Mammila has helped prolong our stay at Chippa — Kopo

Chippa United co-coach Kwanele Kopo says former head coach Morgan Mammila has helped prolong his and Thabo September’s stay with the team.

Kopo and September joined the Gqeberha side in January after then head coach Morgan Mammila was removed and moved to technical director.

Despite occupying 13th place out of 16 teams in the DStv Premiership, the co-coaches, while at the helm, have lost only to defending champion Mamelodi Sundowns in five matches.

It is the kind of run that will keep them off Chippa boss Siviwe Mpengesi’s radar.

“It is the first head coaching stint for me and Thabo September, so we also need to be cautious and not just go diving in the swimming pool with excitement,” Kopo said.

“So you need someone who has the experience of managing in that environment because it’s not just the tactics, it’s also managing the players.

“It’s also managing the office. Coach Morgan over and above the work he has done technically, also helps us a lot with the management of the squad — dealing with the players and with understanding them and with managing the club as a whole in terms of communication with management, because we are still new.

“You know when you go to Chippa, everybody says you must go with one bag, so I think coach Morgan is helping us prolong that stay.

“We are happy to have him and we have an understanding with him sitting on the bench.

“Coach Morgan is a technical director; he gives us advice. Coach Thabo and I are the head coaches of the club and provide the leadership of the tactical bases of the team.”

Kopo, who is a former SA U17, U20, and U23 assistant coach, said they had a good working relationship with Mammila.

“Coach Morgan was the coach of the team; he has been here for a while. He has also been to Swallows as a technical director.

“So in 2021 I had an offer to join Chippa when he was the head coach and he asked me to come and be his assistant coach.

“From that perspective we developed a relationship.

“We felt we needed a person like him for the smooth transition of managing the players because changing coaches brings different dynamics to teams.

“In certain teams, you find players have an attachment to the previous coach.”

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