The way FOURward for Amakhosi

“At a meeting held today  it was agreed to part ways with immediate effect, in order to allow both parties to prepare for the new season in good time.”

The above-mentioned quote was a statement issued by Kaizer Chiefs at a meeting following the dismissal of former Kaizer Chiefs head coach, Vladimir “VV” Vermezovic.   As I write, it is 4 months later, and Amakhosi have just been hammered 4-1 in the MTN8 quarterfinal at Loftus Versfeld against an expensively-assembled Mamelodi Sundowns team.  

 

The game was a sold out affair – well, those empty blue seats were just an optical illusion, you know – with Chiefs’ fans expecting their heroes to rise and make up for last week’s loss to archrivals, Orlando Pirates in the Carling Black Label Cup final. These fans did not know what they were in four for.

Despite some very good signings that Family Business FC have made, there are still a few holes in the team, namely: the left back position, defensive midfield and the wide midfield areas.

Left back

As things stand, Kaizer Chiefs only have two recognised left backs, namely: Keegan Ritchie and Zhiamo “Jimmy” Jambo.  This was shown by the fact that Jambo was rushed back from injury to play in the Sundowns clash due to Ritchie being ruled out.  Neither of these two players provided consistently good performances during the 2011/12 Premier Soccer League season, with Ritchie’s worst performance coming in the biggest game of the season – the Soweto Derby.  Jambo, on the other hand, has been solid yet unspectacular at best. However, with Chiefs lacking an out-and-out left winger in the previous season (Vermezovic at times preferred giving Siphiwe Tshabalala a free role in the centre of the pitch), whoever is assigned to left back will be responsible for providing crosses from the wide areas.  Jambo is a decent crosser while – as far as PSL defenders go -  Ritchie is one of the best crossers of the ball in the country. But are they really title-winning material? There are rumours that Chiefs may sign Bafana Bafana international, Tshepo Masilela. The signing of Masilela could mean the difference between silverware and yet another barren season for the Khosi faithful.

 

Wide positions in midfield

Realizing his lack of resources in the wide midfield positions, Vladimir Vermezovic decided allowing the team to play possession-based, carpet football with penetrative attacks coming primarily through the centre of the field.  This tactic worked in certain games but against organized defensive units, a change in approach could have helped turn the eight draws from last week into victories. Those draws (along with VV’s substandard man-management skills) ultimately led to VV’s demise.  Abia Nale does not have the pace to trouble good PSL defences while the boo-boys favourite, Bernard Parker, is more suited to the playing in hole behind the striker rather than out wide.   If George “Milky Way” Lebese shows more consistency and improves his final ball, he could become an automatic starter in the right wing position although one should not expect too much as he is still developing his game. Walter Stars product, Mandla Masango, is a decent winger on his day but the crossing aspect of his game is just not good enough. The 23-year old midfielder, who was once described as the next Jabu Pule by Kaizer Motaung himself, has not lived up to expectations and his game has not improved significantly since he first burst onto the scene in the Telkom Charity game against Orlando Pirates. If Siyabonga Nkosi can quickly adapt and play to his full potential in the Chiefs lineup, Siphiwe Tshabalala can then be moved out wide, with the improving youngster, George Lebese out on the right. Whisper it, but a sneaky bid for the out-of-favour Orlando Pirates winger, Dikgang Mabalane may provide a cheap, experience, short term solution to Chiefs problems out wide.  A more daring bid for Supersport United’s relatively new signing, Sameehg Doutie could also provide adequate competition in the right wing department. These moves are highly unlikely, but in “Shakes” Kungwane’s words: “Where there’s a budget, there’s a way.”

Defensive midfield

 

The fact that long-serving midfield destroyer, Tinashe Washington Nengomasha, was released by Kaizer Chiefs probably still has not sunk in yet and, in my opinion, Chiefs will rue the day they let the Zimbabwean.  One can almost compare it to the day Arsene Wenger released midfield enforcer, Gilberto Silva from Arsenal.  Just like Arsenal then, the Kaizer Chiefs midfield is now filled with playmakers and attacking midfielders, and lacking defensive strength with only Lucky Baloyi and Willard Katsande providing some sort of steel in the middle of the park.  It must be noted that within the space of twelve months, Chiefs released a loyal, experienced beast of a defensive midfielder and signed an inferior Zimbabwean defensive midfielder-cum-wingback for reasons we may never know.  In the MTN8 match against Sundowns, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane, more of a box-to-box midfielder was used as the defensive midfielder in central midfield three that also contained new recruit, Siyabonga Nkosi, and Josta Dladla. This limited the impact that Letholonyane had in the attacking third of the field somewhat. With Nkosi still struggling to adapt to his new surroundings, Yeye’s passing and vision was needed higher up the field.

Head coach, Stuart Baxter is unlikely to fix all three problems before the transfer market closes. The 4-1 hammering has however put more pressure on him and the club and this could see a few desperate big-money moves being made. If such moves do not materialize, Baxter’s tactical prowess or lack thereof will be revealed to all. I fear that he may not last the season at Naturena. Time will tell. Let the drama unfold!

Thomas Monyepao

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NB: I now write for South Africa's best soccer websites, Onetwo.co.za. Do read mine and other experts' opinion pieces here please.

7 expen$ive football questions

This post orginally appeared on the sport24.co.za site on May 20, 2012.


This weekend’s events will have been analyzed and dissected in a million different ways b various websites and journalists. So, this week, I will give you guys a short blog post. I want you all to think about the 7 questions that I have decided to put out there, a lot of the addressing the power that money brings in football. Some questions will remind you how “expensive” some decison can be, as they sometimes end up costing certain people their jobs. Discuss and debate these issues in the coments section, or amongst your colleagues at work or, of course, on twitter.

• So, what have we learnt from the English Premier League kids? You spend a lot of money, you will win a lot of trophies. Manchester City are now Premier League champions. Chelsea FC are now UEFA Champions League winners. Is this only the beginning of the sugerdaddy era in top-level football?

• ·Chelsea fired former coach, Ander Villas-Boas, in March 2012 during his first season in charge. Roberto Di Matteo, AVB’s assistant at the time, takes over and goes on to lead Chelsea to an FA Cup and UEFA Champions league double (along with automatic qualification for next year’s UEFA Champions League). Orlando Pirates, suspend and then fire coach Julio Leal midway through the season due to most probably their bad performance in the CAF Champions League. Augusto Palacious, takes over and goes on to win the Premier Soccer League title, thereby ensuring that Pirates win the domestic treble for the second consecutive year. Is stability overrated? Can we assume that firing the coach in the middle of the season isn’t always a bad idea? Should we ask the Family Business FC (Kaizer Chiefs) for their advice?

• Most of us watched the UEFA Champions League Final. Most of us were almost about take a trip to dreamland due to pure boredom (no thanks to Chelsea). Was that Chelsea performance a great display of defensive football, or was that a display of anti-football? Is there such a thing as anti-football?

• Alessandro Del Piero is 37 years old. One of my all-time favourite midfielders, Paul Scholes is 37 years old and is still pulling the strings at the most successful club in English football. Didier Drogba – a beast of a striker -is 34 years old. Big-Benni McCarthy is also only 34 years old. Siyabonga “Bhele” Nomvethe is 34 years old. So, at what age is a player “too old”? Pitso, I am looking at you, sir.

• And, finally. ONE BILLION RANDS. One billion Rands to be spent on only TWO soccer clubs in South Africa. Really, Vodacom? Really?

That will be all.

Thomas Monyepao

What lies in store for the Chilli Boys...

Local soccer’s latest fairytale, the newly-promoted Chippa United have hardly been in the PSL for too long  although that did not stop the team from taking part in South African football’s favourite pastime – changing coaches (also commonly referred to as “redeployment”).

The Chili Boys, founded in 2010, have experience a rapid rise up into the elite league of South Afrcian soccer, achieving promotion in every season of their existence.  Their owner, Siviwe "Chippa" Mpengesi, has come a long way and after hearing his rags-to-riches story on radio recently one could not help but have a bit of a soft spot for Chippa United. Mpengesi is not like most owners in that he is not aiming for mere survival or a mid-table finish.  In a live radio interview, he stated that Chippa United is here to compete for the title. In a print interview, Mpengesi said that, “In five years' time, I want Chippa to be the third-best supported team after Chiefs and Pirates”.   The club’s story (or short history) and the owner’s ambition almost tempt a neutral soccer fan, like myself, to lend them my support but let’s take look a few worrying “tendencies” shown by the Chilli Boys.

 

A brand new Coach

“We have a coach who understands our team culture; I can't afford to have someone that will come with a different philosophy.” – Chippa Mpengesi

 

 

 

The Chilli Boys have already changed their head coach before the PSL season has even kicked off, hiring Manqoba Mngqithi (only giving him a one-year deal) to replace Roger Sikhakhane, who the club claim is sick (Sikhakhane has denied these claims).  As far as the PSL goes, we are now used to hearing “questionable’ reasons for dismissal (no, Pitso! You don’t fall under that category), I am however surprised that Chippa Mpengesi decided to hire the experienced Mngqithi and replace Sikhakhane after repeatedly stating that he had faith in Sikhakhane and would back him throughout the season.  Considering that the Chilli Boys are aiming for the PSL title, one can’t help but think of what will happen should Mngqithi lose the opening three or four games.  Will Mpengesi stand by his man? Or will the Chilli Boys head coach be “redeployed”? And what happens should the next coach after Mngqithi not manage to achieve title-winning results? This makes me wonder about how realistic Mpengesi’s goals are and the stability of the tea.  If the Chilli Boys become one of those teams that have four or five coaches in a season they could easily find themselves relegated at the end of the season and quickly forgotten. We may yet get to know the full story behind Sikhakhane’s redeployment but I say that when it comes to changing caches the Chilli Boys should just “chill”.

 

Becoming a dumping zone for the bigger clubs

Although Chippa United are yet to unveil all their signings for the upcoming season, the season-long loan deals for Orlando Pirates’ Cyril Mashego, Linda Shiba, Sibusiso Mnguni have been confirmed with reports also claiming that the Chilli Boys are interested in loan deals for fringe players from Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs. 

For newly-promoted team with low expectations, the “we-are going-loan-every-reject-from-big-teams” strategy is usually a good way to avoid relegation while trying to establish the team in the Premier Soccer League. However, Chippa United are no average team and their owner does not have average dreams.  Chippa Mpengesi’s goal is to challenge for the title. He has made unequivocal statements on radio platforms stating his intentions. With that being said, no team has ever won the league with a team loaded with loanees from the big teams. Signing an experience player who has played for a big team and for Bafana Bafana would have been a better idea.  Does the name Katlego Mashego ring a bell, anyone?

The club’s actions in the transfer market have so far not matched the owner’s stated ambition. If other clubs, and, more importantly, the masses that fill up Philippi stadium are to take the team seriously, actions must match statements.  If you are going to act like a feeder club or a dumping breeding ground for the likes of Orlando Pirates then their public statements should not sell us a different idea. We all know how fickle South African fans are, and I hope that Manqoba Mngqithi will not have to be escorted out of Philippi stadium due to less than satisfactory results when the transfer dealings have no given him a platform for a title challenge.

 

Playing home games, away

This will not necessarily affect the team’s league standing at the end of the season as much as the above-mentioned factors but it is an issue that annoys me.  Besides  bigger gate-takings, I do not understand why smaller teams give up their main advantage and practically give up 9 points in a season against the Big Three (Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and Kaizer  Chiefs) by playing these “home” games at bigger venues. To my knowledge, Bidvest Wits is the one of the only teams that has been willing to play Kaizer Chiefs at their very small home venue.  In the English Premier League, one will not find Blackburn Rovers, for example, playing their home game against a heavyweight like Manchester United at bigger stadium.  At end of the season those 3 points could mean the difference between relegation and survival. More importantly, how do you expect a loyal fan base in a certain area when you only bring games against the smaller teams to town yet take away the real treat of the season to another stadium? 

 

 

 

The PSL season only begin in August. Can Manqoba Mngqithi work his magic and get the team to buy into his philosophy within a month? Will Chippa United surprise us in the transfer market while also scooping the free agent, Katlego Mahsego? And will the Philippi stadium become the new Independent Stadium (remember Umtata Bush Bucks’ “slaughter house”?), a venue where PSL teams struggle to get away with any points?  Time will tell. As a neutral, I am happy to see another fresh face in the PSL and d hope this season will be as exciting as the 2011/2012 season.

 'Til next time!

 

Thomas Monyepao

Do followme on twitter @Tom_18Yards

DRAWing attention to Pitso

This post originally appeared on the sport24.co.za site on June 5, 2012.

“I gave Vision 2014 and I have always called it Vision 2014 when I was appointed, it was not Vision 2012 or 2011.”


I thought it would be best to start this piece with one of Pitso’s many quotable quotes. The man knew how to get the nation talking about Bafana Bafana and about " the best coach", Pitso Mosimane. He always managed to draw the match attention to himself.




At this moment in time, every South Africa soccer fan (and part time fan) will know that Pitso Mosimane has been relieved of his duties (and most will now have found out what the former Supersport United coach was earning as national team coach).   Most of the people that I have spoken to are of the opinion that he should be fired and/or should have been fired ages ago. This is football and we are all entitled to our own opinions but I do not feel he should have been fired, especially at this point in time with important matches coming up.

Pitso Mosimane’s record in the hot Bafana Bafana seat was pretty average, it must be said. He managed to win six matches, lost three, and, as many will point out to you in the coming weeks, he drew seven internationals. He also failed to take Bafana Bafana to the 2012 African Cup of Nations. However, I feel there were other factors that led to his dismissal besides results.

Pitso failed to convince most South African football fans and his bosses due to (1) unsatisfactory results (2) his reluctance to select older players such as the 2011/2012 PSL top goal scorer, and finally, as I have mentioned, (3) his public outbursts.

If “Vision 2014” really existed then the issue of failing to qualify for AFCON 2012 would be ignored or dismissed as a pothole on the road to success by the suits at SAFA House. The South African Football Association (SAFA) kept faith in their man, rightly so, and kept him in the job despite the fact that he had failed to get Bafana to play in the continental competition. Bafana Bafana then proceeded to only manage three draws and one loss (to Zimbabwe) before the Ethiopia game. If SAFA decided to keep faith in their man despite him failing to qualify for AFCON 2012, does this mean that he was fired for unsatisfactory results in the four friendly matches and single 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier that followed? I don’t believe that this was reason enough to dismiss the coach. In South Africa, we cannot be judging our national team coaches on the results of friendly matches. Some people on social networks also claim that if one draws against Ethiopia, one then deserves to be fired. So are we now going to be judging coaches on a game-by-game basis? No “Vision 2014”? No focus on the long-term goals? I recently watched the French national soccer team struggling to beat Iceland in a so-called “meaningless” friendly. The game ended 3-2 in favour of Les Bleus in a match in which they were expected to dominate from start to finish. The French supporters were already booing the players after 30 minutes of play! Now, let us for a moment imagine that the French football association then decided follow public opinion and fired the coach, Laurent Blanc, due to one (or a string of bad friendly match results). How would that help the team in the long run? What message does that send to the next man who will be in charge? What happens to all the “building” that preceded the coach’s dismissal?

There are examples of similar situations in world football. The Brazilian World Cup-winning team of 2002 struggled to even qualify for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea. Once they got there, they won the actual event with (the original) Ronaldo ending up as top goal scorer. In 2006, Germany went into the World Cup that they were hosting, low on confidence. The team had not been performing as required and tournament had been struggling to build up hype amongst the public, but, yet again, when it is absolutely necessary to perform, the Germans gave a good effort and lost to the eventual champions in the semifinals. My point here is that fans cannot judge coaches on a game-by-game basis. If Pitso Mosimane, for example, is the head coach when the qualifiers begin, allow him to coach until the end. One can only judge the coach based on the final outcome based on whether he qualified or not (this deliverable should be clearly stated in the contract agreement). As Pitso Mosimane correctly pointed out, Bafana Bafana still have 15 points to play for. Why did SAFA feel the need to make a knee-jerk reaction? Did public pressure influence this decision? South Africa will be hosting the African Cup of Nations next year, yet Bafana Bafana will now have to prepare for the tournament with a coach who will have been in charge for less than 7 months by the time the tournament arrives. Who will the public blame in 2013?

The second issue was Pitso’s reluctance to select older players. I prefer not to discuss this issue too much. The Carling Black Label Cup is available for those who think they can make the best selections. I prefer to let the coach do the selecting. I judge all coaches, and will judge the next Bafana coach based on results not on whether my favourite player is playing. The coach is entitled to choose whoever he thinks will help him achieve his goals. I feel that some of the national team supporters have been unfair on Pitso Mosimane. I say this because it was the very same fans were calling Benni McCarthy “too fat” when he signed for Pirates and described former Pirates man Siyabonga Nomvethe as a “has been”. This also shows how fickle South African soccer fans can be – today you’re a legend, tomorrow you’re clueless.


The final issue, Pitso’s terrible handling of the media, attracted unnecessary negative attention from fans and, ultimately, led to his downfall. He put unnecessary pressure on himself by declaring himself “one of the best coaches in Africa” and such a display of confidence or arrogance requires great results if one wants to keep the Bafana Bafana coaching job.


Pitso reminds me of former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers. When given the microphone, these two gentlemen always provide good value for money as far as entertainment goes. Pitso, though, has the added problem of making too many excuses and resorting to blaming individual players for bad results – Siyabonga Nomvethe being the most recent example. The most recent post-match interviews was, as Neal Collins would say, “a Phokeng disappointment”.
 
So, Pitso Mosimane is gone and Steve Khompela will become the caretaker coach (we do love those two words in SA soccer don’t we?!) and journey to AFCON 2013 and Brazil 2014 (hopefully) is going to be bumpy ride. The development structures that Pitso kept mentioning may eventually be successfully built up in the country but unless our fans and soccer bosses change their mindsets as far as focusing on the deliverables and long term goals, Bafana Bafana will keep changing coaches and the result our nation deserves will forever be a distant dream.

Thomas Monyepao

Follow me on twitter for more football debates, @Tom_18Yards

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
Let's chat on twitter

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.

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Thomas Monyepao