Time for Rulani Mokwena to go? Maybe not.

Is time for Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, Rulani Mokwena to go? If you ask the online keyboard warrior and engagement chasers on social media, you might not get an outright majority but a coalition that says yes. While not admitting anything, Mokwena ran through the positives from his first full season in sole charge.

“We have done incredible work this season,” Mokwena said after watching his side lose a second final to the same opposition, Orlando Pirates.

So what did the incredible work Mokwena speaks of achieve this season? Let’s start with 29 games unbeaten in a 30-game season, losing to Cape Town City on the final day. The Brazilians set new records for the most number of points and the most number of games won. There was no away league loss for Mokwena and his charges for the entire season with the club equalling the record for the most clean sheets. The inaugural African Football League trophy was also added to the Chloorkop trophy cabinet, something Mokwena put high on the list.

“Winning that plus the league title, which is very important as it was the seventh consecutive, qualifying for the Club World Cup, which is a consequence of a lot of hard work, not only this season, but also last season. We ticked a lot of boxes,” stressed the COSAFA Coach of the Year winner.

Sundowns were finalists in the MTN8, in the Last 16 of the Carling Cup, and runners-up in the Nedbank Cup.

“The gains may be marginal, but they are there and sometimes that’s the perspective you’ve got to take. It’s important not to lose perspective on some of the good work that we have done and some of the objectives, and the boxes we have ticked,” Mokwena explained.

Are ticked boxes enough though?

“But, it’s still not good enough, is it? Good at Mamelodi Sundowns unfortunately is not good enough,” shrugged Mokwena.

Rulani Mokwena does have one thing on his side, Mamelodi Sundowns is not a firing club. The Motsipes are a far cry from Chippa United and are certainly not the Moutaungs, who seem to cave in whenever a small portion of the millions of Kaizer Chiefs fans cough in the direction of a head coach.

With age on his side, Mokwena has a rare opportunity to build an African dynasty with the Motsepes. You only have to look on the other side of town to see that changing coaches does not guarantee a turnaround in fortunes. Kaizer Chiefs fans are still waiting for one trophy after 14 years and almost a similar number of head coaches.

Mokwena will now submit his technical report and await that phone call from Thlophie Motsepe on the way forward. If Rulani Mokwena is to go, it is highly unlikely the push will come from the Mamelodi Sundowns owners. It certainly will not come from listening to the loud but usually sense-less social media brigade. The push to go may very well come from Rulani Mokwena himself.