AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY
'Sports is our Business'
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • Rankings
  • Radio
  • TV

Former Kaiser Chiefs coach sacked in Turkey

8/27/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter has been sacked in Turkey after just two games in charge. The Englishman left Amakhosi in June after a hugely successful spell in charge which culminated in the club winning the ABSA Premiership and MTN8 titles last season. 

He joined Turkish club Genclerbirligi and enjoyed a successful pre-season, but after two losses in the opening two fixtures, he has been let go. Muhsin Ertugral said July that Baxter would face a tough task at a club who fires, on average, two coaches per season. Baxter has given some insight into his sacking in Turkey – and his stories make Chippa Mpengesi seem like the most stable club owner in history. 


Fired by Genclerbirligi’s 80-year-old owner Ilhan Cavcav after two narrow defeats, Baxter does not rule out a rapid return to the PSL. “But first, a bit of a break,” he said. “I’ll be going back to Sweden to be with the family; I’ll watch a bit of Rugby World Cup and I’ll definitely be visiting South Africa to catch up with friends. There have already been a few enquiries, but I’ve told my technical lads that we should take it easy for three weeks, unless something really big comes up. We’ve had a busy two months. The club sold their best five players, so pre-season was all about getting younger players and inexperienced signings to fit in. We worked hard and we had an excellent pre-season.”

Genclir won all their pre-season matches, including a 5-0 drubbing of Dutch side Twente.

“I think the owner thought we were going to win the league after that,” Baxter chuckles ruefully. “But two narrow defeats and I’m out.”

Genclir are a mid-table club that has won the Turkish League twice – in the 1940s. Baxter’s team lost their opening league match, at home to Rizesport 3-2, despite leading 2-1 with a minute to go. We conceded an 89th minute penalty. It was a bad decision and the players were angry. They were flustered and started to panic … and we let in another goal,” Baxter said. “We were unlucky but these things happen, especially when a side is new together. Second game, we’re leading [against Antalyaspor] with 15 minutes to go, but the ref misses a bad tackle and we concede. We end up losing 3-1."

Antalya, after equalising in the 76th minute, secured the points with late goals by two Cameroonians, M'Billa Etame in the 88th minute, and Samuel Eto’o in the 90th. That’s when the trouble started for Baxter and his technical team, his son Lee and Josh Smith, the fitness coach he brought with him from Chiefs.

“The chairman calls me in and rants at me, even going on about my family. Then he stops ranting and simply says; ‘Okay, you can pack your things and go.’ I’ve never met anything like him. He couldn’t even remember my name,” Baxter says.

“He’s bonkers … off the wall. He had me in meetings every day. Injured players, he’d force them to attend four sessions a day with a personal trainer. The club’s general manager comes to me and says ‘What now?’ I say; ‘you tell me, do I have a job or not?’ He replies; ‘I don’t know’. I tell you, anything I experienced in South Africa is nothing like this … that was like Sunday school in comparison.”

By: Farai Diza
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    July 2024
    June 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Menu

    All
    2014 FIFA World Cup
    Athletics
    Basketball
    Boxing
    Commonwealth Games
    Cricket
    Golf
    Hockey
    Marathons
    News
    Olympics
    Rugby
    Soccer
    Spotlight
    Tennis
    Track And Field
    Volleyball
    Women Soccer
    Wrestling


    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Tweets by ASMONTHLY

Tweet to @ASMONTHLY

Contact Us

    Contact Us

Submit

Donate & Support Our Efforts at African Sports Media Network