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The Premiership coaches guillotine claimed another victim when Maritzburg United showed the door to coach Eric Tinkler on Monday.
The club confirmed that it had parted ways with the coach after a run of poor results.
President Farook Kadodia said in a statement that the board was forced to make the decision after Tinkler failed to stem the tide.
“It has been an extremely disappointing start to the season and the results have not come.
“Therefore, the board made the decision to terminate the coach’s contract. We would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” Kadodia said.
When contacted by TimesLIVE earlier in the day, the Maritzburg boss was in a very bad mood and issued a matching response.
“The club will issue a statement, so please follow the club’s website. I am not confirming or denying anything regarding the head coach.
“The club will have the privilege of making an announcement regarding the direction the club is taking,” Kadodia said.
Black Leopards was the first club this season to sack a coach after parting ways with Belgian Patrick Aussems, who had been introduced to much fanfare at a press conference at Southern Sun Hyde Park on October 21.
Aussems opened the door last week after three losses in the DStv Premiership and was replaced by Dylan Kerr.
Maritzburg got off to a terrible start to the 2020/21 season, losing four straight games.
While the losses might have been seen as pleasant, Saturday’s 1-0 loss to fellow Leopards, who like Maritzburg two seasons ago used the promotion / relegation play-offs to stay alive, was the last straw.
Before Saturday’s loss, there were losses to Baroka FC, Cape Town City, Chippa United and Kaizer Chiefs on MTN8.
The “Team of Choice,” which finished seventh last season, did not record a win in 11 games, and their last win was in March, before the coronavirus pandemic.
They failed to win a match on the biobubble in August and September – they lost three and drew three of their six matches.
It’s not the first time Maritzburg has struggled after finishing in the top eight.
In the 2014/15 season, they finished eighth, but the following season they held the table for long stretches until a dramatic 3-1 win on the final day against Jomo Cosmos saved their status.
They were seventh in the 2016/17 season and moved up three spots the following season before 15th place in the 2018/19 season saw them tangled in the relegation promotion play-off.
It was Tinkler who planned a clean break and that momentum carried them through the 2019/20 season.
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