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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
WHEN Bulawayo City suspended the bulk of their technical team members including head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube over match fixing allegations in August, Try Ncube was appointed on an interim basis.
Ncube has been in charge of 11 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League matches with no so bad results which has seen Bulawayo City win four, draw three and lose four. Under Ncube, Amakhosi have posted resounding wins over title favourites Caps United and ZPC Kariba who were all clobbered 3-1 at Barbourfields Stadium. Last year’s champions Chicken Inn were beaten 1-0 by Bulawayo City at Emagumeni to give away all the six points on offer to the newly promoted side.
Bulawayo City started life under Try Ncube with two consecutive draws, a 0-0 stalemate at Barbourfields against Hwange was followed up by another point secured away from former champions Dynamos in Harare who they held 1-1. With such good results, many have been left asking who really is Try Ncube. Sunday Life plucked the coach from class where he was enhancing his qualifications to tell us his story.
Born at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo on 24 November 1973, Ncube grew up in Victoria Falls. He attended Saint Michaels Primary for his junior education and Mosi ou Tunya High School where he went up to Form Four. Ncube played football for a Division Two team, Busy Island FC Victoria Falls with his position being centre back. A right foot injury when he was 23 and being sought after by a lot of Division One teams in the resort town forced him to go into coaching.
Morgen “Gazza” Dube, a renowned football administrator and coach from Victoria Falls wanted Ncube to move to Gauges FC, a Division One side but the then Busy Island team manager did not approve of that move. Ncube went into coaching in 1997 when he founded Sao Paulo FC, which started off as a junior team. He used to pay school fees for most of the players. Some of Ncube’s products at Sao Paulo are midfielder Nkosana Siwela, formerly with Hwange, now at Tsholotsho, defender Saidi Tshuma who has played for Hwange and Railstars, Amagagasi defender Fungai Karipache, FC Platinum’s Winston Mhango as well as Nqobani Phakathi. Sao Paulo started off as a junior team and went into Division One until the club folded in 2012 because of lack of funding.
“I had a lot of money when I started Sao Paulo, I was changing money and was into selling curios in Victoria Falls. As the team grew I brought in other people to assist me with administration and coaching. The team was set up in a new ward, I gave my players six names, I asked them to choose the names they wanted and Sao Paulo proved popular. We played very good football, a special brand of football. Gazza (Morgen Dube) got me into coaching, even when I was successful I always remembered that, Sao Paulo got into Division One in 2007, we were there until the beginning of 2012 when we disbanded for lack of funding,’’ Ncube said.
He temporarily left Sao Paulo for Botswana where he coached from 2009 until 2011. Ncube coached Newtown Highlanders, a development side for Township Rollers and then African Birds towards the end of the 2010-11 season.
Ncube returned to Sao Paulo until the team ran out of funding and he joined then Division Two side Chinotimba Rovers (now Trumus), managed by Tafadzwa Mutowa. Under Ncube, Chinotimba Rovers played 11 games, won 10 and drew one. He was lured during the same season by Technosphere who were in sixth place at that time while Chinotimba Rovers were on top of the log. Technosphere offered him a job as a storesman. Under his guidance, Hwange-based Technosphere played 23 games, won 20 and drew three to become champions and earn promotion into the Zifa Southern Region Division One.
Technosphere made an immediate impact in Division One, finishing fourth in their maiden season in 2013. The following year they were third, the same position they achieved in 2015. Last season, they beat Bulawayo City home and away, with a 3-0 victory in Hwange and 1-0 triumph at Luveve Stadium. They also had success over second-place finishers Bulawayo Chiefs who they beat 2-0 in Bulawayo, drew 1-1 in Hwange. His plans were to continue fighting for promotion with Technosphere until a call came from Bulawayo City head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube in December last year.
“My plans were to continue with Technosphere until I got a call from Philani Ncube late December, he said he saw something in me that I can assist him with. I officially joined Bulawayo City at the end of January, I had actually done pre-season with Technosphere. I got the blessings from Ozwin Taruvinga, the owner of Technosphere, he is such a great man who is passionate about football. From Beefy I have learnt a lot, his high work ethic made me settle down, I also had my own ideas,’’ said Ncube.
On the experience of coaching in the PSL, Ncube pointed out that he was enjoying it because it comes with a lot of pressure which he feels he is handling well. His best moment with Bulawayo City was when they recorded 3-1 wins over Caps United and ZPC Kariba.
“My best moment as a coach this season is between the Caps United and ZPC Kariba matches, my boys played so well. It has been a good experience, I am enjoying it, there is lots of pressure, I can handle it, from a young age I was a head coach. I had never been an assistant coach,’’ Ncube said.
Doing a Confederation of Africa Football B coaching licence which started last Monday and concludes on 2 December, Ncube said he has never failed a coaching course before. He got his Level One in 1998 under the instruction of Benedict Moyo.
Gibson Homela was his mentor when he did Level Two in 2003 and Nelson Matongorere was the instructor when Ncube completed his Level Three in 2008. Ncube did his Level Four in 2011 and his Caf C in 2013.
His reason for upgrading his coaching qualifications is so that he can become more marketable even outside the country.
Ncube is aiming to go as high as possible in terms of coaching qualifications.
“Caf B ends 2 December, we started on Monday, we are learning a lot, it is hectic we sleep at 11pm. Next year I am heading to Caf A. I want to go as high as possible, I want to be a professional coach even outside the country,’’ Ncube said.
He describes his biggest accomplishments as being elevated to acting coach at Bulawayo City, his time at Technosphere and founding Sao Paulo. His greatest disappointment was losing the championship to Tsholotsho in 2014.
“My biggest achievement in football is being acting coach at Bulawayo City, I also did well at Technosphere, for four years my team was consistent, when I founded Sao Paulo they played the way I wanted, that is where I felt good to be a coach. My biggest disappointment was losing the championship to Tsholotsho in 2014, we lost 1-0 in the 87th minute against Tsholotsho, the third from last game. We were on top of the log on goal difference before that game, after that they led us by three points. We drew with New West City, Tsholotsho won and led us by five points and in the process eliminated us from the race. That was disappointing because we had played wonderful football, I had good players such as Gift Mbweti,’’ Ncube said.
Married for 23 years to Fiona Kasiya, the couple is blessed with three children, two boys and one girl, the oldest turns 23 in December, while the youngest is eight. His children are named Try Fortune, Try Tevez and Delicate Angela. Try Fortune is a right back who played for Hwange under Zambian Tenant Chilumba at the age of 17. He turns out for Amagagasi and his father feels that he has a chance of playing in the Premier League. Ncube is already a grandfather as his first born, Try Fortune has a son named Try Delight.
Ncube says he has never tasted alcohol his whole life and is a member of the General Apostolic Church. He travels to Victoria Falls almost every Sunday to attend church and to seek prayers which strengthen him spiritually. While he is a tenant in the low density suburb of Queens Park East in Bulawayo, Ncube is a proud owner of a three-roomed house in Victoria Falls. He describes himself as someone who hates fighting, does not hold grudges and respects coaches as well as players but at the same time demanding hard work from his team.
“I have never tasted alcohol since I was born, I am a member of the General Foundation Apostolic Church. Almost every Sunday I go to Victoria Falls for prayers, my family is based in Victoria Falls. I own a three-roomed house in Victoria Falls which I am planning to extend, in Bulawayo I am renting in Queens Park East. I am someone who does not like fighting and holding grudges, I am God-fearing, I respect other coaches and players but on the football field I want workaholics in my team,’’ said Ncube.
With Philani Ncube’s future uncertain after he was suspended from all football activities by Zifa, Bulawayo City is still in safe hands in the form of another Ncube, Try who just like his name is trying by all means to ensure that Amakhosi finish in the top eight in their maiden season in the PSL.
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Bongani Ndlovu