Give that man, Bhele, a Bells!

This article was originally posted on May 13, 2012 on another blog platform.


Twenty goals… Twenty goals from a thirty-four year old player. Hats off to Siyabonga Eugene Nomvethe.  These are the kind of figures we expect from the Premier Soccer League’s leading goalscorer.

In South African football we have many problems. Today I will discuss two, namely: perceiving all players above the age of 30 as “deadwood”, and secondly, a shortage of goalscoring talent.

“Bhele” – as he is affectionaely known in SA soccer circles – has performed very well for Moroka Swallows.  I am not going to attack you with Rafa Benitez-style “facts” about how many members of the over-thirty club (OTC) are not only alive and kicking, but actually shining on the PSL stage.   However, I do feel it is important to point out that in South Africa there is a perception that once you are over the age of thirty, you are finished as a player. No more talent. Your experience is useless. And, you are just collecting a cheque every month. It may be true that some players prolong their careers simply to keep food on the table. It may also be true that experience is not very useful if your legs can only carry you so far. And, it may be true that because of some the post-victory off-the field activities of players in the PSL, they tend to almost mirror a Brazilian player’s career path, peaking in their early twenties and then being below standard by the time they hit thirty. John “Shoes” Moshoeu showed us in South Africa what discipline on and off the field can do in terms of not only prolonging one’s playing career but also allowing one to perform at a level near their best for a longer period than other professional are usually able to. Bhele is another example to young players out there of what can be achieved if you take care of yourself outside of the soccer field. Players forget that their main asset is their body, preferring rather to indulge in normal activities we nine-to-fivers enjoy such as drinking and partying after games and eating our more than fair share of take-aways and calories – let’s forget about BBM (Big Benni McCarthy) for a moment, please, he is, afterall, still performing better than the current generation of strikers despite all those extra burgers kilos. Anyway, back to Nomvethe, he has become the first player since Collins Mbesuma to reach the 20-goal mark in one league season. Twenty goals for a Golden Boot winner should be the norm, however, this is the dire situation we face in South Africa. Swallows should not be ashamed of using a golden-oldie like Bhele instead of youth. I believe that if you are good enough, you are young enough. One’s career is not over after 30. It’s time for experience to be showcased. If Nomvethe and Moshoeu’s performances and achievements at their age do not change South Africans’ perceptions that a certain age constitutes a player being labeled “deadwood” (Pitso, I’m looking at you too), then PSL clubs and Bafana Bafana alike will be wasting valuable SA talent which can only help in terms of developing the current and future generations.

My second issue – a shortage of goal-scoring talent in the country has received ton of attention from the media and national squad coach, Pitso Mosimane.   Many “experts” have told us their opinions, explanations, and theories of how to fix this particular problem. Academies have been built nationwide, coaching clinics have been run, local coaches have been given opportunities to attend courses and learn from the world’s best coaching instructors, and the list of “solutions” goes on and on. Nothing seems to have helped solve the problem. The national squad’s top striker at the moment is a player who failed to even cement a regular place in the France-based club. The best striker in the national under-23 team, Bongani Ndulula, is currently warming the expensively-assembled bench at Orlando Pirates. Lerato Chabangu and Mabhuti Khenyeza who were once touted as “the next big thing” in South African soccer have allowed off-the-field problems to negatively affect their careers. Their stars no longer shine brightly in the PSL.  According to the football365 stats page (before this weekend’s games), the next highest league goal scorer is Eleazar Rodgers from Santos FC, with 12 league strikes. David Mathebula – a midfielder – is on eleven goals. The top goal scorer in the previous 4 seasons has only managed to score 14 goals (in the 2007/08 season), 19 goals (in the 2008/09 season), 17 goals (in the 2009/10 season), and 15 goals in the previous season. None of the winners of the PSL Golden Boot have gone on to dominate in any European league, Musona is the most recent example. What else can be done? I honestly don’t know,

Enough of the negatives! We have an exciting finish to the PSL season coming up next weekend. I am supporting the underdogs, Moroka Swallows. One can only imagine how a league title triumph could help the club in terms of marketing the brand to the younger generation as well. A league victory could reignite the original Soweto derby between Pirats and Swallows back to high level of intensity almost like what has happened to the Manchester derby in recent times, where both teams are equally competitive. However, I doubt Orlando Pirates will “choke” this weekend.

‘Til next time.

Thomas Monyepao
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A finish that City Kun't have imagined!

This post originally appeared on the Sport24.co.za site.


At this very moment – for most of you reading this piece – it is a Monday morning and you’ve just about made sense of the crazy events that occurred yesterday in the Barclays English Premier League (EPL). Goals, goalkeeping errors, flying elbows, coaching masterstrokes, and loads of drama. What more can you ask for? What a finish from the man they call Kun, and what an end to the season.

You could not have scripted this better. The commentators repeated this statement often. Every time they said that, the harder it became to believe what was happening on my small TV set. One does not need high definition large screens to experience the breath-taking drama which one was exposed to last night. Most soccer fans and “experts” predicted victories for both Manchester United and Manchester City in their respective games but anybody who predicted that finish before kickoff would have been labeled “insane” or “ambitious” at best. But, what we got from the EPL last night not only reminded us all why we love the league so much, it also reminded us why we love the game of football so much.

A few heart attacks, strokes, tears, screams of jubilation and frustration, and maybe some broken chairs in few people’s homes – all of this within the space of a mere 90 minutes. The cricket and rugby executives must be wondering how and when (if ever) they will match the drama and viewership that only football can generate. Even the shortened cricket version of T20 – great innovation, it must be said – has not managed to come close to matching the drama and various scenarios that can occur within less than 2 hours in football.

Anyway, today is City’s day and I have to congratulate the whole City team for their attitude, for never giving up (even when there was an eight-point deficit), and for the beautiful football they dished out (the Old Trafford special being my favourite pick as Arsenal fan!) and their self-belief and never-say die attitude in that memorable final league match of the season.   Even Roberto Mancini, the City head coach, admitted after the game that he himself had lost belief that they could snatch victory. In the age that we live in, where managers are fired within the blink of an eye, one has to give credit to the suits at the Etihad Stadium who did no pull the trigger as soon as the ship hit stormy waters. They let the captain of the ship handle his business. He did what needed to be done. He “recasted the outcasts” (Tevez and Balotelli), dealt with various egos within the team, and for us neutrals, he unleashed great attacking brilliance from the likes of Sergio “Kun” Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, Adam Johnson, David Silva and former Arsenal darling, Samir Nasri on poor Premier League defences. It has been a great season and when the going got tough, the mind games got going. Since City can now be called Champions, can we agree that his there was a certain science behind his sometimes mad quotes and mind games?  Well, that might be a topic for another day.

Jose Mourinho gets a lot of respect, deservedly, for winning trophies wherever he goes, however, Mancini also deserves credit for taking this team to the top despite the various personalities he had to deal with. Let us not forget that he won three Serie A titles on the trot, thereby laying the foundation for Mourinho’s success later on at Inter Milan.

It must have made the victory even sweeter for City fans when you look at how the scene unfolded on this Sunday evening. Manchester United players and supporters alike thought they had the title wrapped up before Kun stole it back dramatically in injury time. Manchester City may be referred to as the noisy neighbours but go to most countries and you will realize how loud and arrogant Manchester United supporters are (and you will find any of them, trust me). City fans have every right to brag and be in your ear all week long. They suffered 44 years of banter and teasing from their neighbours.

I, for one, cannot wait for next season. Let’s hope the PSL, this coming weekend, can also provide more drama. And, guess what? After the PSL finale, we still have Euro 2012 in Polkraine to look forward to next month! It sure is great to be football fun, huh?
That’s all from me. ‘Til next time.


Thomas Monyepao
Follow me on  twitter for more football debates, @Tom_18yards.

Birthday and All - Quick Analysis

It is indeed my birthday today and I will be pretty unproductive at work most probably (yet pretty tired tomorrow morning).   I am now “twenty-something” years old and still enjoying my youth, Balz And All. I have decided to give you guys a brief birthday blog just to give you my thoughts on the current events in football. 

I am just going to touch on a few things that happened  between now and the last time I posted  a blog. Do not expect long, in-depth analysis (it is my birthday after all). I hope you enjoy reading this relatively short piece and as usual, we can debate some issues on Twitter.

Orlando Pirates

African Champions League performance aside, this Pirates team has been excellent in the past two season. They do indeed “hav BALZ”.

Baxter’s back by popular demand!

Okay, maybe not popular demand but when a team is a family business the only opinion that matters is the opinion of the family members. 

The former Bafana Bafana and England under-21 coach is back in the country to try his luck and hopefully for the Amakhosi fans get  some trophies this time around (well, I assume he is aiming at actually winning some trophies sometime along in his coaching career). 

Personally, I do not see why he was chosen to lead Kaizer Chiefs in the 2012/13 season as he currently owns a less-than-impressive coaching CV.  In South Africa, he failed with Bafana Bafana with a team that members of the 2000 under 23 Olympics  team playing  at the peak of their careers.    Stuart Baxter failed to even qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Germany.   Time will tell whether he can handle the job, but then again, I noticed he also hasn’t been given any specific goals/tasks that he has to fulfill (the usual practice in the PSL).  I read the following quote from Kaizer Motaung Snr: “His(Baxter) expertise as far as mentoring coaches asa coaching instructor will assist us in developing our own coaches…”  Hold on… Did he say something about Stuart being a coaching instructor? Now, let’s imagine Liverpool FC, for example, hiring Pep Guardiola as head coach, and instead of telling us about his tasks and goals, the supporters  are told about how he will teach other coaches and how the club value his “instructor” capabilities.  I’ll leave it at that and you guys can try figure out the logic there.

Pat Rice retires

For those who do not know, I am an Arsenal fan. Pat Rice has decided to leave the club. I am hoping that this will somehow lead to some positive change at the club (not that we are doing too badly to be honest).  He has been very loyal.  Go well, Pat. That will be all.

Daine Klate

This player is on the verge of setting a remarkable record of winning 5 consecutive PSL titles if Orlando Pirates maintain their lead in the PSL title race.  To be honest, he has not exactly been in scintillating form this season, but nonetheless, it will be quite an achievement should Pirates help him win his fifth medal.

Dankie Siyabonga!

Siyabonga Nomvethe. Wow. The man is not playing around. He just wants to put those BALZ in the net! Again, I will not say much. If you’re good enough, you’re young enough!

Local coaches lose again

It seems like local coaches will always be overlooked for the big positions in the country.  A foreign coach who failed with a pretty decent Bafana team has been appointed as head coach for one of the Big 3, instead of at the very least giving the coaches that the club has been grooming a fair opportunity. That’s South Africa for you.

Neutral venue = evil!

Who thought the idea of having a neutral venue for a cup final could cause such a stir?  It is just another day in South Africa… Alive with possibilities!

“Trouble” in paradise

Jomo “Troublemaker” Sono’s club,  Jomo Cosmos, seem to be heading for relegation, yet again.

Leopards in the wild

It is always good to see a South African club take African club-competitions seriously and giving it a full go.  Let’s hope they continue flying the SA flag a bit longer in Africa.

That will be all for this week. For those who missed out on on last piece, click here and have yourself a good laugh.  Thanks for the feedback so far, guys.  By the way, for the record, I think Pirates will go on to win the 2011/12 PSL title although it would be nice if a team like Swallows shocked the local football fraternity and overtook Pirates.

Til next time.

Don't follow the Birds, follow me on twitter

Thomas Monyepao