Here is the story: Chippa United are flirting with relegation at the moment, and Chippa Mpengesi has decided to pull the long awaited trigger on Morgan Mammila.
After twenty-one matches, they are currently 13th on the log, with twenty-four points and a negative five goal difference.
This means Chippa United are just six points away from the automatic relegation spot, currently occupied by Marumo Gallants, who seem to have gained a positive momentum after Dylan Kerr took over, and they might just make their way up the standings.
As things stand, The Chillie Boys might find themselves involved in a serious relegation dogfight, and Kurt lentjies is the man that has been tasked with the rescue mission.
Their former coach, Morgan Mammile, was too late in pressing the panic buttons, with the damage already done.
“We need to panic, you can see, the log doesn’t lie, we number 13 and on 24 [points], others are 25, others are 26, if you not winning it’s a problem,” said Mammila after his side’s 2-1 loss to Swallows FC.
“We need to address this and one thing is for sure, if the coming match I’m not winning, it means, huh uh… I’m not gonna stand and watch this team.
“Remember I’m a manager, I’m a businessman, I’m a person who is fair and honest, if I don’t win against my competitors then there’s trouble, then I’m not a man who’s trouble.
“Let’s be honest, if I don’t win against AmaZulu, what am I here for then, to relegate the team? No, no, no – I think I’ve done my part. Football is about winning, and if you’re not winning and my direct competitors are, it’s a problem.
“My aim is to protect this team, to protect this multi-million status, this team belongs to my friend and I’m a good friend, I won’t let my friend lose the status.”
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The fact of the matter is: The situation that Chippa United finds themselves in now, has been long coming, and Lentjies has a difficult task on his hands.
In their last ten matches, the Chillie Boys have won just one, managing to score eleven goals, with a whopping seventeen conceded!
Chippa United haven’t been creating enough scoring chances, with their xGF (expected goals for) column showing a meagre 0.83 according to FootyStats.Org, while their xGA (expected goals against) is a worrying 1.51.
The statistics prove that Chippa United are on a road to a complete disaster, and they are travelling fast!
No so long ago, the now former coach, Mammila, told journalists he will be honest and tell Chippa Mpengesi when to fire him if the results do not improve.
“Then calculate, that is what any chairman will do before they pull the trigger, do the calculations, but once the team drops down to 14th or 15th, then I am one man who is honest. If the team does not do well, I don’t wait.
“I am an honest man. I will just say ‘Chairman, I don’t want to throw your multi-million status away just like others’. I understand this business.”
It seems like Mpengesi has decided not to wait to be told by his employee when to fire him, he has done what he does best and pulled the trigger.
In a nutshell: Chippa United are in trouble, and Morgan Mammila was definitely not the man to save them.
The Chippa Mpengesi we know should have pulled the trigger long time ago on Mammila, but he has been uncharacteristically soft with the man who calls himself his friend.
It was time for Mpengesi to become his old self, and show Morgan the door.
