Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
Metros Editor
ON Sunday, for the first time this season, a small group of CAPS United fans turned against their coach Takesure Chiragwi.
Until now, the former CAPS United defender has received nothing but love from the Green Machine fans since his arrival as coach at the start of the season.
Club owner Farai Jere made Chiragwi’s recruitment a priority and wanted him to come last year only for the move to be blocked at the last minute.
However, with the coach’s contract at Ngezi Platinum Stars, where he won a championship, expiring at the end of last season, there was nothing the Mhondoro could do to stop him.
Chiragwi arrived in the company of many players, from his old club, who included forwards Obriel Chirinda and Takunda Benhura.
And, after four straight wins at the start of the season, the coach quickly turned himself into the darling of the Makepekepe fans.
However, at Wadzanai on Sunday, where CAPS United were frustrated by lowly Agama in a goalless draw, some of the fans turned against Chiragwi.
The Green Machine created enough chances to win the game but, as has been the case on many occasions this season, their strikeforce did not convert them.
With Scottland beating Hardrock 2-0 at Rufaro, this result was a disappointment for the CAPS United fans.
They would have marked this weekend as one of those where, one way or the other, they were going to gain on either Scottland or Hardrock and, even, gain on both of them.
But, while the point gained helped CAPS United move one clear of Hardrock, who have a game in hand, it left them four points adrift of the Scotts.
There is an unproven theory, in local football, that once a club coach is assigned to the Warriors, as an assistant, his team’s fortunes take a noise-dive.
Chiragwi is back with the Warriors and missed two key matches during his assignment in England.
He is back but a goalless draw against Agama was the kind of result which sends emotions exploding, and anger rising, among the CAPS United fans. One win, in the last seven league games, five draws and a loss is a poor run for a club who want to challenge for the championship.
But, is it fair for some fans to turn against Chiragwi?
A fair analysis of how CAPS United have played this season will show that it is not only unfair but, to some extent, diabolical.
Why?
• Yes, CAPS United have struggled in the past seven games but Chiragwi has guided them into second place, with 16 games and 48 points to play for, and that is a good place to be in at this stage of the season.
• Before Chiragwi’s arrival, CAPS United had become an average side and last year they even flirted with relegation as they stumbled from one poor result to the other.
• They lost four games on the trot against FC Platinum, Yadah, Bikita Minerals and TelOne, scoring just one goal in those 360 minutes of football during a poor run in which they won just once in 10 games, last season.
• CAPS United won just five of their opening 18 games last season and, with Chiragwi as their coach, they have won NINE of their opening 18 games this year.
• They had lost eight games, after their opening 18 games of the season last year, and now they have lost only three matches, scoring 20 goals, compared to 14 last year, and conceding 13, compared to 18 last year.
• Their 33 points, so far this season, is 14 points more than what CAPS United had in their bank, at this point of the season, last year, when their tally was only 19 points.
Given that this is the first time that Chiragwi is in charge of such a huge club, he has settled quite well and, instead of turning against their coach, CAPS United fans need to get behind him, especially when the days are dark, as was the case at Wadzanai.
