Komphela salutes his ‘cool boss’
KAIZER Chiefs coach Steve Komphela says he is very grateful that club boss Kaizer Motaung is a patient man and does not panic even when Amakhosi are going through a rough patch.
Chiefs finally ended their poor run of eight matches without a win when they beat Polokwane City 3-2 in a thrilling league game that had more twists and turns than a Brazilian soap opera at Soccer City on Sunday afternoon.
The rare victory – Chiefs had not won a game since beating Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in October – gave Komphela a little bit of breathing space and he exited Soccer City for the first time in weeks without his trademark police escort in tow.
Incensed Chiefs supporters had protested against Komphela’s regime in recent weeks and demanded the coach’s head on a platter. But Motaung didn’t buckle under the pressure to fire the beleaguered former Bafana Bafana captain and stuck with him.
Komphela revealed that there have been tough days when he’s felt the pressure but was amazed by the Chiefs chairman’s cool-as-a-cucumber approach to tense situations.
“Our chairman is always the first to arrive at the village [Chiefs’ Naturena headquarters in the south of Johannesburg] and sometimes he is the last to leave‚” said Komphela.
“After the first training if there are two sessions in between‚ when you go for lunch the chairman is there.
“He is always with you and he is one gentleman …. sometimes [when the team is under pressure and not winning] you feel like ‘chairman please say something’.
“But he will engage with you in a manner that makes you feel like ‘goodness me‚ is there no other thing [he wants to say] or is there no panic? Never‚ no panic.”
Komphela said Motaung constantly engages with him and is on hand to give motivational talks to the players wherever he feels his advice is needed in the changeroom.
“Even now he had a small talk with the team [after the win against Polokwane City].
“He appreciated the second half performance [that saw Chiefs claw their way back from 1-0 at halftime to win the exciting game 3-2] and he said we rectified the first half performance which our people did not deserve.”
Komphela admitted that he was relieved after his charges recovered and managed to win the game.
Irate Chiefs fans had bayed for Komphela’s blood in recent weeks and chanted “Steve must go‚ Steve must go” whenever the team played.
Komphela said he could feel the tension building inside the venue as his charges struggled to impose themselves in the first half.
As the crowd grew increasingly restless with each passing minute‚ it seemed Komphela would face more of the same at the end of the game.
And perhaps underlining the fickle nature of supporters‚ the same mob that has hounded Komphela out of stadiums in recent weeks was suddenly in fine voice at the final whistle on Sunday and celebrated the triumph as if they had just won the league title.
Komphela said he did not want to take the credit and also did not want to communicate what the result meant for him personally.
“I think where we are we are not more into personal stuff. You have got to take [the pressure] and the minute you are given this responsibility it is purely professional.
“Unfortunately some of the stuff that is professional is going to affect you personally.
“I am more relieved for the supporters and for everybody around the club that we got the three points.”
The Chiefs coach said the run of eight matches without a win was unreal and he was happy that his players finally ended the winless streak on Sunday.
“What we have just gone through just cannot be. So [the win] is more of confidence to the players and to an extent where you thinking ‘can it be that all the hard work cannot be rewarded’.
“A reward to them‚ confidence to them and joy to our supporters.
Chiefs are now fourth on the PSL standings and they play their last match of 2016 against Golden Arrows tomorrow. — TMG Digital