It was a poignant moment that perfectly summed up the depths of despair Kaizer Chiefs have been experiencing.
During the post-match press conference at FNB Stadium after Chiefs suffered their fourth DStv Premiership defeat in nine matches, a colleague cheekily put it to coach Molefi Ntseki that the “chips must be down” in the dressing room.
If you didn’t know, it was a taunting barb because Amakhosi launched a potato snack range this week, and they lost 1-0 to Cape Town City at home at FNB Stadium a day later. The clever jab drew giggles from media colleagues in the auditorium, but no-one burst out in full laughter. Sitting at the top table was stony-faced Ntseki, whose response was that time would heal the disappointment for his players because the City result was certainly not what they were looking for.
To put it in context, there had been some promising performances going into the game. Refereeing decisions cost Chiefs progression at the expense of trophy machines Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semifinals. That was followed by a spirited, come-from-behind 2-1 win against Sekhukhune United in Durban. The talk from Naturena ahead of the City clash was of reinforcing the signs that the tide was turning for a decent squad under their new head coach.
The body language of the team and their coach after the defeat told it all. It left Chiefs wallowing in seventh place with three wins from nine Premiership matches, and positively deflated.
“Time heals, in this case if you look at the results and how we lost, the two weeks that we will be having with the players [during the Fifa week] will give them time to heal,” was Ntseki’s stolid response.
“At the same time, the understanding we have is that we always prepare to win. A result like this is not what we were looking for but this is part of the results that we get in football. You win some, you lose some and you draw some — it is just unfortunate that today, after such a good performance, we lost the game. We are professionals, we have to lift our heads and go back into training to prepare the team for the coming matches.”
Ntseki looked exhausted. He put on a brave face during the post-match interview that took about 15 minutes as he surveyed the wreckage. But the mounting pressure due to inconsistent results in one of the most pressurised coaching hot seats in South African sport is clearly taking its toll.
During his 15 minutes at the mic, Ntseki defended his players and argued that they played well, but this is an assertion many people, including the club's increasingly disgruntled fans, disagreed with, if social media is anything to go by. It was in the X “spaces” that Amakhosi supporters first began expressing their disappointment in the club's choice of coach at the start of the season. That has transferred to the stands — there have been three incidents of missile-throwing at the coach, costing the team tens of thousands of rand in fines. It all has to take its toll mentally in Ntseki.
It is only nine matches into the season and already Amakhosi are rank outsiders as they trail runaway log leaders Sundowns by a whopping 13 points. If this wasn't enough, Amakhosi will be mere spectators during the first domestic cup final of the season — the MTN8 last match between rivals Orlando Pirates and Sundowns at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
The chances of laying their hands on silverware in the league this season would take a spectacular revival of their inconsistent campaign. The other chances of winning silverware to reverse the eight-season drought that clearly weighs heavily on the club and its players and coaching staff will be the new Carling Black Knockout or Nedbank Cup.
The Premiership surely already has become a bridge too far, especially if Sundowns continue at the rate they started at. However, there is every possibility that Chiefs — who have shown signs that some genuinely good new signings might gel at some stage — can launch a serious assault in the cups.
Against City, Ntseki rang a few changes to freshen the team and also to go with his rotation policy but it was not enough to get the desired results. A positive out of defeat was the promising performance of new signing from Stellenbosch FC Sibongiseni Mthethwa, who will bring a calming influence and balance in the midfield as the season gains momentum. Ntseki will also be happy star midfielder Keagan Dolly played for the 30 minutes on his return from a long injury layoff and the former French-based Bafana Bafana star can add experience and attacking options.
It has not been an easy ride for Ntseki, and just as the journalists, trying to be respectful, restrained themselves from cracking up with laughter when the “chips are down” comment was made in his press conference, the situation is no laughing matter for the coach — no pun intended.
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