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Cape Town - New AmaZulu coach Steve Barker has described the club as a
"sleeping giant" of South African football and believes they are
considerably underachieving in the Premiership.
The former University of Pretoria coach left Tuks over the weekend to join Usuthu, who are bottom of the league table where they sit as the only club yet to win a game in 2014/15.
"I see them as a huge club, I see them as a sleeping giant, in fact, in South African football and I believe they are a club that belong to the top end of league rather than where they are now," Barker said at his unveiling in Durban on Thursday.
"I saw this as a long-term project and that's something that appealed to me. So it's a really exciting time and I look forward to the challenge."
Barker has reportedly signed a two-and-a-half year deal at AmaZulu, although the exact length was not revealed by marketing manager Lunga Sokhela, who only said it was a "long-term" contract.
Asked whether Barker was head-hunted by the club or had applied for the post, which was vacated when Craig Rosslee was axed in mid-October, Sokhela said: "We found each other. Obviously the market place knew we were looking for a coach, but we have been watching him for the last few years. We are delighted that we got him."
Barker acknowledged that the task to save the club from relegation was a massive one, but he was confident of achieving his target in the months ahead.
"There's a massive task that we face ahead, that's for sure," he added. "The club is definitely not in a position it should be and a lot of improvement is needed.
"But I wouldn’t have taken this job if I had doubts, so I'm confident we can get out of where we are."
The former University of Pretoria coach left Tuks over the weekend to join Usuthu, who are bottom of the league table where they sit as the only club yet to win a game in 2014/15.
"I see them as a huge club, I see them as a sleeping giant, in fact, in South African football and I believe they are a club that belong to the top end of league rather than where they are now," Barker said at his unveiling in Durban on Thursday.
"I saw this as a long-term project and that's something that appealed to me. So it's a really exciting time and I look forward to the challenge."
Barker has reportedly signed a two-and-a-half year deal at AmaZulu, although the exact length was not revealed by marketing manager Lunga Sokhela, who only said it was a "long-term" contract.
Asked whether Barker was head-hunted by the club or had applied for the post, which was vacated when Craig Rosslee was axed in mid-October, Sokhela said: "We found each other. Obviously the market place knew we were looking for a coach, but we have been watching him for the last few years. We are delighted that we got him."
Barker acknowledged that the task to save the club from relegation was a massive one, but he was confident of achieving his target in the months ahead.
"There's a massive task that we face ahead, that's for sure," he added. "The club is definitely not in a position it should be and a lot of improvement is needed.
"But I wouldn’t have taken this job if I had doubts, so I'm confident we can get out of where we are."
