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
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