I know what am doing � Butler
Mqondisi Dube | Friday February 21, 2014 15:11
Mmegi Sport: How have been your first days thus far?
Peter Butler: I have really tried to address certain things regarding the national team and the Under-20s. It is imperative that we give young players a chance. There are plenty of young good players who are not getting a game. I would like to see coaches give the young players a chance. I would like to see a motion where clubs use a certain number of young players. I have done this previously and it works.
Mmegi Sport: What is your immediate impression about talent in the country?
Butler: There is a lot of talent, but there is no structure and procedure. But I knew that, it is a clear observation. (Local) football needs a youth league. People might rush and say we want senior team results but they only come as a result of a strong junior policy. We need to give those players the opportunity to parade their skills and showcase their talent.
Mmegi Sport: From what you are focusing on, wouldn’t a job with the junior national team be more appropriate for you?
Butler: My priority is with the first team. What we should bear in mind is that you will never ever have a strong senior team unless if you give young players a chance. That is why I will be giving young players a chance in the senior team. I have a two-pronged approach; the senior team and the team that feeds the senior side. You have to develop the team that feeds the senior team.
Mmegi Sport: Your critics will argue you lack coaching experience in Africa?
Butler: That is complete rubbish. I have got African experience. I spent time in Ghana where I took players to Europe and Asia. Let critics criticise, but at the end of the day I know my job. I am not a coach who sits here with a falsified (coaching) license or with no Premier League experience. I have played at the highest level in England, coached in Asia. Critics can write what they want, but the fact remains that I am just giving you facts.
Mmegi Sport: What do you think of the targets the BFA has set you; some will argue they are easy targets?
Butler: My target is the next game. It is to prepare for the next assignment. Long-term targets can only be achieved once short-term targets are done. This year is a development year for the squad. We play South Sudan on the 5th (of March). People might say why do you play South Sudan (because of low rankings), but I do not organise games. South Sudan is a new side and they have not played many games, so how can their ranking go up. They will be a better team (if they had played more games). We have to give them respect. It does not matter who we are playing, it is a game of football that we can use to experiment.
Mmegi Sport: Which side has impressed you most since arriving?
Butler: The best team I have watched is BDF XI. I do not think I have seen the best of Gaborone United and Mochudi Centre Chiefs. I have seen BDF XI twice and I thought they have one or two good players and a good strike force.
Mmegi Sport: Do you think you are now ready to pick a squad?
Butler: I have got a plan in mind. I have a few players I have been crossing and ticking off. I pick players based on form; there will be no nepotism or favouritism. Whether you are 21 or 35, if you are playing well you will be picked.
Mmegi Sport: Do you know anything about the foreign-based players?
Butler: I know players like Mogakolodi Ngele. He is a very good player, people like Ofentse Nato, these are all respected players. The boy from Polokwane City (Galabgwe Moyana) is a decent player. (Kabelo) Dambe, although he is not getting time and (Joel) Mogorosi down in Bloemfontein. These are good players. I have looked at players who have not featured in the national team and I have been impressed. You will see a different team than previously. The making of the squad will be quite different.
Mmegi Sport: For the selection of the South Sudan game, how will you go about it considering you are still new in the job?
Butler: I already have a squad in mind. We will have a new back four; we are strong in midfield.
Mmegi Sport: Why a new back four?
Butler: The team has been working with an aging back four for a long time and you have to move forward. The problem is the team has been conceding silly goals.
Mmegi Sport: Have you met the former coach (Tshosane)?
Butler: No, I do not know him. I have no clue.
Mmegi Sport: Are you not interested in meeting him?
Butler: I would like to meet him, maybe over coffee or beer. I will be respectful to the gentleman, but on football. I think it is best that I make up my mind about players.
Mmegi Sport: Do you feel any pressure considering where the team is and the fans’ expectation?
Butler: Listen, I am a very different coach than the one previously. With all due respect to them (fans), I have got a lot of respect for people who worked here in the past, but I am from a different environment. I have a different mindset in terms of preparations and discipline. I run a very tight ship. I come from a professional and disciplined environment. If people want to be part of that, great, but if they do not the door is open. I do not want players who play for money, but for the country. If you play for money you are in the wrong environment. If you do well money will follow.
Mmegi Sport: But are you feeling the pressure?
Butler: No, no, pressure will never pay bills. I love my job. I am very passionate about what I do.
Mmegi Sport: You come across as a very confident person. Do you not think this will make or break you in terms of expectations?
Butler: I have had disappointments in the past and that is part of life. I am from a working class; poor environment. So I can relate with people who do not have a lot of money and do not have the best boots or get dropped at training by the best cars. I am not from that environment. It is not about make or break, when you get disappointed in life invariably that is what makes you. You learn and improve from adversity than success.
I am confident because I know what I am doing. We live in a democracy and people are entitled to their opinions and I listen but it does not mean I will necessarily agree with them. I am confident because I do not live in fear.
Mmegi Sport: When should we say you have failed or succeeded at some point?
Butler: At the end of my contract. Success is failure turned inside out. What you have to be mindful of is that many people want to see you fail. I do not buy into negativity. My glass is always half full. If people want to write negative things let them write. I do not read newspapers; I do not listen to what people say about me. All I am interested in is working with players to take things forward.
Mmegi Sport: Why do you not you read newspapers?
Butler: I played at the highest level in England and people will write a lot of things about you, which are not true. I have a lot of respect for journalists and have friends who are journalists. I do not have time in a day to sit and read newspapers. I look at the front page and the back page and probably the only correct thing is the date. I have an open relationship with journalists and I speak my mind. I have had a great relationship with journalists.
Mmegi Sport: Is there anything that scares you about this job?
Butler: No, people have been great, from mums and dad. People are enthusiastic. They know I am different. I am in the office at 8:00 am everyday and spend a lot of time analysing players. I am not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. But the people have been great.
Mmegi Sport: You said you want to play attacking football, do you have the material to achieve that?
Butler: Only time will tell if I have the material. Maybe I will have to develop that material. The team seems to concede and does not score a lot of goals. The target will be to put out a strong, sound unit. I have always encouraged my teams to play football. As I said, players make systems but I like those with an offensive rather than defensive attitude.
Mmegi Sport: Is what you have seen in Botswana what you expected coming from a first World country?
Butler: Obviously it is very different, but it is a bit more developed than what I expected. Botswana is exposed to international norms and I have been quiet surprised by the amount of artificial pitches you have, which is great. I have also been impressed with the refereeing.
Mmegi Sport: What attracted you to Botswana?
Butler: The job was advertised and I applied. I never knew Keith (Masters) from England. We were working in different environments. (Speculation has been rife that Masters recommended Butler to the BFA).
Mmegi Sport: How will you cope with transition from club to national team football (seeing that you have only coached at club level)
Butler: Club football is very difficult, day in and day out. From a national team perspective, the expectation is always there and increases ten-fold. It is something I look forward too and relish.