Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
THULANI Sibanda, who continues to shine with players drawn from obscurity and carved into stars in the Castle Lager Premiership has urged fellow coaches not to shun lower division football.
He has shocked the Zimbabwe soccer scene by consistently bringing unheralded stars to Bulawayo Chiefs every time there is an exodus.
Sibanda returned to Bulawayo Chiefs at the beginning of the year after parting ways with Triangle.
He found a team low on morale with Malvin Mkolo, Mthokozisi Msebe, Billy Veremu, Aubrey Chirinda, Ben Nyahunzvi, Felix Moyo, Mandla Gasela, Kim Joe Sibanda and Issa Ali having left for greener pastures.
Sibanda was not perturbed as he knew he could get to a bottomless reservoir and get gems to polish.
He said his trick has always been very simple and would advise other coaches to emulate what he does so that talent from the city’s lower division leagues is not put to waste.
“One thing I have done is never to divorce from lower division football. The problem is most of us, when we get to work in the Premiership we forget lower division football, I watch junior football, Division Three and Two apart from the Zifa Southern Region,” said Sibanda.
He says even on match day, he looks at proximity and attends matches.
“So, I was saying, I give myself time to monitor these Division One or Two players over time, not one game, four, five or six times, I give myself time to monitor them, in most instances, I do not even tell them that I am coming, I just drive there to watch him, until such a time that I am convinced because once you tell him he will make more mistakes,” said Sibanda.
Sibanda says that works.
“When it’s time to come to Bulawayo Chiefs, when I call him I now know him better than he knows himself. At times,
I start off with Ndola as some Division Two matches are played as early as 10am, then at 12pm I am at White City watching Division One teams before I head off to Luveve Stadium for our game,” said Sibanda.
“Once the boy knows he is being watched, there is danger of him trying to impress and then making more mistakes.
Some players are extroverts, others introverts, you have to be there to pick introverts, watch them a couple of times,” said Sibanda a Caf A diploma holder, Scottish C, Degree in Sports Science and Coaching and Diploma in Teaching holder.
He said he is proud of the boys he plucked from lower division and gave them a Premier League breakthrough like Perfect Chikwende from Blackboots and Ishmael Wadi from the Northern Region who went on to play outside the country.
He said the next thing, once the player joins Bulawayo Chiefs, he works on playing under the coach’s philosophy.
He remembers how Clement Makamba, brought from Victoria Falls, once ran to the touchline a few minutes into a game against Highlanders to say he was failing to cope with the demands of the Premiership. Sibanda told the boy that he as coach did not have Premiership experience as a player and challenged the boy to return to the pitch and play.
“Makamba never believed in himself that he could play Premiership football. Five minutes into the game, he came to say the match was too heavy, I told him that I never played Premiership, I gave him the responsibility to go back to the field,” said Sibanda.
Makamba turned out to be one of the top performers in the 1-0 win over Highlanders.
Sibanda has discovered another gem in
who has so far scored six goals in the Premiership.
He unearthed him in Triangle where he came as a winger and midfielder.
He is now played as a striker.
Sibanda says being a teacher and a former police officer has improved the way he relates with players as a team and as individuals.
He says in teaching one gets to do human sciences key to understanding players, while in the police force dealing with problems in difficulty situations is what they are encouraged to do.
Sibanda has managed to draw the best out of his boys even when chips are down financially
Online Reporter