26 GOAL MAN

LESLEY MANYATHELA

Since the beginning of the PSL in 1996, I don’t remember South African football being in a better state than it is at the moment. We’ve seen Bernard Parker, Nasief Morris and Benni McCarthy coming back to South Africa. Last season leading goal scorer has left our shores for German out fit TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and he was replaced by another goal scoring machine from Amazulu, Lehlohonolo Majoro and was later joined by Bernard Parker from FC Twente in Holland.

The league sponsor, ABSA, has set a 26 goal target for the top goal scorer. Since Chiefs brought both Majoro and Parker into their team, Pirates went a step further; they brought in one man whose experience is probably better than those of the two Chiefs players combined. It’s fair to say that, with all the preseason signings by the treble winners, including this one, they look more determined to defend all their trophies. They aim to go even further than last season.
But the signing of Benni is very much interesting.

BENNI McCARTHY

After spending most of the time with Ajax Cape Town, he joined Pirates. For me it made sense, no big player would chose Ajax over Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates here in South Africa. He played in Europe for the past 14 years and he’s arguably the most successful South African footballer over the past decade and half. But here is where everything gets interesting, the last time Pirates had a leading goal scorer was in 2002/03 season with the late Lesley Manyathela doing it for them. Since then we’ve seen the PSL top-scorer award being named the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot Award but Pirates has never had a player claiming this award.
Manyathela managed to score 18 goals (22 in all competitions after promising the chairman to score as many goals as his shirt number) and since then we’ve seen midfielders and defenders do it for Pirates. Last season was no different. Isaac Chansa, Tlou Segolela and Thulasizwe Mbuyane scored regularly to seal the league for them. Mind you there were six strikers who managed to score not more than 4 goals. The last Pirates’ strikers to get into the double figures were ­Phumudzo Manenzhe and Excellent Walaza in the 2004/05 and 2006/07 seasons respectively, when they found the back of the net 10 times and Benedict Vilakazi got to 13 in 2003/04, since then there has never been anyone good enough to get to 18. One feels that Pirates still have a debt to pay; they still have to win the top-scorer award in memory of Lesley ‘Slow Poison’ Manyathela.

I’m not even going to try to give you the figures of Benni’s career that will just be a challenge in itself, but the question remains, does he still got it in him to score 15 goals or is he the 26 goal man. He is 33 and his international career speaks for itself. He has already scored his first goal, 25 more to go. Can Benni do it for Phuti, the story continues.

AFRICAN WAY OF PLAYING SOCCER

In the past, the very past, the past that seem so long ago, not as far as “Ace” Ntsoelengoe past, at least Doctor Khumalo past, there was a term that used to go around, ‘African Football’ or ‘African Style of play’ in the words Bra S’bu Mseleku.

It’s amazing how things have changed. One day, not too long ago, Pirates were playing Tottenham Hotspurs. They were leading by two goals to one and they had the likes of Steve Lekoelea, Joseph Makhanya, Sailor Tshabalala, Lebohang Mokoena, Mbulelo Mabizela and the late Lesley Manyathela in their team. They totally overhauled Spurs with their physicality and showed quite a bit of skill and sometimes taunting Spurs with some of their tricks. After the match, the then Spurs manager, Glen Hoddle, was not pleased at all, it started a short war of words in the media about the alleged 'lack of respect' shown by Pirates and the Pirates Brand manager claimed that this was ‘the way that South African football was played’ and that Hoddle must have expected his player to 'seeking autographs' from the visiting superstars!!

For South African, it was never about disrespect, it was indeed the way of South African football. When Doctor Khumalo collected the ball on the right and dribble passed an oncoming opponent and performs a ‘shibobo’ on the next, the pass to ‘shoes’ Mosoeu who performs a ‘tsamaya’ on the opposition plays the ball through for Mark Williams to finish, that’s what we call a ‘goal made in South Africa’ …

On Tuesday, 19th July, Pirates played Tottenham Hotspurs again. After being one-all in the second stanza, Pirates player started playing around with the ball. Mike Mayambela, Tlou Sekgoleloa, Andile Jali, Oupa Manyesa and others did their thing with the ball. The crowd loved every bit of it. The sound of the song mixed with the glorious noise of the mighty vuvuzelas were the clear prove that everyone at the venue loved what they were seeing, the resurrection of ‘the South African way of playing soccer’.

This writer was on twitter when all this occurred; I was amazed to see how many of us have forgotten the way Africa play ‘the beautiful game. I was surprised by the comments that came through the social network. They were talking about how Pirates must learn to finish off the game before they go for ‘shoe shine and piano’. But the reality is, we play a very attractive style of football, it’s been happening for a very long time. We don’t just play long balls for no reason. So I asked myself, what is South African way of playing soccer, that unique brand we call our own? I got reminded of the 2003 game all over again. How we were happy then and thought Hoddle was mental for demanding respect when we were playing our own game.

And I recalled what Bra Zacharia ‘Computer’ Lamola, a former Kaizer Chiefs great, said to Bra S’bu Mseleku (2nd July, 1998): ‘Our natural style revolves around keeping possession. Our play is a slow build up from the back. We don’t rush, even if we have to pass backwards. As long as you are in possession of the ball your chance of scoring a goal is 100%.’ He went on to say that they were taught to treat the ball as if it’s their girlfriend.

‘You don’t let anyone mess with your girlfriend, so you mustn’t let anyone take the ball away from you.’ (I know what you thinking of).

Zimbabwean coach Shepherd Murape agreed. ‘In Africa we start our moves slowly from the back. As the ball reaches the midfield we get to second gear and move into overdrive as the ball reaches our forwards. A quick burst of speed opens up the opposition’s defence.

‘This lets African players save a lot of energy. They don’t rush things the way European players do.’

The then Amagluglu coach Bra Shakes Mashaba said he’s confused when people talk about style. ‘To me style is something individual,’ he says. Every player has his own style. All we need to do is sit down and formulate a technical method in which various individual skills and style can be managed together.’

S’bu went on to say that South African soccer, like South American soccer, always revolve around individuals. Orlando Pirates had Scara Sono and later his son Jomo, who could change the tide of the game any moment.

From way back in the past, we had the likes of Kaizer Motaung, and the late Ace Ntsoelengoe, Andries ‘Panyaza’ Maseko, Mecro ‘Masterpiece’ Moripe, Frederick ‘Sugar Ray’ Xulu. This writer has never watched the aforementioned player but I have heard that they dictated the game and often decided the result of the match.

So this made me wonder, Barcelona have been playing passing possession football, and if you read clearly, that’s the type of style that’s been mentioned as the African way of playing.

I’m not going to comment about the 1974 Netherlands National Football Team or the ‘Total Football’ which was invented by Rinus Michels. Apparently that’s what Barca is trying to play. It said that in ‘Total Football’, a player who moves out of position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining the team’s intended organisational structure. No outfield player is fixed in a nominal role; anyone can be successively an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. The only player fixed in a nominal position is the goalkeeper.

I read Calvin Marlin interview on Soccer Laduma Issue No 730, he spoke about ‘general shape’. He said ‘It’s about being aware in the field of play when this guy goes there you go there.’ Do South African player have any idea of the ‘South African way of playing’ or are they as confused as I am? I don’t think ‘South African way of playing no longer exists. The way Calvin puts it, our player didn’t grow up being taught to be highly technical and physically strong.

Last I checked, South African unique style was ‘taking on defenders with the ball. Having playmakers controlling the midfield and dictating the pace of the game,’ said Steve Lekoelea. You could say Barcelona is doing just that with Lionel Messi totally mesmerising defenders. Pirates seem to trying to do that this season, Chiefs was doing it last season and continues to try to pass the ball. Are they using the ‘Dutch Total Football’ or ‘The African Unique Style’? What is our style? Have we lost our identity because of too much exposure to European football or may be we just never had an identity to start with?

FOR THE LOVE OF PASSION FOOTBALL!!

GAME OF GENTLEMEN PLAYED BY CHEATERS

As if the owner of the team bribing his team’s way to the championship or to avoid relegation is the only way of cheating, football has become a game of 22 or so cheaters per match. The amazing thing is that when you speak of cheating in the beautiful game, everyone things about money changing hands and matches being fixed. Take notice of the new type of cheating, pity the defenders in this situation because the get to be the guilty party.

The FIFA Women’s’ World Cup 2011 edition held in Germany have raised some doubts in my head about the man’s game. For sure this are only ladies and for sure we cannot expect them to play in the same level as the testosterone filled male species, if anyone had a doubt about what it takes in football to be a real competitor and to earn a penalty not cheat to get it, this ladies will show you a thing or two. They don’t know how to dive or fake an injury. When she falls to the ground, believe it, she’s really hurt. The quality and class they possess sometimes makes you forget that you are watching ladies, only to be reminded by the lack of cheating.

Watching Barcelona play is such a dream, the way they pass the ball, the way they close down opponents when they’ve lost the ball. Every department in that Barca team works like a well oiled machine. Lionel Messi is just a machine; you feel he has to go back to the future where he belongs. They are the best team of the era, no doubt. Having said that, if you challenge them like Real Madrid or Arsenal (two teams who stood head and toes against Barca) did, you are going to come up against a different Barcelona team. Teams even predict that they are going to get red card days before the game.
If an opposing team player fouls their player, they are so quick to surround the referee to try to persuade him to book the opposing player. Most times than not the referee book the player because of the pressure he’s been put under. Even if the ref decides not to book the player, he is not allowed to penalize a team for trying to make another team look guilty. In rugby, only the captain is allowed to approach the referee and even if he does approach the ref, it’s not to persuade the ref to change his decision his team’s way but to ask for explanation of the decision. If a player commits a foul and then tries to protest, the ball is moved 10 yards from where the incident occurred. In football there are no such rules but you would feel that we don’t really need such rules; it’s the responsibility of the organisation to make sure players behave in the field of play.
Barca fiasco continues. There is no other stronger small player around like Messi. He does not go down easy. He fights for the ball and fights get back on his feet, defenders struggle to contain him. BUT lately he has added something new to his repertoire, he dives, well the rest of that team are divers. When teams stand up against Barcelona, they have a way of frustrating opposition apart from their excellent football style; they fail to be on their feet whenever they are challenged for position. It’s embarrassing and disgraceful to watch. They do get incentives for diving around and faking injuries, the opposing player get booked or even send off. If the ref notice that a player dived, all he gets is a yellow card and an opportunity to finally master his skill, DIVING. The way they are good at it, supporters can’t even make out if it’s a real injury or a fake.

When did football, man football became such a sissy game, was it something that was brought to us by Daniel Ortega?

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
UEFA is already in it by the introduction of additional assistance referees. This idea I favour whole-heartedly. It basically helps the referee in situations like that Lampard moment in Bloemfontein. For me, that’s all football need, another human to help the referee out, not a machine.
I don’t believe in technology during the game is necessary, be it “goal line technology” or “video replay” because we need to keep the game pure. We all know England will never forget their disallowed goal against Germany in the quarter-final of the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP, but those are human errors and as human, they are most often than not, going to be part of our everyday dealings. There’s got to be shared responsibilities here, the players’ needs to also play their part in this instance. I understand it’s no longer about the passion and the honest competition but only about the money more than anything. Lets use cricket as a reference even though I do understand the technology there, lets put that aside. Its not only the empire’s responsibility when you have edged the ball to the wicketkeeper, if you know, you walk. When fielding at say Point, Gully or Slips and a batsman happens to edge the ball towards and it bounce just before you make a catch, and you know it bounced, instead of celebrating and saying it’s a catch, you make the job easy for the umpire by telling him it bounced first. When you know you are not out you are given out, you don’t complain, you walk. Now how gentlemanly would this sport be. Football players need to be more responsible and show their love for this game. They have to protect the game they love. I don’t believe any of them want to find themselves in a stop-start type of game.
May be players should be fined after the match upon the reviewing a recording of the game. In cricket players get to be fined half of their match fees or the whole of their match fee for showing decline after being given out. A captain suffers the same fate for his teams’ slow over-rate. Teams have to take part of the responsibility to help FIFA safe the beautiful game. Players have to be fined for not showing respect for the game and not taking into consideration their roles as ‘role models’. May be FIFA is declining technology not ruin football but to protect this ‘religion’, the game we love so much, the beautiful game.
FOR THE LOVE OF PASSION FOOTBALL!!

CHIEFS RESPOND TO PIRATES TRIPLE

In Spain you have Barcelona and Real Madrid. In Italy you have AC Milan and Inter and in South Africa, there's Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. What all this teams have in common is that when their rival does something, the supporters wait for a respond from their team. Sometimes you are not judged by how good you are in all situations during the season but by how you respond to what your supporters term as their biggest 'rival'. When Orlando Pirates took almost all the silverwares of last season in what is probably the most successful season since the beginning of PSL, we all waited in anticipation for Kaizer Chiefs respond. It came as early as the 28th June when they unveiled their 2011/12 Nike kit. It was followed by some mixed reactions from all fans from both teams, including the followers of other teams and media. As its the norm with passionate football lovers, naming has never been a problem. The "Zebra Boys", "Brasso", "PAC United", were some of the names that came. But the kit bold new home kit was inspired by traditional black and gold club colours, infused with its distinctive chief's logo iconic in clubs history. The dramatic design encapsulate the rich history of the club. And then we waited once again to see what Pirates will come up with. On the 06 July, Orlando Pirates launched their 2011/12 Adidas kit. This was termed by other football followers as a "reunveiling" of last season kit. Apparently Pirates said due to the popularity of last season home jersey, Adidas has stuck to the same clean and classic look with attention to smaller design details on the jersey. The boldness in Pirates attire comes in the form of the red away jersey which is believed to be a hit with fans. "The feedback we received from last season jersey was very positive and so we decided to remain with a clean and classic design. Orlando Pirates has a great tradition of pushing the envelope in jersey designing and I believe we have done that yet again this year." Nkosana Khoza, Marketing Director OPFC. Personally I feel Pirates failed to pitch this time. But having said that, we await a great season ahead. There is a possibility that we are going to see Chiefs and Pirates more times than we want. We are hoping that Ajax CT come to the party once again, Sundowns is always there and Bloem Celtic coach has made it clear that he wants top 4 finish this year. Golden Arrows have done some interesting acquisitions so we'll have to wait and see how the season's gonna go. THIS FOR THE PASSION OF FOOTBALL..