Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
HOW Mine are no longer enthusiastic about hiring a coach with a big name saying such mentors have proved deceptive because they did not understand the club’s ideology.
The club parted ways with their coach Luke Masomere last month following a string of poor results. Jeremiah Makota and Sheunesu Chaka, the two men who got Chikurupati promoted into the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League in 2013 have been handed the task of leading the club until the end of the season.
A source familiar with goings on at the club said the club was no longer eager to engage the so-called big name coaches, the reason being that such individuals had discarded the club’s belief in investing in junior players.
“How Mine are no longer interested in these coaches with big names because they come and try to change things, they don’t understand the club’s ideology. They come and start signing established players yet the club’s vision is that the nucleus of the team should be the junior players. It is for this reason that these coaches have never lasted a season at How Mine,’’ said the source.
This should explain why the likes of Philani Mabhena, Philani Ncube and Masomere did not finish a full season at the Metallon Gold bankrolled club. Mabhena was in 2013 replaced by his assistant Ncube who quit the club midway through last season as results eluded him. Masomere took over towards the end of last season and he threw in the towel last month after a poor second half of the season.
It seems Masomere’s biggest crime was signing high profile players such as Charles Sibanda, Tawanda Muparati, Munyaradzi Diya, Devon Chafa and Limited Chikafa. But the club failed to realise anything from that investment. Sibanda was ruled out for the bulk of the season through injury sustained in a car accident, Muparati spent more time injured, Chikafa decided to return to his former side ZPC Kariba while Chafa and Diya have struggled to make it into the starting line-up.
While the bulk of the leadership was against signing most of these players, Masomere is said to have convinced some of them that the move could bring good results to the club.
A number of coaches are understood to have shown interest in replacing Masomere. These include Botswana-based Zimbabwean Rahman Gumbo who is said to have met How Mine chairman Alpha Matumbura last Sunday. Earlier on in the day, Gumbo, a former Highlanders, Caps United, FC Platinum as well as national team coach now in charge of Gaborone United had been spotted at Barbourfields Stadium during the match between Chicken Inn and Dynamos.
Gumbo was accompanied by recently sacked Highlanders assistant coach Mandla Mpofu raising speculation that he could be roped in as his assistant should he (Gumbo) secure the job at How Mine.
Our source maintained that the club resolved not to hire big name coaches such as Gumbo and Mpofu because of past experiences. Should Makota and Chaka impress in the remaining six games of the season, it could come as no surprise in the event that they were appointed on a fulltime basis for next season.
Matumbura said for now the two coaches were in charge and engaging Gumbo was just a rumour because Makota and Chaka deserve a chance to coach the team.
“The two guys are in charge, its just speculation, they deserve a chance as well,’’ said Matumbura.