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With Troughton gone, who will feel the axe next?

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S’Busiso Mseleku (File)
S’Busiso Mseleku (File)
As I was penning this column, with this headline “How long before the coaching merry-go-round starts?” a statement landed in my inbox that Free State Stars had fired Sammy Troughton.

I guess the question changes to "Who will be next?"

But this is how my column was going before that news broke:

With the mixed bag of results suffered by different PSL clubs, it’s a matter of time before the first coach bites the dust.

We are only two games into the 2017/18 Absa Premiership season but already one can feel that it’s only a matter of time before the first coach gets fired.

The question is, who? It is not even a matter of "if", but "when" will we see the first man go.

Given how Kaizer Chiefs, who have already played three matches - a 1-0 MTN8 loss to SuperSport United, a 1-1 draw against Bloemfontein Celtic and a 2-1 loss to the same United in a league game - many pundits would be prepared to bet their last dollar that Steve Komphela is the most likely candidate to become the first recipient of the proverbial boot.

Kaizer Motaung is known for his ability to remain as cool as a cucumber under trying circumstances, but even he must be close to reaching the end of his tether.

The chants of “Steve must go” that reverberated through the hallowed FNB Stadium corridors on Wednesday night following the latest defeat might have pushed Komphela closer to the precipice.

The fact that he is in his third season with Amakhosi and still has nothing to show for his efforts doesn't auger very well for his future.

For the record, Chiefs are 14th on the log after the two opening fixtures while Orlando Pirates are third.

Interestingly, Fadlu Davids (Maritzburg United) and Benni McCarthy (Cape Town City) - both homegrown coaches - are first and second on the log. 

Another man walking the plank is Briton Peter Butler who still hasn't won a game with Platinum Stars.

It’s not just that the newcomer has lost two league matches already, but the manner in which they have been lost that might see him sent packing back to Botswana where he came from - if not to his country of birth, England.

Stars are languishing at the bottom of the table with no points, but what’s should be more worrying is the fact they have let in five goals and still have to find the back of the net. They have a minus five goal difference as a result.

This can't sit very well with the owners of a club that finished just outside the Top 8 last season with 37 points after being beaten to the final slot by Golden Arrows by a single point on the final day of league action.

In concluding my initial column, I was going to write: Sammy Troughton of Free State Stars is also skating on thin ice as his club is just three positions from the bottom with a single point so far.

But such is football that there is hardly a dull moment!

S'Busiso Mseleku is regarded as one of Africa's leading sports journalists and an authority on football. He has received some of the biggest awards in a career spanning over 30 years. He is currently City Press Sports Editor.

Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
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