will not have a lot of spare time but I do like to unwind by listening to music or reading historical books.
What do you know about South Africa?
Not a lot but I did follow the reports of what happened here back in 1976. I also know the role Nelson Mandela has played in the liberation of this country. I am not only here to coach but to learn as well about the culture of the people of this country including the continent.
What are your impressions about the Confederations Cup?
I watched the game between Brazil and Egypt, Italy and USA and of course South Africa and New Zealand last night. I must say I was very impressed with the South Africans and it was good to see our players Itumeleng Khune and Siphiwe Tshabalala in action.
