Ajax’s off-field issues a concern for Menzo
STANLEY MENZO has a few big decisions to make before Ajax Cape Town open their league campaign with a game against Golden Arrows at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night (kick-off 8.15pm).
The former Ajax Amsterdam and Netherlands goalkeeper in charge of the Cape side certainly has a few squad issues to deal with. Star central defender Rivaldo Coetzee has made no secret of his desire to move. Earlier this season, the 20-year-old went AWOL, trying to force the club to deal with his unhappiness. He has since returned to training, but Menzo will no doubt be concerned about the mental state of the player. Is it fair on the rest of the Ajax squad to pick a player who clearly has sights on the exit door at the club?
The latest news on the Coetzee situation is that Scottish giants Celtic have joined Bidvest Wits v Cape Town City (Bidvest Stadium, 8pm) Saturday SuperSport United v Mamelodi Sundowns; Polokwane City v Baroka FC; AmaZulu v Free State Stars; Orlando Pirates v Chippa United; Ajax Cape Town v Golden Arrows (Cape Town Stadium, 8.15pm); Sunday Bloemfontein Celtic v Kaizer Chiefs; Platinum Stars v Maritzburg United the queue, with newspapers in Scotland already quizzing manager Brendan Rodgers about the Ajax defender.
Then there’s Travis Graham. The 24-year-old central midfielder, who has captained the team over the past few years, also wants out. He has refused to sign a new contract and is in negotiation to amicably leave the club that has been a part of his life since the age of nine. As such, because he is no longer part of the season’s planning, he has been training with the club’s U19s while a final decision is made with regard to his situation.
“There are a few things we need to look at,” said Menzo. “There’s also Isaac Nhlapo (a new defensive signing from Platinum Stars), he has a hamstring niggle and we need to be a bit cautious with him. I don’t want to rush into playing him and risk losing him later in the season.
“We’ve had a good pre-season programme, SOUTH AFRICAN cricket may suffer its biggest loss to English county cricket yet, with the prized scalp of Hashim Amla now on the Kolpak shopping list.
The Proteas have recently seen notable players such as Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Dane Vilas and Stiaan van Zyl quit their international careers in favour of a domestic career on the English county circuit.
It is believed that the star Proteas batsman has been approached by various counties, among them a London club, to prolong his playing career on the English county circuit.
Amla’s departure would be a severe blow to a national team that are still reeling from a dreadful tour of England. Although the former Test skipper did not have a successful tour, he remains the premier batsman in the Proteas Test side, having accumulated 8 281 runs in 107 Tests, at an average of with a lot of friendlies, which included a few trialists, so it’s always difficult to judge. But, as for the starting team, it’s particularly in terms of positions that I have a few key decisions to make. For example, do I play Mosa (Lebusa) at leftback or centre-back, those are the type of things I need to think about.”
Other new players at Ajax include Nigeria international Ejike Uzoenyi, central defender Junaid Sait, winger Innocent Nemukondeni and striker Sedwyn George, who was the top scorer in the National First Division (NFD) last season with Royal Eagles.
Strength in depth has always been a bit of problem for Ajax in the past, but Menzo believes he has added some quality to the squad. 49.00. He also holds the record for the highest score (311 not out) by a South African in Test match cricket.
Equally, Amla has 7 186 runs in 156 oneday international matches at an average of 50.25. Incidentally, he is also the fastest to reach 2 000 runs, 3 000, 4 000, 5 000, 6 000 and 7 000 ODI runs after recently breaking Virat Kohli’s record.
Amla, has previously stated that his still has the desire to have one final crack at the 2019 World Cup in England with the Proteas, which is still two years away though he will be 36 by then.
However, he would no doubt have given serious thought to pursuing a Kolpak career after the Proteas lost the Test series 3-1 to England.
Faf du Plessis’s team are in a state of transition with current England bowling coach Ottis Gibson reportedly set to take over from Russell Domingo as the new Proteas head coach.
“We have to make sure that the new players are all fit and ready, but I am sure they can help us this season,” said Menzo. “Junaid (Sait) is a ball-playing defender. He is still young for a central defender (24), but has only been playing at NFD level. It’s up to him to show us he is capable of taking the step up to the next level.”
A replacement for Graham, though, is where Menzo is particularly focused – and he is glad that Ajax have done a loan deal to bring 21-year-old Mitchell’s Plain lad Morne Nel to the club. Nel was a teenage prodigy at the Old Mutual Academy a few years ago, signed for SuperSport United, and has already had two training stints with Tottenham Hotspur in England. He battled for game time at SuperSport, and he is hoping to revive his career back home
Although Amla is known to be a keen supporter of Gibson’s coaching style, it is well-documented that Amla developed a strong bond with Domingo over the years, often saying “the coaching staff has been as good a coaching staff that I’ve had in all my years of playing.”
With Domingo likely to exit the national team, Amla could view this period as the ideal time for a fresh start.
Equally, the less-pressurised environment of county cricket could be attractive to Amla at this stage of his career. Not only does he have a young family to consider with a third child having been born recently, the Proteas Test opening combination is not functioning at the moment.
This has routinely forced Amla to virtually open the innings and play in a role that goes against his natural attacking abilities. This has led to a profound impact on his success over the last couple of years, with Amla’s own high-level performances in the Cape.
“Morne is a good player and we probably need some time with him,” Menzo said. “It’s clear from the friendlies that he hasn’t played in a long time, it shows in the games, but if he’s willing to learn, I am sure that we can use him.”
As for Arrows on Saturday, Menzo is prepared: “I think we know how Arrows play. I don’t think they will change much. We had good results against them last season, but this is a new season and there are no guarantees.
“But we need to focus on what we need to do, and on how we want to play. It is our home game and we have to play with confidence. If we can keep the confidence and the belief going, then we will play the good football that I know we can.” dropping as a result.
Proteas legend Allan Donald has recently pleaded with Morne Morkel not to sign a Kolpak deal, begging Cricket South Africa to “give him what he wants” because “we need him this summer”.
With powerhouses such as India and Australia set to visit South African shores this home summer, expect similar talks to be had with Amla over the course of the next few weeks in the boardrooms of Cricket South Africa.
The only consolation for CSA may be that Amla has committed to the T20 Global League where he is currently the marquee player of the Kingsmead-based Durban Qalandars. The T20 Global League is set to get underway in November.
Amla has previously enjoyed county stints as an overseas player for Essex and Surrey, particularly enjoying his time at the latter due to the “vibe” and “atmosphere” at The Oval. “IT’S probably better because it doesn’t get as much of a crowd, that’s the harsh reality,” SuperSport United coach Eric Tinkler said with a chuckle in response to why the Tshwane derby is more entertaining than the Soweto derby.
Despite producing a more entertaining spectacle with goals and rarely a stalemate, the derby from the capital city is still dwarfed by the Soweto derby that critics call drawby due to the high number of draws that Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have played to.
Tinkler was involved in a number of those “drawbys” in his time at Pirates. On Saturday, he will be in his first Tshwane derby in Matsatsantsa’s clash with Mamelodi Sundowns at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in the PSL.
The hype leading up to this match hasn’t been as intense as the Soweto derby, which is normally the case, and the Lucas Moripe Stadium is unlikely to be packed to capacity. But the thousands who will make the trip will be thoroughly entertained by the rivals of the only South African city to produce two quarter-finalists in the Caf Champions League and Caf Confederation Cup in the same year. Tinkler believes that the lack of fanfare that surrounds the Tshwane derby is the reason why it’s a more entertaining match.
“Playing in front of packed stadiums is what motivates players,” Tinkler said. “But I think that there is this thing, to a degree, where you can’t lose (a Soweto derby). But somebody has to lose. The Soweto derby has that problem. Nobody wants to lose because you know what the repercussions of losing it are, it’s always negative. That’s why it tends to not produce the type of football that everybody wants to see.
“It doesn’t matter that it was an entertaining game with a lot of goals for the team that loses. Even though the game will come in a couple of months later again and you get an opportunity to turn it around. If you take that type of pressure off the players, it turns it into a better spectacle. That’s what makes the Tshwane derby an open and more entertaining game.”
Tinkler has a tough act to follow, inheriting a team that won the Nedbank Cup and is in the quarter-finals of the Confederation Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
The main target for SuperSport is winning the league title that has eluded them since 2010, while Tinkler wants to finally win the Confederation Cup after losing in the final with Pirates in 2015.