Nick Said, Special to ESPN 6y

Five coaches feeling the summer heat in the PSL

The axe is never far away from South African Premier Soccer League coaches with the stakes so high and relegation at times a death knell for clubs, who never recover and fade into obscurity.

And there are also clubs where the drop is not a worry, but the expectation is that trophies must be won and when they are not delivered to the cabinet, clubs look elsewhere for coaches who can match their ambition.

KweséESPN assesses the future of five coaches who might be feeling particularly nervous at the start of 2018.

ROGER DE SA (PLATINUM STARS)
De Sa was drafted into Stars after just two games this season to replace Englishman Peter Butler, but had failed to pull the side away from the relegation zone.

To be fair, they are playing much better football and look a more composed outfit under his watch, but this is a results game and while the club is near the bottom of the table, he will always be under threat.

His situation is made more complicated by the imminent arrival of new owners at the club, reportedly this month. Will he be 'their guy', does he fit into their future plans?

Counting in De Sa's favour is his vast experience and the pockets of success he has had previously at BidVest Wits, Ajax Cape Town and Orlando Pirates. He was previously relegated with Wits though. 

GAVIN HUNT (BIDVEST WITS)
It is still unthinkable to most that Wits would sack Gavin Hunt, for many the best coach in the PSL who led them to the league title last season (the first in their 96-year history) and the Telkom Knockout this campaign.

But the stats don't lie, two wins in 15 league games and just seven goals scored reveals what are clearly deep-rooted problems at the club.

Every week the expectation is that the side will lift themselves out of their melee, only to slip to another demoralising defeat.

The 'good' news is that the side are not getting well-beaten, their defeats have been narrow, but how long does club management leave the status quo if things do not improve?

CAVIN JOHNSON (AMAZULU)
AmaZulu invested heavily to buy their way back into the PSL after purchasing the top-flight status of promoted Thanda Royal Zulu, so they need to show a return on that cash.

It means that relegation this season is unthinkable and will surely see heads roll, not just in the playing staff and technical team, but also the boardroom. There is a lot at stake for a lot of people.

The club are winless in their last seven matches (three defeats, four draws) and sit perilously close to the relegation zone. 

Defeats in their last two (without scoring a goal) have added to the pressure on coach Cavin Johnson, who has been in this situation before with Platinum Stars and managed to pull them out of the mire.

Johnson is a good coach with clear ideas on how his team should play, this may be an instance of whether he has the quality in his squad to save his skin.   

STEVE KOMPHELA (KAIZER CHIEFS)
Chiefs coaches are always under pressure, the expectation is that every game should be won and winning trophies is an absolute must.

Komphela will have been in charge of Chiefs for three seasons come the end of this campaign and he has yet to mount a serious title challenge, or win a piece of silverware, the longest run without silverware in the club's history.

Even success in the Nedbank Cup at the end of the season may not be enough to save him with his contract coming to an end, but that also makes it unlikely that Chiefs will wield the axe before the end of the season either. What would be the point?

The league title is a long shot - Chiefs are five points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns having played a game more, but cannot find the consistency in their performance to launch a serious challenge.

So the likely scenario is that Chiefs will see out the season with Komphela and make a change then.

CLINTON LARSEN (LAMONTVILLE GOLDEN ARROWS)

January could be crucial for Clinton Larsen, who has seen his Golden Arrows side winless in their last 12 games, sending them from the top three spiraling towards the relegation zone.

Too many draws in that time have been the problem and they need wins to avoid being sucked into the bottom two, especially if there is to be a revival from Wits and Ajax Cape Town under Muhsin Ertugral.

Larsen has the side organised and playing on the counter, and also works within a shoestring budget, so it is tough to be critical of his work.

But with two home games (against SuperSport United and Baroka FC) in their next three games, staying winless into February could have dire consequences for him.

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