Siwelele's Super COACH

At the beginning of this season (2010/11) Bloemfontein Celtic was criticised and was identified as a “small” team by many football supporters, especially when the former coach Da Gama resigned from the team without notice and that just gave the other supporters an opportunity to look at the bad aspects of the situation.

When Clinton Larsen was appointed as the new coach, people automatically saw siwelele being regulated from the PSL league. But none the less Phunya selesele are aware that “more haste, less speed”. With the supporters always behind the team Celtic is comfortably in the top 8 on the log.

Larsen also secured 10 points in the last month that elevated Celtic to fifth on the table. And I am impressed with the results. For many it might come as a surprise but I am proud to announce that Larsen is the PSL coach of the month for October and November, Hard work pays.

I am guaranteed that this will change the public’s mentality about Larsen and Bloemfontein Celtic because should something like this happen to another team their supporters will bail out on them but with siwelele, the supporters are always supporting the team dark or blue, because they know that “every cloud has a silver lining”.

It is all about motivating the team and its quiet obvious that Larsen is doing a great job at that hence he managed to keep the Free State team on top and not drag the name into the mud. With the kind of pressure he found himself in, it is clear that he knows what is expected of him hence he overcame all the obstacles in his way and did his job to the best of his ability.

The first half of the season ended on a high note for Siwelele and lets hope in January 2011 they will continue where they stopped and finish off the season with show stopping points on the log at the end of the season, that will drop jaws of plenty of other teams and supporters.

HELA YALO SANI!

By Sibongile Nkosi

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Best Joke Letter Of 2010

R. Kelly coming to South Africa

Chicago - The R&B sensation R. Kelly is on his way to South Africa. Fresh from his June 2008 acquittal on child pornography charges, the superstar will be arriving in South Africa on the 13th of December.

Fans of the US singer will however be disappointed to know that he is not planning to make any performances while in the country. 'This is strictly for business and I will be in and out of the country in three days', Kelly says.

The business the singer is referring to is a lawsuit he has lodged in the Pretoria High Court against South African football team, Orlando Pirates stemming from the use of his Billboard #1 hit, 'Happy People' during Pirates' ill-fated 2004/2005 season. For the record, legions of Pirates supporters spent 99% of that season celebrating their impending success in the league to the tune of 'Happy People' before the league was snatched from them in the last game by their superior arch-rivals, Kaizer Chiefs.

'It's not so much that I mind people from the motherland using my music to celebrate but in this particular case, what was there to celebrate?', quipped a visibly angry Kelly.

'I mean, this team, this Orlando Pirates is a team known for its mediocrity. Jesus Christ, they haven't even won anything since before the last Olympics. The R. Kelly brand cannot be associated with this level of mediocrity.' a fuming Kelly continued.

Attempts to contact Pirates' communications man, Mickey Modisane were unsuccessful. He is said to have been attending ABET classes at UNISA to improve his grasp of the English language.

Pirates boss, Irvin Khoza refused to respond to our reporters' question but remarked, 'This kaff!r does not know who he's dealing with. I can make him disappear.'

SASA Staff reporter

By P Mayisela via email

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It's getting hot at the top

Mamelodi Sundowns are sitting pretty on top of the Absa Premiership log, they are saying catch us if you can to the likes of Kaizer Chiefs, Golden Arrows and Ajax Cape Town who are following closely. Sundowns are on 21 points, while Chiefs, Arrows and Ajax are all on 17 points respectively.

This weekend is going to be a very exciting one as the race for the league title continues. The Brazilians will be hoping to extend their lead when they take on Abafana besthende at Chartsworth stadium on sartuday. Arrows on the other hand will be looking at closing in on the log leaders and cut their lead to only a point.

Sundowns will be under a lot of pressure going to this game, Arrows always give them a tough time every time they meet. This time around will have added motivation, which is to catch up with Downs. The Durban side are on good form at the moment and a win for them will be a huge boost for their confidence in terms of challenging for the league title.

Sundowns though, are on a mission and they will do their best to make sure that Arrows don't stand in the way of their ambitions for league glory. Both teams play good exciting football and this will be a game to watch.

Two other teams will be praying that Sundowns drop some points this weekend. Those are Telkom knockout Champions elect, Kaizer Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town. Amakhosi are on song after their cup victory last week and they will be hoping to carry their new found confidence to their league games, Vladimir Vermezovic will want nothing less than a victory against Free State Stars.

It will be difficult though for him to try and get his players minds to focus on their league game, but it has to be done or else Sundowns might just run away with the league title.

Ajax Cape Town will also be looking to close the gap on Sundowns when they face Black Aces on Sunday. The Urban Warriors are putting on a strong challenge for the title and a victory against Aces will see them taking another step closer in realizing their elusive dream of being crowned PSL champions.

It is early days, but things are already getting exciting in the league. That is how things should be in our league, there shouldn't be a boring weekend. Maybe, just maybe-the fans might start flocking back to the stadiums.

By Siphiwe Hlongwane

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Krol, Rosslee and Okpara must go

Buccaneers let us all give praise where it is due, Kaizer Chiefs gave us a tutorial and more sadly it showed that our technical team is still on grade 0. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I hate to say I TOLD YOU SO.

I have been telling my easy to fool brothers and sisters in Orlando Pirates that Rudi Krol is rude, clueless, and stupid and is systematically destroying our beloved team. Some of us even went further to support the mighty Pirates even though we abhorred him.

I am happy that I have been consistent in pointing out his shortcoming and those who believed in the myth of the messiah for Holland will now see how horrible this man is, but for how long?

If he wins against Celtic the converted will praise him again. I won’t be surprised if my fellow Buccaneers will start having excuses for him as it has been in the past and of course hallucinate the Mighty Pirates dominating the PSL and beyond under the headship of the stupid one.

In my previous posts I have pointed out a thousand shortcomings about his technical and tactical acumen, his leadership and father figure role in the team, his motivational ability and his capacity to defend the team and its players, his destruction of the pillars of Pirates, etc.

When I pointed out that Vladimir Vermezovic was playing mind games, most of us were busy calling each other names instead of addressing the issue at hand (Krol destroying our team). I once warned you Buccaneers of those sheeps in wolf skins who have been consistent in defending Krol, most of them are Chiefs supporters who want nothing but chaos at Pirates and enemies of Dr. Irvin Khoza most of them owning soccer publications. They have defended this messiah to the extent that some of our gullible Pirates believed that he is the special one (remember the 5 year or the life time contract that should be given to Krol?).

It is also very interesting to note that Krol and his technical team run Pirates like a rugby franchise where 4 days before a match you know who is in a team and who is not. This does not only make a team predictable but it also destroys the players in a team. How would you motivate yourself as a player if you know by Tuesday that you won’t be playing over the weekend? Scenarios like the one Mark Mayambela is denying are bound to happen.

On the issue of who should coach Pirates IF the stupid one leaves, I think the whole technical team should resign. This comes from the ideal that if they failed to challenge his decisions they are also liable to what is happening at Pirates. Clashing and diametrically opposition of ideas and robust debate for the betterment of the team should be welcomed but when everyone becomes quit and stand aside and look while the team is destroyed means that they are not meant to be at Pirates. A precedent for such behavior must be set at Pirates, Rudi Krol, Craig Rosslee and Williams Okpara must go.

On the issue of Andile Jali, I may not condone his behavior but we need to look at it from other perspectives.

1. What were his instructions to Jali and other players? I did not see any game plane. Was Thulasizwe Mbuyane playing according to instructions? If yes, Jali was justified not to listen to Rudi’s nonsense.

2. If you are talented, fighting for a place in a national team, have dominated the most experienced competitors in the national team in more than 1 game, and the coach exposes you to the meagerly talented player than yourself not once but twice. What would you do? Remember that this is how it started with Teko Modise and Dane Klate and other players have quietly joined the queue. I respect Jali for showing the whole SA that the stupid one cannot command his ship.

3. What if as a player you notice that the coach’s substitution will lead to more damage being done? Do you pretend to show team spirit where there is none?

Let us get rid of the cause and not treat the symptoms, Kroll and his technical team must go. Pirates is a gigantic institution, it will struggle but not go down in the mean time…

By Mgugudi - Wegolo

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Are foreign players “making” local football?

Isn’t it amazing how foreign players seem to stand out in our local Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs? I mean in most of the teams in SA there are one or two foreign players who always make it on the starting line up. And they always seem to work the hardest and score the goals.

Shouldn’t we actually be giving these guys a hard time, as they’re not really used to South African soccer. Or aren’t we supposed to be playing our best as most of them come from very bad soccer backgrounds and they’re just trying to make a living and conquer their underprivileged past.

I mean, if you look at the situation from the development side, many of the upcoming young players from the current teams, loose hope in playing for their first team. All because of the foreign players, who seem to stand out and perform on the pitch?

The PSL tried to reduce the amount of foreign players to 5 players per club, but the issue has not been sorted. Many young players show the potential of doing well, but without any game time their careers are at stake.

Maybe for these clubs it’s just business as usual or as they’re doing what we call “cheap labour”. They buy a foreign player for very low amount, he performs, and then they sell him for a high and ridiculous amount. So is it really all about winning or making money at the end?

That’s another article for another day. There are a whole lot of debatable issues in this article. Maybe the foreign players put in more work ethic in the game than our South African players.

Maybe the young players need to step up and forget about their pay cheque’s. Maybe these foreign players actually give the PSL a good name.

But the fact is they’re doing well and their giving the fans their money’s worth.

By Oratile Matlapeng

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R.I.P. Orlando Pirates

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Orlando Pirates v Kaizer Chiefs

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Telkom Knockout Final: Chiefs have an edge over Bucs

Orlando Pirates must be having nightmares ahead of their Telkom Knockout Cup final game against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs. Flashes of the 3 - 1 beating they received the last time these two giants played must still be playing on their heads.

The Bucs still need to figure out how to stop the "Smiling Assassin" who will be out to haunt their defence again. Lucky Lekgwathi and co had no answers for the questions Knowledge Musona was asking them last time around, so they will have to be sharper and smarter to stop Musona running rings around them on Sartuday night in what is expected to be a classical battle between the biggest teams in South Africa. Musona is not the only one that Pirates have to worry about, Chiefs are strong in attack and Pirates will have to improve defensively to deal effectively with them.

Another thing that could prove to be Pirates downfall in the final might be the thoughts of revenge, and it is no secret that revenge is a very dangerous motive. It will put them under pressure. Rudi Krol will do well to warn his troops that this will be a totally new ball game and they need to focus on the final and forget about the heavy defeat they suffered in the league game, their win against Maritzburg United last week must have boosted their moral going to the final, while Chiefs are still licking their wounds after their loss to Vasco da Gama. Having said that though, past performances don't count for much when it comes to cup finals, especially between these two.

The FNB Stadium will be packed to capacity and the fans will be expecting some top class attacking football, both Coaches believe in attack so an open game with a lot of goalmouth action must be expected. Both teams have enough motivation to win this game so there will be no excuses.

When all is said and done, Amakhosi have an edge over Pirates and they will go into this game full of confidence and self belief. But than again, football games are quiet unpredictable.

By Siphiwe Hlongwane

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Talent Doesn't Discriminate So Why Should We?

We have a great democratic country, and that makes our nation a true and diverse country. But lets really be honest, on the soccer field, have we really been diverse or are we just making soccer a black sport.

Now I am a soccer player myself, and I know when I see a good soccer player, regardless of the colour, it doesn’t matter. If you have the skill then you are good enough to play. But because of our unfortunate past should we keep on punishing the white or colored soccer players who are doing well.

We’ve come a long way with our soccer and to keep it growing and maintaining the standard. My concern is that there are too many white players that are being side lined probably because of their color for guys who are constantly on the pitch with minimum work rate and less discipline.

Bradley Grobler, a young and well working striker who just needs to be given a chance whether nationally or in the premier league, he is good enough to play but his sitting on the bench won’t do anyone justice. So he has just scored two goals in last weeks game, so what are we going to now put him on the bench and give an underprivileged black striker a chance to do the same thing.

Davide Somma, was noticed two weeks ago by South Africans, and by SAFA. Only when he scores 6 goals in 7 matches he is a South African soccer player. Maybe if he was black people would have spotted him along time ago. But he has played in Italy, USA and his playing in England for while now. Regardless of the league, being in the Football League Championship (First division) I think he would have made a difference in our squad a couple of months ago during the World Cup.

When I talk about Dillon Sheppard, I really feel like crying. This was one of South Africa’s most accurate and consistent left wingers, before the Daine Klates, Lerato Chabangus and the Siphiwe Tshabalalas. He had everything he needed to be on the South Africa’s starting line up in the CAF Nations Cup and World Cup, but I really fear that if he was sidelined because of color, then how do we really spot talent.

I know he had a bad injury that hampered his career but the fact is he is that good enough of a player.

Matthew Pattison. First of all his work rate on the football pitch is unbelievable, he does very well to retrieve the ball and does well to create goal scoring chances on the pitch.

Many of you probably thought he is a Sundown’s development player, but do you know him From Newcastle FC, or even Norwich where he reined as a player. For the World Cup preparation he was given 15 minutes on the pitch, only 15 minutes, how are you going judge a player for in minutes. I think he should have been in the National Team a long time ago and he is an extraordinary player and I trust that he will be a favorite in eyes the South African fans.

There are a lot of players I can mention, Matthew Booth who just showed his face during the World Cup (A player who received player of the year awards in Russia as a defender). Mark Van Heerden, Darren Keet, Mark Arber, Stephan Armstrong, Cheyne Fowler, Jonathan Greenfield. Who are really doing well for their teams? I just hope we are not waiting for another white talented soccer player to score 6 goals in 7 matches then we say he is South African and we should put him in the national team.

And don’t forget, we won the African Nations Cup with Neil Tovey, Eric Tinkler, Rodger De Sa and Mark Fish. Guys who where white and doing well for our nation. And regarding what race you are, when you are playing for South Africa you really don’t want to be put in the squad because of a the color of you skin, but the maturity of your skill.

I just hope we are not waiting for another white talented soccer player to score 6 goals in 7 matches then we say he is South African and we should put him in the national team.

This is my opinion; please feel free to comment….

By Oratile Matlapeng

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