The former left - back Dylan Kerr is more familiar with South Africa more than any other current foreign head coach in the Premier Soccer League as he previously played for Arcadia Sheperds.
Kerr's first professional contract as a player came in England at the age of 17, earning 60 pounds a week.
"I enjoyed two successful years there without playing a league game, but unfortunately my social life off the field was more important to me and I was released, and that's why I ended up coming to South Africa," says Kerr in an interview with snl24.com/kickoff.
"In South Africa my first car was an Audi 80 Sport. On the way to Jan Smuts airport to go to Durban, my car broke down in - between Tembisa. And two days later when we arrived back from Durban my car was there, but there was nothing left on the car. Everything had gone, even the gear stick, even the indicator switches, but stupidly, they didn't break into the boot. And in my boot it was my golf clubs and ten cases of Castle Lager."
The newly crowned Nedbank Cup winning coach still remembers how he first arrived in South Africa as if it happens yesterday.
"I came to South Africa in 1986 in January, Stan Laporte was the manager, and his best man at his wedding and Barbara was a coach called Michael Hennigan, a former player of Bloemfontein Celtic." Kerr remembers.
"He phoned Michael and and asked if he had a left sided player who could cross the ball and who was young. And I had just been released by Sheffield Wednesday that summer. They offered me a chance to come to South Africa cause my ticket was due the following week. Football ball then [chuckles], you know there's no comparison, the stadias were full, people were happy and healthy. Football was supported by die hard football fans, and we don't get any more of that because of TV. I had an absolute dream of three football seasons in South Africa with a lot of success. When I came to South Africa I was a professional footballer, we obviously practiced twice a week with the team. But me and Sammy Troughton trained everyday. I did look for a (second) job, I was offered part - time work in the bank. Stan Laporte's wife worked in a bank. But no I didn't take that offer up."
Kerr explains how he misses out on an opportunity to join Kaizer Chiefs.
"I was watching 'Professor' Ngubane play one day, and I thought 'wow if I could replicate the mystery that he did on the football pitch, it would be a dream come true'. And because I developed into a more black South African player, that earned me a contract at Leeds United in 1988 after agreeing to sign for Kaizer Chiefs with Ted Dumitru and Kaizer Motaung, I had to phone them and Stan Laporte and say I'm not coming back because I have been offered a contract at Leeds United. I spent three seasons at Arcadia and just before the end of the season I got a call from Kaizer and Ted Dumitru to come and meet them in the Vodacom building [Ponte Tower in Hillbrow] in Johannesburg. We sat in the office, and it was such a nice meeting. They persuaded me to leave Arcadia and join Kaizer Chiefs, which was a no brainer if I'm honest. Who's gonna not wanna play for Kaizer Chiefs? And I'm still Amakhosi for Life. I told them I'm just gonna go home for Christmas as I did every year."
Chiefs offered Kerr the same salary he was earning at Arcadia, R900.
"Back in the day saving money was horrendous because you were not earning a lot of money to save. I was fortunate that being a foreigner I didn't have to pay tax. In 1986 I had agreed to join Durban Bushbucks, Lawrence Ngubane and Professor Ngubane they tried to sign me and I was sold for R75 000. But unfortunately the cheque never arrived at Arcadia. One of the regrets I have football wise, was not to be able to train, play, watch and admire Professor Ngubane. Because I can tell you now that guy could do things with the ball that nobody, and I mean nobody, even in this day and age's Neymar, Ronaldo, Messi, could never do what Professor Ngubane could do with the ball. He was a genius."
Today the Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila head coach lives as a bachelor following his divorce in 1997.
"It didn't work, and thankfully we didn't have children, and I still don't have children. All my football players are my babies."