Regardless of what happens in the remaining League matches the Buccaneers will still finish in the top three, enjoying the proud honour of being the only club that has never finished outside the top eight bracket in 17 years of PSL football.
Actually – even when stretching back to the NSL era – the last time Bucs finished outside the top eight was way back in 1987, when they finished a lowly 11th. That was during the years they were so bad they finished in the bottom half for the first three years of the NSL era.
Pirates have been champions four times in the PSL era, including the last two years, and stand as the most successful club since the turn of the new millennium, as they won all four titles since 2000.
Pirates have also been runners-up another four times, and third on four occasions.
Eighth – the position attained in 2007/08 when Owen da Gama took over from the late Bibey Mutombo two months into the season – ranks as the worst season for The Ghost.
Only 11 players out of the 31 that did duty for Pirates that season are still playing PSL football.
Though fans are already out for Roger de Sa’s head, he will take comfort in the fact that he has not become the first coach to lead Pirates to a position below eighth, despite having found them in the bottom half when he joined in September last year.
Though Mamelodi Sundowns have won more titles that Pirates in the PSL era, they have also had a tendency of putting in sub-standard runs along the years, finishing in the bottom half three time, while their neighbours SuperSport United have failed to finish in the top half twice.
Champions elect Kaizer Chiefs – who have won the League twice in the last 16 years – have also finished below the top eight twice, with the only other ‘ever present’ team in the PSL era, Moroka Swallows, finishing in the bottom half on seven occasions since 1996.