BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
Speaking to the press following the 2019 season launch by the Malaysian Football League (MFL) on Thursday, Selangor secretary-general Johan Kamal Hamidon again reiterated the importance of their head coach B. Satiananthan.
In an earlier interview with Goal, the club official had explained the justification for hiring the established coach; that the Red Giants need instant success to assist their rebuilding process, something that can only be obtained by a trainer as experienced as the former Felda United boss.
On Thursday, Johan told the press that the performance of the team is left to Satiananthan's experience.
"On the management side of things, Selangor are undergoing something new. But I have no expertise in on-the-pitch matters, and this is why I give the coach my 100 per cent trust. He's a very, very experienced local coach; he's here to stabilise and bring the results. He's happy with the player signings and so are we, but now he's focussed on getting the players to gel together.
"We've signed 11 new players, so it's a tough task for him to get things in order and to get them to understand each others' style of play, and to impart his tactics on them. I'm not sure how soon until he starts delivering results, but he has KPI's (key performance indicators) that he needs to fulfill by the end of the season. However, we do understand the challenges, so we'll give him time, at least one year," he answered.
Although Johan declined to reveal the specified targets, he let up that one of them is to win at least one title.
And for this reason, he is not too concerned about the underwhelming results picked up by the team in their pre-season friendly encounters.
Prior to their five-day trip to Chonburi, Thailand, Satiananthan's charges had recorded two wins, one draw and three defeats.
But they have done better abroad, having recorded two wins against two Thai division two sides, and a draw against T1 League champions Chonburi FC.
"They've been improving in Chonburi, and he has brought only 25 players there, unlike in the previous local friendlies. In fact, the previous friendlies before the Thailand trip were only practice matches. He wanted to give everyone a chance to play because he was new, he didn't know many of them. He wanted them to prove themselves.
"But now it's time to deliver, and he understands that. He's now preparing the first 18 for the coming season," said Johan.
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