I really salute coach Kerr
On Nedbank Cup final
What a historicalweekend we have just come from, with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC crowned the 2021 Nedbank Cup champions, beating Chippa United 1-0. What a cup final it was! It was end-to-end stuff even after TTM took the lead and it was unfortunate for Chippa to lose the way they did. Having said that, it is allpart ofthe game because there had to be a winner at the end of the game.
Witnessing the crowning of TTM, I started remembering that this is literally a new team in the league as they were assembled a week before the start of the season. A lot of things, subsequent to the hasty nature in which they were assembled, went horribly wrong and this team was a laughing stock, but look at them now, winning a prestigious trophy like the Nedbank Cup. It is unbelievable! Ifwhat I’ve seen ofthis team in recent games is anything to go by, I believe they will have what it takes to represent us in the CAF Confederation Cup next season. That will be good for our football, as I have mentioned in my previous columns. Playing in the continent boosts the team in so many ways.
It was also an honour to be involved in a virtual press conference with coach Dylan Kerr, coach Vladislav Heric, Teko Modise and the guys from Nedbank after the game. You know, I wasn’t even aware that it has been 31 years since I last met coach Kerr and we were reminiscing about the good old days playing against each other. He was still at Arcadia at the time and he was showing me some pictures from back then and they brought so many wonderfulmemories. What a gentleman! I’m very happy for him and his team. Congratulations to you, coach, your technical team, players, management, staff, supporters and everyone associated with the team, for a wonderful job. You really deserved the trophy.
I’m sure there’s a lot of motivation that they will get from this victory in order to improve their log position, which is their bread and butter. Take nothing away from coach Heric because you could clearly see what they were trying to do. The man came on board at Chippa just after they qualified for the final and there was not much time, but obviously coach Siyabulela Gwambi had been there longer. I was fascinated by what coach Heric said about the final in that press conference. He told us that he sent coach Kerr a congratulatory message after TTM beat Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals and wished him all the best in the final. At the time, he had not rejoined Chippa – little did he know he would be facing him in the final, ha, ha, ha. That’s football for you, it is so unpredictable. We had such a good laugh about it because coach Heric’s good wishes for coach Kerr worked against his own team now, if you think about it, ha, ha, ha.
It is good to see coaches discuss and share such moments because, at the end of the day, we are only opponents on the field. Off the field, we are one big family and that’s the spirit we need in the game. Coaches should be interacting more often and that’s good for our football. Back to the game… Remember when I said TTM against Sundowns would be experience against hard work? I knew that was a David v Goliath situation because TTM knew they stood no chance to match Sundowns poundfor-pound and I mean no disrespect to anybody. The reason I’m bringing this up again is to show the amount of effort that these guys put into winning this trophy. I was happy when coach Kerr confirmed and agreed with my sentiments because he even said that they knew ifthey beat Sundowns, they could go allthe way and win the trophy. He has managed to get the players focused, happy and united. I’m sure those who saw what happened after the final whistle will agree with me. You could see the way they embraced their coach and one another, you could tell that they were all pulling in the same direction and they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve in this competition. He clearly got into the players’ hearts and there’s definitely something he, together with Mpho Maleka, David Mathebula and the rest ofthe technicalteam, did to get these players to perform the way they did in their recent games. It was not by fluke but thorough preparation and planning. He didn’t go out and buy new players, he worked with what they had and transformed the team completely.
Happy players will always deliver and it is important to always work on their minds and make sure that they are switched on all the time. When I spoke to the coach on Thursday, I gave him credit to say whatever he’s done to change things around is unbelievable, especially in such a short space of time. I wouldn’t be doing justice to the game of football if I didn’t sing praises of coach Dylan Kerr in this week’s column and I hope he will be able to avoid playoffs and relegation. They can’t win the Nedbank Cup and get relegated and he’s another one I must have coffee with at the end of the season because, like I said, you learn from the best. I’m sure he won’t have any problems with that because he’s a complete footballperson. I really salute coach Kerr and admire the job he’s done with his team. Remember, you’re as good as your last game, as we say in football, and I hope he will be able to transfer this cup performance into the league campaign. We can’t have a happy TTM and then a few weeks down the line we have a crying TTM, no ways! I’m sure they still have a lot of champagne left from Saturday night, so they have to continue their celebration after the season, having survived relegation. Speaking to coach Kerr, I got a sense that he does have a plan up his sleeve for the remainder of the season, just like he did against Sundowns.
On Nedbank
Let me thank Nedbank for the platform they gave all the teams to realise their dreams. Let me also thank the League for handling the COVID-19 pandemic so well, making sure that footballcontinues and that teams continue to put smiles on their supporters’ faces. We are in tough times and footballgives us an escape from our daily lives. So many people have lost loved ones, jobs and everything else you can think of because of this pandemic and having football going on makes a huge difference. It is good that the Nedbank Cup was completed without any hassles.
On the league race
Now we want to see who is going to be crowned league champions, with four rounds of fixtures to go. It looks like it will be Sundowns, but is it going to be AmaZulu FC? It is not easy to tell, but the Peter Shalulile-inspired Sundowns is on another level. Yes, we can’t single him out as they are playing as a team, but you can’t turn a blind eye on Shalulile’s performances and impact since joining Sundowns. This is one player I really admire because he found a new club and hit the ground running. He’s a prolific and unbelievable striker who goes about his business quietly. You can’t afford not to have Shalulile in your team. He was doing well even at Highlands Park, but he’s excelling now and it looks like the environment and players around him make it simple for him to do his job. You have to give credit to the Sundowns technical team for the way they’ve been managing that team with the hectic schedule that they have.