We are aware it has been a disappointing season, admits Motaung

Kaizer Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung has admitted to a disappointing season, but says the club plans to beef up the squad for next season. 

The chances of fourth-placed Amakhosi finishing in the Champions League places are all but over and they are also in danger of missing out on the consolation of the Confederation Cup. 

In their penultimate DStv Premiership match, Chiefs take on SuperSport United in what is a shoot-out for third spot at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Saturday. 

Asked to comment on their campaign, Motaung said they expected it to be difficult because they were rebuilding with a largely inexperienced coaching staff led by Arthur Zwane and giving opportunities to younger players. 

“When we started the season, we knew it was not going to be smooth, it was not going to easy because we had a lot of youngsters, a young coach and a young technical staff,” he said. 

“It was going to be a blessing to win the MTN8, the Nedbank Cup or qualify for the Champions League. But you must remember that building a house from scratch can’t be an overnight success; it is a journey. 

“If you look at how Sundowns and other teams are winning, it's about consistency and they never revamp their team, they just add on and on. Ours is more about the experience of the young players.” 

Chiefs fans have questioned the quality and depth of their squad. 

“Next season we are definitely going to beef up the squad and look at where the challenges were. Football is a journey. It is not an overnight or one-day thing, it is a process and we are on that journey. 

“Fifty-three years of Chiefs success is experience that we have had and we know where we are going. We are aware that it has been a disappointing season, but it was a rebuilding season. The experience the coaches and players gathered will help us going forward.”

Zwane has taken a lot of criticism from the supporters for lack of consistency and Motaung added that part of the season review will be how they assist the technical team.

“Obviously we are doing a review in terms of the support because we never put them there to fail. We put them there to help them to develop and grow, and when we do our review at the end of the season, we will see where we need to beef up. 

“We are also learning from the challenges that happened this season and we are going to make sure we assist and add more value to the staff and to the players.”