Kaizer Chiefs head coach Stuart Baxter has bemoaned the absence of fans, saying the Amakhosi supporters are like a 12th man for the club.
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent banning of fans from stadiums, Chiefs have suffered, achieving an eighth-placed league finish as well as being sent out of the Nedbank Cup twice in the opening round and the MTN8 second round last season and in the opening round this season.
At current, the Glamour Boys occupy fourth place on the DStv Premiership standings but are still woefully inconsistent. Since the Soweto giants have returned from the festive break, they have been knocked out of the Nedbank Cup by TS Galaxy before drawing 0-0 with Cape Town City FC in a league match in which they did not even muster a single shot on target.
This has only served to increase the pressure on an already under-fire Baxter as the Amakhosi fans remain in wait for silverware after eight trophyless years and the Amakhosi mentor says that a major factor for their poor form is the absence of their boisterous supporters, whom he described as their ’12th man’.
“I wish I had an answer that didn’t sound like sour grapes,” Baxter told KickOff.
“Our supporters are our extra player, they drive us on when in adversity they help us, and we play for them.
“If I gave you all those clichés it means that it sounds like we can’t play without them.
“Of course, we can but if you’ve got good supporters then they are important to you.
“When Jurgen Klopp said when the supporters were missing from Anfield, it was not the fortress it usually is.
“I’m guessing our supporters when they get into the stadium, they’ll drive us on and become like that extra player.
“That doesn’t mean to say that we can’t play without them. We miss them massively but that can never be an excuse.”
