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Veteran player Chipo Tsodzo is now the interim coach and took the boys through their paces during Wednesday and yesterday afternoon’s training sessions after Ncube, first assistant Simba Rusike and second assistant Farai Sibanda decided to abandon ship.
Tsodzo, who joined the club as a player during the mid-season, is a holder of a Level Three coaching certificate and will be assisted by photography expert, Mike Dube who was the team manager.
Dube holds a Level Two coaching certificate.
Level Three is the minimum qualification for one to coach a PSL team.
The stunning move by the Quelaton bench comes barely a few days before the Bulawayo side clash with reigning champions Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium in Harare.
When Chronicle Sport visited Hartsfield Grounds yesterday, Tsodzo was busy barking instructions during a training friendly with Bantu Rovers.
According to club director Tawanda Ruzive, the nomadic Tsodzo will be in charge of the match against Dynamos on Sunday and if he impresses, the club might consider drawing up a contract for him.
“As you can see Tsodzo is now in charge after Ncube decided to leave us.
“We had no contract with him because he refused to sign it saying what we were offering was not good enough and as such could not commit himself to the club.
“He was coming at his own time and most of the time Simba Rusike was left in charge,” said Ruzive.
Asked to explain the absence of Sibanda and Rusike on the bench, Ruzive said the duo also decided to part ways with the club probably in solidarity with Ncube. Sibanda was the first to excuse himself citing pressure of work but we could see it was to do with divisions and Rusike just decided not to pitch up,” said a worried Ruzive.
He said when Ncube complained that the team had no quality players, the club signed up eight new players during the second transfer window but the results got even worse.
Ncube who was voted the 2008 Coach of the Year when he was at Njube Sundowns, took over from Thulani Sibanda who was fired after just four games due to poor results and was expected to steer the ship from the dangers of relegation, an assignment which was always going to be difficult.
His short stint saw him collecting just a point, a 1-1 draw against runaway leaders Highlanders.
Contacted for comment yesterday Ncube said: “I don’t have much to say about the issue but what I can tell you is that I am relaxing at home.
“There were things which were meant to happen but somehow things did not happen according to what we agreed. Talk to the club executive or the director himself.”
During the second transfer-window, the club went on a recruitment drive and roped in eight new players in a bid to save the ship but alas, things turned from bad to worse.
In their first game they were mauled 7-1 by Highlanders before losing 0-1 at home to fellow strugglers Black Mambas.
The club made a suicidal decision at the beginning of the season when they decided to stay with the Division One material which had no Premiership experience, from the coaches to the players and that decision is now haunting the institution.
Online Reporter