Downs suffer worst start in PSL era
Mamelodi Sundowns have made their worst start to a PSL campaign since the League was launched in the 1996/97 season.
Their haul of four points after six games is the lowest in the past 17 seasons and has placed coach Johan Neeskens under extreme pressure.
Sundowns, however, moved on Monday to end speculation about his position when they said in a statement:
“The club wishes to state that the issue of whether the coach stays with the club is a hypothetical question, as the tenure of the coach was never discussed by the club.”
The side have managed a single victory – in their opening game against Chippa United – and a draw against Tshwane rivals SuperSport United, but have otherwise tasted defeat in the four other games.
Their points total is two less than the six they managed in the 2003/04 and 2009/10 seasons under Luis-Oscar Fullone and Hristo Stoichkov respectively.
Fullone managed just one more match, a 1-1 draw with Dynamos, before he was replaced by Khabo Zondo. Paul Dolezar finished the season at the helm and the team ended in 10th in the table.
Stoichkov was given the full League campaign to steady the ship, but was eventually fired in march of that year before the pre-2010 Fifa World Cup domestic knockout competitions started.
Sundowns finished that season in second place, one point behind SuperSport United.
Neeskens’ next two fixtures are against fellow strugglers in Platinum Stars (home) and Ajax Cape Town (away) and he will believe they are two very winnable games.
Mamelodi Sundowns first six matches (points):
1996/97 - 8
1997/98 - 14
1998/99 - 9
1999/00 - 16
2000/01 - 13
2001/02 - 7
2002/03 - 13
2003/04 - 6
2004/05 - 12
2005/06 - 13
2006/07 - 9
2007/08 - 8
2008/09 - 10
2009/10 - 6
2010/11 - 15
2011/12 - 8
2012/13 - 4
