10 Feb 2015

Losing a game does not make one a bad coach, former Extension Gunners mentor, Dragojlo Stanojlovic has stated. 

“Even highly rated teams like Manchester United do sometimes lose a game or two,” he said in an interview. Gunners recently fired Drago, as the Serbian coach is known in football circles, for poor performance.

He was immediately replaced by former Notwane mentor, Calvin Peterson. Drago seem to have accepted the saying that, ‘coaching is a thankless job’. “It is well with Drago’s soul and this was not the first time he was dumped by a local team,” said Drago.

When he arrived in Botswana in 2013, he was at the helm of Mochudi Centre Chiefs, where he spent half a season before he was given an indefinite leave.  The leave drew him closer to  Mapantsula, whom he joined later. This was where enjoyed his coaching until last week when the was shown the door.

He is still hunting for a job, but the Serbian said he would always be thankful to Gunners for giving him the opportunity to guide such a big club which enjoyed massive following in Botswana.

“I did my best when I took over Gunners because it was in a bad position and I managed to elevate the team to position four at some point; so to me it was a big achievement,” he said 

He said Gunners played good football, adding that he was happy to have contributed in ensuring that the team continued with their legacy of playing entertaining football.

He said he was also impressed by the commitment of Gunners’ supporters, adding that their love for the team was unconditional. As for the players, he said they made his stay at Mapantsula a memorable one given that they were always cooperative.

“I had wanted to continue with the club because I know the players have potential, but because some people were not patient with me, they decided otherwise; but it’s fine, that’s the nature of the game, but I would like to thank Cassim Dada and his wife for being helpful and supportive to me,” he said 

Quizzed if it was the poor results that cost him his job, he said, “as far as I am concerned I did not fail at Gunners; in fact, the club was starting to take shape despite starting the league on a low note”. ends