Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel recalls how coaches used to get fired by the club’s former owner, Roman Abramovich.
The Russian billionaire would first come in and scold the players in Russian, with an interpreter in tow. The next time Abramovich would fly in with his helicopter, Mikel and all the Chelsea players knew the writing was on the wall.
“If we don’t do that (start playing well), the next time he comes in, he flies in with his helicopter to the training ground, and that’s it, we know that the manager is gone,” said Mikel.
Abramovich hired and fired 15 managers during his 20 years as boss of “The Blues”. The new Chelsea owners, led by American billionaire Todd Boehly, are a patient lot.
Before yesterday’s game against Leeds United, current manager Graham Potter’s Premier League record at Chelsea was: 18 games, 5 wins, 6 draws, and 7 defeats. The win percentage of 27.78% makes him the worst Chelsea manager in the Premier League era (since 1992). Abramovich would tear up Potter’s five-year contract, pay out millions, and move on as if nothing happened.
Over in Egypt, Zamalek had 25 coaches in five years (from 2014–2019), with the controversial Mortada Mansour in charge.
Trigger-happy Mansour once had seven coaches in just a year. Former Orlando Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic can attest to Mansour’s ruthlessness, as he was one of the “victims” and was fired after just 137 days about three years ago.
South Africa has its own Abramovich or Mansour, and his name? Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi.
“Once I see that the coach is not taking us in the right direction, he is taking us in the direction of destruction, I quickly act,” said Mpengesi some months ago, and added that the only coach he regrets firing was Manqoba Mngqithi, who was sacked
after just two games.
The last thing Mpengesi wants to see is Chippa United getting relegated, and he’s insisted that he’s not “proud” to fire coaches and that “it is not a nice thing to do”, but at the end of the day, the club comes first in his mind.
Firing coaches also means paying huge settlements, which has affected the club’s finances, but that hasn’t stopped him from having close to 30 different coaches in just 11 years since their first promotion to the top flight in the 2012/13 season.
Morgan Mammila is the latest to be shown the door by Mpengesi, and Kurt Lentjies, who helped the Chilli Boys retain its PSL status via the playoffs last season, is now back.
Whether Lentjies can emulate Dan Malesela and become the club’s longest-serving coach (see sidebar) remains to be seen, but a betting man wouldn’t put his money on it.
Chilli Boys coaches since their promotion to PSL
- Manqoba Mngqithi
(July 9 2012 – August 20 2012, 42 days)
- Julius Dube (caretaker)
(August 23 2012 – September 12 2012, 22 days)
- Roger Sikhakhane
(September 13 2012 – October 28 2012, 45 days)
- Farouk Abrahams
(October 28 2012 – January 29 2013, 93 days)
- Wilfred Mugeyi
(January 29 2013 – April 11 2013, 73 days)
- Mark Harrison
(April 12 2013 – October 7 2013, 178 days)
- Ian Palmer
(October 8 2013 – January 27 2014, 111 days)
- Vladislav Heric
(January 29 2014 – June 30 2014, 152 days)
- Kosta Papic
(July 1 2014 – September 3 2014, 65 days)
- Roger Sikhakhane (caretaker, then full-time)
(September 4 2014 – January 5 2015, 123 days)
- Ernst Middendorp
(January 5 2015 – March 30 2015, 84 days)
- Mich d’Avray (caretaker)
(March 30 2015 – May 5 2015, 37 days)
- Velile Dyaloyi (caretaker) (May 5 2015 – June 30 2015, 56 days)
- Roger Sikhakhane
(July 1 2015 – December 8 2015, 161 days)
- Dan Malesela (caretaker, then full-time)
(December 8 2015 – April 27 2017, 506 days)
- Mbuyiselo Sambu (caretaker)
(April 28 2017 – May 16 2017, 18 days)
- Dan Malesela
(May 17 2017 – September 14 2017, 120 days)
- Teboho Moloi
(September 14 2017 – March 3 2018, 172 days)
- Vladislav Heric
(March 3 2018 – June 30 2018, 118 days)
- Dan Malesela
(July 1 2018 – August 22 2018, 53 days)
- Eric Tinkler
(August 22 2018 – December 2 2018, 102 days)
- Joel Masutha
(December 2 2018 – January 10 2019, 39 days)
- Clinton Larsen
(January 11 2019 – September 16 2019, 255 days)
- Duran Francis (caretaker)
(September 17 2019 – September 30 2019, 13 days)
- Norman Mapeza
(October 1 2019 – March 3 2020, 155 days)
- Rulani Mokwena
(March 4 2020 – July 5 2020, 123 days)
- Lehlohonolo Seema
(July 6 2020 – December 23 2020), 170 days)
- Dan Malesela
(December 27 2020 – April 4 2021, 99 days)
- Siyabulela Gwambi
(April 4 2021 – July 7 2021, 94 days)
- Gavin Hunt
(July 7 2021 – December 18 2021, 164 days)
- Kurt Lenjties
(November 15 2021 – July 8 2022, 235 days)
- Daine Klate
July (11 2022 – September 8 2022, 59 days)
- Morgan Mammila
(September 9 2022 – February 27 2023, 171 days
- Kurt Lenjties (27 February 2023….
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