Pressure is increasing on Baroka, but club chairperson Khurišhi Mphahlele is backing coach Kgoloko Thobejane and called for calm.
The Limpopo side have not won any of their last 11 league matches, with seven losses and four draws since they beat Sekhukhune United 1-0 in September.
Thobejane replaced demoted Matsimela Thoka last month and has overseen three losses to Golden Arrows, Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns, and draws with Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City.
“I back Kgoloko to turn things around,” said Mphahlele.
“The spirit from the boys has been very high in camp since Kgoloko took over and they are playing good football. There is not much in terms of points separating us from the teams above us on the log and one win will change things.
“We are going to be patient, we don’t want to rush into making drastic decisions and panic because we still have 15 games to play this season.
“Kgoloko found us in this situation and he is trying to fix it, this situation was not started by him. It started while he was not here, but if you can look at our team now, the boys are playing well, unlike before, and that gives us hope.
“I think if we can get one win during the remaining two matches of the year we can turn things around, because that will give the players confidence.”
Thobejane said he will make sure the club is not relegated.
“I don’t see us being relegated,” he said, adding the squad will have to be improved during the January transfer window.
“In football you need quality and perfection. We need players who can work, players who cannot be pushed around, because playing the quality of a player like Themba Zwane is not easy.
“What is left for us is to find combinations and quality so that this team can survive relegation. Other than that, as coaches we must go all out every game and shout from the first to the last minute to give instructions.
“I know the players are working hard, but sometimes they must come to the party. If as a player you have individual brilliance you don’t rely on coaches to tell you what to do, because you know what to do when you have the ball.”
Thobejane started the loss to Sundowns without Evidence Makgopa, but said the Bafana Bafana striker was not 100 percent fit for 90 minutes.
“He is a national asset and we have to manage him properly. He was injured when we played against Swallows and he was not ready to play the whole match.
“He is still a young boy, and if we force to play him even though he is not 100 percent fit it will be a problem for him, the club and the country as a whole. We have to look after him and he was not 100 percent for this match.”
TimesLIVE
'I don’t see us being relegated', says Baroka coach Thobejane
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Pressure is increasing on Baroka, but club chairperson Khurišhi Mphahlele is backing coach Kgoloko Thobejane and called for calm.
The Limpopo side have not won any of their last 11 league matches, with seven losses and four draws since they beat Sekhukhune United 1-0 in September.
Thobejane replaced demoted Matsimela Thoka last month and has overseen three losses to Golden Arrows, Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns, and draws with Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City.
“I back Kgoloko to turn things around,” said Mphahlele.
“The spirit from the boys has been very high in camp since Kgoloko took over and they are playing good football. There is not much in terms of points separating us from the teams above us on the log and one win will change things.
“We are going to be patient, we don’t want to rush into making drastic decisions and panic because we still have 15 games to play this season.
“Kgoloko found us in this situation and he is trying to fix it, this situation was not started by him. It started while he was not here, but if you can look at our team now, the boys are playing well, unlike before, and that gives us hope.
“I think if we can get one win during the remaining two matches of the year we can turn things around, because that will give the players confidence.”
Thobejane said he will make sure the club is not relegated.
“I don’t see us being relegated,” he said, adding the squad will have to be improved during the January transfer window.
“In football you need quality and perfection. We need players who can work, players who cannot be pushed around, because playing the quality of a player like Themba Zwane is not easy.
“What is left for us is to find combinations and quality so that this team can survive relegation. Other than that, as coaches we must go all out every game and shout from the first to the last minute to give instructions.
“I know the players are working hard, but sometimes they must come to the party. If as a player you have individual brilliance you don’t rely on coaches to tell you what to do, because you know what to do when you have the ball.”
Thobejane started the loss to Sundowns without Evidence Makgopa, but said the Bafana Bafana striker was not 100 percent fit for 90 minutes.
“He is a national asset and we have to manage him properly. He was injured when we played against Swallows and he was not ready to play the whole match.
“He is still a young boy, and if we force to play him even though he is not 100 percent fit it will be a problem for him, the club and the country as a whole. We have to look after him and he was not 100 percent for this match.”
TimesLIVE
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