The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders defender, Noel Kaseke is settling well into his coaching role in the United Arab Emirates where he is an assistant coach at Al Hamryiah Sports Club.
Kaseke, a former Zimbabwe international retired from playing in April this year at the age of 37 to take up a two-year contract as an assistant coach at Al Hamryiah, who play in the UAE First Division. His last club was Masfoot in the First Division with his final competitive match being in April this year before he chose to hang his boots after more than 15 years abroad.
Before getting the job, Kaseke had for the past two years worked with the Christian Brothers College Under-17 as well as Under-20 and Zifa Southern Region Division One side, Indlovu Iyanyathela during the off-season. While it has been a big jump for him from playing to coaching, Kaseke, who started work in July, feels he is ready for the task at hand. He holds a number of football coaching qualifications, the highest of them being the League Managers Association School of Excellence One which is good enough to see him work in the English Championship.
“It has been a big change for me but one that I realised that I am ready for. I am truly blessed to have had such a transition directly from playing into a coaching role. I guess for the last two years during my off-season where I have dedicated that time into assisting and coaching Indlovu Iyanyathela and CBC Under-20 boys and their Under-17 really helped in settling in more quickly into my role as assistant coach,’’ Kaseke said.
The first few months into the job have made Kaseke realise that it is tougher being a coach than a player because of the hard work that goes into preparing for a training session.
“Truth be told, I have learnt that it’s more tiring being a coach than being a player because of the amount of work that has to be put in every single day before and after training and also realising the old adage that it’s all in the brain being true because being a coach requires you to use your brain at a much higher level before training as you plan for the day’s session and going over the last session if it was a success or not in putting through what we want as a coaching staff and where we need improvement,’’ he said.
Going to sleep late at night has been the order of the day since Kaseke took up the coaching job, which has seen him being more fatigued than he was during his playing days. This is because of the lot of work that goes into scrutinising their next opponents.
“Late nights are the order of the day and I feel most of the time exhausted more than I was usually when I was a player, not saying it was not a task being a player, it was but at a different level. Lots of work gets put into one training session and the whole week and when approaching the game the analysis of the next opponents and the planning of the training in line of the next opponents while at the same time keeping your game model but with specifics to the next opponents,’’ Kaseke said.
He is also improving himself on a daily basis as he has to spot the unusual and has to know what to look for in a game.
“I am also learning a lot and educating myself more every day . . . analysis of the game you just had, next opponents and your training sessions and how they are structured in different ways but with the game model staying the same has really showed and revealed to me more and more things that one needs to really succeed as a coach.”
Kaseke has learnt to manage the diverse characters in the team, how to get the best out of the players since he realises that the players will put in more effort if they feel appreciated.
“I have learnt how well you manage the different personalities, not putting yourself at their mercy will gain yourself the 12th man in the game because then they will play for you with that extra because they know you are with them. You have to be able to attend to their needs when they are in the team and find the right balance,’’ said Kaseke.
Being a brother and good listener is another trait Kaseke has adopted in order to be in sync with the players since he sees it as a way of getting them to open up if they are having any challenges.
“Last but not least being a brother, friend, listener and be able to spot those small things because some may be suffering outside and you have to know them, some will talk, some will not show they are suffering from any problem on and off the field or when not happy they don’t play,’’ he said.
Kaseke is still learning a lot more about coaching since he took up the role and is gaining a lot from the club’s head coach Suliman Hadji. He described Hadji as having belief in his ability and what he is bringing to the team.
At the moment, Al Hamryiah are playing in the prestigious President’s Cup before the league action gets underway next month. With having invested a lot to earn promotion into the UAE Arabian Gulf League, Kaseke is certainly looking to play a part in helping them achieve this goal.
— @Mdawini_29
