Kaizer Chiefs have excuses, but no answers

Kaizer Chiefs spent close to an hour cloistered in their change room after Tuesday's humiliating defeat to Maritzburg United, but club boss Bobby Motaung insisted "only positive things were said".

Yet another emergency meeting reflects the deep mire that Chiefs find themselves in after wasting a chance to move closer to the league leaders with just six league games to go.

While Chiefs are still mathematically in with a chance of the title, the overwhelming impression left by the 1-0 defeat by the struggling Maritzburg was of a team still firmly stuck in a spiral of inconsistency and with no solution to their problems.

It will now likely be seven seasons since the glamour club of South African football last won the league, their mythical dominating aura long since gone.

Caretaker coach Donald Khuse put up a feeble defence of his charges' performance in a game in which they were dominant but ultimately failed to force the opposing goalkeeper into more than just a handful of saves.

"The main problem is that we didn't have any luck. You can play well but if you don't have luck, you lose," he said.

While the atmosphere might be brighter after the sacking of Vladimir Vermezovic, the change has done nothing to tighten the team's resolve and a rare trophy-less season awaits the Amakhosi.