Stars foretell a bumpy ride
NO ABSA Premiership club is faced with as much uncertainty as Free State Stars ahead of the start of the 2016/17 season next week.
The wheels were set in motion early last month when a consortium led by Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi expressed interest in buying the club, relocating it to Joburg and renaming it Swallows FC.
The deal fell flat and the official word is that Panyaza and Co did not have the funds to push the mooted takeover through.
Back to square one then, or Plan B. But what is it?
Stars unexpectedly parted ways with coach Giovanni Solinas shortly after the end of the previous campaign, with the Italian mentor, who had only been at the club for five months, asking to return to his native country for personal reasons.
It now appears that in the midst of searching for a replacement, Stars’ owner Mike Mokoena was tempted by a lucrative offer – believed to be around R50-million – to sell the status of his club.
For a while the future of the Bethlehem side was hanging by a thread despite confirmation that Frenchman Denis Lavagne had been handed a three-year contract to be head coach.
It hasn’t been business as usual for Ea Lla Koto, who travel to Chippa United on Tuesday for their league opener at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
On paper, events leading up to their first fixture scream instability and will have many singling out Stars as relegation candidates – especially following the sale of four key players from last season’s credible 12th place finish.
Justice Chabalala, Sello Jafta and Ayanda Nkosi were all sold to Orlando Pirates, while Lucky Mohomi, after just one year in the top flight, joined reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
That is easily the spine of the team gone, and the inflated transfer market means it is unlikely Lavagne will be getting like-for-like replacements with enough experience to plug the gaps.
However, Stars often rely on chief scout and head of development Themba Sithole to unearth some jewels to give them a fighting chance in the new campaign.
Lavagne has been allowed to rope in an assistant coach after Bradley Carnell jumped at the opportunity to work with Muhsin Ertugral when Pirates hired the latter two months ago.
As unpredictable as football is, it is hard not to think that Stars could be in trouble this season and that they may again be convinced to sell the club should they stay up come May. JUST who is new man Lavagne? He is no stranger to Africa, having worked at Coton Sport in Cameroon before attracting the attention of the national team, the Indomitable Lions, in October 2011 for a stint that didn’t last very long.
He has also been in charge of Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia and is quite familiar with the mentality of players from Africa.
But Lavagne’s track record suggests he is a bit of a job-hopper, as evidenced by his history at previous clubs.
Whether Stars can hold on to him and allow him to see out his three-year contract, especially if results are satisfactory, is the big question.
For sure, he has his work cut out as he probably has to assemble a new team with new ideas.
This is never easy when you don’t have PSL experience and coaching a club that sent Kinnah Phiri on his way after consecutive defeats in their opening three matches last season.
Moeketsi Sekola,
SEKOLA was rather unfortunate with injuries last season, and when he did eventually make his comeback, the Golden Boot winner from two seasons ago lacked match fitness and played second fiddle to Nkosi.
But Sekola now carries the hopes of the team, being one of the most senior members of a depleted squad.
It was the Bafana Bafana striker who helped rescue Stars from the jaws of relegation during the 2014/15 campaign with his crucial goals. He’s got to find that form. David Booysen, Sinethemba Jantjie, Thokozani Sekotlong, Charles Kampi, Tebogo Potsane, Tholang Lwana, Christoffer Mafoumbi, Joseph Okumu
Last five seasons:
12th, ninth, 14th, seventh, sixth