Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Clinton Larsen is no stranger to the rigours of the top division of South Africa football.
He won the Telkom Knockout with Bloemfontein Celtic in 2012 and has also been coach at Maritzburg United, Lamontville Golden Arrows, Chippa United and Polokwane City and will be back again this season at the helm of promoted Magesi.
With a total of 295 games as a coach in top-flight South African football, he is no stranger to the challenges that lie ahead.
He has tasted the highs and the lows, not only as a coach but also a player, being a key part of the Manning Rangers squad that won the inaugural Premier Soccer League title in1997 when he missed but a single game in the winning season.
The 53-year-old Larsen last coached in the top flight with Polokwane City four years ago but is now back with Magesi, who he took to the Motsepe Foundation Championship title this season with games to spare and now has the tough task of guiding the rookies through their debut in the DStv Premiership.
He spoke to supersport.com on Tuesday about his side and the season ahead:
How exciting is it to be returning to the DStv Premiership?
“Magesi has been a nice project. You know, it's a small project. I mean, nobody expected this to happen, and I think it came too soon for everybody. But now we’re going to mix it up with the big boys and then hopefully be able to punch above our weight and create some surprises along the way. But, you know, if you look at what happened to Cape Town Spurs last season, it's not going to be easy.”
Did winning the Motsepe Foundation Championship title with games to spare give you a little bit more of a mental advantage?
“No, I don’t believe so. You know, it was a lot closer than the points showed. I know it showed eight points clear and two games to spare but it was a lot closer than that. I just think a few other teams collapsed right at the end. But all the way up until the last four games it was very, very tight. We can't be fooled into thinking that we’ve got a decent squad to compete in the PSL. We're trying to strengthen in all departments, and just put a competitive team together. We know what we are up against. We basically have a coach that has been written off, players that were written off by previous clubs, the only team without PSL experience among the 16 clubs. So, we've got our backs to the wall. But like I've said before, that's how I like it.”
Do you think it's vital for teams to bolster themselves considerably when they move up from the second tier?
“It’s important to substantially strengthen. I mean, if you look at the difference three or four players made to Spurs when Ernst Middendorp took over … look how that transformed the team. So yeah, about four or five, six quality players can really make a world of difference at this level.”
Have you done all your purchasing or is there going to be a few more acquisitions before the window closes at the end of next month?
“I think we’re done now. I've added an experienced keeper to compete with the Elvis Chipezeze. I've also strengthened the midfield with players that have competed in the PSL before, as well as the wings and left and right fullback. It was very, very important for me to bring in eight to 10 players that can really hold things together when the chips are down, because my squad from last season … most of them have never played in the PSL. So, it was very important for me to bring in some experience, albeit all the players who were discarded by their previous clubs, but I still feel they've got a lot to offer. So I'll try and get the best out of them, squeeze a little bit more kilometres out of the legs, but at least that experience might help.”
How have your preparations gone?
“We started on 24 June, so it's a full month already. We will have a full six to seven weeks, which is just quite enough.”
And everybody chomping at the bit?
“This is new territory for almost everybody in the club. They're going to learn as they go along, and we’ve got to learn quickly as a club. Last season, we really punched above our weight. We worked under the radar, it's a very small brand, still making its name, so not many knew about us and that, to a certain extent, helped and allowed us to focus on our games. But, yeah, this season, we're going to have to step it up and try and be competitive. I keep telling everyone, ‘this beast called the PSL if you're not ready for it, you will be chewed up and spat out’. So we really have got to give it all, from top to bottom.
Presumably the ambition for the season would be basically to hang in there for the first season?
“That's mine. But if you ask others, you might get a top four from somebody or somebody a top eight or a trophy from someone else but for me, it's just about survival.”