Kaizer Chiefs have sunk themselves to within a stone's throw of their worst league campaign ever since domestic football was bracketed into the National Soccer League in 1985.
The year 2023 counts as the worst calendar year that Chiefs have ever had.
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Their well-documented silverware barren spell for the year 2023 came with cup exits in the Nedbank Cup, MTN8 and Carling Knockout.
By the time fireworks went up to celebrate the turn of the New Year, Amakhosi had lost 17 games across all competitions, the worst run of defeats ever for the club in a calendar year.
Mamelodi Sundowns walked over them thrice, Orlando Pirates did a double on them just like Golden Arrows, AmaZulu, Cape Town City, SuperSport United and Sekhukhune United.
There were also defeats to TS Galaxy and Moroka Swallows.
Prior to the year 2023, Chiefs lost 14 games in 1985 and 1993 when they went through their worst years.
The evidence of the Soweto giants' struggles also came in the line of changes on the bench with Arthur Zwane making way for Molefi Ntseki, who was then forced to hand over to Cavin Johnson.
Now, with their season left with seven games, this could again turn into their worst campaign.
One win in the last eight league games has left Chiefs on 30 points and in need of a boost to avoid the embarrassment of turning this season into their worst after first-round exits in the Nedbank Cup and Carling Knockout respectively.
To date, 36 points is the lowest that they have had at the end of a league season (2020/21) under Gavin Hunt, but it was a campaign in which they were banned from signing players and yet reached the final of the CAF Champions League.
They also had 36 points in 1985, but that was back in the days when a win carried two points instead of three.
Another low return was 39 points in the 2018/19 season.
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As it stands, Johnson needs to find a way of collecting points instead of donating them like has been the case in recent times to avoid the shame of soiling Chiefs' reputation further.
The Glamour Boys' remaining fixtures include games against relegation-threatened Richards Bay FC and Cape Town Spurs, while they will also play SuperSport United and Sundowns, amongst others.
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