MUHSIN Ertugral’s work with young players in South African football is legendary.
This, after all, is the coach who unleashed Jabu Pule (Mahlangu) on to the scene... The coach who worked with those exciting Ajax Cape Town spring chickens – think Brett Evans, Clifford Ngobeni, Terror Fanteni – who dazzled the Premiership scene in 2006/07.
So, when he talks on the subject of exciting young talent, you sit up and listen.
Having returned to the local game with a bang by leading Cape Town City in back-to-back 1-0 victories over both Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates this week, Ertugral expressed his delight at the current influx of youngsters into the elite league, but sounded a word of caution.
“It’s very good that these youngsters are being afforded the chance to play. But we need to be very careful and make sure their careers are planned properly,” the 65-year-old mentor said.
“In Turkey, we now have Arda (Guler), who is playing in Spain (for Real Madrid). At 17, he was with our national team because we gave him a sniff with the big ones.
“Mesut Ozil looked after him at Fenerbahce, and one of our best midfielders in the world, (Mert) Hakan, also took him under his wing.
“That’s what we need here in South Africa – to have these role models around in the team to give these youngsters feedback and help them settle in. To keep them grounded as well.”
Ertugral reflected on his own career, and recalled how he too was mentored when he first got into the senior team during his playing days in Germany.
“These are elements that we had when I was playing at Cologne (FC Koln). As a spring chicken, (I) was associated with Roger van Gool of Belgium, who came to us and we, the young players, learnt from him.”
At a Cape Town City side teeming with youngsters, Ertugral is looking to have the senior players stepping up to the role of mentors and big brothers who will pass on valuable lessons.
“I’ve already spoken to (Kamohelo) Mokotjo to be involved in these elements, to talk with the youngsters and be involved as a role model, so we can give these youngsters the possibilities of learning from those who’ve been there before them.
“You cannot buy this experience (you get from being mentored by those who’ve done it before).”
He will, of course, also play his role to ensure that the City youngsters are properly blooded into big-time football now that he is going to be coach for at least six months until the end of the season, before he resumes the technical director role he has been hired for when the next campaign begins.
“There are so many youngsters involved at the moment, and the worrying part for me is that they need to be blooded properly, because the PSL is not easy to play in,” Ertugral said.
“The tempo of the league has really stepped up, and the level of the teams is high.
“South African football is growing – in my opinion – and there are a lot of youngsters.
“But we cannot flood them in at one time because they can drown.
“We need to save these boys, copy the way Europe and international football do it – bringing up the young players gradually, and having them learn from the experienced ones.”
Ertugral plans to get into ‘coaching education’ next year in his role as technical director at City.
He is intent on sharing his experiences and the expertise he has picked up from his time in Turkey – as well as being on the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) – with local coaches because he believes “the cognitive work of coaching has escaped South Africa somewhat”.
At City, you can bet they are excited to have him in the knowledge that he is going to help develop their ‘spring chickens’ into top stars. It is his speciality, after all.
That, though, has to go hand in hand with him turning the league fortunes around and having them challenging for at least a top-four finish.
The victories over Chiefs and Pirates has already seen City moving into sixth spot and, win away at Marumo Gallants today (3.30pm kick-off) at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, and they might as well start dreaming of continental football next year. | Independent Media Sport