It's time for the Birds to aim higher

Sibusiso Khumalo. Signed up by Sundowns. Gone. Bennet Chenene. Pre-contract signed. Going. David Mathebula. Pre-contract signed. Going. Katlego “Mahoota” Mashego. PSL top top goalscorer. Sundowns are negotiation. Will probably also walk out the door.

Moroka Swallows finished in 9^th place this season and will potentially lose about 3 key players. Three!

Transfers this past season included Lizo Mjempu, a leftback, who came in for free, Larry Cohen who came in for free after being released by Chippa United (allegedly for a tweet) and even Mahoota, who also came in for free. Noticing a trend?

These new players were added to other free transfers such as Roger Da Costa who came in from a US college league, Rudi Isaacs, Larry Cohen, Aubrey Mathibe, McBeth Sibaya and Dikgang Mabalane to name a few.

One of Swallows' transfer targets, transfer-listed Kagiso Senamela, although very skilful is someone who is currently not wanted by Amazulu, a club that finished in 12^th position.

Swallows has a big weakness at leftback and in the goalkeeping department. Aubrey Mathibe, a decent backup (compared to the current number 1) has just been released. One can only hope a better replacement is coming in - hope being the key word. At leftback, with Shere “Skhotane” Legkethoane as our main leftback, that position has been the weakest link this season. It can almost be described as the “bridge for opposing teams into our net”, as one tweep recently stated. With a glaring weakness in the position, who did Swallows decide to get as backup? Free-agent, Lizo Mjempu of course! That hasn't quite worked out.

Swallows' infamous leaking defence has conceded an equal number of goals as soon-to-be-relegated Chippa United – the joint second highest number in the PSL.

In the striking department there are problems too. Nomvethe is not getting any younger. An early-season injury to “Bhele” could have put Zeca Marques in a very difficult position had Mashego not stepped up to the plate to taken on the goalscoring responsibilities - with that defence, a top-of-the-charts goalscoring season was needed from somebody! The very same Mashego seems to be heading for Chloorkop. The only other out-and-out striker available is the average (really average) Mpho Maleka. So, some serious reinforcement is urgently needed up front.

In midfield, during the course of the 2012/13 season, I would often tweet about how a decent backup for Bennett Chenene was needed. Playing the relatively one-footed Felix Obada on the left has never worked. David Mathebula (although not as out-and-out winger) would also sometimes fill in and now, ironically, both Chenene and Mathebula are heading to Supersport United. The team has no recognised left winger, never mind having a backup player.

In the central postions, the golden oldies at the heart of midfield Macbeth Sibaya, Lefa Tsutsulupa and Giorgi Nergadze will have a combined age of 103 - yes, 103 years - at the end of the 2013/14 system. As previously stated, Sundowns have already taken away the much younger Sibusiso Khumalo. On the wing you can find players such as Dikgang Mabalane and Joseph Makhanya with a combined age of 66 at the end of next season.

With all these departures (departure of creative personnel, I must add), it looks like Lerato Chabangu may need to do it all by himself next season.

The point of this piece is that a team which claims to have the ambition of becoming a competitive team, needs to sign the quality players it wants and not only the players that nobody else seems to need.

This lack of investment has been a big contributing factor to Swallows dropping out of the top half of the table. In the new season Swallows fans may even be closer to kissing the league goodbye than kissing a trophy, and, well, unlike Kelly Rowland, I do not like my kisses down low. 

 

Ajax Cape Town is a good example of the rapid decline that is possible when a club (or the people in charge) continuously fail to provide good investment while letting go of key players: Ajax found themselves in a scary relegation battle this season. They were title contenders just three seasons ago. 

Da Costa recently tweeted his frustration at the recent depature of key players such as David Mathebula

 

One thing is confirmed; Swallows will not be “reclaiming the glory” of the MTN8 cup due to the final league position of the 2012/13 season. But it is now time to start retaining key personnel and also stop this approach of reclaiming the club-less, free agent. It is time to aim high...like a Bird.

Thomas Monyepao

You can find me on twitter @Tom_18Yards