DESPITE alarm bells tolling loud with Dynamos failing to halt a sequence of poor results, coach Lloyd Mutasa has remained cool in the face of all the adversity and threats to his job.
BY HENRY MHARA
With each match Mutasa is seemingly losing grip on his job and if Dynamos fail to beat Bulawayo City tomorrow the situation could degenerate into a crisis, if at all it had not, but in all this Mutasa is only focusing on the positives and sees a turnaround of fortunes on the horizon.
The Big Harare derby was an important match for Mutasa last week, but for once the Bulawayo City match could carry much more weight.
Losing to Caps for any Dynamos fan or player is the most painful experience, but at least it can be understandable.
But failing to beat Bulawayo City, who are also struggling themselves with just four points to their name so far, at this stage could trigger trouble for the Dembare gaffer.
The Harare giants have not won a match this season, picking on just three points from a possible 21 to languish second from the bottom on the log standings.
That has put Mutasa’s position at the club in serious doubt, but speaking to NewsDaySport on Thursday, the former midfield maestro didn’t seem very concerned.
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Asked if he fears for his job, after the slow start by his team. His answer was an emphatic “No.” He blamed the winless streak on bad luck.
“You look at how you doing your work, and how these youngsters are responding. There is no element of panic. You only need to be around (on matchdays) to see how this team is working. At times you lose a match, but with the kind of attitude that these youngsters are having, I don’t feel let down. I want them to go and continue to do the good work that they are doing here at training, and if that is not good enough to get a result, then I cannot be a worried person. I’m happy with the way they are executing their duties up to this day.
“We always live on hope and to be where we are its God’s work. He is the one who gave us this job and if the time is up, He is the one who can make it happen as well,” Mutasa said.
A crisis meeting between Mutasa and the club’s executive was held this week following the 1-0 defeat to Caps United in the Harare Derby last weekend.
“We met yesterday (Wednesday) and a day before that, but it was our usual meetings where we keep abreast of each other on the happenings. It’s something that is normal and its good to see people around showing one unity of purpose,” Mutasa said.
The Dynamos players have failed to replicate the form that they showed in pre-season games where they won the season opener ZNA Charities Shield.
Senior players, have performed below par this term. In particular skipper, Ocean Mushure, has not been himself since the beginning of the season, and had a terrible game in the Harare derby, getting booed by the fans before he was substituted.
“As a coach I wouldn’t want to play a blame game. What we can do is to alert and encourage each other on where one is doing right or wrong. We would want to see a response after our talk (following last week’s defeat), and not from just the seniors, but even the other youngsters who haven’t come to the party after having started brightly in pre-season.”
Tomorrow, DeMbare face an equally struggling Bulawayo City, and failure to collect maximum points in this one, and the repercussions could be enormous.
Mutasa is likely to be without key players for the match, with Valentine Kadonzvo, Jimmy Tigere and Raphael Manuvire all nursing injuries, while Mushure only trained on Tuesday due to personal problems.
City are also a team in trouble with reports suggesting that coach Darlington Dodo is sitting on a one match ultimatum, and failure to win here, and he would be off. Match day eight fixtures
Saturday: Mutare City v FC Platinum (Vengere), Black Rhinos v Bulawayo Chiefs (Rufaro), Herentals v Harare City (NSS), Nichrut v Caps (Ascot), Chicken Inn v Yadah
(Luveve), Ngezi v Highlanders (Baobab), Shabanie Mine v ZPC Kariba (Maglas)
Sunday: Dynamos v Bulawayo City (Rufaro), Triangle v Chapungu (Gibbo)
