Pleas of 'patience from the supporters' have been made by a Kaizer Chiefs legend as the team navigates the path towards trophy success having last ascended the winners' podium in May 2015.
Thindwa believes that finishing the season without a trophy will not be catastrophic for Chiefs, especially since expectations are not high in Nasreddine Nabi's first season.
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They host Chippa United in the Nedbank Cup round of 16 at FNB Stadium on Saturday (18:00).
"Chiefs are in the process of rebuilding the team, and during that process, there are bound to be ups and downs," notes Absalom 'Scara' Thindwa, a firm fan-favourite in his heyday.
"They played well against Pirates, they were just unfortunate with the penalty.
"When I joined Chiefs, I found big players like Teenage Dladla and [Zebulon] 'Sputla' Nhlapo, and the core of the 1984 squad was still there.
"But now, Nabi is building a new team, which includes young talents like Mduduzi Shabalala. When these young players were promoted to the first team, the players they encountered were also relatively new.
"Chippa United, on the other hand, just lost their coach Kwanele Kopo after he refused to renew his contract. That's a significant issue because Kopo was the one who prepared the team during pre-season," he adds.
Thindwa says of note, in knockout competitions, the outcome depends on who performs well on the day.
"Chiefs should focus on winning the Nedbank Cup since there is a substantial gap between them and Mamelodi Sundowns in the league title race.
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"This Nedbank Cup is one tournament they must take seriously. They should treat every game seriously because that's how you build a winning mentality. If they don't win the Nedbank Cup, it shouldn't be seen as a disaster since they are still in the rebuilding phase.
"It's normal for supporters to tease each other, but that shouldn't prevent a coach from having the space to experiment or make mistakes. That is the only way we learn," says 'Scara'.