Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Pollen Ndlanya says the club made the right decision by dismissing Gavin Hunt. 

The accomplished tactician was recently surprisingly fired by the Soweto giants despite having guided the team to Caf Champions League semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history. 

However, Amakhosi were struggling in the PSL under Hunt and he has left the team placed 11th on the league standings having recorded six victories, 10 defeats and 12 draws in 28 matches. 

“I think we only judge whoever gets the mandate by the results. I guess Hunt so far has struggled, honestly, in terms of winning locally,” Ndlanya told Sowetan on Wednesday morning. 

“Look at the team, where it is lying on the table. And by the look of things, they are not far from the playoffs. This is not healthy for the team to be in that position heading to the end of the season.

“Probably, if they lose the remaining two games, they will be down in the relegation zone. The team is not doing well and the management saw the log and decided to release him.”

There are those who believe that Hunt should have been given another season in order for him to sign his own players with the club’s Fifa transfer ban set to end on June 30. 

However, Ndlanya disagrees and believes Chiefs could have finished in the relegation playoff spot (15th) if Hunt had remained in charge of the team.

“The team that he was coaching ended up second last season. It is the same team and now, being where they are, it is another story …  looking at the log, the team panicked,” he added. 

“They thought if they were to lose the remaining games, they were going to drop to the playoffs. As I said, Gavin had the same team that finished second.”

Amakhosi have been linked with their former coach Stuart Baxter and Ndlanya believes the British tactician would help motivate the players and bring his own methods of playing. 

“Once you bring a new coach, he will come in with his methods of playing. But I still believe that even if you don’t change your playing style, you motivate the players,” he explained. 

“By the look of things, the players were not motivated. Unfortunately, when the team doesn’t perform, the blame will go to the coach.”

Interim coaches Arthur Zwane and Dillon Sheppard will be in charge of Chiefs’ last two games against Lamontville Golden Arrows on Wednesday and TS Galaxy on June 5.