INTERVIEW 20th August 1999

D.N : A new season, a new gameplan and new players Gordon. How are your preparations coming along in respect to this ?
GORDON IGESUND : Well, first of all ... with all pre-season training preperations we are working hard on getting our fitness levels up to peak level and after losing the kernel of the squad and getting new players in we are trying to work on getting the players to understand each others game. This is the crucial part, because part of our tactical strength lies in our executions of setpeices - and its vital that the players understand and are able to communicate well with each other on the field .. and that starts in training.

D.N : You spoke of the "passing and more expansive game" last season. Do you think that the players that you have retained from last season will be able to adapt from the "direct approach" of the previous seasons ?
GORDON IGESUND : No, I think that they will adapt quite quickly because they're hard workers and willing to learn to new styles of play. Also, with the flair players that I have brought in I'm sure that the transition will go smoothly.

D.N : Has the loss of Larsen, Chikoya, Lethebe and Khasu dented Rangers hopes as seriously as some critics have suggested ?
GORDON IGESUND : To be honest, Clinton Larsen and Innocent Chikoya are the two players that I would never ever let go because they always formed an integral part of my plans and they were tireless and reliable players. However, having said that - I would also never ever stand in the way of any player wishing to further his career. Clinton has been with the club for 8 years, and Innocent and I go back to the time I brought him back from Zimbabwe to African Wanderers and then to Rangers. Both are still in their prime and hungry for success, and if it means going to a club like Pirates then I am never going to be an obstruction.

But we must also remember that no one player is bigger than the greater picture of the team, and I wish them both success at their new club.

D.N : The latter part of last years season must rank as probably one of the worst times of your life. Have we learnt any lessons from that ?
GORDON IGESUND : No, I would definately not even consider that streak as one of the worst of my coaching career. I'm not even sure why critics carry on referring to that period. Nothing happened then, apart from the fact that we went through a purple patch because of suspensions and injuries. It happens to the best of teams. Instead of always trying to shoot us down critics must also remember our resources with which we make do here at Rangers and try and understand with those things in perspective.

D.N : Much of the success at Rangers seems to be based around our superior levels of fitness in comparison with other teams. Now that they have caught up in that regard - have you been employing any new strengths ?
GORDON IGESUND : I would disagree that our only strengths was our fitness, admittedly though, fitness was but just one of our strengths. I think our tactical superiority won us more matches than anything in that we were able to execute set peices better than many of the other sides. The match against Sundowns was a case in point, they were probably more talented than us but we beat them because we out-thought them.

D.N : Have you finally shed the "million rand" tag that was slapped on your head last season ?
GORDON IGESUND : It was'nt a case of a tag as such - I think the media just wanted a story to sensationalise. What really happened was that Rangers was approached by 3 clubs (Pirates, Ajax CT and Sundowns) for permission to talk to me. They recieved duly permission and we had talks. I told them that I had a contract at Rangers that still had three years to run and any permission to leave before then had to be ratified by my chairman, who decided that the rest of my contract was worth R1-million. I am a man of integrity and I would never do anything that would compromise the club.

D.N : As the head coach of Rangers, how do you go about addressing the youth structures ?
GORDON IGESUND : Due to the lack of a proper sponsor, most of the money is channelled into the maintenence of Premier League and Reserve sides of Rangers and most of my attention is spent in that direction as well. We do have youth sides that play in the Chatsworth League but in comparison to the youth structures at some of the major clubs in SA we cannot really compare ourselves to.

D.N : A coaches job in South Africa must be one of the most hazardous - having to fend off critiscisms from fans when the going gets rough, media, management. How do you deal with these kinds of pressure ?
GORDON IGESUND : I think that most of this pressure arises when a coach is insecure about what he is doing and where he stands in the scheme of things. I am fortunate to have a super management team that believes me, and that is the most important thing I believe. Insecurity only causes a loss of faith, and the coach feels that he has to suddenly prove himself. I have nothing to prove, and with my management firmly behind me these kinds of pressure dont feature.

D.N : Man-to-man relationships obviously form a crucial part of the understanding between player and coach. How do you deal with errant players ?
GORDON IGESUND : First of all, I think its important to understand that the players are now professionals and they dont really require babysitting as such. Obviously, they should be treated with respect as fellow individuals, but as professionals themselves they should realise the professionalism with which they should act and what is expected of them.

D.N : From your experience of playing football in Europe, you would agree with me that todays footballer needs to be totally disciplined, fit and focussed on the game. How far away is the South African footballer from this would you say ?
GORDON IGESUND : I think the biggest problem facing the game in South Africa today in terms of player attitudes is the prostitution of the game. In that, a player will relocate to another club if he is offered marginally more than what he was earning at his previous club. This, even if it means that he is sacrificing his happiness and enjoyment of the game to go and sit on the bench somewhere else.

D.N : Apart from the massive amounts of money being pumped into South African soccer - we still seem to remain stagnant on the international stage, neither going forward or backwards. Is this a case of too much too soon ?
GORDON IGESUND : We are miles and miles behind other countries in terms of infrastructure of the game that its actually quite scary. Clubs dont even own their own training facilities let alone grounds, player management. Its also unneccesary that there is absolutely no regulation of the money coming into soccer. Whilst a minority of clubs benefit from the millions being pumped in - the majority are left out in the cold to fend for themselves. The sooner this is addressed, the sooner the state of South African soccer can take a turn for the better.