More than any team in the PSL, Chiefs need a coach

At the sound of the final whistle, Bruce Bvuma pulled his blue shirt to cover his face after yet another defeat for the beleaguered Kaizer Chiefs.

Chiefs supporters, who withstood the incessant rain that pummelled the Buffalo City Stadium and rendered the pitch a pigsty of sorts, stormed the pitch not to repeat the violent chaos and vandalism they visited on Moses Mabhida Stadium after the 2-0 Nedbank Cup loss to Free State Stars in 2018.

The soaking wet fans sprinted onto the field to spread love to their beloved stars. Beaming smiles, some patted players on the shoulder while others whipped out their smartphones to snap selfies with their stars. Heartwarming acts that went some way to soothe players who persevered despite grieving the loss of their teammate Luke Fleurs, who was gunned down in Johannesburg during a car hijacking on Wednesday night.

The tragedy befell a Chiefs team that have hardly covered themselves in glory with pedestrian performances that have rendered the team the butt of banter on social media platforms. Fans have vented with X-rated language on X that would leave sailors aghast to express their chagrin at the consistent humiliating losses.

The ties that bind between Amakhosi fans and their club are strong. While rows of empty orange seats are a usual sight unseen only when Chiefs host Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium, elsewhere they follow their team like bees to honey

But the ties that bind between Amakhosi fans and their club are strong. While rows of empty orange seats are a usual sight unseen only when Chiefs host Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium, elsewhere they follow their team like bees to honey.

Sold-out signs went up at Athlone Stadium away to Cape Town City. Yesterday the arena was packed to the rafters. However, their spirits were dampened when Eva Nga shot Chippa into the lead after 21 minutes. Nor were they deterred when Sinoxolo Kwabiya doubled the deficit 12 minutes later to condemn Chiefs to a ninth defeat of the season.

A third in a five-match sequence punctuated by a draw and a win. A third match without a scoring a goal.

A common denominator of goals shipped is the defensive disorganisation that opponents duly punish as they penetrate the Chiefs’ rearguard as though they were passing through holes of Swiss cheese. It is a function of a poverty of fluidity in play, a technical ineptness bereft of ideas to impose play and influence the result. It is a result of the maladroitness whose inability to effect meaningful change allows the uncompetitive malaise to persist without an end in sight. It is the outcome of the bankruptcy of the coaching brains trust.

Those fans are holding on to a love affair whose fire is not extinguished by the deluge of disappointments that is the worst in living memory. They live in the hope that one day, some day, the club management will hire a coach that will restore dignity to their soiled reputation.

And Cavin Johnson is running out of things to say.

“Not happy with the performance from a lot of the players. But we have to fix them up. We have to come back, and we’ve got another game on Saturday against Chippa. We have to try our best. We need the points, we need the points more than any other team in the PSL at this present moment. But we need to fight for them, we need box cleverer and we need to play the ball better,” he said last week after losing to Stellenbosch FC. 

“I think the most important attribute is the players need to play proper technical. They need to be better technically, and in a lot of moments … we have to pass the ball better. I don’t think there’s times when we passed the ball better. We’re not looking like we can pass the ball better.

“When we go 1-0 down, yes we have 45 minutes to come back. Be the confidence you are. Be the Kaizer Chiefs you are… and play the proper ball. Don’t just kick the ball. That for me is very, very disturbing from my players.”

Enough said. Chiefs need a coach more than any PSL team.