‘It’s all guns blazing’

Connor was airlifted from his base in Europe to provide a steely touch to the Green Machine’s drive to end seven years of waiting for league champi­onship honours.
He expects all teams to come out of the blocks with all guns blazing and believes their first league tie will have a significant bearing on their campaign this season.
The Green Machine are away to Sha­banie Mine.
Connor yesterday said while he would like to win the opening game of the sea­son, to make an immediate impression on the team’s fans, his ultimate goal was to build an environment that would guarantee long-term success at the club.
CAPS United last won the league championship when they lifted back-to-back titles under Charles Mhlauri in 2004 and 2005.
Given that the Green Machine is a big brand on the domestic Premiership, that is a very lengthy barren spell and, in an era where Facebook has turned into a playground where rival fans mock each other, the club’s supporters have had enough of the insults.
In short, they badly want to win the Premiership title this year.
And so does Connor.
“Every team will be enthusiastic to win this first game of the season,” the Northern Irishman told journalists at his weekly media briefing in the capital yes­terday.
“We have worked hard for the past 11 weeks and I think that we are ready for the game. We have prepared diligently and we will have no excuses.”
The CAPS United gaffer could have got a few tips from his assistant, Lloyd Chitembwe, that Shabanie are a tough team to beat in their backyard.
Chitembwe is a former Shabanie coach.
“Our game is away at Shabanie and we have a crop of players for the job,” said Connor.
“It will be difficult. It’s always difficult in the first match of the season no mat­ter whom you play. It’s like a cup final.”
The CAPS United manager said a win on Sunday at Maglas will set the tone for the Green Machine’s campaign this sea­son.
“Sunday’s game is important but all the other games this season are impor­tant. It’s only that this game on Sunday is an opportunity for this team to start the great journey,” said Connor.
CAPS United players have also been charmed by the way the Northern Irish­man has changed their training pro­grammes. Now the Green Machine play­ers train for, at most, an hour or so, in intense drills, while there is also a lot of time allocated to their physical and psy­chological conditioning.
Yesterday, Connor received the back­ing of CAPS United Supporters Associa­tion president, Abraham Kawadza who called  upon his constituency to give the Northern Irishman a chance.
Last season a militant section of the CAPS United fans forced Moses Chunga to quit despite having given the Green Machine a flying start to the season.
“I am appealing to the CAPS United supporters to be patient with the new dispensation and support the new man­ager and the team in their effort to bring glory and success to the Green Machine.
“Soccer is a beautiful family game and we want to see families coming to our matches. We will succeed in doing so by behaving well and shunning violence and hooliganism. We have appealed to our fans to compose and sing songs that are not abusive and provocative,” said Kawadza.
Yesterday, Connor officially unveiled veteran defender, David Sengu, as the club captain while midfielder Edmore Chafungamoyo will be the team captain for this season and Tapiwa Kumbuyiani will deputise him.
The CAPS United manager also brought powerful forward Evans Gwek­werere to the press briefing with Cha­fungamoyo, who is expected to wear the armband on most occasions, challeng­ing his troops to start with a win.
“I am very excited to be appointed the team captain and this comes with a lot of responsibilities. It’s a great honour to lead a great team like CAPS and I hope to take it where it belongs and that is (winning) the championship,” said Cha­fungamoyo.
The former Black Rhinos midfielder is now in his third spell at the Green Machine after joining the side in 2010 and believes it’s now time they start win­ning some medals.
“We are playing Shabanie away and it will be tough.
“I know that Shabanie beat us when we visited there the last time but we need to turn over the tables on them and show that it’s a myth that visiting teams cannot win at Shabanie,” said Chafung­amoyo.
Chafungamoyo, a rather reserved character, said he will live up to the task by playing well as well being leader of the troops on the park.
“Everyone respects everyone at the club. When one player is off-form we try to encourage each other so that we uplift the game instead of engaging in petty fights,” said Chafungamoyo.
There was speculation during the off-season that Gwekwerere could leave the Green Machine amid unsubstantiated reports that he had fallen out with the technical staff.
But the former Dynamos striker remains committed to the Green Machine and, after enjoying a relatively good season in his first year at the club, he will be hoping for better returns this year.
Fixtures

Tomorrow: Black Mambas v FC Platinum (Morris Depot), Motor Action v Harare City (Motor Action Sports Club), Hwange v Quelaton (Colliery), Chicken Inn v Gunners (Luveve)
Sunday: Dynamos v Hardbody (Rufaro), Highlanders v Blue Rangers (BF), Shabanie v CAPS United (Maglas), Buffaloes v Monomotapa (Sakubva).