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- Davids got fired two weeks after taking job
- He was sacked alongside Zinnbauer
- He guided team to one win in Russian Cup
WHAT HAPPENED? The 41-year-old South African coach was hired on September 27 to handle the Russian Premier League outfit as an assistant coach to Josef Zinnbauer.
The two arrived when the team was struggling in all competitions. Lokomotiv had only won one game from five matches and on their first assignment, they helped the team to defeat Khimki 5-0 in the Russian Cup.
Two weeks later, they were shown the exit door.
WHAT DID DAVIDS SAY? “If I sit back and reflect… had I got the call now knowing, I would still go. What I got from going there was invaluable. It was extremely the youngest squad in the league by far. We were taking steps in the right direction,” he told Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified as quoted by SABCSPORTS.
“I implore South African coaches, let’s go empower ourselves and get the highest coaching qualification possible because anyone can ask you to join them where they are. But you need the qualifications.
“If it wasn’t for my Uefa A license, I wouldn’t be able to sit on the bench at a European club. So, that is my message for South African coaches. Let us be prepared for when opportunities come outside our country.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Before they faced the sack, Davids and Zinnbauer saw Lokomotiv suffer two defeats in the top-flight - 4-2 against Ural and 4-0 against Sochi.
They left Lokomotiv 14th on the 16-team table with nine points from 12 matches.
WHAT NEXT? Davids is now open to make a return to the Premier Soccer League.