RESPONSES…

Thank you very much, Soccer Laduma, for the piece on “Chincha Guluva” with Putco “Twalatsa” Mafani. It’s very interesting how the man identified Putco for such a huge role and believed in his abilities. To say Putco succeeded at Chiefs would be an understatement because he nailed that role superbly. If only coaches could show the same faith and belief in their players, we’d see stellar performances week in and week out. For Dr Motaung to invite the journalist who wrote a negative piece about Putco even before he started his job, it shows how intelligent he is, hence the success of his team over the years. It’s true that from a distance you just see a serious man, but Putco let us in on the fun side of the man. Thanks again for affording Putco the opportunity to give the man his roses while he can still smell them. Malesela “Dance” Boya, Kanana, Hammanskraal

Bongani Khumalo’s strong utterances that it does not matter how Bafana play as long as they win, as published in the Soccer Laduma revolving column, are wrong and misleading, especially coming from an ex-pro and current soccer analyst. Any successful organisation or soccer team must have a culture that they adhere to in order to consistently produce results and grow. To consistently have a succession plan of personnel, there must be a culture or way of doing things in place for whoever is wishing to be part of that team and for that team to consistently uphold their standards. A team playing well means there is a proper plan in place, regardless of whether they win or lose. This eliminates panic and provides direction. Secondly, winning depends on a whole lot of factors, like scoring first, crowd atmosphere or reception, playing surface, etc. Thirdly, if you are a ball-playing team, it doesn’t mean you have to play the same way all the time. There’s no harm in a ball-playing defender hoofing the ball up field if the conditions are not conducive to play out from the back. A ball-playing defender can do both, playing out from the back and hoofing the ball up field, but a non-ball-playing defender can only do one. So, it’s misleading to promote the notion that playing well is not important but winning is. To win consistently is a direct result of playing well. When you are in the Amazon jungle versus when you are in the concrete jungle, it requires different tools, but you must always uphold your values even though you are mindful of the differences in conditions. Good luck to Bafana. Nkosinathi Mkhwanazi, Vaal

In my last week’s sermon in our weekly soccer Bible, I talked about the divided support that we have on our national team. This is a continuation thereof. Let me start by saying there’s this raging debate from fans who have been comparing Doc and Zwane. Some go as far as saying the latter needs to prove himself in this Afcon tournament that is currently underway. Guys, are you aware that we wouldn’t be talking about Doc and the 1996 Afcon today if our defence wasn’t as solid as it was? If Williams and 16V didn’t understand each other on the field, then the latter’s heroics would have been in vain. I believe even he can attest to this. Lastly, as I’m jotting down this piece on the day when we face Morocco, I’m hoping our boys would have done all of us proud by proceeding to the quarterfinals. If they couldn’t, let us not blame Sundowns players because they didn’t select themselves. The other day, I was in conversation with a brother of mine who is starting to doubt Broos. According to him, he’s no longer fit enough to be a national team coach because his starting XI comprises 95% of players from Sundowns, a team that’s been doing well in Africa. He thinks the coach is banking on that team to make him a great coach. Does he have a point? You tell me. Nafie Moloantoa, KwaThema