Coaches in the PSL: 27 and counting so far this season

We are barely at the halfway point of the season and already there have been 27 coaches who have manned the dugout at the 16 Premier Soccer League clubs.

One more will certainly be added when Baroka FC announce their replacement for Wedson Nyirenda, with former Black Leopards coach Dylan Kerr the likely appointment, in the next week.

Six of the 16 teams have made changes to their technical team so far, but astonishingly five of those have already had three separate men in the hot-seat as the coaching merry-go-round is in full swing.

To be fair, Vasili Manousakis was always going to be a caretaker appointment in between the tenures of Benni McCarthy and Jan Olde Riekerink at Cape Town City. But for the rest it has been a case of genuine chopping and changing.

In Black Leopards’ case it has been enforced as, following the axing of Frenchman Lionel Soccoia, they appointed Luy Eymael, only for the Belgian to quit this past week.

They have filled the gap with Cavin Johnson, who will take charge of his first game with Lidoda Duvha travel to Highlands Park on Sunday.

Johnson started the season at AmaZulu, before he was replaced by former Polokwane City coach Jozef Vukusic.

Polokwane themselves had Zlatko Krmpotić at the start of the season and he took them to the top of the table very early before a downturn in form saw him axed. He was replaced for yet another spell by Bernard Molekwa, but after four straight defeats the Limpopo side have now opted for Clinton Larsen to arrest their record run of 10 losses in a row.

Larsen had begun the campaign at Chippa United, but was axed five games in and Duran Francis handed the reins in the hope he could steer the ship.

But after three games he was replaced by Zimbabwean Wedson Nyirenda, who had vastly improved the side and lifted them off the foot of the table. 

But there is no doubt the most high-profile changes have been at Orlando Pirates, after Serbian Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic walked out on the club after only three games of the season to take up a post with Zamalek, from which he has already been sacked.

Rulani Mokwena was given the task but managed only four wins in 15 games – and one of those against Highlands Park was assisted by the match officials – before he was replaced by the German Josef Zinnbauer.

It was a big moment for South African football, with many feeling 32-year-old prodigy Mokwena would be a breath of fresh air through the local game.

But it was perhaps a post that came too soon for him and he would be better served building up his CV elsewhere before taking on such a high-pressure role. Luckily he has a lot of time on his side.

COACHES RECORDS IN ALL COMPETITIONS THIS SEASON

AMAZULU

Cavin Johnson: P5 W0 D2 L3 GF2 GA7

Jozef Vukusic: P11 W4 D2 L5 GF7 GA13

BAROKA FC

Wedson Nyirenda: P16 W3 D6 L7 GF10 GA14

BIDVEST WITS

Gavin Hunt: P20 W10 D5 L5 GF28 GA15

BLACK LEOPARDS

Lionel Soccoia: P5 W1 D1 L3 GF2 GA5

Luc Eymael: P9 W3 D3 L3 GF11 GA14

Cavin Johnson: P0 W0 D0 L0 GF0 GA0

BLOEMFONTEIN CELTIC

Lehlohonolo Seema/John Maduka: P16 W4 D5 L7 GF21 GA22

CAPE TOWN CITY

Benni McCarthy: P13 W1 D7 L5 GF15 GA21

Vasili Manousakis (caretaker): P2 W1 D0 L1 GF6 GA5

Jan Olde Riekerink: P4 W0 D2 L2 GF0 GA3

CHIPPA UNITED

Clinton Larsen: P5 W0 D3 L2 GF3 GA5

Duran Francis: P3 W0 D1 L2 GF0 GA2

Norman Mapeza: P9 W5 D2 L2 GF10 GA6

LAMONTVILLE GOLDEN ARROWS

Steve Komphela: P18 W8 D5 L5 GF17 GA22

HIGHLANDS PARK

Owen da Gama: P21 W6 D9 L6 GF18 GA17

KAIZER CHIEFS

Ernst Middendorp: P17 W11 D4 L2 GF33 GA16

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS

Pitso Mosimane: P28 W17 D7 L4 GF59 GA23

MARITZBURG UNITED

Eric Tinkler: P18 W5 D8 L5 GF14 GA15

ORLANDO PIRATES

Milutin Sredojevic: P3 W1 D0 L2 GF3 GA5

Rhulani Mokwena: P15 W4 D7 L4 GF20 GA20

Josef Zinnbauer: P1 W1 D0 L0 GF3 GA1

POLOKWANE CITY

Zlatko Krmpotić: P14 W5 D3 L6 GF12 GA21

Bernard Molekwa: P4 W0 D0 L4 GF2 GA6

Clinton Larsen: P1 W0 D0 L1 GF0 GA1

STELLENBOSCH FC

Steve Barker: P16 W3 D6 L7 GF12 GA20

SUPERSPORT UNITED

Kaitano Tembo: P21 W9 D8 L4 GF28 GA17