Igesund may be told to walk the plank

As Orlando Pirates management postponed Monday's meeting until Tuesday to discuss the future of coach Gordon Igesund, there were strong feelings that the former Highlands Park striker is on his way out.

Paul Dolezar is being touted as the possible replacement.

Santos, who parted with Clive Barker during the off season, are believed to be interested in Igesund.

Igesund was in Durban over the weekend where he was admitted at a local hospital after complaining of lower back pain.

"I'm feeling fine now," he said on Monday.

"I'm coming up to Johannesburg tomorrow, and hopefully this matter will be sorted out once and for all," said Igesund, refusing to even speculate on whether or not he would step down.

"Look, I love Pirates and we won the BP Top Eight, the league championship and were losing finalists in the Rothmans Cup. That's not a bad record by any standards. I still have a season to run as far as my contract is concerned."

But three losses in their last three matches - defeat against archrivals Kaizer Chiefs at the close of last season and losses to Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak on penalties in the Vodacom Challenge - have not made things easier for Igesund.

Although the defeat against Chiefs came after Pirates had won the championship while the defeats in the Vodacom can be viewed as having occurred during the off season with Igesund fielding mostly new players, for die-hard Pirates supporters, any defeat is unacceptable.

Even though he has won the league and the Top Eight, a feat very few coaches have achieved at Pirates for a long time, indications are that Igesund and Pirates will part.

Last year a group of unknown supporters boarded a bus and travelled to the club's training ground at Megawatt Park in Sandton where they assaulted Igesund.

But Igesund refused to be intimidated.

He received unqualified support from club boss Irvin Khoza after the incident.

Khoza said the club's management committee will study the technical report, detailing the club's progress during the past season.

It is only then that they will be able to make a decision about the technical team headed by Igesund.