Is Davids to follow Eymael, Malesela and Masutha? Joel Masutha (Black Leopards)
It appears that Maritzburg United are ready to wield the axe on head coach Fadlu Davids.
The Team of Choice impressed last term under the former striker, finishing fourth on the Absa Premiership standings.
But this season’s form – they are 15th after nine matches – is a far cry from the performance of last season that ensured Davids was nominated for coach of the season – the prize went to Mamelodi Sundowns mentor Pitso Mosimane.
If Davids is sacked and Ernst Middendorp takes over as has been widely speculated, he would be the fourth coach to lose his job this season.
Sunday World assesses the coaching changes thus far…
Dan Malesela (Chippa United)
“Dan Dance” got the boot after the Chilli Boys failed to win their first three matches, losing two and drawing one. The new man in charge, Eric Tinkler, has overseen eight matches, including a Telkom Knockout cup tie which they lost 1-0 to Orlando Pirates. Tinkler has two wins, four losses and two draws. The Port Elizabethbased side occupy 13th spot at the moment and if the situation doesn’t improve, club boss Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi has shown in the past that he’s not shy to make changes even in the face of criticism that he is trigger happy.
There’s a new man at the helm of Lidoda Duvha’s coaching reins with Dylan Kerr joining the Limpopo side after he resigned from his job at Kenyan side Gor Mahia. Masutha denied claims by the club that he resigned from his job, confirming that he was fired. He leaves Leopards in 14th place after two wins in 11 outings. Masutha is adamant that it was not his fault that Leopards’ ship is sinking. He believes that he didn’t get the players he needed to bolster the squad after their promotion from the National First Division (NFD). Masutha said he asked management for experienced players like defender Tefu Mashamaite, who is currently clubless, and Zambia’s prolific striker Lazarus Kambole, but these players were not signed.
Luc Eymael (Free State Stars)
Ea Lla Koto are ninth at the moment and before the last round of league fixtures, they had been one of the top eight teams, which makes Eymael’s departure a bit of a surprise. But the Belgian never seemed to settle in the Free State, with rumours linking him to a move to Kaizer Chiefs, which never materialised. Eymael has now moved to Egyptian side El Gaish, while Stars are on the lookout for a new coach. Even with this change, Stars are not in panic mode.