Why is Gavin Hunt a good bet to revive Kaizer Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs have been an average side for a while now and certainly need a revival.

Kaizer Chiefs have been an average side for a while now and certainly need a revival.

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Since Stuart Baxter’s departure in June 2015, Amakhosi have not been the same and Steve Komphela, Giovanni Solinas and Ernst Middendorp all tried but to no avail.

While the trio had promising starts, Komphela made the MTN8 final, Solinas got he team purring, and Middendorp made the Nedbank Cup final, Hunt’s start has been the opposite.

This has led to some among the Amakhosi faithful to start the calls for his removal ‘before he does more damage’.

They base their argument on the fact that Hunt found Chiefs when they had just almost won the league, and now they are struggling to make the top eight.

Here we list five reasons that make us believe Hunt is the man to steer Amakhosi back to their now almost forgotten glory days:

1. He’s a ‘kleva’ – this word is slang for someone who is street smart, and Hunt is that. The way he’s handled the transition that Amakhosi have to go through shows he knows what to say, and when to say it.

2. His tactics are flexible – he knows when to use grit and when to play smart. He’s now getting youngsters like Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in various systems that demand different things from them to get them ready for when he goes full assault next season.

3. He has a chance to build his own team – he is lucky in that a number of players’ contracts are coming to an end in June and he can pick and choose who he wants to renew, or who he wants gone. He will get to have ‘his own’ players next season when the club can sign and register players again.

4. He’s won trophies before – unlike his predecessors, he knows what it takes to build a winning team and once he has his players, he will start churning out the results.

5. He is a players’ coach – he understands and knows almost every players’ background as they all have grown in front of him. The way he had a heart to heart pep talk with Itumeleng Khune recently shows his proper men management skills.