By Jonty Mark
Being saved by a shepherd is something straight out of the Old Testament.
In the case of Manning Rangers the story goes something like this: "And lo, Rangers were verily in the mire. Four wise men came and went, unable to summon the side out of the depths.
"Then one day, a Shepherd (Murape) arrived, and lo, he applied his experienced managerial touch, and Rangers verily won five out of six matches, and the players did truly rejoice, for their saviour had arrived."
Jokes aside, what Shepherd Murape has done since taking over at Manning Rangers is nothing short of a miracle.
Ted Dumitru, Eddie Lewis, Mervyn Hauptfleisch and Zoran Pesic had all taken the reins at Rangers this season, only to depart as the going got tougher and tougher.
When Pesic took a back seat in March, Rangers were floundering at the bottom of the table and seemed certainties for relegation.
Enter Murape. The Zimbabwean is certainly not without experience at this level. He began his coaching in South Africa with Bloemfontein Celtic, before moving to Orlando Pirates.
At Pirates, Murape was assistant coach to Mike Makaab when the Buccaneers won the league title in 1994. Stints at Real Rovers, QwaQwa Stars, Moroka Swallows, Black Leopards and AmaZulu followed before Murape answered Rangers' increasingly desperate calls.
Five straight league wins later, Rangers sit fourth from bottom, still not out of the woods, but at least on the edge of the forest.
So how has the coaching journeyman initiated this remarkable turnaround?
"The first important step is that the players are co-operating," says Murape bluntly.
"Furthermore, I made them realise that the team is bigger than they are. That they are playing for Rangers rather than just themselves, the improvements are there for all to see."
Murape has also done a total overhaul on training. His success is illustrated by the fact that he quite literally has to kick players off the field at the end of practice.
"When I got here the training sessions were a mess," recalls Murape.
"All four previous coaches had come and installed their own fitness regimes and the players were just doing too much running. So I encouraged them to work more with the ball, to relax and express themselves."
The transformation has been noticeable right through the side, nowhere more so than in defence.
In the first half of the season, Rangers used five different goalkeepers and conceded more than 50 goals. Under Murape, they have conceded just two, backed by the excellent 'keeping of Mauritian international Owen Castel.
"We have a settled side now," explains
Murape. "This means players know that as long as they perform, their place in the side is guaranteed.
"Before I arrived, the players were under too much pressure, knowing just one mistake and they could be out."
Murape believes his time at Rangers' neighbours, Amazulu, has also helped him. "When I was at AmaZulu I used to watch Rangers play all the time. So when I arrived here I kind of already knew the lads."
One "lad" with whom Murape goes even further back is the Premiership's leading goalscorer Gilbert Mushangazhike.
"I brought Gilbert from Zimbabwe to QwaQwa Stars when I was coach there," says Murape.
"And then I told him to go to Manning Rangers, because his friend, Innocent Chikoya, was also there and I believed he would fit in."
With 17 goals this season, Mushangazhike has done far more than just "fit in".
"Gilbert has always scored goals," says Murape. "From under-14 level all the way up. He's never been a flashy player but he's a goalscorer. You can't teach what he can do.
"I think if he worked harder off the ball he'd score even more. My coming to Rangers has also given Gilbert a huge boost. I'm like a father to him."
If he can complete the turnaround and keep Rangers afloat, Murape would love to remain at the club.
"Obviously the season hangs on our survival," he explains. "If we do, I'd prefer to stay on."
Adding spice to Rangers' season is an upcoming Bob Save semifinal against Sundowns at Loftus. And Murape is confident his side can upset the odds.
"When we last played Sundowns we were well beaten," he admits. "But that was not the real Manning Rangers. This time we will put up a good fight."
With a few more wins, this chapter of the Shepherd's tale should end very enjoyably indeed.
TED DUMITRU
Former Orlando Pirates and Sundowns coach, Dumitru took over in May last year when Gordon Igesund joined the Buccaneers.
Dumitru lost seven out of nine league games at the beginning of the new campaign and resigned, claiming an outside force was influencing the players to lose. Nice excuse, Ted.
MERVYN HAUPTFLEISCH
Appointed as coach in September 2000, Hauptfleisch, a former professional footballer, lasted less than a month in the job.
He opened his brief tenure on a high note with a 2-0 win over Classic but was "presumably" considered too inexperienced to take permanent charge of the team and was replaced by Eddie Lewis.
EDDIE LEWIS
The vastly experienced Lewis was the next Rangers hopeful, joining the club in October 2000.
He promised quick results and provided one in an unexpected manner - by resigning after only two games in charge, saying pressing business engagements in Johannesburg meant he could not take the job full time.
ZORAN PESIC
Yugoslav Pesic was handed the job nobody seemed to want immediately after Lewis quit.
"I like to play winning, entertaining football," said Pesic. Sadly, he didn't win much and in March, with Rangers bottom of the table, the former Ria Stars coach stood down to take charge of the developmental side of the club.