Make Your P int

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DERBY HONOURS GO 2-1 TEAM

Kaizer Chiefs have lost to their archrivals Orlando Pirates for the umpteenth time. It is slowly becoming a hobby for Pirates to beat Chiefs wherever and whenever they play and whatever they are playing for. It has become a bad habit on the part of Chiefs to lose to Pirates even when it is difficult for Bucs to beat them. Now is not the time to point fingers and lay blame at the next guy. The coach is still good enough to coach the club. The players are still good enough to play for the club. No one must be sacrificed for the unfortunate incidents because they are not permanent. Chiefs players need motivation and nothing else. We don’t need to fire the coach or release players, we just need to motivate all of them. Remember, it is not familiar for Chiefs to go three seasons without a single trophy. That ordeal damaged the entire system and has affected the whole Chiefs family. We need to have a positive mindset to get positive results. We must truly support our team, go to the stadium and cheer them on, win or lose. We must not put them under pressure to perform miracles. To restore their dignity and go back to winning ways, they must take it one game at a time and start scoring goals and winning games. Kaizer Chiefs, you are still the one of the biggest clubs on the continent. Vuyisile Bovu, Mncuncuzo, Cofimvaba I’m very devastated to see our beloved team eliminated from yet another cup competition. I smell another drought; my nostrils ain’t fooling me. If Giovanni Solinas persists with the selection of Mario Booysen, we are going nowhere slowly. Booysen repeated the same mistake he made in the last derby, yet he is one of the tallest defenders. I see no reason why he is unable to clear dangerous balls. Kaizer Chiefs’ back four needs a solid and vocal central defender, one able to come up with a way forward when things are not going well in terms of communication. Yandisa Mshumi, Cape Town I’m not angry that we lost to Orlando Pirates yet again because I don’t expect anything from Giovanni Solinas’ Kaizer Chiefs anymore, but I don’t feel for the coach at all. Not only is this coach deaf but he is blind too. There’s not much difference between the two recent derbies in the sense that we conceded through our own mistakes, courtesy of the so-called ‘experienced’ Mario Booysen yet again. I’m not making the guy a scapegoat. I just don’t forgive the experienced players who repeatedly make stupid mistakes, I forgive potentials because they are learning. Solinas’ team selection is so inconsistent, yet he’s consistent in picking Booysen in the starting line-up. There was a time when Siphelele Ntshangase and Dumisani Zuma were developing an understanding and he dismantled it. It’s safe to say Solinas must leave now and take Booysen with. We have a long way with the CAF Champions League coming. We needed the coach who was going to hit the ground running. It was (not) nice to meet you, Sir. Goodbye Solinas, hello Luc Eymael! Lucky Khunou, Meriting Kaizer Chiefs disappointed me by losing 2-1 to Orlando Pirates on Sat- urday. Oh, the pain of losing twice to our noisy neighbours. Giovanni Solinas and his technical team need to pull up their socks because the team is struggling. Nemusunda Mmboniseni, Lion Park Firstly, I want to congratulate Orlando Pirates for a job well done and their continued dominance in the Soweto Derby before I rip into Chiefs’ efforts, or lack thereof. I don’t think our technical team watches our own games after we have played. If they did, they would have realised that our centre-back pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mario Booysen is weak, leaky and costly. We might not have conceded goals against Chippa United, but we were badly exposed. Yet those guys started the derby again, the very same guys who cost us the previous derby. In the middle of the park, Chiefs has no creativity at all. Ninety percent of George Maluleka’s passes go back, with only 10 percent forward. Leonardo Castro and Khama Billiat are no longer receiving the same service they received earlier in the season, yet our coach doesn’t seem to see that gap that has been created by keeping Stash (Siphelele Ntshangase) on the bench. Chiefs are so rigid and flat in midfield with Willard Katsande and Maluleka. Now Stash is relegated to the stands. We are becoming hopeless, Mr Solinas. Please, get your house in order. By the way, it’s great that derbies are alive lately. Thanks to Orlando Pirates and their beautiful football. Makhado Nemalili, via email Thumbs up to the Buccaneers for their dominance over my beloved Amakhosi, a result that propelled Orlando Pirates to the Telkom Knockout final against Baroka FC. Pirates are a welloiled machine since the reappointment of coach Micho and acquisition of Rhulani Mokwena. As things stand, Amakhosi will never beat Pirates at any given time, as our backline is in complete turmoil, exacerbated by a lack of technical/tactical acumen from the Kaizer Chiefs technical team. Yet again, like we pleaded with Steve Komphela, I submit my humblest request to Giovanni Solinas to resign from that hot seat. Amakhosi are not an ordinary team. Loward Ziga-Khosa, Nkuri-Tomu Another bleak Christmas for Amakhosi faithful. The Kaizer Chiefs management needs to take the blame for the team’s bad performances. How can you expect to beat other teams if you did not adequately prepare the team during pre-season? I noticed from the starting line-up that we were going to lose against Orlando Pirates because the coach used the team that was beaten by Pirates in the league. It does not take a rocket scientist to realise that the pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mario Booysen is not working. They both lack leadership qualities. Both of them don’t know the basic principles of defence. Simply stated, one needs to mark the attacking player tight and the other one must play sweeper. Why was Siphelele Ntshangase not even in the 18-men squad to play against the Buccaneers? There is a lack of creativity in the middle of the park because our coach prefers to play defensive players. Typical Italian. We are lacking goals because no one is able to provide decent passes to Leonard Castro and Khama Billiat. Both George Maluleka and Willard Katsande are playing defensively and, as a result, our attacking options are compromised. If we look at our first three wins in the league, Ntshangase was playing in the middle of the park and he had good combination play with Castro, Billiat and Dumisa Zuma. What changed all that? Only the Man Above knows! Rhulani was right, our coach lacks tactical acumen. Dumisani Cili, via email I don’t know how many CD4 count cells I have to lose before the management of Kaizer Chiefs realise that pathetic Giovanni Solinas is incompetent to lead Amakhosi. Big applause to Patrick Mayo who, in last week’s edition of Soccer Laduma, had the guts to call a spade a spade, unlike other legends, players and coaches who are always defending coaches. How on earth can you expect to win a derby with the same defence that let you down against the same opposition the previous month? The planning was poor, as always. We needed Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Godfrey Walusimbi, Erick Mathoho and Teenage Hadebe at the back, with Willard Katsande, George Maluleka, Siphelele Ntshangase, Hendrick Ekstein, Khama Billiat in mid, with Leonardo Castro as a lone striker. I would have been satisfied with Virgil Vries, Lebogang Manyama, Adriano Andrianarimanana, Siyabonga Ngezana, Gustavo Paez, Dumisani Zuma and Ryan Moon on the bench. In derbies, you need more attacking options on the bench. Mbongeni Ngomane, Nelspruit To be honest, losing to Orlando Pirates twice in a row is unacceptable. It is indeed a bitter pill to swallow, but moving on is the only thing to do at this stage. As for the coach issue, we can

leave that to the management to deal with. Phumzile DVD Ngwane, Thokoza They say lighting doesn’t strike the same place twice, but what happened this weekend left me puzzled and speechless at the same time. Mr Giovanni Solinas, my advice to you is to just resign because the only cup competition that is left is the Nedbank Cup. Forget about the league. Matla Thabo Steve Congratulations to Amabhakaniya for their fantastic and incredible performance against Amakhosi last weekend. As Kaizer Chiefs, we need to do something before it’s too late. Where are those Chiefs players who showed pride for being associated with the club? Material-wise, we only need to bolster in two positions. Firstly, our backline is not strong enough to defend. Secondly, we need a hungry striker in our camp. I need to see a difference in that team before I cross the floor to another team. Tsenene Isaac, Motherwell, PE I’m so disappointed in Kaizer Chiefs players. They are not serious and we are going nowhere. How can we lose the derby three times in a row in the same calendar year? I don’t see us winning anything anytime soon. Now we are a laughing stock to our neighbours. I don’t see my team beating Bucs in the near future if they persist with playing like cowards. Those players don’t deserve to wear the Chiefs jersey. I’m so embarrassed! Nyambeni Samson Khuphani, Tshiawelo Ext 5 For a Kaizer Chiefs fan, it’s trying times. I agree with Itumeleng Khune. They keep on making school kid errors. To wear the Chiefs badge comes with responsibility and pride but are the players quality? This is not acceptable at all. Our defence is in ICU. Even the coach seems bereft of ideas. I have no words! I write this letter in despair and disappointment. Judging by the status quo, Chiefs are going nowhere. Phindile Jonga, East London, Westbank The game was tight. Both teams applied tactical awareness, but the best team won. Giovanni Solinas felt it was painful. His captain, Itumeleng Khune, attributed the loss to schoolboy errors. I thought Kaizer Chiefs would have learnt from how they lost the first derby. Khune feels that Chiefs’ badge is heavy for some players. I’m glad that he never mentioned the coach and instead pointed a finger at the players. Congratulations to Orlando Pirates. Terah Maqepula, Mount Fletcher As a Kaizer Chiefs fan, my long-standing prediction of doom and gloom is still vindicated. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Chippa Mpengesi but the fast-asleep Motaungs who will let the destructive Italian job continue unabated. Who is this Mario Booysen? Probably a Buccaneer with a hidden agenda. We witnessed Chiefs, a so-called big team, giving all the respect to Orlando Pirates by sitting back and playing a useless counter-attacking game. We witnessed almost every loose ball being won by Pirates while the Chiefs passengers played spectator. Let them do what they want. I have never witnessed such mediocrity and uselessness. A hat-trick of derby losses. Ignominious, to say the least! Bait Malimela, Ntuzuma Township The manner in which we lost to Orlando Pirates is uncalled for! The first mistake we made was to sit deep and allow them to come at us. It can never be a coach’s fault if players don’t want to take responsibility. We should have gone all out in attack to win the game. All is not well at our Village. We cried about Steve Komphela, so should we also say it’s Solinas’ fault? It can’t be! The players must rise. Tshepo Modike, Freedom Park The starting line-up against Orlando Pirates was good, but there are a few players that I think are not Kaizer Chiefs material. Dumisani Zuma is harmless. The coach should give Kabelo Mahlasela a chance to start the game, with Erick Mathoho and Siyabonga Ngezana at centre-back. Loyiso Theophilus Mqoqi, Nyanga Going to the derby, on paper Bucs were favourites to win, but come on, good people, Pirates were given that game on a silver platter. What is that Mario Booysen still doing in our starting line-up? I have said it before that he is not Kaizer Chiefs material. The costly mistakes made by our defence, absolutely under no pressure, are suicidal, and Mario seems to be at the centre of them. Erick ‘Tower’ Mathoho is rotting on the bench with his vast experience. Our technical team is just clueless and there is no hope. It’s a family business, hence we are in this mess. Siyabonga Nkalambela, Delft Firstly, we complained about the underperforming Daniel Cardoso so much until our stubborn and clueless coach was forced to drop him and now it is the tall-for-nothing Mario Booysen. In our first game against Bucs, they scored a winning goal from his baby clearance and he did it again over the weekend when he mistimed the ball. Our central pairing is our Achilles heel this season, while we have Erick Mathoho on the bench. We can all see the coach does not value him after some poor display, but must he be punished eternally while we lose games like these? Nowadays, our opponents just wait for yet another defensive blunder before pouncing. Even poor Steve Komphela did not lose twice in a row to Bucs and our last 11 games against them do not inspire any confidence. Dumisani Zuma has also been playing badly for a long time, but he is yet to start on the bench. Kabelo Mahlasela should be given a chance. Congrats to Bucs and the critics can never speak of a dull derby after the last three games lived up to expectations, with goals galore. Amos Tshukudu, Ga Maria Last I checked, Ramahlwe Mphahlele was or still is an international player with lots of experience. But his form of late makes me wonder if he is as good as we thought he is. He was involved in the first goal with my hometown boy (Thembinkosi Lorch) running in front of him and converting freely. As if to add insult to injury, he stood still and ad-

mired Justin Shonga instead of marking him. I mean, how can Shonga miss a bicycle kick, manage to pick himself up and score in front of Rama? Lehlohonolo ‘Pane’ Melato, Ficksburg Giovanni Solinas has failed Amakhosi supporters once again with his dilapidated schemes. Where is Erick Mathoho, Teenage Hadebe and Daniel Cardoso? Mario Booysen is error-ridden at the back. He even caused both goals to happen and also made the same mistakes like last time out. Setenane Thulo, via email What a great game! That was real South African soccer cream on display and it’s safe to conclude that we will no longer be subjected to dull derbies. Congratulations to the mighty Bucs for proving that their win in the league was no fluke. The Orlando Pirates players play like well-oiled machines and their understanding is world-class. This Pirates team really means business and they deserve silverware. Every player comes in and fits into the system like a hand in a glove. It seems like this is their season. Congratulations to the technical team for doing a great job. Shapa, Buccaneer, shapa! Isaac Madingwane, Riba Cross, Lepakeng