After several attempts at finding the right man, Chippa United soccer boss Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi seems to have discovered gold in his latest coach, Clinton Larsen.
Larsen is the fifth coach to be roped in this season by the trigger-happy Mpengesi, and was appointed after the axing of Joel Masutha early in the year.
Vladislav Heric was appointed ahead of the campaign, but he was fired without taking charge of a game. He was replaced by Dan Malesela, who gave way to Eric Tinkler.
Masutha took over from Tinkler in early December and was only in charge as an interim coach for five games, none of which he managed to win.
The Port Elizabeth side seem to have turned a corner as they have been unbeaten in five matches since Larsen took over.
The team had previously struggled to clinch a win in 11 games.
Chippa’s good run has seen them move away from the log basement.
Mpengesi is over the moon with Chippa’s U-turn and the coach’s progress so far, saying Larsen could have a longer stay at the club.
“We have a six-month contract with Larsen. In a new relationship there must be that process of courtship, understanding each other.
“But we think he is a good guy,” Mpengesi said.
“We’ve always wanted to have our own Pitso Mosimane.
“We wanted a coach who can serve here and be with us for a long time. So we think that he is our Pitso.”
The 42-year-old soccer boss is always under fire on social media and around football circles for his quick finger on the trigger when it comes to the hiring and firing of coaches.
Despite much criticism by the supporters on the running of the club, with some even comparing his managing skills to those of a spaza shop owner, Mpengesi said this time around it was all for a good cause.
“The cleanup that we did as management has paid off. We did not doubt that we had a great team and good players, but there were a lot of things that were not right.
“So [in] December we decided to clean up, reduce the squad and put in the proper management structures.
“Of course, it was difficult for the public to understand because when it comes to coaches and changes, history is not favouring us. But we thought, let us do it for the love of this team.
“Now we are happy because we are reaping the fruits,” he said.
“Unfortunately in life, sometimes when you take a decision some people will support you and others will not.
“We understand that what was happening in the past was not a good thing.
“From a person standing outside there was a picture of chaos. There was a picture of running the club like a spaza shop. We really don’t blame people for saying all those things, because people talk about what they see.”
He said he had not been happy with what was going on at the club before the arrival of CEO Morgan Mammila and coach Larsen.
Mpengesi said Chippa United was a reflection of himself and what is happening in his life. “So the criticism made me want to change the situation.
“I still want to apologise to the public about what happened in the past and make them understand that now we think we are on the right path.
“Our priority is the league so that we finish in a safe position. We think the next three or four wins in the next 10 games will make us be at the point.
“The Nedbank Cup success is just a bonus. It is not something that we are after, but we are grateful [for] the developments in terms of the team moving forward.”