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Eric Tinkler will complete a year as head coach at Orlando Pirates on Thursday faced with a future that is now suddenly swinging in a pendulum of doubt in the aftermath of the CAF Confederation Cup final defeat to Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel on Sunday.
It was a year to the dot that Serbian Vladimir Vermezovic resigned following a mid-week defeat to Maritzburg United with Tinkler then taking over as caretaker coach for the rest of last season.
Upon the end of the last campaign in May – Pirates then confirmed that the former Bafana Bafana midfielder will continue leading the side this season.
At that time Pirates were already on their way to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup – a competition in which he eventually boxed his way to finishing off as a respectable runner-up.
So as the 12 months bell rings for Tinkler how does his record in his first full year as a head coach read especially considering that the decisive judgemental factor in any coach’s reign are his results?
For the 18 games that he oversaw after taking over last season the 45-year-old won eight, drew another eight and lost just two and was then bundled out in the second round of the Nedbank Cup by SuperSport United.
The Bucs eventually finished in fourth place – a distant 19 points off champions and their biggest rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
On the domestic scene this season Tinkler has been slow out the blocks winning thrice in the opening nine league games and has already lost four games which has been the root of the love-and-hate relationship with The Ghost.
Other critics have expressed their reservations about his team selection, choice and timing of his substitutions while some have just never had confidence in him arguing that his appointment was on a sympathetic trial and error basis persuaded by the need for continuity rather than one based on experience and merit.
In the local knockout competitions this season Pirates were bundled out by eventual winners Ajax Cape Town in the first round of the MTN8 while they were floored on penalties in the semi-finals of the Telkom KnockOut by Kaizer Chiefs.
So after a year his report card on the domestic scene reads: Played 33, Won 14, Drawn 10, Lost 9 for a 42 percent winning ratio.
In the CAF Confederation Cup for which he has been successful in leading Pirates to being the first South African club to reach the final of this competition, he oversaw 16 games winning 10, drawing three and losing another three which irons out to a 62,5 percent winning rate.
In total - Tinkler has been in charge for 49 games since taking over and in that time he has won 24, drawn 13 and lost 12 which translates to a 49 percent winning ratio.
He hasn’t won any official trophy but has a runners-up medal from the CAF Confederation Cup.
So based on all relevant criteria has Tinkler really failed?
You be the judge…