Molefi Ntseki is the latest coach in the hot-seat at Kaizer Chiefs, tasked with turning around the fortunes of a giant of the local game who have had to watch with envy as their rivals fill their trophy cabinets with new, glistening silverware.
It has now been eight years since the AmaKhosi last won a trophy, the longest barren run in the club’s illustrious history that is now into its sixth decade.
Since Stuart Baxter helped Chiefs romp to the 2014/15 DStv Premiership title, there have been seven permanent coaches in almost as many years at Naturena, including an unsuccessful second coming for the Briton.
Club owner Kaizer Motaung once vowed never to hire local coaches, but in that time has tried Steve Komphela, Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane and now Ntseki, perhaps convinced by the growing influence of his son Kaizer Motuang Jnr, who is sporting director.
Ntseki is a hire from within. In May 2021 he was appointed Head of Technical and Youth Development Academy, and had input into the first team under Zwane last year.
So he knows very well the players, their strengths and weaknesses, and the culture of the team, including the noise he has to manage from the halls of Naturena.
His career path has been an odd one. This is his first head coach role at a topflight club but he did have an 18-month spell in charge of Bafana Bafana, that ended when they lost 2-0 away in Sudan and failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Before that he led the national Under-17 side to their age-group World Cup in Chile in 2015, where he uncovered gems such as Cape Town City winger Khanyisa Mayo, current Chiefs player Reeve Frosler and the unfortunate Wiseman Meyiwa, whose career was prematurely ended following injuries sustained in a car accident.
Even further back than that he was assistant coach to Serame Letsoaka at the Under-20 World Cup in 2009 – players like Kermit Erasmus, Andile Jali and Thulani Serero were part of that group.
Ntseki has been generally lauded for his work as a development coach, with a keen eye for spotting talent, and that was one of the reasons why he was brought to Naturena to assist in the bolstering of their pipeline of players.
He does have experience as a coach in the lower leagues, taking amateur side Welkom Stars to promotion to the second tier in the early 2000s, and later was in charge of National First Division team African Warriors. He was also an assistant at Bloemfontein Celtic.
He is a holder of a SAFA Pro License and has completed courses through the German football association, so has paperwork to back up his experience.
But despite all this, he starts on the back foot at Chiefs because for many long-suffering fans the appointment is uninspiring.
That is, perhaps, an unfair view and he should not be judged on anything except results, which the next few months will determine. But it is clear that one of the nicest men in South African football is going to have to develop a thick skin fast.
There is already pressure on him before a ball has been kicked this campaign. A poor start and that hotseat will become unbearable very soon.
There were ugly scenes between the fans and Zwane towards the end of last season and that frustration will only grow if Chiefs stutter in the coming weeks.
They have already had to watch Mamelodi Sundowns win six league titles in a row, and last season bitter rivals Orlando Pirates beat them to CAF Champions League football, and lifted the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup trophies.
Astute football followers will recognise that with the squad having undergone quite extensive changes in the off-season, time is needed to bed in the new players and for them to understand Ntseki’s vision.
But patience is a commodity in short supply at Chiefs, a club so used to being top dogs, but now relegated to also-rans in the hunt for trophies.
Ntseki’s biggest immediate task is convincing supporters he is the right man for the job, and only wins will do that.
He will make his official debut in the dug-out when they host Chippa United in the DStv Premiership on Sunday.
