I gave Kaizer Chiefs everything - Cavin Johnson

The 65-year-old initially arrived at the club to take up the role of head of youth, before abruptly being thrust to the senior team when Molefi Ntseki was fired after just 114 days in charge of the Soweto giants. 

Johnson has been heavily criticised after Chiefs finished 10th in the DStv Premiership, but the ex-AmaZulu mentor says it wasn’t for a lack of trying. 

"As a team, as players, we didn't take the responsibility to win the games when we were on the pitch. I can tell you, I gave my 150 per cent to make sure every training session was run according to the objectives we needed [in each game]," said Johnson.

"We really, really gave – and I have to give all the technical people the credit for that – our 150 per cent, knowing what the timelines were on the pitch."

Chiefs’ decision to appoint Johnson in October not only came as a surprise to the football fraternity, but to the coach too. 

"To take over was a big, big surprise, and I was one month in the job when I was asked to see the Chairman [Kaizer Motaung Sr]," he explained.

"He said, 'Coach, do you mind taking over the team?' I said, 'Mr Chairman, I didn't come here to be a head coach, I came here to be head of development.' 

"And after the explanations that went on, I said, 'Mr Chairman, I've done this before with Platinum Stars and AmaZulu, I can try again with this team.'"

Amakhosi ultimately parted company with Johnson at the beginning of July, after initially asking him to return to being head of youth, he told SABC Sport. 

"I was told, 'Thank you for what you've done. You can now move back to your original position.' Only to be told again, after a month, 'We're restructuring, and you're not in the restructuring plan,'" he revealed.

"Be that as it may, I am a seasoned coach, I'm a seasoned developer. I've been in the game for more than 40 years, so I have to accept that. It's the same like in your job."

READ: Revealed: Conditions to Kaizer Chiefs’ next signing