What are they still doing at Chiefs?
Lunga Adam: Chaks, first things first, what have you made of Itumeleng Khune’s return?
Masilo Machaka: They say you can never replace experience. Sometimes experience counts in football. Khune has done well before for Chiefs and Bafana Bafana, he’s a national asset. But mina skhokho sami (as for me, my friend), my worry is, are we still going to depend on Khune? Until when? They say a good dancer knows when to stop, but we haven’t found a person that will make sure that he puts Khune on the sidelines. I told the other supporters that you guys can say all you want about Khune, that Khune must come back, but are we building? We say we are building a Chiefs that will be stronger than before. Like I’m saying, Khune has done well, he doesn’t need anything from the coach to say he’s a good goalkeeper. No, no, he has done well for himself, we know Khune. But I’m worried about Petersen and Bvuma. Up until to date, they haven’t cemented their position there by the poles, so I’m worried because they were supposed to put Khune on the sidelines. Why I’m saying that is because Khune has done his job, his job is done, my friend. Just imagine if Khune can say this is his last season… what’s going to happen going forward? That’s my worry! So, I’m not saying he mustn’t be our keeper now, but next season I don’t think so. I don’t think he’ll still be the Khune that we’re used to because remember, even if Khune can force (it), the body will say this is theend.
LA: For sure… MM:
At this stage, yes Khune is back. He’s done well, he’s saved penalties and we played now against AmaZulu, (kept a) clean sheet, but I’m saying Chiefs management, you know what, let’s make sure that we get people that will compete with or even surpass Khune. Because we are always good when it comes to goalkeepers, but now I’m not sure. The question is, where did we go wrong? So, yes, it’s good that Khune is back with the kind of experience he has. He’s doing well there, trying to make sure that the defence is switching on and all those kinds of things, but his ‘assistants’ there, like bo Bvuma and Petersen, must rise to the occasion now! I’m talking to Bvuma and Petersen now, and I’m saying, guys, rise to the occasion! What are you still waiting for? What are they still doing there at Chiefs if they can’t take the number one jersey? Are we now saying Brian Baloyi must come back and save Chiefs? It’s only experience that will count on the field of play, but the body will say no. I’m saying to Bvuma and Petersen, guys, rise to the occasion. This is your time. Show that you are playing at Chiefs too. Hee banna, do these guys know Kaizer Chiefs? Do you know why you are there in the first place? They both got their chances, but what did they do with that? Huh? Do they want to go and play for Bafana? Let me tell you something…
LA: By all means. MM:
You know, if you’re playing for a local team, you must aim to play in England, to play for Manchester, to play for Bafana. All I’m saying is what is stopping Bvuma and Petersen from taking over? Khune is supposed to be their mentor, he’s supposed to mentor them… ‘hey bafethu (guys), this is how you should do things, this is how you should not do things.’ He was supposed to coach them because soon Khune maybe will be doing a coaching course for goalkeepers, who knows. That’s why I’m… For me, I’ll say one thing, I’m disappointed with Bvuma and Petersen at the moment because they must take over now. It’s now or never! Yes, Khune is there, no problem, I’ve got nothing against Khune skhokho sam Lungsta, but into engiyishoyo njengamanje ukuthi mina (what I’m saying is that) I’m disappointed with Bvuma and Petersen. I’m telling them right now, they must rise to the occasion. Wake up! Wake up and smell the coffee because you’re playing for a team of Chiefs’ calibre! Whenever Rowen Fernandez replaced Brian Baloyi, he would do well. Khune replaced Fernandez and did well. Not so? Let’s talk about Bvuma and Petersen, Lungsta… what are they doing? Huh? What are they doing? Both came in, they saw Khune; prior to that, they saw Baloyi and guys like Botende Eshele. What are they still doing at Chiefs? Remember, if you can’t cement your place now to put Khune on the bench, there’s something wrong with you, there’s something wrong with you. Khune must have seen, “These two guys, are they serious? I mean, they can’t replace me. What must I do? Let me go back and make sure that I save Chiefs because the team is not doing well.” These two must know that there’s competition out
there. If they’re not careful, someone else will come and take over and cement his place going forward. It’s now or never. Whether they like it or not, we must tell them the truth. It’s now or never. They must rise to the occasion because they’ve been there at Chiefs… Especially Bvuma, he’s been there in the Chiefs set-up for a long time. What’s the problem with him? Come on, my brother!
LA: It’s strange because a lot of people believe Chiefs have the best goalkeeping department in the PSL. Khune himself was even waxing lyrical about it in the media recently!
MM:
No, no, I don’t agree. Yes, if they talk about before, I agree. That’s why I told you about abo (the likes of) Botende Eshele, Brian Baloyi, Rowen Fernandez and Khune. But you can’t tell me about now. Never! I mean, Daniel Akpeyi came and he did well, but he was off-form sometimes. Khune came back again, he did well, but he was off-form as well, made some silly mistakes. But now, you put Bvuma and Petersen… come on, my brother.
Last week, in light of Itumeleng Khune’s return to action after a lengthy spell watching from the sidelines, we ran a feature on the veteran goal minder, with different people associated with Kaizer Chiefs welcoming him back. Well, this week we shine the spotlight on the two keepVentersdorp-born ers the man wrestled the jersey from, in Bruce Bvuma and Brandon Petersen. By nature, goalkeeping is a tough and lonely position, and more so at a big club like Amakhosi, where every mistake made in the last line of defence is scrutinised by the supportmedia. ers and With that said, have the two keepers covered themselves in glory when handed the opporbetween tunity the sticks? Are they the future for the Soweto giants beyond Khune’s playing days, with Bafana Bafana’s ex-number one only five years shy of his 40th birthday? Let’s find out what the supporters think…
I mean, if we are real supporters who tell what we see, then it’s good. You’ve got to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with somebody else. So, I’m saying Lungsta, at the moment, you can’t tell me that Khune should be the number one goalkeeper taking over from Petersen and Bvuma. Never! And Bvuma was also in the Bafana set-up. Ah, come on Lungsta. Come on, my brother. Come on. So, the question is, where did we go wrong in the goalkeeping department? Maybe we were affected by the departure of the previous goalkeeper coach (Rainer Dinkelacker). We brought Aubrey Mathibe, who played for Chiefs before, so he knows the culture. Are those guys taking advantage of Mathibe? Are they listening to him? It’s all about you. I mean, it’s your life, it’s your job. Sometimes we praise a fish for swimming. Just imagine! But you know that the fish must be in the water. So, it’s their job… Bvuma and Petersen, it’s their job to take over at the moment. That’s why I’m saying Mathibe will be doing a good job to assist them in terms of all those tactics to be on the poles, saving penalties. You know, I’ve seen some other things with Bvuma and Petersen in terms of aerial football. They lack that consistency there. I always tell people that in the bedroom, that’s where as a man you take charge. So, a bedroom is like the 18-area. Any ball that is in the area, you must be in charge. I can’t be in charge in the kitchen – no, no, no, in the kitchen everybody is coming in. In the sitting room, yes, Lungsta can come in and me and him we drink Coke, but you can’t enter into my bedroom Lungs. It means the 18-area is like a bedroom for goalkeepers, it’s their department, they must make sure they take charge. So, I’m asking them to say guys, that is where you should focus on at the moment. Corner kicks, aerial football and set-pieces, teams will kill us in that department if they are not careful. My last word is that Bvuma and Petersen must train hard. If need be, they must not go home (after training). They must sleep there in Naturena and wake up and work hard to make sure that you know what, Bafana Bafana is doing well because it can’t only be Williams there by the poles. Remember when Chiefs do well, Bafana will also do well. Let them sleep there to make sure that they have that connectivity amongst each other. Let them get married there in Naturena to make sure that when they wake up, they know each other.
LA: Some really tough words there, Chaks, spoken like a true supporter. We appreciate it.
MM: Anytime, skhokho sam. Till next time. Khosi 4 Life, all the time! ❐