Changing coaches not always answer

Chippa United’s propensity for hiring and firing coaches at the drop of a hat may come back to haunt it before the season is over. The latest victim of Chippa’s revolving door policy is Eric Tinkler, who has left the club after failing to win any of his previous six matches at the helm. Chippa boss Siviwe Mpengesi denied that Tinkler had been fired and said the club had parted ways with the former Bafana star by mutual agreement. Mpengesi hinted more changes could be expected with the club having started a restructuring programme. The very next day, he placed chief executive Peter Koutroulis and his wife and admin manager, Maria, on “special leave”.

Former Black Leopards mentor Joel Masutha has replaced Tinkler and his first game in charge of the troubled club will be against Cape Town City at the Athlone Stadium on December 11.

Tinkler becomes the second coach to be fired before the Christmas break after Dan Malesela’s axing earlier in the season. The luckless Malesela was axed for non-performance after just three matches.

Tinkler joined the Port Elizabeth-based professional side in August and, like many of his predecessors, his stay was short-lived. Chippa are clearly concerned about the lack of progress made since Tinkler took charge.

The Bay side are now deep in the relegation zone and this has given the club reason for concern.

The question must be asked whether Chippa should have given Tinkler more time to find a winning recipe.

Coaches often take time to impart their philosophy to players and the best may have been yet to come.

While there will be some sympathy for Tinkler, he must have realised he was walking on a tightrope from the moment he entered the club’s gates. Now Masutha has been thrown in at the deep end, and the confused players will have to adjust to a new set of ideas and coaching methods.

This constant chopping and changing does nothing for the continuity of a club, and Chippa may still regret their impatience when it comes to coaching staff.

Changing a coach does not always guarantee success.