And your flops of the year. . .

Sir
18area.coms
THE Soccer Stars of The Year selection ritual used to be an all froth and no beer affair.

An overhyped process that often disappointed.

However, things seem to be slowly taking shape with the selection process, although not yet perfect, seemingly getting better, getting more credible with each passing year.

Selection of the best XI players of the season used to be an affair exclusively meant for journalists and the members of the Fourth Estate appeared to vote with their hearts.

That old approach gave us comical kings, dwarfs dressed in giant and borrowed robes.

We had the calamity of having Walter Tshuma as the Soccer Star of the Year in 1997.

Then there was the comedy of 2008, Evans Chikwaikwai getting the top gong ahead of a distinguished Edward Sadomba.

Claims that most of the journalists who voted had blue blood were enhanced when Murape Murape and Tawanda Muparati won the awards in 2007 and 2013 respectively.

Quite often the selection rite degenerated into a farce with the scribes accusing each other of bias among a plethora of crimes against football.

Amid serious outcry the system was re-jigged, coaches and captains joined in the party, voting went electronic and votes were made public.

The results were magical!

Sadly Yours Truly was not part of the process that went down in Harare on Tuesday but I can identify with the choices made.

I would have voted for nine of the final XI.

It’s amusing to note that not even a single Highlanders player made the list this time round.

Yet back in the day some Bosso players appeared to make the list because of the shirt they wore rather than the stuff they produced on the park.

The absence of a goalkeeper among the finest XI has triggered serious debate.

I appreciate where those who are pulling their hairs off over the absence of a golaie are coming from.

If 18 clean-sheets are not enough to get Elvis Chipezeze a place on that famed calendar then nothing else will suffice really.

As usual the final XI is forward heavy with just three defenders – Ocean Mushure, Kevin Moyo and Qadr Amini – making the cut.

But then again this not a uniquely Zimbabwean problem is it?

The world seems fascinated with artistes and not artisans.

We have a curse whereby forwards Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo take turns to win the Fifa Player of The Year award yet guys like Marcelo and Dani Alves work twice as much for less than half as much.

As the nation debated the XI selected on Tuesday as well as who should be the coach of the year between Norman Mapeza and Lloyd Mutasa my mind drifted towards candidates for the flops of the year calendar.

Rodrick Mutuma came to mind, faster than one can say flop.

The self-proclaimed Prince had a stinker, scoring just three goals during the just ended season.

Two for Bosso and one , the $4000 goal, for Yadah.

As usual Mutuma talked a lot but dismally failed to walk the talk.

How about Caps United’s Oga, Abrasim Chidieberi?

Was he a hit or a miss?

Some may argue that he never got a chance with Dominic Chungwa and John Zhuwawu both always getting the nod ahead of him.

However, the Nigerian made regular appearances from the bench and failed to live up to the hype.

He was a flop in my book.

At some point one is bound to come across a story that celebrates the Amidu brothers, Abbas who lifted the title with Caps last year and Brett who did the same with FC Platinum this term.

But on closer analysis Brett never hit the strides at FC Platinum and even suffered the ignominy of being the substitute who was substituted in that game against Hwange.

Amidu was a flop as was Gift Mbweti, the striker FC Platinum signed from Hwange amid high hopes.

In a year when Dynamos were desperately in need of experience Masimba Mambare spent the season growing a beard and warming the bench.

He deserves a place on the flops calendar.

The rest of the places in the 2017 Hall of Shame are taken up by Harare City, the cash rich outfit that is run on sitcom lines.

The Sunshine Boys were relegated despite opening the cheque book and bringing in players they termed as quality at the start of the season.

They even roped in journeyman Briton Mark Harrison as their technical director but still ended up in the dustbin.

Clearly money cannot buy you common sense.

Harrison, Mr Palm Tree of all people?

Harare City are a perfect but dying example of the adage that says a fool and his money are soon parted.

Sir exits the scene!