Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo and Veronica Gwaze
HARARE giants Dynamos have pulled a huge surprise, turning to their former striker Rodrick Mutuma to assist in their quest to challenge for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Championship.
Dynamos want Mutuma, who has been trying his hand at coaching to help out the current crop cope with pressure associated with playing for the biggest team in the country.
Mutuma was ecstatic as he joined in the drills and small-sided games that underlined yesterday’s training session as Dynamos prepared for the tricky assignment against log leaders Hardrock away in Kwekwe on Sunday.
For now, his mission is to inspire and motivate the club’s players through active participation with the team expected to draft him in as their strikers’ coach.
“I am happy to be part of this family once again, I thank Dynamos for remembering me and allowing me the opportunity to put on this blue and white,” Mutuma said.
“It is a huge and important honour to get the opportunity to rejoin such a big club and help the youngsters understand what it means to put on the blue badge.”
Mutuma, a journeyman forward during his career, played for all the big three sides Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders.
He also featured for other clubs such as Mimosa, Zimalloys, Nichrut, Yadah and Bloemfontein Celtic in South Africa.
Mutuma also had a brief stint at FC Limpopo of the DR Congo.
However, it was at DeMbare that he blossomed and earned himself the moniker “The Prince”, playing a crucial role when DeMbare won the league title in 2011 and 2012.
In 2011, he won the prestigious PSL golden boot award after netting 14 goals for the Harare giants.
His role in that campaign catapulted him into the spotlight, earning him a huge move to South Africa. Mutuma, however, returned home with discipline issues and substance abuse haunting him.
He then became a nomad as he battled his demons.
“Discipline is key for any player to reach their full potential, it can take an athlete far and this is one thing that I al-ways wish I could have done differently,” he said.
Dynamos, who seem to have lost the consistency with which they started the season, face a Hardrock side in buoy-ant mood after seizing leadership of the log standings with 27 points.
Although CAPS United also have the same number of points, Hardrock edged in front because of a superior goal difference.
Dynamos occupy the fifth position with 21.
Although they have managed to score goals in their last two games, netting five goals in open play against Herentals (2-2) and Triangle (3-0) Dynamos have largely been not very impressive in their finishing.
Now they believe Mutuma could provide some tips to their forwards, which could bring the cutting edge to their at-tack.
“Football is all about learning every day, this is how the art is perfected so I will play my part, I just want to give back to the team that gave me a life,” Mutuma said.
“Courage is also an attribute that Dynamos players need if they are to thrive because the stage is big, there is always pressure of expectation and one needs to prove why they deserve to be part of the Blue Army.”
Mutuma indicated that his major role is to ensure that players stay away from drugs to focus on developing their careers while representing Dynamos with professionalism.
He wants them to understand that to navigate the complex Dynamos environment, they need to put in extra shifts and stay in form.
“The clubs have demands and for one to fit in, they should quickly learn how to absorb those pressures weekly lest they end up falling into the deadly drug and substance abuse trap,” he said.
“I have been here before, as a player, I will speak to them based on my personal experiences, and I believe that’s the biggest motivation that they need.
“The other important factor is unity in the team, everyone has a role to play because as an individual you can win, but as a team we achieve.
“We want the championship back at Dynamos again, it has been years since the blue half last celebrated the big one,” he said.
“The Cup should come back to Dynamos, I believe that with the club’s stature in terms of achievement, the title belongs to DeMbare.”
Coach Genesis Mangombe is happy to work with Mutuma citing that he brings a huge motivation factor to the cur-rent crop of players.
A huge chunk of the current Dynamos are players who were signed from other clubs while virtually none graduated from the development side. Mangombe said Mutuma plays a key role in emphasising the importance of representing the Dynamos badge.
“We will continue to rope him often, his role being to tell the boys the history of Dynamos, what it means to represent a big team, the expectations and more.
