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Santos hunting new coach

Johannesburg - Troubled Cape side Santos could be looking for a new philosophy in their search of a coach that will offer them "something fresh" next year.

"We will be looking for something fresh," the club chief executive, Edries Burton said on Monday.

"Our philosophy of bringing in youngsters and combining them with older players will still be core to the team.

"But it's still too early to put any criteria on the way forward because it would be unfair at this moment, since we [management] have not sat down to even discuss this."

The People's Team are not known for playing entertaining football, though their gutsy brand of play has taken a knock this season.

They have endured a dreadful start to the season that has them flirting with relegation, and cost Boebie Solomons the head coaching job.

Duncan Crowie, the club legend and head of youth development, took over on a caretaker basis last week with the match against Jomo Cosmos on Wednesday his last before returning to his other duties in the club structures.

On the Santos website, the former Bafana Bafana midfielder immediately identified a need to infuse more creativity and flair to the team that lost 3-1 at home to AmaZulu in his first match in charge over the weekend.

A new coach will be named, more than likely in the second week of January, in time to prepare for their next fixture in the mid-February.

The prominent name being bandied about is that of New Zealander Ricki Herbert, the man who led his limited country's talent to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the World Cup in South Africa last year.

He could just fit the bill considering Santos' limited player and financial resources, but would he be able to make the team more enterprising?

Burton, however, is quick to dismiss any reported links Santos has had with Herbert.

"I'm afraid there is nothing there, and quite frankly, Herbert's name is old news now, he was never in the picture," Burton said.

"To be honest, there has been a lot of interest and applications for the job."

Santos, though, will definitely look at bolstering the current squad to help them in the second half of the season in the January transfer window.

"Most of the clubs are struggling up front, we are too, and will look at getting a striker," said Burton.

"We will also be going to the market for a central defender as well."

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