Amakhosi’s failure to land silverware, and persisting with a coach that has not gained the supporters’ favour in the last three years, has perhaps prompted the club to act irrationally in the face of adversity.
Club boss Kaizer Motaung has since reiterated that changes need to be made in the off-season, but it’s unclear if those changes are aimed at the technical team or the playing personnel.
Komphela has himself had to deal with numerous changes to the players at his disposal since the 2015/16 season, and feels for the team to go through its course there has to be a level of consistency that allows for player combinations and chemistry.
“To be honest, even with national teams – for any team to perform – you need to reach some level of consistency, not only in performance and results but also in selection,” Komphela explained.
“If, let’s say, we’re playing Ryan Moon and Leonardo Castro – they play two, three, four or five matches, they are different to when they perhaps had been paired with other partners.
“You don’t strike some sort of chemistry or camaraderie as when the team is the same. So, if you make too many changes consistently, you don’t strike consistency.”
In trying to validate his point, the former junior national team coach pointed to the consistent building that has taken place at cross-town rivals Mamelodi Sundowns.
“Let’s go, maybe at Mamelodi Sundowns… It’s very important not to just say things but to have points of reference. How long have they been together? For quite some time, and you can feel that,” he pointed out.
Komphela also believes that when players become cohesive with one another, they begin to develop characteristics in their game that surpasses the coaching manuals.
“Sometimes, as a coach, players end up teaching you because of the level of understanding between themselves that you see coming through,” he added.
“If you see a ‘Tight’ [Joseph Molangoane] and a ‘Rama’ [Ramahlwe Mphahlele] playing together, they give you another dynamic that you had never learnt in coaching or had in your head – they are now giving you information based on how they inter-relate.
“Six months in a cubicle at work, with a person alongside you, things are different compared to when they first arrived. But if they change that person consistently, you end up not knowing who’s next, and it does not strike consistency.
“As a result there’s not going to be any performance and results, and the same goes in football. There’s just a whole lot of other models that you can put.
“I strongly believe with consistency in keeping the team, which obviously has to perform. With proper analysis – be objective, not subjective; and also don’t use emotions, use more rational. “