Kjell to walk the plank as old face returns to Bucs

Milutin "Micho" Sredojevich is set for a dramatic return to Orlando Pirates and could be unveiled next week as the club's new coach.

The Serbian-born coach had a brief previous stint in charge of the Buccaneers more than a decade ago and is to return in place of Kjell Jonevret, who has not delivered on his promise to revive the club's fortunes since his arrival in February.

Sredojevich, who turns 48 in September, was a relative rookie when he was in charge of Pirates for seven months from July 2006 to January 2007 but returns with a vastly enhanced reputation.

His role in qualifying Uganda for this year's Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon ended a wait of almost 40 years for the Cranes to return to the African stage and earned Sredojevich an exalted status in that country.

He has previously been the coach of Rwanda and worked at clubs in Ethiopia and Sudan.

He is in Addis Ababa after leaving Kampala this week and will fly to South Africa at the weekend with an unveiling provisionally set for Monday, it is understood.

Pirates must still announce the end of Jonevret's short spell in which he won only a third of the 18 games he was in charge of.

The Swede took the Buccaneers to the Nedbank Cup final last month but the disorganised performance in the 4-1 thumping by Supersport United confirmed doubts about his ability to turn things around at the club, already confirmed to miss out on the top eight.

Sredojevich, who will earn more than R500,000 a month, according to sources, offers Pirates a more disciplined approach.

Sredojevich will be well aware of the strengths and weakness of other Premier Soccer League teams and will emphasise fitness.

He was coach at the Buccaneers at the start of the 2006-2007 season and took the club to the Champions League semifinals, where they narrowly lost to CS Sfaxien of Tunisia.

He was dismissed in early 2007 after winning just four PSL games and left with a record of six wins, nine draws and eight defeats in 23 matches, to be replaced by Congolese Kalambay Mutombo.

No confirmation was obtainable from Sredojevich, his agent and Pirates officials.

The club have been active in the market over the past weeks in a strong reaction to the disappointment of finishing the past league season in 11th place.

They have pruned their squad and already made several high-profile signings.