Kaizer Chiefs coach Muhsin Ertugral has spoken exclusively to kaizerchiefs.com on Tuesday afternoon and has declared that the only thoughts on his mind at the moment are of his team finishing the current season in third or fourth position in the ABSA Premiership.

The Amakhosi coach was responding to various media stories and internet chat room rumours about his intended departure from the club at seasons end.

Ertugral though has come out and said that he intends to see out the season and will, in the next few days, have a meeting with the club Chairman Kaizer Motaung and team manager Bobby Motaung to map out plans for next season.

Ertugral, who will celebrate his 49th birthday in September this year, believes that talk of him leaving is destabilizing for his team, who over the past few weeks have made a turn around of note and he wants to ensure that they focus on ending the season on a winning note.

High up

Speaking to kaizerchiefs.com about his ambitions for the remainder of the season, as well as the discussions around him making a possible exit from the club at the end of the current season, Ertugral said: “There has been a lot of talk about me leaving and going elsewhere. The thing is that the end of the season is still seven weeks away and if I was going to go, I would make a formal announcement after we play Black Leopards on the 17th May.

"Lets put an end to all of this talk of Muhsin Ertugral leaving or staying, and instead focus on the way Chiefs are currently playing. This is a team with so many youngsters doing fantastically well at the moment, give them the chance to be in the lime light and if they do well and are on form then it is good for the country, as it gives the national team coach further options for selection”.

Feel good factor

Ertugral is happy with the close bond that has been formed amongst his team and believes that after a testing time, the pieces of the puzzle have all begun to fit into place.

There now remains the small matter of a meeting which he will have later this week with leading figures from the club to finalize his plans and vision for next season.

Of this meeting, Ertugral said: “We, myself and the technical team, have worked well together to both technically and physically condition this team. The back room staff have helped put the team on the right road, and with a lot of help from the players, we are now moving in the right direction. We obviously would like for this momentum to carry on next season.

"Together we have drawn up plans for the next campaign as to what kind of personnel we need and also who we need to let go. In addition there are a number of other matters that need to be dealt with before the end of the season ahead of the 2008 – 2009 pre season preparations. All of this should be put in place by before the end of this week, after I have met with the Chairman and Bobby Motaung”.