Reading Hall of Famer, Dylan Kerr, is due to head back to the UK this week to consider his future, after experiencing relegation as a head coach for the first time at the weekend.
Kerr, who was Reading's player of the season in the 1993-94 season as the Royals won the Division 2 title, has carved out a highly successful career as a head coach in Asia and Africa.
He has won two league titles and five cup competitions in Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa since 2014 and has kept four clubs in the South African Premier Division up, after taking over with the teams in danger of being relegated.
Commiserations to Dylan Kerr, as today's defeat saw Marumo Gallants relegated. They were bottom and on an 8 game run without a win when he took over. He did a brilliant job taking them on an 8 game unbeaten run and to the CAF Confederaion Cup semi-finals. @legend3 @Huntyroyal
— 1871 - A podcast for Reading FC fans (@1871podcast) May 20, 2023
At the end of January this year, his reputation for helping teams avoid relegation in South Africa led to an opportunity as acting head coach with Marumo Gallants, who were bottom of the South African Premier Division and on a run of eight league games without a win, having won only two games all season.
He made an immediate impact. Gallants won their next four games in a row, went on an eight game unbeaten league run and moved out of the relegation zone - and Kerr guided Gallants to the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup, Africa's equivalent of the Europa League.
The improvement the team made under Kerr's guidance meant that they went into Saturday's final game of the season, away to his former club Moroka Swallows, with a chance of avoiding relegation - but Gallants lost 2-0 to a Swallows side who Kerr had kept up last season.
Saturday's result meant that Kerr had experienced his first relegation as a head coach, after a run of keeping four relegation-threatened South African Premier Division clubs up - but the team's success in the CAF Confederation Cup had seen Gallants pack in a punishing schedule of 22 games in 105 days, including travelling to Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt and Tanzania.
Despite his success in Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa, Kerr is yet to manage in Europe, despite regularly stating his desire to do so. He also has experience of coaching with the Vietnam national team and he has experience of coaching in the USA. The closest he has come to managing a club in the UK has been roles as manager of Burton Albion and Chesterfield's Under 18s teams.
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