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Neeskens a great mentor - Schut

JOHAN Neeskens struggled to come down to PSL level when he was coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, says new club captain Alje Schut.

Neeskens, the Dutch 1970s great, coached Sundowns to fourth place in 2011-12 and was in second-last place when he was fired without winning a trophy just before the halfway point last season, and replaced by Pitso Mosimane.

Schut said it was a privilege to work under one of the great defensive midfielders and a Dutch legend again, having done so in two matches at Under-17 national level.

But Schut felt that Neeskens struggled to come down to PSL level.

"I think he's a great coach, but not for here. For me he's tactically so good. I just think he had problems sometimes to get down to our level," Schut said.

"The level he worked at was as assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona with players like Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. There you are shown something once. Here he had to explain four or five times, then it goes well, but then a few weeks later you have to explain again.

"And I think it was hard for him to have to do that - and a frustration too."

Neeskens has struggled to adapt his playing prowess to his coaching career at clubs such as Galatasary in Turkey and NEC in the Netherlands.

Schut said the Dutchman, who played for Ajax and Barcelona before a somewhat rocky period personally at US glamour team the New York Cosmos, is an enigmatic figure in Holland.

"In Holland he's a major figure, but he's also very mysterious because he doesn't live in Holland, but in Switzerland. He doesn't like the attention. His wife is Swiss, and there nobody really follows football."

Schut had potential deals with clubs in Canada and Australia before being brought to the PSL by Neeskens at the beginning of last season.

The big centre-back has added stability to Downs' defence, and as captain has been part of the Brazilians' early form that sees them undefeated and second on the PSL log this season.

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