KAIZER Chiefs legend Mike “Sporo” Mangena reckons the failure of Soweto giants Amakhosi and Orlando Pirates in recent years is a result of the chopping and changing of head coaches.
Mangena was speaking at the Nedbank Ke Yona Talent Search which he attended with Owen Da Gama at Umlazi’s King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
“The past two seasons we have seen so-called big teams in South Africa made to look ordinary by smaller teams. This is because football is evolving. So-called smaller teams are adapting to those changes. But the biggest problem for Chiefs and Pirates is that they don’t hang on to coaches for long periods,” Mangena said.
The former striker said Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits were proof of what the Soweto giants could gain if they learned to employ the same technical team for more than three years.
He said: “Wits and Sundowns have won recent league titles because of their coaches. Pitso Mosimane has been at Sundowns for about six years now. The same goes to Gavin Hunt at Wits.
“These teams are now enjoying the benefits of investing and trusting their coaches. I think it has made the difference between being successful or not.”
Mangena predicted both Soweto giants would keep failing if they didn’t change their attitude on trusting their coaches. This season alone Pirates have had three different mentors.
They started with Muhsin Ertugral, who only lasted three months. Augusto Palacios took charge on an interim basis. Now they have Kjell Jonevret. This instability will see Bucs fail to qualify for the MTN8 tournament next season.
Chiefs, on the other hand, have managed to keep the same coach for two seasons but have been unsuccessful under Steve Komphela.
Amakhosi have gone two seasons without any silverware and there are rumours the club bosses are looking to replace Komphela next season.
- Mangena expressed his happiness about the good attendance of the Ke Yona Talent Search in Umlazi. He said they were impressed by the talent in KZN and were certain to see another local follow in the footsteps of SuperSport United midfielder Aubrey Modiba.
