I’m challenging Mhango…
On AmaZulu FC’s fine start
It’s all boiled down to the work the management of the club has been putting in. They’ve got great courage, they are ambitious and they’ve got a clear picture of what they want now and they are setting the standards for the players. They put in a lot of sharp thinking into who they’d keep and who they’d let go of at the end of last season. They went out and got players who match their vision and ambitions. That’s where it starts. I want to believe they learned from last season. The thing with their last campaign, and I think it’s vital people understand this, it was the first time in the history of AmaZulu where they took part in a continental tournament. Even during our time, with the great team we had, we never played in Africa. Playing in Africa is tough and unfortunately it drained them.
That was a step too far for them and they couldn’t compete on both fronts, the league and Africa, and I think that frustrated them. The fact that they managed to finish in the Top Eight was a big achievement. This season, they don’t have that continental distraction, the focus is all on the domestic front. The spirit is there and the confidence is flowing and I’m enjoying them this season. Certainly a side to not take lightly, they will challenge, but I don’t think they are ready to go past Mamelodi Sundowns. No one is, yet. AmaZulu will be a top four side this year.
On Brandon Truter
What a chap. The country is only taking note of him now, but I tell you what, he’s a well-known coach in the coaching circle in Cape Town for years now and we call him “Coach Brakkies”. What you are seeing is a coach that’s determined to succeed and matches the ambitions of the owners. He’s certainly put in the hours over the years. He’s had to learn the hard way as well. I’m not convinced he was fully backed by management and the club when he was at Swallows FC. I don’t think they gave him full backing. Well, not as much as how the AmaZulu management are backing him now.
On Usuthu’s MTN8 chances
Listen, they’ve got a chance. It won’t be easy, but they are capable of competing, home and away. I’d love to see them win a trophy because 30 years without any silverware is just way too long for a club of AmaZulu’s richness and pedigree. I’ll be brutally honest, when we won that Coca Cola Cup in 1992, we struggled in the league that year but had a fantastic cup run. It was one of those where you start believing your name is on the cup. Clive Barker brought the best out of us and our late goalkeeper, Shadrack Biemba, was incredible. He won that final by himself. The following season, we were much better as a team and came third in the league and I believe had Clive not left to coach Bafana Bafana the following year, we would have challenged for league honours because he had built a mean team. In that breath, I can only hope AmaZulu holds on to Truter because they are on a great path. I’m desperate for them to win something and hey, they’ve got nothing to lose in this MTN8.
On the quality of players
All-round players with character at Usuthu. Look at how they fought to win their game against Swallows the other day. Normally at 2-2, with time running out, away from home, a lot of sides would have been content with a point, but no, not Usuthu.
The only burp was losing against Golden Arrows, but that’s a team that’s always a nightmare for them anyway. Some of their signings have been fantastic. Gabadinho Mhango, what a player he is. I was shocked Orlando Pirates let him go, to be honest. Yes, we know he was having problems there, but for a quality striker like that, you’ve got to try by all means to bury the hatchet. You make peace. They should never have lost him, and now look what he’s doing at AmaZulu. A great signing for them. It was great to see “Major” (Lehlohonolo Majoro) netting the winner over the weekend as well because in this country, too many people get hooked up on age. A guy like Majoro continues to defy the narrative, he’s still got the desire, he’s looked after his body well and his experience will be crucial for AmaZulu this season. It’s fantastic for the club to have options because their best players won’t always do well and to be able to call on experienced players off the bench will see them excelling. And the thing about the goals is, for AmaZulu to be successful, they need a striker who can score over 20 goals – that’s the reality. And I’m challenging Mhango to do so. A lot of people think I joke about this, but the truth is, I hope someone breaks my record of 23 goals a season I scored for the club back in 1992. It still stands now, which isn’t great for the club at all, but as I said, I believe Gabadinho is the closest bet to do so in three decades.
On Benni’s Red Devils appointment
Phenomenal. A success story for South African football. Listen, Benni has always been a Man United fan and even though he scored goals against them and knocked them out of the Champions League before, this is the ultimate cherry for him. Being a coach at Manchester United is probably better than him being a player at some of the clubs he played for, to be honest. People forget that Benni speaks fluent Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch, so that also gives him the edge. He’s got a good connection with a senior player… he’s good mates with Ronaldo and the younger players have to look up to Benni based on all his success. Benni will always be South Africa’s best striker. As a former striker myself, I used to ask
myself how the hell did Benni score some of the incredible goals he used to bang. Natural instincts, and if he can share just 10% of what he knows with the youngsters at Man United, he’ll be a success there. I don’t think he’ll want to settle to be just a strikers’ coach at a top club though. I don’t think it will be too long before Benni will be an assistant coach, even if it’s not at United, and down the line, we’ll see him saying a few words to the officials on the sidelines.