The answers Orlando Pirates coach Mandla Ncikazi gave in his post match interview of their 2-0 defeat at SuperSport United on Monday painted a grim picture of him not staying put.

The defeat at Lucas Moripe Stadium was the final nail in the coffin of Pirates' substandard campaign. The Sea Robbers needed at least five unanswered goals against SuperSport to secure a spot in next season's CAF Confederation Cup, a tournament they lost in the final almost two weeks ago. Fourteen draws summarises how poor Pirates were this term.

Many of the club's fans already want Ncikazi and his co-coach Fadlu Davids gone. The former sounded despondent when he was quizzed about his future after the SuperSport clash, underlining he shoulders the blame. Four-time league winner Gavin Hunt and former AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy have been heavily linked to the Pirates coaching post of late.

"The future isn't determined here in this room... it's not determined by me. The future is determined somewhere else. Mine is to digest the poor performance of today and wait. Whatever happens next happens. There are no excuses and blaming anybody except myself,'' Ncikazi said.

"As a coach you know what's expected of you and you know the objectives of the club when you come in. The bottom line is that we didn't meet the objectives. I just blame myself for the failure of the whole group. We didn't fulfil the mandate... you're going to the Confed Cup final and one week later you have an opportunity to have a CAF spot and you miss it in three minutes [referring to the 2-2 draw at Royal AM where they conceded in stoppage time], having lost on penalties in the final.''