Incoming national team coach Kim Pan Gon of South Korea has been urged to get the "best local assistant coach" to help him.
That is the advice from B. Satiananthan, the president of the Football Coaches Association of Malaysia (FCAM) to Pan Gon, who is expected to arrive in Kuala Lumpur early next month with four staff: an assistant, a goalkeeping coach, a fitness trainer and an analyst.
Satiananthan served as an assistant to four foreign coaches: Frenchman Claude Le Roy, Tunisian Hatem Souisi, Englishman Allan Harris and Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei before he became Harimau Malaya head coach from 2007–2008.
Satiananthan, 63, said he knows Pan Gon, having done his Pro Coaching Licence course together with the 52-year-old South Korean before.
Though Pan Gon is coming with his own team of coaching staff, Satiananthan said the Korean needs all the help he can in building up the national team.
"He (Pan Gon) looks like a disciplinarian who knows the game based on his background.
"But I believe he needs a good local assistant coach," said Satiananthan.
"He will have four assistants who are inexperienced with Malaysian football, so he needs a qualified and experienced local assistant.
"He can't rely on the technical director (Scot O'Donell) who is a new guy to Malaysian football and also not a local.
"It's not easy to understand Malaysian footballers... Le Roy had told me that it's easier to understand African footballers compared to Malaysian players... this is Le Roy who is one of the renowned coaches in Africa.
"Allan Harris had the best approach when he was the head coach.
"He adapted to the players when it came to playing philosophy.
"We will have to see what approach Pan Gon will take but one thing is for sure, he needs a good local coach to assist him."
The Football Association of Malaysia have given Pan Gon a two-year contract, and if he impresses, he will get a two-year extension.
Pan Gon and his team will monitor the local players in the M-League, and hold the first national training camp in March to prepare for the third round of the Asia Cup qualifiers in June.
Satiananthan said Pan Gon will need to hit the ground running but football fans need to be patient.
"A coach needs at least three matches to see if the players could fit his plans.
"Football coaches are not miracle workers, Pan Gon will have only a few months before the Asian Cup qualifiers, how much he can do?
"The last foreign coach we had was Nelo Vingada (from Portugal) who tried to change things, but in international football, you don't get many matches to turn things around.
"The fans need to understand this and also keep in mind that sacking a coach will be costly with the compensation involved."
