Sharuko: Has Samaita Failed?

a beauty of a goal, Rufaro rising in unison to salute its new star, the glut of goals that destroyed the Algerians and Lloyd Mutasa walking triumphantly like an Olympic gold medalist.
Rodreck Mutuma scoring on his Champions League debut and sending his new supporters into delirium, forcing Charles Mabika to tell the nation that his lanky frame, and the way he took his goal, were a timely reminder of the day a teenage Nwankwo Kanu arrived at Rufaro in ’95 with the Flying Eagles for a ’96 Olympic Games qualifier.
Yes, they looked distinctly similar, Mutuma and Kanu, the height, the awkward style of running, the boyish features, the goal celebration, you name it.
But it was clear there was a gulf in class because, at 23, Kanu had already established himself as a superstar, had won Olympic gold for Nigeria scoring some super goals along the way, had won the Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam and was an established star in world football.
Mutuma was just beginning his journey but, if you were a Dynamos fan, all that mattered was his goal against MC Alger and the promise of greatness that it brought because, if he could score on such a big stage before such a big crowd, then it would be easy going in the Premiership.
Or so they thought.
Guthrie Zhokinyi had missed a penalty, in a decisive match that ultimately cost Dynamos the race for the league championship last year, but he was firm and focused, when he took responsibility this time, on the big stage, to fire his team into the lead against the Algerians.
Farai Vimisayi had sacrificed a lot, in terms of his career last year, as he tried to push through a move for him to leave the coalfields of Hwange and join Dynamos and was part of the Glamour Boys team that played in the Champions League even though he was barred from the domestic assignments.
And, on that memorable day, he finally ran into the warmth of the Dynamos fans’ embrace, after guiding the ball home following a mistake by the MC Alger defence and their goalkeeper, for the fourth goal which, at that stage, appeared to have sealed the contest.
But Mukamba, boy Denver boy, had topped it all with a goal so rich in beauty it could only have been scored by a magician.
There was that fake shot, which was swallowed by the entire MC Alger as it leapt into defence to try and block it, only to realise that they had been fooled by a magician as the ball was dragged from the right foot into the left side.
Suddenly four defenders had been eliminated by a simple but effective trick and the path to goal had opened so wide it was like a view of Samora Machel Avenue at 3am when Harare is asleep and its traffic has disappeared, and the boy Denver clipped it home with aplomb for one of the best goals we will see at Rufaro for a long time.
Keep watching the move, and it’s a pity ZBC don’t have the heart to keep reminding us of those special moments the way SuperSport do it every night, and you will see the special elements of that goal because the more that you see it, the better that its qualities emerge.
As you watch it you say to yourself: “Come on, this boy was playing for little Kiglon only last year, he is just 21 years of age, so thin you would think he is a high jumper rather than a football star but, boy oh boy, he can do all this, at this grand stage”
You know it brings back all the memories, all the magicians – Lloyd Mutasa tearing apart the Eagle Cement defence in Nigeria as Dynamos powered to a big victory in the ’98 Champions League, Tauya Murewa leaving big Blackpool defender Twaibu Sani for dead, with a touch of class, and then sprinting half the length of the field to score a dream goal at Rufaro.
Vitalis “Digital” Takawira running rings around defenders with some of the most outrageous dribbling tricks that we will ever see, Memory Mucherahowa curling the ball home, with both precision and beauty, in the final minute of the game against Darryn T at Rufaro in 1994 to give his team the win that guaranteed the league championship.
Mwakwinji Soma-Phiri rising, as he always did, above the defenders to power home a trademark header and the stadium erupting into a “Kwiiiiiinjiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” slogan, Claudius Zviripayi somehow turning in mid-air and then finding the strength to direct the ball, with his head, for a special goal against Ferroviario in Maputo in ’98 and the traveling Dynamos fans erupting into a “Hokoyoooooooooooooooooo” slogan.
Simon Chuma running riot down the right wing, during the days when the old number seven stayed on the flank, all the men of steel who were solid in defence, epitomised by the raw strength of Francis Shonhayi and the power game of Kaitano Tembo and the never-say-die attitude of a team that never lost but only ran out of time.
One day they were 0-2 down at Rufaro against CAPS United, with the away goals meaning that even a 2-2 would signal defeat, but when they emerged from the interval, they were a different team, an inspired group, a powerful machine and, in a blink of an eye, The Flying Doctor and Digital had worked their magic and the scoreline was 4-2.
In a move rich in class, Denver Mukamba had not only raised his stock, in such dramatic fashion and on such a grand stage, but had also given the Dynamos fans reason to believe that they had found a magician who could be counted on to reproduce the magic of Mutasa, the authority of Mucherahowa and the style that a certain Gidiza imported from the City of Kings.
It all looked good that day and everyone forgave Denver, when he made the silly challenge that cost his team a penalty that would haunt them in Algiers, because there were too many positives, from that game, they effectively drowned the negatives.
So the delirious Dynamos fans turned to the social media forums, in grand cyberspace celebrations to salute the Glamour Boys, and the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, event sent a message, via Facebook, congratulating Dynamos.
So we had to roll back the years and find out that not since a 6-1 destruction of Mbabane Highlanders of Swaziland in 1987, had the Glamour Boys made such a storming start to their Champions League campaign and, after having waited for almost a quarter-of-a-century for that, you could understand the frenzy of joy that swept through their fans’ hearts.
So we had to travel back into history, when DeMbare was still Haina Ngozi or Seven Million during a purple patch for the club in the ‘80s, and find the time when they used to hand football lessons to visiting teams at Rufaro and, among their victims, we found Linare of Lesotho, beaten 0-5 1981, AFC Leopards of Kenya, beaten 1-5 two years later and Maji Maji of Tanzania, beaten 0-5 in 1986.
So we found out that what appeared to impress the Dynamos fans who were at Rufaro that day when MC Alger fell and, who provided the live feeds via the social media forums to their counterparts spread around the globe, was not that their team won 4-1 but the impressive manner that they went about their business.
So we realised that most of the fans, who tweeted or sent their updates on Facebook, appeared convinced that their team had undergone a stunning transformation, since the arrival of artistic coach Mutasa, and a certain swagger had been added to its play.
So we remembered that Mutasa was one of the most artistic players to grace the domestic Premiership, that he has been a devoted son to the values of style, even in his coaching, and that while he was still in the starting phase of a tricky career at turbulent Dynamos, those who were seeing the initial results appear happy with the work in progress.
So we looked back at the Glamour Boys of last year and found out that they were simply boring and, their second half performance against Gaborone United at the National Sports Stadium apart, they were at best an ugly force that ground results, with some of their fans spending more time reading newspapers at the stadium than watching the action, or – at worst – simply an eyesore.
And that goalkeeper Washington Arubi was their best player last year spoke volumes about their qualities, or was it lack of it, during a season in which their creativity was at its minimum, as they concentrated on a kick-and-rush football where they gambled on Arubi to again produce a stellar performance.
But they were eventually caught out, when the season ended, by the fewer number of goals they had scored – because of the sterility of their tactics and the rigidity of their performances – and, even though they had conceded the least number of goals, it was the Mighty Bulls who had the better goal difference and who took the title.
But Mutasa was changing all that, or so it appeared, and even without Archford Gutu, they found a way to win in style against MC Alger.

The Beginning, The Beauty And All The Promises
“Yesterday belonged to Dynamos and, while it’s still too early to pass judgment on them, it will be an insult to try and stop their fans from enjoying their moment after the morass of mediocrity that was served by the team last year where they had their worst Champions League campaign,” I wrote the day after the match against MC Alger.
“There will be tough lessons in the future and conceding a goal at home, even when you are leading 4-0, opens a little window of hope for the opponents.
“Interestingly, the only time that MC Alger were crowned champions of Africa in 1976, they came back from 0-3 down in the first leg in the final against Haifa of Guinea, to win 3-0 in Algiers, and then win the penalty shootout 4-1.
“A 3-0 win will take the Algerians to the next round but, after the attacking show that the DeMbare fans saw at Rufaro yesterday, it’s hard to convince them – judging by their messages on the social media forums – that their boys won’t score in Algiers.”
End of story.
And there were a number of quotes from the Dynamos fans to spice the occasion.
“I think (Lloyd) Mutasa is Zimbabwe’s (Pep) Guardiola. I’m seeing the class of Barca, the spirit of Man U, the youth of Arsenal, the defence of Italy, the voice of the Kop and the royalty of Real Madrid in this Dynamos team,” wrote VaShagare, a Dynamos fan, on his Facebook wall.
And he wasn’t alone.
“Good football from DeMbare. I hope the Warriors will learn from DeMbare. Well done DeMbare,” wrote Samson Makunde.
Wellington Shoriwa compared Mutasa to Jose Mourinho: “Mutasa is our Mourinho in the making. He is shrewd and tactical.”
Lloyd Chirinda said DeMbare represented purity: “It can only be DeMbare. DeMbare chete, chete, chete. Waziva Dynamos, waziva chokwadi. You will never go wrong.”
Joseph Musarurwa was short and to the point: “Great stuff from a great team,” and Alfred Mutendera chose to focus on Mukamba: “The goal by Denver Mukamba was so good, it was just like watching Messi or Rooney. Magical stuff DeMbare.”
And the comments kept coming.
Chris Gutsa: “Denver Mukamba’s goal was one for the archives. I salute the young man and pray that publicity won’t get into his head. He is a magician.”
Mark Moteme: “Thanks guys, thanks DeMbare, this shows that we can compete with the world. TP Mazembe be warned. Zimbabwe this time means business.”
Lucky Hombarume: “It’s a job well done by DeMbare and if they keep up that kind of play they will make us a happy people. Makorokoto maDeMbare.”
Robert Wilson: “Varume ava vakaipa.”
Phillip Hozo: “Skies are blue for DeMbare.”
Edmore Chivizhe: “Charamba’s song – Team yeDeMbare makaida Baba, makatipa Denver, tina Vimisayi, makatida Baba, Makatipa Mutuma na Zhokinyi, Makaita basa, Apo tinoenda Algeria muirangarire. Dynamo bhora and I will make shuwa that ini nemhuri yangu tichasapota dzamara tafa.”
Even the CAPS United fans appeared to have been blown away.
VaDube (CAPS United fan): “The Champions League is coming to Zim, team yakabatana iyi. What remains is to prime the youthful guys for the big stage. Concentration levels must remain high. But super performance, conjures memories of ‘98 but with a bit more style. Bhora Dembare. The guys should not grow big heads chete and I assure you Africa will be conquered. But from what I have seen Dynamos is a complete team. Game over, Well done Lodza, well done Boys in Blue. Congratulations to the seven million and the nation at large. Ndiri muKepeKepe but vakomana veblue vakaipa.”

So What Has Gone Wrong Now?
Today, a little over two months after that party at Rufaro and the goodwill that went to Mutasa and his boys, the picture looks distinctly different and Dynamos is no longer the oasis of hope for all the fans who believed in Mutasa’s project on that sunny March afternoon when they destroyed MC Alger.
For a team that scored four times that afternoon, the goals have suddenly dried up and, in the team’s 10 games, the Dynamos forwards have only scored eight goals, including five in one game against Masvingo United, and teams like little Kiglon have scored more goals than DeMbare.
Only Shabanie Mine, with six goals but who were good enough to force a goalless draw against Dynamos, have scored fewer goals in the Premiership and Shooting Stars, who are bottom of the table, have the same number of goals as the Glamour Boys.
Dynamos are just one point better than Monomotapa, who have 12, and who occupy the last safe zone in the relegation battle where four teams will plunge into the four Division One leagues.
The Glamour Boys have the second best defence in the league, with Motor Action having the best defence that has conceded only three goals in 10 games, but when it comes to their forward line, Dynamos are in a poor league and they have failed to score in the last 270 minutes against Saints, Gunners and Shabanie.
Mutasa’s men have picked two out of nine points and there have been voices of concern, from both inside the Dynamos leadership and among the club’s fans, who now question whether they are on the right track.
You can understand the voices because the fall from grace has been spectacular and the team’s sterility, in front of goal, has been so pronounced it would be devilish to try and ignore it.
But to suggest that Mutasa should be fired, or should resign right now, is taking issues a bit too far.
What can’t be argued is that Dynamos have lost their touch and Mutasa, as head coach, holds the responsibility for the results and is answerable to how his team is playing.
What can’t be argued is that this Dynamos team is playing well below the standards expected of the Glamour Boys and, in the past two months, they have horribly lost their way and their confidence, especially in front of goal, is at its lowest.
Mutasa is answerable for the strikers that he has in his squad because he believed in them, from the very beginning, and was convinced that they were better, either in their individual qualities or as a pack of wolves, than the experience that a trusted gunslinger like Clive Mwale could bring.
I was one of the people who questioned Dynamos’ pedigree to make an impact, given the nature of the lightweight attack that they have, and I quickly found out that my voice was drowned by the euphoria that followed the pre-season success, where they scored three times against CAPS United, and that demolition of MC Alger.
I wasn’t worried about Mutuma’s pedigree to score goals, which I think he can, but his ability to carry the load that comes with the expectations from the fans and to handle the pressure when it starts to build.
I was always convinced, having seen this team for years, that the toughest positions to play at Dynamos are the goalkeeper, because of the high standards set by Japhet M’parutsa and the cost that comes with mistakes in that position, and the striking role.
I was always concerned, with the risk of throwing such a raw striker like Mutuma into the frontline, to such an extent that he becomes the oasis expected to provide goals at regular intervals, and the risk that failure could have on his psychology.
I was so sure that Mutuma or Patrick Khumbula, for all the promise they carry, would be better off being used as alternative forwards, who would be introduced in this and that game in the second half, to help them ease into the pressure cooker of leading the team’s attack. That is why I always felt Mwale, for all his experience and his understanding of the Dynamos pressure situation, would have been a good option, to help the crisis situation that the club found itself in when most of its players left camp, with Mutuma and Khumbula playing supporting roles.
If Mutasa decided that Mwale wasn’t necessary, and that’s what the grapevine says, and that Francis Kanda wasn’t good enough, because that is what is coming from the Dynamos camp, then he must have made a monumental error of judgment.
But that happens in football, doesn’t it, and when Alex Ferguson bought Angolan forward Manucho, he was so sure that he had just unearthed a diamond from Luanda and soon the world would be celebrating his goal-scoring prowess.
But we all know that Manucho was a big flop at Manchester United and soon he was on his way out of the club.
Now, if Ferguson, for everything that he has won in this game and all the wisdom he has acquired all these years, can make such a monumental error of judgment, why then should we crucify Mutasa simply because he made a similar mistake?
I think Mutasa deserves credit, for going out of his way to assemble a team when everyone had decided that playing for Dynamos under these conditions and under this leadership was a complete waste of time, and giving the new recruits the confidence that their welfare would be taken care of.
It’s the system at Dynamos that has been the biggest letdown and, five years after Leo Kurauzvione and his crew left the club en-masse to form Shooting Stars, it’s sad that the problems that drove them out are still not being addressed and more players are still being lost to the challenges.
It’s an indictment of the Dynamos system that, five years after Mwale and his crew left to join Shooting Stars, we still can be debating today, and finding a lot of substance in that debate, that the Zambian would have made a huge difference at the Glamour Boys today.
It shows how much Dynamos have fallen, as a club over the years, that they have turned into a team that can provide a home for players, who were only good enough to take Kiglon into mid-table last year, and hope to turn them into superstars who can help this team win only its second league title in 14 years.
And the situation is further worsened by the fact that the system can’t even afford to pay the same players, who obviously need a lot of incentives to push their average talents a step further, and there have been reports that salaries haven’t been paid and players are being booked in sub-standard lodges during away assignments.
When Dynamos were Haina Ngozi, in the golden ‘80s and the good ‘90s, virtually the entire squad on its payroll today would not be good enough to play in the second team, called the reserves, where the likes of Tendai Ndemera, my good journalism colleague, ended their careers.

Should Lloyd Mutasa Go Then?
I don’t agree with those who are calling for Mutasa to quit or be fired because, while his team hasn’t sustained the levels they scaled in pre-season and against MC Alger at Rufaro, it would be unfair to judge him in 10 competitive league games.
He still needs time, in my view, to work on his project and the Dynamos fans have to support him.
Kicking him out will not help the situation because the new coach will need some time to learn the players, most of whom worked under Mutasa, to convert them into his system and to settle into the pressure zone at Dynamos.
Mutasa showed us, during that MC Alger game, that his tactics can work and his players – even without a trusted gunman – can score goals.
He didn’t do it by mistake but he planned for everything, the passing, the movement of his central midfielders, the movement of his flank midfielders, the co-ordination between defence and midfield, how they attacked as a team and defended as a team.
He can do it again, as long as his players free themselves from the psychological bondage where they are now doubting themselves, and while his team was conceding goals in pre-season, he has sorted that area out and you have to scratch your head to find the last time Dynamos conceded a goal.
It’s the forward line that needs attention and, given that Dynamos cannot add any personnel until the window re-opens during the middle of the year, the reality remains that the Mutumas and the Khumbulas are the players who have to lead the line.
Mutasa needs to work on these guys, because he has very little option, and he needs to find a way to push them into the zone they were in pre-season, where they played with freedom, so that they free themselves from the burden of expectation that is coming from the stands. To doubt Mutasa right now would be suicidal for the Dynamos family because it will only make the situation worse.
To support Mutasa right now will help the situation because he badly needs that reassurance touch for him to implement his ideas and, to be fair to him, all that he needs is a goal and it could all change quickly.
The Dynamos leadership, that is Farai Munetsi and his crew, need to support their man because, so far, that helping hand from the executive has not been as warm as he might have wanted.
Given the obvious lack of talent in this team, save for a few individuals, it’s a side that can only compete when it works as a unit, as they showed against MC Alger, and it is important that they should not be burdened by the weight of crowd expectation and the demons that come with their welfare being neglected.
You could feel, during pre-season and in that game against MC Alger, that there was excitement among the new recruits to just wear that jersey and take a step forward by playing for Dynamos.
They played with a freedom and gave us a glimpse of what they could do, as a unit, and it was promising.
But with time the players have found out that there is nothing so special, really, about playing for Dynamos because – just like was the case at Kiglon – salaries don’t come at month-end, payment of allowances is usually delayed and, as has become the case now, you also stay in sub-standard lodges without television.
Such things take something out of average players and we can also see the impact that it has made on their performance.
How do you blame Mutasa for that?
If I have reservations with Mutasa’s management style then it has to do with his way of turning the Dynamos players into believers of his religious sect.
Yes, Mutasa as an individual has a right to his religious beliefs but he is different from the team and the players also have a right to their own beliefs and that should not be a factor in their selection for the team.
Mutasa needs time, because he looks to be a good coach to me, but he should start to deliver and it’s important that he also understands that at teams like Dynamos, they have their own way of doing things.
And when you change it, then it should be supported by results. If you are not doing any better, having changed the system that brought them league titles and made them the most successful team in the country, then you are inviting trouble.
Interestingly, as the people’s team staggers in the darkness, we haven’t heard any word from the so-called founder members.
You only hear about them when there is a chance of financial rewards.
There are too many problems at Dynamos and it’s a shame that such a big team still doesn’t see the value of investing in its players, tied to long-term contracts, but has allowed itself to be turned into a flea market where others market or sell their players.
Poor team!

Bambo, Makepekepe And The Violence
At least, Mutasa is very lucky because so far, save for the boo boys at two games – one in Harare and the other in Bulawayo – a lot of the Dynamos fans have preferred to give him the benefit of doubt.
His former teammate, Moses Chunga, hasn’t been so lucky after violence erupted at the National Sports Stadium on Wednesday after CAPS United lost to Hwange and a militant section of the team’s fans turned on Bambo.
They also turned on club director Farai Jere, whom they accuse of keeping Bambo at the team, and accused both coach and director of being Dynamos spies who had come to destroy their beloved CAPS United.
Chunga’s case is tricky in that there are some CAPS United fans who simply don’t like him because he is Bambo, a Dynamos legend, and – given the rivalry between the two teams – he is not politically correct to wear the Green Machine colours.
So when he wins, they say so what?
And when he loses, they say we told you so – he is a spy.
CAPS United started brightly and it’s a fact that they have lost their way in the last five games, both as a team and as a family, and Chunga hasn’t helped his situation by making changes, now and again, to his team.
Football is a funny game.

If those changes and that tinkering had been made, while the team is winning like Motor Action, noone would have noticed and, even those who would have noticed, would have told you that they don’t care.
The problem is that the tinkering has coincided with a spell where the team has struggled to scale the heights of the first three games.
Chunga knows that his strange relationship with the CAPS United fans can only be strengthened by results and the more that he drops points, the more likely the supporters are going to turn against him.
I don’t think Chunga has failed so far but it is also true, given the way his team started like a flying train, that they have also lost their way.
But to describe him as a Dynamos agent, simply because he played for the Glamour Boys, is taking issues a bit too far because I believe Chunga is at CAPS United to prove himself and there is a big difference between the Chunga of the ‘80s and ‘90s and the Bambo of the new millennium.
Chunga, the player starred for Dynamos, but Chunga the coach has shown that he is prepared to work, far away from the DeMbare kraal, and that he was prepared to take the risk of going back to CAPS United, after leaving under a cloud during his first spell, showed his commitment to try and succeed this time around.
Ultimately, as Farai Jere said yesterday, Chunga’s fate will be determined by his success, or lack of it, and you tend to understand the CAPS United director because it’s hard to find supporting evidence that the coach has so far failed.
Jere took a lot of stick on Wednesday but that comes with leadership and if results are not coming, as was the case that day, fans can react differently and, when CAPS United supporters look for answers, they can only ask their leadership and Jere is the most visible of the lot.
You can’t try to control the way fans react, or the language they can use, and we all heard unprintable words and phrases that were used by that group as they criticised Jere’s management style and accused him of being a Dynamos spy.
But you have to give him credit for the sober manner that he has reacted, telling the fans that he understood their message, and saying that it was a wake-up call for them to work harder and he is certain results will come.
Real leaders are defined by the way they handle a crisis situation and if Jere was a weak leader he would have sacked Chunga, the way they parted ways with Lloyd Chitembwe, the way they were forced to part ways with Fordson Kabole, the way they were forced to part ways with Luke Masomere, the way they were forced to part ways with Gishon Ntini, Alban Mafemba and Jostein Mathuthu.
All this in the last five years!

Tonight Is The Night
Yes, this is it. You can’t say much, can you? Barcelona vs Manchester United at Wembley in the Champions League final. Club football can’t get better than this.
Here we are, the team everyone said was poorer, in quality, without Ronaldo and Tevez. The team that Rooney almost abandoned because he felt we were not hungry enough for success anymore.
The team that has a 40-year-old goalkeeper, playing his final game, and only one game away from completing an unbeaten season in Europe to go with an unbeaten season at Old Trafford.
The team of my dreams.
Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chicharitooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Waiona!
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