Mpote �drops CV� at Rollers
Kabelo Boranabi | Thursday March 9, 2017 15:03
Mpote, who has served as an assistant to Madinda Ndlovu and Mark Harrison since 2012, was tasked with leading the defending champions for the remainder of the season after the unexpected departure of Harrison last year.
With the club set to appoint a new head coach before the beginning of the next season, the former junior national team coach is, however, grabbing the opportunity with both hands as he looks to earn a long-term contract at the club.
Mpote has been booted out of the Mascom Top 8 and CAF Champions League.
The two defeats brought doubt over the coach’s ability of leading the most successful club in the country. Prior to the two-cup competitions, Mpote who took the reins at Rollers amid less fanfare, earned himself a place in the Popa faithful with a 4-1 drubbing to Orapa United in a league game played in January.
However, things quickly changed as he bowed out of the continental cup on a 4-4 aggregate score line to CNaPS Sport of Madagascar despite beating the side 3-2 on home soil.
To rub more salt to Popa’s wounds, Orapa United kicked them out of the Mascom Top 8 with a 4-1 aggregate win in the semi-finals.
The defeat meant the team was out of two cup competitions in a space of a week, which prompted some supporters to demand Mpote’s head.
However, Mpote has proved Doubting Thomases wrong, as he has shown the mantle to lead a club of Rollers’ stature.
The coach who brands himself as a “fan of good football” has introduced a more passing play to Rollers as compared to a more direct play that they employed under Ndlovu and Harrison.
Players have been given the freedom to express themselves more with the coach rotating his formations and showing the courage to drop the team’s big names.
Mpote’s Rollers are comfortably sitting at the summit of the log, seven points ahead of second-placed Jwaneng Galaxy, who were set to play Extension Gunners last evening.
Popa moved further away from the chasing pack after a 4-0 win over Mahalapye Hotspurs, who anchor the log standings.
On Tuesday, Mpote dropped some of his key players including captain Maano Ditshupo, Mogogi Gabonamong and Segolame Boy as the team registered a 10th successive league victory. Mpote is on a quest to be the first local coach to win the league in 10 years after Sthandwa Mogwadi did so with Police XI in the then Mascom Super League in 2006.