I feel very appreciated
Tshepang Mailwane: Orlando Pirates have started the season fairly well, winning the MTN8, although there has been some inconsistency in the league. Still, many see you as the club to potentially challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title. What are your thoughts on that?
Olisa Ndah: Yeah, I think we can win it this season. We just have to be more consistent because we have a good and formidable team and I think we can challenge anyone. I don’t think there is a team, personally, we are scared of in the league. We have so much talent and quality in the team, so I think it’s possible. We still have to keep pushing because we have a long season ahead and I think we can do much better than we are doing right now. We are all hungry to win. I think we are hungry this season.
TM: What do you think the team still needs to improve on?
ON:
We have to score more goals because goals win games. We just need to take our chances because we (have) created a lot of chances, but we don’t always convert them. We just need to work on scoring more goals. Football is a team sport and sometimes a game can be won from a defender scoring. So, when I say we need to score more goals, I am talkpressure ing about the team. The is always on the strikers because it’s their position, but the whole team has to score goals. We don’t want to know where the goals are coming from – whether it’s from the strikers or the defenders. When you score, it’s for the team. I just think we need to be consistent and stay positive. It’s one game at a time.
TM: At the opposite end of the pitch, in defence, the Soweto giants have been doing decently, with 10 clean sheets in all competitions. How much of a role has coach Jose Riveiro played in that?
ON: I think we have been working a lot on the defence in training and it’s paying off. We have a good understanding this season. We understand each other much better and there is more communication. We just have to keep on going and work hard. The system we are playing (with three central defenders) is one I got used to here at Pirates. Where I used to play, we played with four at the back, with the right and left fullbacks and the two central defenders, but here we play 3-4-3 or 3-5-2, so it’s a system I have learnt here.
TM: Is it a system that you are comfortable with?
ON: It’s comfortable for me. I just had to take time to understand it bethe cause I was used to four at back, but I am very comfortable in it. I can’t complain. I feel very comfortable in it.
TM: Talk to us about the impact that has been made by coach Riveiro since he came in as a repl acement for co-coaches Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids.
ON: He is really excellent. I think we are playing a very good style of football and the coach believes in us. We just have to keep on working.
TM: What did you make of how you performed in your first season in the PSL last term?
ON: My first season was a good one for me. I adjusted to the league and I learnt a lot, thanks to Mandla and coach Fadlu and management, who were really supportive. They gave me the belief and they trusted me, so I had to prove them right.
TM: Why was it so easy for you to settle into life at the club, as you just hit
For a while, central defence was one of the problem positions for Orlando Pirates, who, for a big team of their standard, kept conceding silly goals, thus hampering any chances they had of winning the league in recent seasons. Cliché yes it sounds, but if a lethal strike force wins you games, then a solid defence wins you the league marathon, but the Soweto giants have not always gotten it right with their reinforcements in this key position. Some of those of the Buccaneers faithful who care to remember would have had flashbacks of a Destin Makita when it was announced at the beginning of last season that a Nigerian defender had signed for the club. Oh how wrong they would have been, as Olisa Ndah came in and fitted like a glove in hand from the word go. The lanky player has been a colossal figure for the side, playing a huge role in their impressive defensive stats. With the recent MTN8 success, the dreadlocked man seems on course to follow in the footsteps of legend and countryman William Okpara, who made a name for himself in Pirates colours and is still remembered with fondness by many a Bucs supporter. On the downside, Ndah was on national duty this past weekend, thus missing the Carling Black Label Cup, where Mamelodi Sundowns put them to the sword with a 4-0 score line, a similar scenario to last season when he went off injured in the first half in a game between the two clubs, after which the floodgates literally opened in favour of the Tshwane giants. So, what has life wearing the famous Black and White jersey been like for the 24-year-old? Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane caught up with him… the ground running, something not every foreigner in a new league is able to do?
ON:
My teammates obviously helped me, especially Happy (Jele) and (Ntsikelelo) Nyauza. They helped me a lot. I noticed that the league is a lot faster and it’s more about transitional play, so I had to work harder. The coaches also pushed me a lot because in the beginning I did not start so good. It was not the best way to start, but as time went on, I became better and it’s all thanks to the
coaches and the players.
TM: In your opinion, how much of a loss was Happy Jele to the Buccaneers?
ON: I found out that he had been here for 15 years, so it was difficult to see him leave because he was like the legend that I know at the club. But we keep moving.
TM: A lot of the time, players from West Africa go to Europe. Why did you decide that South Africa was a good option for you?
ON:
I chose South Africa because Pirates are a big team. Everyone knows Pirates and they know it’s a big team. For me, this is a transitional process of trying to get better to move to bigger places. It’s like a stepping stone (for Europe).
TM: Were there any offers from Europe before you came down to Mzansi?
ON: Yes, there was a lot of interest actually.
TM: Hmmm… and you decided to come here?
ON: Yes, ha, ha, ha. It’s difficult to believe, hey?
TM: Well, you’ve said it yourself that you want to play in Europe, so why shun that for the PSL?
ON: There are reasons which I really cannot speak about, but I am really happy here and I will keep working hard. I knew a bit about Pirates before I joined them. Obviously, we watched the DStv Premiership.
TM: Have you received offers from Europe or abroad, considering you were at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and went all the way to the CAF Confederation Cup final with Pirates last season? ON: I don’t think I know of any offers right now. I haven’t heard anything from my agency, so I don’t think there is anything.
TM: Supporters voted you into the Carling Black Label Cup starting line-up, but you were not able to play as you were obviously on national duty. Does this give you an idea of how much the club’s sometimes hard-to-please supporters appreciate you as a player? ON: think I have people who believe in me. I need to try to prove them right and keep going. We have massive support. The fans have been really nice to me. They have supported me and I feel very appreciated. The fans are massive for us and our games always have supporters, no matter who we are playing against. Obviously, there’s pressure in every game that we play, but I take the pressure positively. All of us want to win and we want to see the fans happy. They buy tickets to come see us and they get happiness from our games, so we always try our best to win, not only for ourselves, but for the fans because they are so supportive. It’s not easy for people to afford tickets, so when they buy tickets to come watch our games, we must deliver for them.
TM: Before we let you
go, seeing Nigeria will not be at the FIFA World Cup this year, so who will you be supporting in the competition?
ON: I am supporting Ghana and Senegal. Actually, I am supporting all the African countries, ha, ha, ha.
“I don’t think there is a team, personally, we are scared of in the league.”
TM: Way to go! Is there anyone you think can go beyond the group stages from the five African countries that will be competing in Qatar?
ON: I think Senegal has a good team and a good coach. I think they can go as far as the semi-finals.
“I just had to take time to understand it because I was used to four at the back.”
TM: We’re all holding thumbs for the Lions of Teranga and our other representatives from this beautiful continent. Well, let’s leave it there, Olisa. Thank you so much for your time. We hear you’ve picked up an injury on national duty and we wish you a speedy recovery.
ON: