Kaizer Chiefs’ coach Giovanni Solinas has made a plea to his team’s supporters to stay off his players’ backs during games.
It has been a tough start for new Amakhosi coach Solinas in the Absa Premiership.
His team have yet to win in the league in three matches following Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw against Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Chiefs supporters’ disgruntlement has shown signs of carrying over from last season‚ which was the Soweto giants’ third campaign without a trophy.
There have been grumbles in the stands‚ and supporters have been on some players’ backs‚ notably ageing forward Bernard Parker.
“I want the supporters to support the players.
"During the game we need our fans to support the players‚” Solinas said after the draw against Baroka.
“During the game is not the moment to criticise the players.
"The players during the game need support.
“This is the real fan. The real fan is when you support your club and your players.
“After the game you can judge your players. But during the game‚ no – during the game the players need the support.
“Parker is a Kaizer Chiefs player. He needs support.
“The players‚ in the training sessions‚ work hard. Believe me‚ they put the effort in the training sessions.
“Yes‚ they need the time to improve. In my opinion‚ to improve the team we need training sessions.
“Because in training sessions you fix the mistakes‚ you can improve. But we don’t have time for training at the moment.
“We played Saturday‚ we played today [Tuesday] and we will play on Friday‚ travelling from Polokwane to Durban. So there is no time to fix the mistakes in training.
“But I am confident about the future. When we have time for training sessions the team will improve.”
Chiefs started the 2018-19 season with an encouraging 1-1 league draw away against Mamelodi Sundowns‚ then lost 3-1 at home to Bidvest Wits.
They beat Free State Stars 3-0 for Solinas’s first win in the MTN8 quarterfinals at FNB Stadium on Saturday night.
But the Baroka draw leaves the coach still seeking a first league win.
Amakhosi go back on the road again for their next league ficture against Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium on Friday night.
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