CAIRO: Mark Wotte is likely to stay on as Ismaili coach despite the Dervishes' poor run of form and unsatisfying results on all fronts. The success-starved club had a promising start to their domestic campaign under the Dutch tactician, winning their first three league games. However, the coastal side's level of performance took a turn for the worse all of a sudden and now they are facing a baptism of fire. Ismaili, who lie eighth in the Egyptian Premier League table, exited the CAF Champions League after finishing third in Group B behind bitter rivals Ahly and JS Kabylie of Algeria. They also failed to win their last three league games, and thus missed out on a chance to become early pace-setters. Ismaili strikers are misfiring, the midfielders hardly provide the spark required and the defenders commit costly errors quite often. The club's board blamed Wotte more than once for his inability to keep the team on an even keel. Nonetheless, the former Southampton boss will not lose his job because Ismaili cannot find a suitable replacement for him. "Personally, I think it's kind of difficult to find a competent successor to Wotte," Ismaili president Nassr Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com. "I don't want to end a problem by starting another." Wotte was already in hot water when Ismaili's 2-1 league loss at Police Union last weekend turned up the heat on him. "Ismaili produced a fine display against Police. It was Ahmed Sedik's blunder that caused us to concede a late goal (scored by Minusu Buba) and lose the match," Aboul-Hassan said. FilGoal.com understands that Ismaili cannot afford to hire a new head coach, thanks to their financial restraints. Several board members, however, are adamant that Wotte has to be relieved of his duties.
