AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu has explained why his club picked Romain Folz as new head coach after the departure of Brandon Truter.
The latter parted ways with Usuthu last week on Thursday after they had lost 1-0 to Richards Bay a day before, which was the club’s fourth loss in the last five matches in all competitions.
Zungu didn’t waste time, not engaging any agents, but putting a call to ask Folz to take over at the club, along with Ayanda Dlamini to be his assistant coach.
The 32-year-old, who has been appointed until the end of the season, arrived at Usuthu’s training base on Monday, to be introduced to his players as they were hard at work preparing a big match against Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium on Friday.
“He’s smart coach who knows how to analyse oppositions,” said Zungu about Folz.
“This is why we went for him. He knows how to attack and how to stop the press and his style of play is positive. People were crying that we are too defensive and we played not to lose matches, we don’t play to win matches – we want to win matches.
“So we think we have someone who I think can take us out of this misery we found ourselves into.”
However, Folz, in his stay at Gallants where he was appointed at the beginning of the season, could not win any of his six matches in charge.
One of those games was against Pirates for Gallants in round number five of the league, losing 1-0 on 24 August. And he will now again face the Buccaneers in his first game with Usuthu on Friday.
However, it will not be am easy task as AmaZulu have not beaten Pirates away since August 2013.
That game too, which was under Craig Rosslee when Bongani Ndulula scored the only goal, was played at FNB Stadium and not at Orlando Stadium. In fact, AmaZulu have not beaten Pirates at Orlando Stadium since the venue was opened in 2008.
“In Folz, I have trust and belief in him. I know many Usuthu fans did believe in him, that he will make a difference,” Zungu added.
“Let’s give him an opportunity to do what he has to do and his contract will take him until the end of the season.
“If he does well, we will sit down and renew his contract. If he doesn’t do well, then his contract will end at the end of the season and then we’ll decide which other coach we need.”
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
Folz’s First Words As AmaZulu Coach
