Kaizer Chiefs Struggles at Home

As we approach the one-year mark of lockdown, and the last time fans were allowed to attend a football match, we took a look back at one of the teams most affected by the absence of fans. We previously looked at what football without fans meant for general PSL results, but today we focus on Chiefs, following their 1-1 draw with Supersport at home over the weekend. If there is a stat suggesting how much Chiefs have missed supporters in the ground for their home games, perhaps this could be it:

2 – Kaizer Chiefs have won two of their last 15 home games in the league, their lowest total over any 15-game period in their PSL history.

The rolling trend is calculated by collating wins in any 15-game period in the club’s history. For example, Chiefs’ best 15-game period for wins came between December 1998 and August 1999, when they won 13 of 15 home matches under Paul Dolezar and Muhsin Ertugral.

Amakhosi had already lost their last two home matches before lockdown (v AmaZulu & Maritzburg), but the other 13 have been played without fans (W2 D7 L4). The two wins came against Chippa (in the bio-bubble) and TTM this season.

The previous lowest total over a 15-game period was three wins, back in 2006/7, a period that covered the back end of Middendorp’s first term and the start of Muhsin Ertugral’s second term. Even the 15-game period immediately post-Middendorp (April 2007 – April 2008) also had a 20% win rate in home matches (P15 W3).

The Brighter Side

12 – The highest number of home wins Chiefs have managed in a 15-game run in the 16-team PSL era is 12. This happened in 2002/03 (under Dr Khumalo and Ace Khuse), 2010/11 (under Vladimir Vermezovic) and 2013/14 (under Stuart Baxter).

The first two sides have the best 15-game points-total for home matches for the club (38), while Baxter’s side won 37 points in their best 15-home game period.

That said, Baxter’s period of home dominance coincided with Chiefs’ best winning home run in the PSL era. 

7 – Stuart Baxter’s Chiefs won seven consecutive league games between November 2013 and April 2014, the best such run the club has ever enjoyed in the PSL.

Ernst Middendorp’s class of 2019/20 are the closest side that has come to that record, winning six home games in a row between September 2019 and January 2020.

And then that’s where the rot began.