Is Cavin Johnson the answer for struggling Kaizer Chiefs in 2024?

The painkillers that Kaizer Chiefs took while waiting for a much-needed operation has numbed the pain so much that the club could be tempted to delay going under the knife, perhaps until after May. 

Cavin Johnson has awoken something from Amakhosi during his short stint as interim coach, a role he was thrown into from the club's youth structures in October after the abrupt firing of coach Molefi Ntseki just four months into his tenure.

Ntseki's sacking highlighted deep-rooted problems at the club, not just that they had the wrong man in charge of leading Chiefs out of their worst spell in the club's history – but it also brought into sharp focus the way the team has been managed, the club's acquisition of talent and the lack a killer instinct in the players at the club. 

That firing, of a man that the club's chairman Kaizer Motaung believed would surprise the supporters who were not happy with his hiring, showed that Amakhosi needed a massive operation if they are to end a trophy drought that is now stretching into its ninth year. The club don't just need a new coach, but also a bold and clear vision of how they will return the glory days. 

Since Johnson took over, he has been able to numb but not cure the pain – finishing the year by collecting 10 points from a possible 12. Chiefs were able to get positive results in those games even though their performances were ugly.

It's in contrast to how Chiefs played under Ntseki, with football where you could see his vision and direction without being able to get the needed results. 

"We brought in a little bit more effort, technical and tactical ideas in as far as how the team should play," Johnson said in response to what has changed since he took over. 

"It has worked! It has