Doc’s memory lane: That’s Wiseman Mbale for you!

We’d go into the pre-match meeting and the coach would be like, “Goalkeeper, number one, Brian Baloyi. Botende Eshele on the bench!” and we’d all be looking at him because the starting line-up isn’t written anywhere. “Number two, Jacob Tshisevhe, three Rudolf Seale, four Neil Tovey, Doctor Khumalo centre, Thabo Mooki centre, Lifa Gqosha centre, Thabang Lebese centre,” and then he will go to the strikers. We’d be sitting there looking at each other, wondering who’s playing where between the three midfielders that are playing in the centre? I mean, every midfielder is playing in “centre” and there are no specific positions. Sometimes he would announce the starting line-up in the dressing room at the stadium and that time we would drive our own cars to the stadium and meet there. While we are parking and catching up in the parking lot, the coach would be busy with the backroom and security staff in the changeroom reading out the starting line-up. You walk in and the starting line-up has been read already and he didn’t care at all. You don’t know if you’re playing or not; even if you are in the team, you are not sure about your position. He would be coaching and you would be listening to him attentively and then, out of nowhere, the coach would ask you, “Do you know Brook Benton’s song titled ‘Lie To Me’? I love that song,” ha, ha, ha. That’s Wiseman Mbale for you!