You’ll enjoy what’s coming…
G’day On Arthur Zwane
You know, it is so unfortunate that sometimes people choose to misinterpret what is said so that it suits their narrative. The sad thing is that you, as someone who gave an opinion, are now left to explain yourself on something that you had made clear. I found myself in a similar position when I read from one of the publications that I had a go at Kaizer Chiefs head coach, Arthur Zwane, in my column last week. No, no, no! People shouldn’t try to make themselves look good at other people’s expense. Go read my column last week again, you can read it 10 times if necessary, and tell me where and when did I have a go at coach Arthur! If you lack knowledge about the game or find it difficult to digest what is being said, for whatever reason, rather ask instead of making a fool of yourself. That is if you don’t have an agenda, but if you do, then it is understandable that you will read my comments as an attack on coach Arthur rather than the mere message that said players in the Big Three teams should be up to standard as there is no room to develop in their senior team. Can anyone argue with that fact?
What I meant was that pre-season is where planning of the season takes place, which is periodization. Before you even go to the pre-season camp, which lasts between six and eight weeks, you already have the core of your team and the philosophy that you want to implement as well as the structure. You have everything planned and work on it throughout that period so that everyone gets accustomed to it, as it is how you want the team to play. For people to suggest I attacked coach Arthur or his progress so far is just uncalled for. I said what I said, having walked the path as both a player and a coach, so I know what I am talking about. When I talk about the big teams, I made it clear that there is no way a particular player can come in to be developed in the first team. He has to be a fullyfledged player or, at least, 80-90% ready to play for the senior team when he is promoted and I fail to understand how this has anything to do with any of the coaches in the Big
Three.
I don’t want to dwell on this because I hate it when people drive their narratives through other people. That’s why I decided to take time to explain this, otherwise I would have just kept quiet and let things be. Give coach Arthur space to do his job, he deserves everyone’s respect like any other coach. He’s a Chiefs legend and knows the team inside out, so we need to support him as a Chiefs head coach. We gave all the other coaches that were there enough respect, so we have to do the same for him as well. It would be proper for people to do their own research and ask when things are not clear, rather than jumping to conclusion for their personal agendas.
On changes
Last week, I was in Cape Town for a meeting with the Soccer Laduma editorial team about my column and I must say I was very happy with how the meeting went. It has been agreed by everyone that we need to bring a new approach and a differ-ent dimension to how we are doing things and I’m sure all our readers will enjoy the new-look column that we will be launching soon. Believe it or not, this is stuff that every Soccer Laduma reader will enjoy and love. I’m really excited about it and let me take this opportunity to appreciate the inputs and suggestions that the team came up with and it just goes to show that people love and care about my column and the content that we share with our readers, without whom none of what we are doing would be possible.
Yes, of course, there have been columns that were really enjoyed by everyone, there were those that were completely misconstrued – with people reading, hearing and understanding what they wanted to hear and not what was being said – there were educational columns that made people grow in the game and there were those that were probably dubbed as controversial, but we all know that football is a game of opinions. You say what you feel and hope people will understand it for what it is, rather than what they think you mean. I hope I have not trampled on any-one’s toes in this space over the years that I have been privileged enough to share my views with you through this publication. I also hope I didn’t make anyone feel bad through my opinions because this space has always been about addressing issues and making sure that we learn, get informed and entertained whenever possible.
You can look forward to the changes that will be taking place in this space in two weeks’ time and it will be interesting to see how those who like to copy and misin-terpret the content we share here will do their thing going forward. We are changing the game plan because we can see that some people are using underhand tactics to become relevant. The change of game plan is something very common in foot-ball and it is the same even in this space. If you can see that your opponent is aware of your strategy and plan, you have to change things around so that you maintain the surprise element. That’s how you confuse the opponent and we are now taking the same principles from the field of play to this column. Change of game plan is very important and, like I said, I’m pretty sure you will all enjoy and appreciate what is coming. It’s going to be mind-blowing content and I will tell you more about the changes which will take place in the first edition of the new month.
Nothing will be lost, we are not stopping the column, not at all, so you are going to enjoy what’s coming. That’s all I can promise you for now, our beautiful Soccer Laduma readers and those who are always looking forward to Doctor Khumalo’s column, every week.
You will be entertained, that’s for sure. I really look forward to the new column and I can’t wait to hear your feedback. Let me thank you for the wonderful support and feedback since I started penning this column. You’ve always been there for me and I really appreciate you taking time to read my thoughts and, not only that, even taking time to feedback to me. It doesn’t go unnoticed and it means the world to me, which is why I always look forward to putting my views to-gether for you. When I say you’re going to enjoy the new-look column, I really mean it, so you better brace yourself. As you can tell, I’m so excited about what is coming and two weeks’ time can’t come soon enough because there are so many different issues that will be discussed and shared on this platform, but as I said, from next week’s column you will get a hint of what the new changes are all about. There will be more interaction and engagement, for sure.