Veteran Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala has come to Steve Komphela’s defence and pleaded with the club’s incensed supporters to give the embattled coach a break.
The noose has slowly tightened around Komphela’s neck over the past few weeks and irate supporters have communicated their unhappiness by abusing the coach at the end of Chiefs matches.
The club’s poor run of form — they have not won a game since beating Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in October — has only served to infuriate the supporters further and they have increased their aggression with each passing game.
Komphela has needed police and security personnel to escort him out of stadiums in recent weeks and Tshabalala said those who are continuing to pelt the coach with missiles and direct insults at him have crossed a line.
‘‘It is not a nice situation to be at currently for the team‚ for the players and most importantly the coach‚” he said.
‘‘We are fully behind the coach. We support him and I think the only way we can show that we want him to stay‚ we believe in him and we want him to succeed is through performance and results.”
Tshabalala said the players have struggled to deal with watching Komphela exit stadiums under police and security protection and the ugly scenes have left a sour taste in the mouth.
‘‘(The abuse) definitely does get to us. It is not a nice situation to witness because he is not only the coach‚ he is a father‚ he is a husband‚ he is a brother‚ he is a good human being and it is not nice to see what has been happening in the past few weeks.
‘‘But we can only change that through performance and good results.”
The former Bafana Bafana midfielder — who joined Chiefs from Free State Stars in January 2007 — said Komphela’s regime is not the worst he’s played under during his years at Naturena and he remembers worse times under combustible Serbian coach Vladimir ‘‘VV” Vermezovic (coach between May 2009 and April 2012).
‘‘I think we have been in worse situations than this. I remember when VV left the team‚ I think we went four games without a win.
‘‘We lost four consecutive games in that period. It was a tough situation but we stuck together and we told ourselves that we had to change the situation.
‘‘This season as well..... yes it looks bad because we have played so many draws and we have dropped points at home. Hence people are not happy. We are not happy and everyone is not happy.”
Vermezovic was in the middle of the morning training session with his players when he was summoned to face Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung and his son Bobby at the glamour side’s Naturena headquarters on that day in April 2009.
Vermezovic had expected club management to provide him with clarity on the possible extension of his contract — which was to have expired in June of that year — but was shocked when he was told that his services were no longer required.
The fiery Serbian’s contract was terminated with immediate effect‚ and his assistant‚ Donald "Ace" Khuse‚ assumed control moments after his dismissal.
Vermezovic not only had a strained relationship with most of his senior players‚ but also had a difficult relationship with Khuse even though they had shared the bench for three years.
Insiders told Times Media Digital at the time the two barely acknowledged each other and apparently only started speaking in the weeks before Vermezovic was sacked. — TMG Digital
Tshabalala flies in like a quick-footed featherweight and leaps to beleaguered Komphela’s defence
Veteran Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala has come to Steve Komphela’s defence and pleaded with the club’s incensed supporters to give the embattled coach a break.
The noose has slowly tightened around Komphela’s neck over the past few weeks and irate supporters have communicated their unhappiness by abusing the coach at the end of Chiefs matches.
The club’s poor run of form — they have not won a game since beating Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in October — has only served to infuriate the supporters further and they have increased their aggression with each passing game.
Komphela has needed police and security personnel to escort him out of stadiums in recent weeks and Tshabalala said those who are continuing to pelt the coach with missiles and direct insults at him have crossed a line.
‘‘It is not a nice situation to be at currently for the team‚ for the players and most importantly the coach‚” he said.
‘‘We are fully behind the coach. We support him and I think the only way we can show that we want him to stay‚ we believe in him and we want him to succeed is through performance and results.”
Tshabalala said the players have struggled to deal with watching Komphela exit stadiums under police and security protection and the ugly scenes have left a sour taste in the mouth.
‘‘(The abuse) definitely does get to us. It is not a nice situation to witness because he is not only the coach‚ he is a father‚ he is a husband‚ he is a brother‚ he is a good human being and it is not nice to see what has been happening in the past few weeks.
‘‘But we can only change that through performance and good results.”
The former Bafana Bafana midfielder — who joined Chiefs from Free State Stars in January 2007 — said Komphela’s regime is not the worst he’s played under during his years at Naturena and he remembers worse times under combustible Serbian coach Vladimir ‘‘VV” Vermezovic (coach between May 2009 and April 2012).
‘‘I think we have been in worse situations than this. I remember when VV left the team‚ I think we went four games without a win.
‘‘We lost four consecutive games in that period. It was a tough situation but we stuck together and we told ourselves that we had to change the situation.
‘‘This season as well..... yes it looks bad because we have played so many draws and we have dropped points at home. Hence people are not happy. We are not happy and everyone is not happy.”
Vermezovic was in the middle of the morning training session with his players when he was summoned to face Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung and his son Bobby at the glamour side’s Naturena headquarters on that day in April 2009.
Vermezovic had expected club management to provide him with clarity on the possible extension of his contract — which was to have expired in June of that year — but was shocked when he was told that his services were no longer required.
The fiery Serbian’s contract was terminated with immediate effect‚ and his assistant‚ Donald "Ace" Khuse‚ assumed control moments after his dismissal.
Vermezovic not only had a strained relationship with most of his senior players‚ but also had a difficult relationship with Khuse even though they had shared the bench for three years.
Insiders told Times Media Digital at the time the two barely acknowledged each other and apparently only started speaking in the weeks before Vermezovic was sacked. — TMG Digital
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