Gordon Igesund

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Gordon Igesund
Personal information
Full name Gordon George Igesund
Date of birth July 26, 1956
Place of birth    Durban, South Africa
Playing position Manager
Club information
Current club Mamelodi Sundowns
Teams managed
1995
1996-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2006
2006-2008		 African Wanderers
Manning Rangers
Orlando Pirates
Santos Cape Town
Ajax Cape Town
Mamelodi Sundowns


* Appearances (Goals)

Gordon Igesund (born July 26, 1956 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal) is a former South African football (soccer) player and coach currently unemployed after being fired by Premier Soccer League club Mamelodi Sundowns in February 2008.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Among others, he played for Durban City, Durban United, Highlands Park, Bush Bucks, AmaZulu, D'Alberton Callies, African Wanderers and also in Austria for Admira Wacker.

[edit] Coaching career

Igesund is a record-breaking coach in South Africa, having become the only man to coach four different top flight teams to the Premier Soccer League Championship. He first made his name when he led unfashionable coastal team Manning Rangers to the inaugural PSL title in the 1996/97 season. He followed this up in the 2000/01 season with another title, this time at the helm of Soweto giants Orlando Pirates. Despite his success with the Buccaneers, Igesund was not popular with the Pirates faithful, who demanded a more attacking and entertaining brand of football than the efficient and controlled game that Igesund had fostered, leading to his departure. He proved his critics wrong the very next season, taking another unfashionable team, Cape Town’s Santos, to a surprise PSL title in 2001/02. But the nomadic Igesund was soon changing his allegiance again, this time moving to Ajax Cape Town, the satellite club of Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam. Igesund’s time with Ajax proved unsuccessful and he left the team at the end of the 2005/06 season. He replaced Sundowns’ former co-coaches Miguel Gamondi and Neil Tovey after the two had failed to get the Brazilians last. Igesund added to his record number of PSL titles leading Sundowns to a comfortable winners of the South Africa League.

[edit] Coaching honours

  • 1996/97 PSL champion (Manning Rangers)
  • 2000/01 PSL champion (Orlando Pirates)
  • 2001/02 PSL champion (Santos)
  • 2000 BP Top Eight Cup winner (Orlando Pirates)
  • 2006/07 PSL champion (Sundowns)
  • 2007 SAA Supa 8 winner (Sundowns)

[edit] Trivia

His son Grant Igesund is also a professional footballer who currently plays for Ikapa Sporting.