Dylan Kerr insists his decision to take on the role of head coach of Marumo Gallants was not borne out of desperation or unemployment – having apparently turned down several offers from abroad – but was motivated by his relationship with club president Abram Sello.
Kerr was unveiled as Gallants’ coach for the new season after the team returned to the top flight by buying the status of Moroka Swallows last month.
The Englishman had a roller-coaster second stint with the club, guiding them to the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final before they were eventually relegated in the same season.
The relegation stung for Kerr as players produced lacklustre performances in the last few league games, owing to a row over bonuses.
Those poor performances didn’t only relegate the team, but they also sent Kerr packing as he decided to leave the country.
“I left South Africa for personal and professional reasons,” Kerr reflected. “Professional reasons are what happened in the last two games with Gallants – I felt disrespected.
“I felt that the players let down the chairman and me because of the way they acted, and we all know what that was all about – the money. I didn’t like it.”
Life back home in England didn’t go according to plan for Kerr. He cites as his downfall the fact that he was a little bit out of touch with modern football trends.
“I thought it was time to give back to the people of England and the UK because I was spoken of very highly in the football circles for what I have done in my career,” Kerr explained.
“I knew that it would be hard, but I didn’t think it would be as hard. In 12 months I had three interviews – (with) two academies and one ladies’ (team).
“(But) the dynamics in football have changed, especially in academies. People like me, who are 57 years old, maybe are seen as, I wouldn’t say dinosaurs, but the game has changed.”
However, Gallants’ head honcho Sello still regarded Kerr as fit to drive the team on its return to the top flight amid the club’s relocation to Bloemfontein.
The former Swallows and Black Leopards coach has argued that he didn’t take the job because he was unemployed or out of desperation, insisting instead that it was due to his relationship with Sello.
“I think I’ve turned down six jobs in the past year to come back to east Africa, west Africa,” Kerr explained.
“(There was) one north African team and one in Asia (that I turned down). It wasn’t desperation to get a job because the chairman always asked me if I’d come back. We spoke often.
“Yes, I was out of work, but I wasn’t looking to come back and I never called the chairman and said, ‘chairman, I want to come back’. It was the chairman’s decision, and it was all done in 48 hours.”
The club’s relocation to the City of Roses, which has been starved of football since the sale of Bloemfontein Celtic in 2022, excites Kerr.
He feels this will give him and his team time to blend with the community and get their best possible support in the stands with every passing home game next season.