If you grew up as a Malaysian watching the English Premier League, George Boateng will be no stranger to your sub-concious mind. Besides the fact that he was once a solid core of the successful Middlesbrough FC side, George also went on to captain Hull City in the Premier League, putting in great shifts against teams like Manchester United and Liverpool, both of whom have a solid following in Asia. However, times are a little different right now. George is currently the head coach of Kelantan FA in the Malaysia Super League, which seems to be growing in popularity and quality every year; something that the ex-Dutch international himself will agree. He’s been there for almost seven months now, but with a new season of Malaysian football edging closer, we caught up with George Boateng himself for a quick chat on Kelantan’s aspirations and goals for the new season.
FO: We’re half-way into December, and there’s not long left before the 2015 season of Malaysian football comes knocking through the window again. How are the pre-season preparations going like for Kelantan?
GB: We only started pre-season on the 1st of December because I wanted the players to have exactly 4 weeks rest. Pre-season is going well and i am delighted that almost 80% of my squad turned up on the 1st day. We will have 6 weeks to prepare the players but we will prepare them to not only be ready for the 1st game but also for the duration of the entire season.
FO: Plenty of Kelantan fans are delighted to see you continue coaching the side next year. How has the experience been like for you thus far? How do you find Kelantan as a club, and the entire state in general.
GB: I have to admit that the backing and the love that I am getting from the Kelantan fans is second to none. They are unbelievable with their support for the team and with me as head coach. I feel that with me in charge, all the fans have faith and trust that the club is going in the right direction, which is great because all the decisions that I’ve made has been for the best of the club so far and sometimes it’s not even in my own favour. But I do it because the fans deserve it. I love the place and the people are very friendly and so respectful though I still struggle to understand the Kelantanese language!
FO: The squad was announced recently, with Brendan Gan being retained, despite attracting the interest of numerous other clubs. How important is he as a player?
GB: I have been fighting to keep all my local players since I decided to stay and Brendan has been one of the players that other teams have shown interest in. We as club understand and have agreed to offer him a new contract to keep him at the club. Brendan is a fantastic player and a player whom I believe will be 1st choice for Malaysia this season because of his professionalism and football qualities. It sends a good message out to teams like JDT that they can’t have all the players that they want. Gan is so important to what I want to do this season and I am planning to build the team around him. There was also huge interest in Wan Zaharulnizam, Fitri Omar and other players. I fought severely to keep them so I am very happy with my local players.
FO: The foreign signings were also announced recently. Are you happy with them and did you personally suggest their names to the management?
GB: I was very happy until the deadline day when we realised that there was a problem in getting the ITC of Stefan Nikolic so we were unable to register him. We had another player as back up in case anything went wrong with any of the import players. We had to move quickly and get our plan B in place, which we succeeded. We signed Colombian striker Erwin Carrillo just before the deadline. I watched all the foreigners and advised the club on who to sign though it’s just a shame that we couldn’t register Stefan Nikolic. Other than that, I am very happy with my imports.
FO: What are Kelantan’s major goals and aspirations for next year, in all three competitions (Super League, FA Cup, Malaysia Cup)?
GB: We really want to get back to winning ways and with winning ways I mean winning trophies. The fans, the President, the players, and the coaches are doing everything to win something this season. In reality, I think if we can make a final and win a cup or win the league, then we can look back and say we had a good season.
FO: Fans are absolutely ecstatic at the fact that Norfarhan decided to return to Kelantan. Was it difficult to convince him to ply his trade in Kota Bharu, or was he already interested in returning from the get go?
GB: It was a bit of both in terms of signing Farhan. I liked him very much as a player and last season when we played Terengganu, I saw my players hugging him and talking to him when we arrived at the stadium so I tried to pull Farhan into our dressing room and lock him in but it didn’t work! He is so versatile and can play on the flanks or upfront and he has a leader’s mentality; something we lacked a bit last season. I am thrilled to have him here and I have high hopes for him. I think when a player wants to join Kelantan and we are already interested in him, then it is a match made in heaven.
FO: What will Kelantan’s biggest challenge be, as far as next year is concerned?
GB: I had 7 months last season to get to know the place, the club and the players. I am now much more advanced than last season. Our biggest challenge is that we have to try to win a trophy to give something back to our loyal and fantastic fans. We have to improve on last season’s 6th position in the Super League, we have to try to reach the final of the FA cup because last season we made it to the semi final. We have to try to make it further than the quarter finals of the Malaysia Cup as well. As you can see, there is a lot room for improvement to be done and I know it will not be easy because all other teams have also improved a lot. That being said, I am very excited and looking forward to it all.
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