adminEddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
BLACK Rhinos coach Arthur Tutani says he feels wanted at the club and is happy with the “tremendous” support he has received after some of the club’s legends chipped in to help steady the ship following a poor start this season.
Tutani threw in the towel two weeks ago after suffering his sixth defeat in nine games but his resignation was turned down by his employers who felt he still has something to offer.
Rhinos rallied back from the setback with a 1-0 win over Buffaloes at Rimuka over the weekend and yesterday, Tutani said he was comforted by the morale support he has received from club legends like Stanford “Stix” Mtizwa, William Chikauro, Maronga Nyangela and Gift Makoni, who all took turns to visit the team during their training last week.
“I am very grateful to these guys. They showed me that they love their team and that we are one big family. I even received a call from Japhet Mparutsa (former Zimbabwe goalkeeper) who is in England to give words of encouragement.
“As the man in charge I feel like I have a family around me and it’s now up to us as a team to step up. Stix has promised to come back to our training session on Wednesday (tomorrow) as we prepare for our next game away to FC Platinum.
“If you see a person who doesn’t appreciate advice and criticism at such a critical time as this then that person is foolish,” said Tutani. Rhinos took their points tally to 10 points from as many games with the win over Buffaloes.
The club, however, remained in the drop zone despite climbing one place up to fourth from the bottom.
The win for Rhinos was a blow to Luke Masomere’s side after the Mutare-based outfit slumped to their third straight defeat.
Their sudden slump may suggest that something might be terribly wrong in their camp. Newcomers ZPC Kariba, remained unbeaten after grinding out a goalless draw at Bantu Rover on Friday but their coach Saul Chaminuka, said he was now getting worried by their failure to win matches.
“Our situation in not healthy. In fact, I am going to write to the management to make up their mind because we have more time on the road than the hours that we have for training.
“Imagine we are only able to squeeze in two training sessions per week because the players are being affected by fatigue,” said Chaminuka.
ZPC Kariba remained fifth on the log standings with 14 points although Chaminuka feels they now need to start picking up maximum points. There were no changes at the top as log leaders Highlanders were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Platinum while second-placed Hwange could only manage the same result in another match at Chiredzi.
Online Reporter