Former Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen has explained why getting an experience to coach one of the South African traditional big three isn’t an “important thing” to him.
Larsen’s stance is perhaps shaped by his impressive track record of success with smaller teams, including two notable cup victories against one of the ‘big three,’ Mamelodi Sundowns.
He famously guided Bloemfontein Celtic to Telkom Knockout Cup glory in 2012, triumphing over the Brazilians in the final. Larsen repeated this feat just last year with Magesi FC, leading them to a Carling Knockout Cup victory, once again defeating Bafana Ba Style in the final.
Larsen, who describes himself as having always lived an “underdog life,” emphasised that the successes he has achieved with so-called smaller teams are the memories he will cherish most. He acknowledged the lasting impact of those victories.
However, he admitted that coaching a big team would offer an opportunity to test his coaching prowess with the talented players that these prominent clubs usually have.
LARSEN – ‘I’VE LIVED AS AN UNDERDOG SINCE I WAS A KID’
“A lot of coaches, including local coaches, have had an opportunity to coach those clubs but have not won anything,” Larsen told FARPost.
“At Kaizer Chiefs, Sundowns and Pirates, there are coaches who have been there and have not won anything. Maybe not at Sundowns, but I know the other [two] clubs, [it has happened].
“But I’ve always said this: football is my love and passion. I’m not obsessed with coaching in the PSL [top-flight]. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m also not obsessed with coaching a big club.
“It would be nice one day if it happened, but for me, it’s not the most important thing because, as I said, it would be nice to test yourself as a coach with the calibre of players that these clubs have and see what you can do with such talented groups of players.
“Unfortunately, I’ve always coached small teams from Chippa [United], to [Golden] Arrows, to Maritzburg [United], to [Bloemfontein] Celtic, to Magesi. It has always been small to medium-sized clubs. But like I said, I’ve lived an underdog life since I was a kid, like most South Africans have. And for me, that’s something I really, really enjoy.
“When you enjoy success with smaller teams, it’s really memories that will last for the rest of your life.”
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