adminIn the end it was a lifeless 1-1 draw at home to Norwegian ‘powerhouses’ Rosenborg in front of a tepid 24 973 English Blues fans which undid the Chelsea boss, now with Real Madrid in Spain.
Or that is what many thought. The reality was that in 2007, the self-proclaimed “Special One” fell out with the Chelsea hierarchy and was pushed rather than leaving on his own volition, some pundits wrote.
It was of course a clouded up quote alluding to the fact that he believed that certain “stars” at Chelsea were just not pulling their weight.
At the time the Blues for example, had netted 215 goals under his tenure, however, 87 of them had been scored by either midfielder Frank Lampard or striker Didier Drogba.
The Abramovich-inspired signings of former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko and Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack appeared to thwart the balance of the team, as well as presenting Mourinho with an enigma.
What was certain to onlookers was that the pressure-cooker, that is the Chelsea job, was based as it were on the presumptions that league and European titles are not only a priority but a God-given right. This helped further deteriorate the relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho, wrote one journalist.
At best it was said to be tricky, at worst intolerable. By the time Avram Grant was appointed Director of Football, the writing was on the wall. Prior to his dismissal as Chelsea boss, Mourinho had promised to be mellower after making much racket in prior years. Upon taking the oath the “Portugeezer” must have had his fingers firmly crossed behind his back, as one month into the 2007/2008 campaign, he let rip about not always receiving the correct backing financially, added the writer.
“If you have no eggs, you have no omelet. And it depends on the quality of the egg. You need the right eggs for a good omelet!” he moaned on the eve of the Champions League match against Rosenborg.
At the beginning of the year, Highlanders and Dynamos looked like relegation material after an exodus of journeymen in their playing squads. The eggs for the omelet were gone but Dynamos soon regained ground and got the hen to lay the golden eggs that got them the right grade for the right omelet, in the form of the league title and the prestigious Mbada Diamonds Trophy.
But the script remained unchanged for their arch rivals, Highlanders, who despite the fact that they were never at any point relegation threatened, and even having the luxury of winning the Independence Trophy, they finished a disappointing seventh on the log.
The performance of the team was confirmed by poor attendance at Barbourfields, which hit the Bulawayo giants hard in the pocket but many believe the club did not have quality material to pose any threat in the championship race.
Highly rated striker Vincent Nzombe managed a couple of goals, which defender Gilbert Banda also fired into the nets and Njabulo Ncube only promised much in the early stages only to falter mid-way and was eventually out of Highlanders to Division One side Quelaton, whom he however helped win promotion to the top league.
Apart from goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda, captain Banda, midfielders Eric Mudzingwa, Rahman Kutsanzira, Luis Matawu and striker Graham Ncube, coach Mkhuphali Masuku was always going to be devoid of the good grade for the omelet. Of course, there were veterans Bekithemba Ndlovu and Gift Lunga, but they played cameo roles, making no impact at all.
When a club does not buy seasoned players to replace a host of talented players like Joel and Zephaniah Ngodzo, Protasho Kabwe, Brighton Dube, Abraham Mbaiwa and Menard Mupera, it creates obvious problems for the coaching department.
The only remedy would be to turn to juniors and players from lower divisions who come literally at no cost, and that is why Masuku, who has since been replaced by Zambian Kelvin Kaindu, also a former Bosso winger, at some point urged Bosso fans to be patient, saying there was future in the likes of Knox Mutizwa, Xolani Ncube, Honest Sibanda and Warren Dube.
As Mr Cooper leaves Highlanders, the feeling from the fans and as depicted in the feedback into the mainstream media has been that he is a man who walks away with his head above his shoulders, not looking down, dejected and rejected as it were.
“Highlanders executive, you had a bright future in Mr Cooper as a coach. What faults did you find in him considering he had no players?” asked one fan in a sms to Chronicle on Wednesday.
You get a feeling that Mr Cooper had to go because something had to be seen to be done to “remedy” the situation, but as long as there are no journeymen to help apprenticeships adjust to life in the Premiership, Kaindu will be sent packing back to Zambia sooner than later.
“When we prepared for this season, it was not easy. Remember we geared up for this season against a background of losing a number of our key players but to me, the team has given a good account of itself. We should thus not forget where we are coming from and where we wish to head to. I think patience from every stakeholder in the club should be the name of the game. The young players that we are introducing to
the team at this point of time will give us results in the near future,” said Masuku towards the end of the season, with pressure mounting as the team blew hot and cold.
Nonetheless, chairman Themba Ndlela believes Mr Cooper let the club down as he had all the arsenal at his disposal. He indicated that the players recruited by the club were recommended by Masuku and not by the executive.
While there is no reason to doubt what the chairman said, the fact is that the financial position of the club will always determine what kind of a player a coach would chase, period. And that is where Ndlela’s executive has to work overtime to turn things around and get the money to chase quality, not players who want to resuscitate their careers at Highlanders and then leave, just like what Matawu has done.
The new technical department has former player Amin Soma-Phiri as team manager, taking over from another former player Jerry Sibanda. The good thing is that Soma is not a stranger to football. He is not a stranger to Highlanders but above all, like all other former players, he also deserves a chance to give back to the club what he learnt over the years and to prove himself. It does not matter that he has his own project at Luveve and that he is a coach. A coach is also a manager by the way. And please, give the guy a chance.
The Amavevane X Factor
There was an interesting story during the week, when a social soccer club, Amavevane, said it had resolved to support Ndlela’s bid for a second tenure as Highlanders chairman.
“As a club which has always been Highlanders, we have agreed to back Ndlela as he seeks a second term as Highlanders chairman. He is our member as Amavevane and we have resolved to back him in his bid to seek a second term.
“As a member of Amavevane, Ndlela’s success and failures are also ours hence our support. Our position is that whoever is in that position should be allowed to at least complete his projects,” said Amavevane chairman Jonfet Sibanda.
Ndlela said as a member of Amavevane he remained bound by his colleagues’ decision.
Well, for starters, there was nothing new in the story as it is public knowledge that Ndlela is a member of Amavevane and most, if not all of its members are card-carrying Highlanders members. Secondly, there was nothing new in that the social soccer club, which has its own ground and clubhouse, which is good for them and their democratic right anyway, was behind his entry into the fray for the first time as its members were in his campaign team.
While there is nothing wrong with Amavevane boasting of a 25 percent membership at Highlanders, as the story made readers believe, playing big brother to all social soccer clubs and any other groupings in the country, who might also have card carrying Highlanders members within their ranks, the media statement by their chairman left more questions than answers. And before we go far, it is prudent to mention that the social club has also blessed Highlanders with some board members! Who else in the Bosso set up is from this influential social grouping? I leave that to Bosso members and fans to figure out.
Now that their chairman decided to storm the media territory, where there are no sacred cows, some of the questions that arose from his utterances are; what help has the club given Ndlela as Bosso chairman in the last three years? Where was the social club when its member was ridiculed in public when a host of players left the club as free agents after their contracts with the club ran out?
Where was the social club when Ndlela was insulted and ridiculed over player unrest owing to unpaid bonuses and salaries over the years? Where was the said influential social soccer club when Highlanders were tossed around the courts over monies owed to some people?
And lastly, where are the MEN (amadoda sibili) in Bulawayo? Have they forsaken the mighty institution? (Since the same faces, Ndlela and Mandla Moyo want to contest for the top post AGAIN). If I were poet Mzwakhe Mbuli, I would say, ‘Ngixoleleni ngemibuzo, bengikade ngingekho.’
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Online Reporter