NEW Swallows FC coach, Dylan Kerr, has given his players an ultimatum to secure 31 out of a possible 54 points, or leave the nest if they think they can’t achieve the target.
Kerr will sit on the bench for the first time on Saturday (3.30pm) when his relegation haunted side host Maritzburg United in a DStv Premiership match at Dobsonville Stadium.
The former Baroka FC coach replaced Brandon Truter, who was sacked on Sunday following a 3-1 league defeat to Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs. He has won only one match with five draws and six losses.
Swallows have collected a mere eight points from 12 matches.
Said Kerr: “I have to focus on morale to put a smile on their faces and get them laughing again. I said to them yesterday, ‘look, why are we at the bottom with the way we train? Surely there is a problem’.
“But they could not divulge it. I told them that we need 31 out of a possible 54 points, if they feel they won’t achieve it, I will let them go. We need to get it right and this is our chance top pull to the right direction.”
The Englishman hopes he will overcome Maritzburg for the third time on his debut with three different teams. “This is the third game that I opened my coaching account against Maritzburg,” he said.
“We beat them with Baroka and TTM (Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila) on my debut and hopefully, I will be third time lucky.
“They work hard, are disciplined. You will never know what to expect. There is no (team that keeps) momentum in this league.”
Kerr said players are rejuvenated as they have been working hard at training, aiming to impress him.
Mwape Musonda and Ruzaigh Gamildien are among strikers who are eager to impress Kerr.
“Thirty-two players have been training and everybody has been given the opportunity to show the technical staff what they can do. We will pick the best 11 that will get us results. I said to them yesterday (Wednesday) that I have not yet decided who is playing because there is a certain trend of playing the same players, even when the team is not winning,” said Kerr.
He added that his players will need to adapt the winning mentality of log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly to ensure they survive relegation.
