Bidvest Wits may have got off to a terrible defence of their Absa Premiership title, but they kept their faith in coach Gavin Hunt and are now being vindicated for it, writes DEAN WORKMAN.
After the highs of last season, the Students were faced with the threat of relegation after sitting bottom of the league in December. Despite their success in the Telkom Knockout in December — picking up their third trophy in 18 months after the MTN 8 and Absa Premiership titles the season before — Hunt’s team were plagued by serious inconsistencies in the league.
They were, however, not the only side in the league who were troubled with up and down displays. This resulted in an extremely tight league table where one victory or loss could have serious implications on a team’s position. That is still apparent in the log as things stand with seven games to go. Despite Platinum Stars, who sit at the bottom of the table with 17 points, teams from Chippa United in ninth with thirty points and Ajax Cape Town who sit second bottom in the fifteenth position with twenty-four points, all still face the threat of relegation. This includes Wits who are in tenth.
Despite their position and start, the club and the chief executive officer Jose Ferreira still kept the faith in Hunt. Speaking to IOL in October 2017 Ferreira said ‘We don’t do things like that at the club. We don’t react to temporary bad form. Gavin has just won us the league for the first time in the club’s history. He also won the MTN 8.
‘We are not even talking about firing the coach. Gavin still has many years with us. We will only consider offers for Gavin if he is wanted by Bafana Bafana. At the moment they still have a good coach who is good for the country in Stuart Baxter,’ he added.
After the tough start, the South African coach looks to have turned his team’s fortunes around. Since the turn of the year, Wits have won four, drawn three, and lost just two of their league matches. This improvement in form has seen the Clever Boys rise off the foot of the table and lead to both Hunt and striker Lehlohonolo Majoro winning the coach and player of the month awards respectively for February.
Speaking at the awards ceremony last week the former SuperSport United coach revealed how he managed to steady the ship.
‘I think experience, that’s important. A famous coach told me one thing: when you go through bad times go back to basics. It’s pretty simple, its like in life if you go back to when it was working well for you, so get every player to do the things in his position.
‘It’s not about individuals it’s about getting people to do the right things in the right areas and sticking to the basics and simplicity of the situation. It’s easier said than done because there is a bit of panic in that situation,’ he added.
The 2012 coach of the year will know that his side are not out of trouble just yet, but the form of the outgoing champions will certainly make everyone associated with the club optimistic about finishing the season strongly.
In an industry where the chopping and changing of coaches has become the norm, the faith that Wits have shown in Hunt has been vindicated by the resurgence they have shown this year. It’s clear that football is a results-driven business but the club has shown that patience in a proven coach could well be better in the long-term than any knee-jerk reaction may have in the short term.
Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
