A stitch in time saves nine

Limukani Ncube
WE cannot run away from the fact that even Dynamos supporters are disappointed with the kind of show put up by Highlanders when playing against them in recent years.
We cannot run away from the fact that even neutrals now feel sorry for Highlanders for the kind of punishment they go through each time they face their traditional rivals.

We cannot run away from the fact that even some Highlanders fans no longer feel “pained” after the loss to Dynamos. They seem to expect it, and it boggles the mind why such things happen in football, especially to the mighty Highlanders, yes mighty Highlanders-never mind the back-to-back losses to Dynamos.

The formula to beat Dynamos in league and cup matches has not been there in the past eight years, save for the 2011 Independence Cup final won by the Mkhuphali Masuku coached side after a penalty shoot out. And perhaps, not to be too harsh to the boys in black and white, it is fair to mention that they had already bagged three points in a league match last season at Rufaro Stadium, until referee Norman Matemera allowed controversially seven minutes of added time that enabled Dynamos to steal an equaliser.

Nonetheless, after last Saturday’s 4-1 drubbing in the TM Challenge, in a match that the Bulawayo giants started off well and raised expectations of all football lovers for a duel worth every minute, they somehow crumbled like a deck of cards along the way, thanks to a disjointed defence that had Erick Mudzingwa battling a nightmarish afternoon on the right from the nimble feet of Tafadwa Rusike, a leaking central defensive pairing of Innocent Mapuranga and Dumisani Ndlovu who television commentators mocked could even allow a “Puma truck” in between them.

It was a game where it would not have been surprising to see a man who had conceded four goals in 90 minutes being named man of the match, as goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda fought a lone battle to limit the damage, coming off his line countless times to thwart Dynamos on one versus one situations, with perhaps the only players worth mentioning being defensive midfielder Felix Chindungwe, and those far and wide flashes from attacking midfielder Joel Ngodzo.

You could see the long faces on bench, every member of the technical team standing up after another to say something and throw their hands in the air. You could see that the pressure was taking its toll and draining the energy on head coach Kelvin Kaindu, who besides putting up a brave face after the match, conceded that they were beaten all systems out. In his words, they did not come to the party and in the second half, desperate to catch up on the scoreboard with more men pushing forward, resorted to the off-side trap which is not their normal game plan. And after the final whistle, it would have been absurd for the coaches and players to receive hugs and kisses of hard luck from chairman Peter Dube. The players and coaches would have been out of their minds to expect nice messages from their fans after such a drubbing, and in short, the fire that was directed at them was expected.

Kaindu is not the only coach at Highlanders who has failed to beat Dynamos, but a modest coach like Reuben Tsengwa, who succeeded Methembe Ndlovu for half a season, will boast that at least he never lost but managed draws.

What this means is that the eight year dominance of Dynamos over Highlanders cannot be blamed solely on the Zambian, but others will argue that the reason why he was hired all the way from across the borders was because he was expected to breathe fresh air into the team, the reason why he was allowed to attend coaching courses in the UK last season was because it was believed the club would benefit from his new knowledge.

You feel pity for Kaindu because since joining Highlanders in 2012, his success or failure is no longer being measured by how many matches he wins or loses, how many cups he wins or how many league titles he misses, but by how many times he has failed to beat Dynamos.

It’s kind of unfair, but in countries where there is intense rivalry between two teams, like for instance in Spain, beating everyone else and even winning the title but losing time and again to Barcelona if you are a Real Madrid coach is not enough. You can deliver the title to the office, but still get the boot, that is the beauty and ugly side of this thing called football.

“Matter of fact! Highlanders have played Dynamos four times this season conceding eight goals and scoring only one goal. Bob Cup, Dynamos 2 Highlanders 0, Premier League in Harare DeMbare 1 Bosso 0, Premier league in Bulawayo Highlanders 0 Dynamos 1 and yesterday TM Challenge Cup Dynamos 4 Highlanders 1. This is criminal and can’t see this accepted and allowed to happen elsewhere in the world,” screamed a football analyst on Facebook on Monday.

Patrick Ndlovu went on the same public online platform to say; “The crux of the matter here is culturisation and enculturisation in the team. Let’s face it, as leaders of the team (executive) you have failed us on this aspect. The boys signed are not fighters who know what it means to lose to Dynamos. These boys should know what it feels to uBulawayo when they lose to Dynamos. Thina siyagula (sick) we are in hibernation lina liyagida liyajabula sekuphelile nje (to you its business as usual). Own up and respect the badge and the executive should put the right eggs in the basket lest we lose our identity. Sign the right players that show love for the badge and are prepared to fight for it. Revamp the junior policy. Invest in junior policy. Have a proper Developmental Framework that will instill a culture of the team through their developmental stages. Preach to them and make it a daily song what it means to lose to Dynamos.”

Siphambaniso Dube weighed in saying; “ These players should wake up and smell the coffee. Highlanders is an institution that has its pride and that pride is dominance over Dynamos and Zimbabwe Saints. Caps United is a friend to Highlanders rather than a bitter rival. If you play for Highlanders and you did not know that then pack your bags and go.”

The pressure was too much to bear and even club chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede got a bit cheeky in one of his responses to a daily when he was quoted as saying; “People who do not play a significant monetary role (in the club) should not say so and so must go.

The people who are members and not just the general supporters have that mandate. We respect all our supporters and their support, but they must leave the decision to the office bearers that they elected. If we let everyone decide who stays and who goes, we will not have a club to talk about. Look at what happened to Zimbabwe Saints. Where are they? That is what happens if you do not honour your hierarchy.”

But it appeared the executive took a serious look at themselves in the mirror and decided to be tough on players after understanding that some players misbehaved before the match while in camp at a Harare hotel, resulting in striker Njabulo Ncube being suspended for two weeks and leading scorer Charles Sibanda and midfielder Ngodzo getting final written warnings.

The crusade did not stop there, captain Mapuranga was relieved of his duties and goalkeeper Sibanda took over the captaincy, exciting times indeed, perhaps the executive took the cue from the adage, “a stitch in time saves nine”. Interestingly, Gumede said there was nothing amiss with the change of captaincy. Really!