Former Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars defender Tshepo Gumede has opened up on his personal ranking of the Premier Soccer League’s greatest coaches. He has positioned Gavin Hunt at the very top of his list and explains what sets the Stellenbosch FC tactician apart from the rest.
Gumede, born in Dobsonville – Soweto, began his football journey at SuperSport United, where he also made his senior debut, before going on to fully establish himself as a professional at Platinum Stars.
He later moved to Orlando Pirates in 2015, where he was valued for his composure and technical quality as a central defender. He went on to enjoy some of his best football under Eric Tinkler at Cape Town City FC. The duo won the Telkom Knockout in the 2016/17 season.
TSHEPO GUMEDE PUTS GAVIN HUNT ABOVE HIS PEERS
Gumede has ranked Hunt as the standout coach in South African football history. He places him above respected figures such as Gordon Igesund, Pitso Mosimane, Stuart Baxter and Ted Dumitru.
He believes Hunt consistently overachieved with smaller squads and developed players who went on to reach higher levels.
In addition to Hunt’s trophy record of four league titles across SuperSport United and Bidvest Wits, Gumede highlighted his reputation for improving players who were not initially considered natural national team material.
“Gavin [Hunt], Gordon Igesund, Pitso Mosimane, Stuart Baxter and Ted Dumitru,” Gumede said on the Apex Sports International podcast.
“He won the league four times, three straight with SuperSport United and one with Bidvest Wits. The teams he was competing with were heavyweights, and he had a smaller team.”
‘HE PUSHED CENTRAL DEFENDERS TO SCORE GOALS’
Gumede added. “The players he used, compared with the players at Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, the usual suspects. And the players he used went on to play in the national team. Those players were not the ones you looked. People felt they didn’t suit the national team’s way of playing.
“You had a player like Morgan Gould who was just bullying everyone. Gavin pushed for central defenders to score, and he improved his players.”
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