The talk doing the rounds is that Kaizer Chiefs were so unconvinced of the man they appointed as their new coach that they resolved not to invite anyone when they announced him on Friday afternoon.
It was more of a family affair - something not surprising given that we know the Motaungs take pride in being more of a family-run entity than anything else.
For the first time in recent history Chiefs did not bother to gather the media at their base in Naturena, south of Johannesburg, to introduce Giovanni Solinas, 50.
The Italian has never lasted more than a season in all the seven clubs he's been at since he started coaching in Algeria in 2010 .
Solinas had two short spells at Free State Stars between 2015 and 2016, his second being the more disastrous one because he lasted only three months and was sacked after 13 matches.Former Stars midfielder Katlego Mashego, who worked under him at Stars, told the Sunday Times that the Italian was a workaholic who detest lazy players.
"They must expect to work hard but he is very calm, patient and straightforward with the players.
"He likes possession football," said Mashego.
Though he prefers the 3-5-2 formation, Mashego said Solinas was very flexible and often lined up his team according to the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.
"He spends a great deal of time studying his opponents and will adjust according to the threat they pose.
"He knows how to talk to the players and gives them a lot of courage."
Judging by Amakhosi fans' reaction on social media, where Solinas was actually unveiled, it is going to take a lot to convince them that this man is going to do better than his predecessor, Steve Komphela, the first man to go three years without winning a trophy at Chiefs.
Unlike Solinas, Komphela was announced amid fanfare in front of a packed media gallery when he replaced Stuart Baxter. The Amakhosi faithful had been eagerly awaiting Baxter's return after he won them two league titles and three cup competitions in three years.
Chiefs' head honchos didn't show much confidence in Solinas in terms of the contract that they handed him.
The Italian penned two years with an option to renew - another peculiarity at Chiefs because they usually tie themselves to three-year contracts with their mentors.Perhaps a glance at his record, which doesn't provide a great deal of reading as he has no trophy to show for his efforts, is what led Chiefs owner Kaizer Motaung to be cautious.
Motaung, the only one who was involved in searching for Solinas, was at pains trying to justify an appointment which was greeted with huge disappointment and described as "a panic appointment" in many quarters.
"We believe that with Solinas we have brought in a person with the right mechanism and energy to do well. We feel that Solinas is the right guy to guide us," said Motaung.
In all the speculation that ensued soon after Komphela's departure, Solinas, a coach who can easily be linked with the so-called small teams in the PSL, the likes of Baroka FC, Golden Arrows or Polokwane City, was never mentioned as a Chiefs hopeful.
Instead Chiefs supporters were led to believe that Motaung was hunting for Bafana Bafana coach Baxter, who still has a long-term contract with Safa.Given the strained relationship which is said to have developed between Baxter and his employers, it was assumed it was a matter of time before he made a return to Chiefs.
Even the recent signings that were made at Chiefs without a head coach were linked to Baxter's influence.
For his part, Solinas seemed to understand the magnitude of the task ahead, but he cleverly avoided making huge promises.
"Coaching a club of this magnitude comes with big responsibility," he told the Chiefs website. "I will work hard day and night to make Chiefs' family and supporters happy."
Note how Solinas wasted no time in acknowledging that he has come to a club that puts family ahead of everything else.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLINAS
NAME:
Giovanni Solinas
BORN:
11-04-1968 in Sassari, Italy
NATIONALITY:
Italian
QUALIFICATIONS:
Uefa A and Uefa Pro Licence
TEAMS COACHED:
2010 ES Setif (12 matches), 2011 CR Belouizdad (11 matches), 2013 JSM Bejaia (17 matches), 2013 MC Oran (9 matches) (All Algeria); 2013-14 Al Faisaly FC (3 matches) (Saudi Arabia); 2015-16 FS Stars (23 matches), 2016 FS Stars (13 matches) (SA); 2017 Faisaly (10 matches)
HONOURS:
2010 North African Cup Winners Cup with ES Setif
PREFERRED FORMATION:
3-5-2..