That’s what sets him apart

“It was a challenge on our side to have instructions from both of them.”

After finishing third on the log last season, a lot was expected from Royal AM, but a lot changed at the club within a short space of time and that appeared to have a negative impact on how the KZN outfit started the current campaign. Having to juggle between domestic and CAF Confederation Cup duties also didn’t help matters. With John Maduka back in the coaching hotseat, there is hope for a better finish to a challenging campaign. To that end, the Malawianborn mentor has a number of experienced players to call on, one of which is Mxolisi Macuphu. The gangly marksman has shown his worth since joining in the second half of last season. Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane spoke to the Vosloorus-born star about the difficult campaign, why the co-coaching of Khabo Zondo and Dan Malesela had its challenges and why he’s optimistic about the side’s prospects going forward.

Tshepang Mailwane: After finishing third on the log standings last season, Royal AM have endured a rather challenging campaign this time round. Why?

Mxolisi Macuphu: A lot has happened in our team. There have been changes to our technical team and changes to management, so it will go down to how players adjust to those changes. Changes have a negative and positive side to them. Sometimes they bring the best out of players, but sometimes there will be those knocks when there is change because change can be dif f icult. Unf ortunately, in the jobs that we do, we come across those challenges, but we have to overcome them. We’ve chopped and changed coaches. We had to bring in our assistant coach (Abram Nteo) to be the coach, whereas he had not had much experience as a head coach, but he’s been in the game f or a long time and he also needed support f rom his players, you know. We had players leaving the club, which was another factor. We had players coming into the club. So, there have been a lot of changes. But I must say af ter the World Cup, we’ve been able to gel, and now with the coach (John Maduka) coming in, it’s a positive f or us.

TM: What was the environment like with Dan Malesela and Khabo Zondo as co-coaches?

MM: It was dif f icult. They are two dif f erent coaches, with two dif f erent ways of seeing the game. But I respect both coaches. They know their game very well and they were brought by the chairlady (Shauwn Mkhize) to make it work for the club. Unfortunately, it did not work out. I think the cocoaching was a f irst f or Royal AM. It’s not many teams that are applying the co-coaching. I think it was a challenge on our side to have instructions f rom both of them, but somehow they made it work from their side. They had common ground and they respected each other, and they respected us as players and they respected the club. Yes, there were challenges, but they tried to incorporate what Royal AM is. But you can’t run away f rom the dif f erent cultures and what each individual coach believes in. That was the only challenge, but in terms of the respect, they respected the team.

TM: Did those challenges of the cocoaching arrangement unsettle the team in any shape or form?

MM: Yeah, you know when you have a solid squad and there are those changes, it’s normal to have uncertainty here and there and it will unsettle the team here and there. Respecting the brand always came out tops. Although there were disagreements here and there, it always came down to the brand at the end of the day, which is Royal AM. We had to f ind common ground and understand as well. There were lessons throughout the challenges we f aced, and I applaud the players f or going through that and coming out and still managing to do the right thing.

TM: Did it come as a surprise when coach Dan left?

MM: I’ve worked with coach Dan before. He is a good tactician, a good coach. He has his ups and downs, like any normal human being, but when he lef t, it was a surprise to the players because he was part of the team. He was always there, encouraging the players. He believes a lot in ball-playing. He believes and trusts in the players with and without the ball. He was good. But to answer your question, yes, it was a surprise. He likes ball-playing players and that’s what we had in the team, so when he decided to leave, it was a surprise. He respected what we had, but at the end of the day, it’s the individual and I think he wanted to be somewhere where

he would install his philosophy as a coach.

TM: Coach Khabo had been away from coaching in the PSL for a while.

MM: With him, he was out of the PSL space f or some time, but what I liked about him was that he applied that f ather-f igure role in the team. He applied that motivational part of the team. He’s been in f ootball f or a long time, so he knows that space. Yes, he had been out of the PSL space, but he knows the game. He was more of a f igure who was motivating, and he wanted us to do well and he shared his experience. His part was straightf orward. Yes, he was our coach, but he was more on that side of motivating the guys and sharing his experience of what to do and what not to do.

TM: Did it ever show in how he worked that he’d been out of the PSL space for a while?

MM: Not really. The smart part about him is that he knew that he had been out (f or some time), so what he could bring in was that motivational experience. He would let the other coaches do the training sessions and he would be that hand we needed when the chips were down. If you had a problem, you could always speak to him. He understood his role very well coming into the team. He was aware. He never enf orced himself , to say, “I am the coach.”

TM: Now, you have coach Maduka, who led the team to third place last season, back. What did the team miss about him?

MM: When the team (Bloemf ontein Celtic) was bought and it came down to Pietermaritzburg, I think he was the brainchild of this ship. He was steering the ship. He knew the players and the players understood what he wanted and the philosophy. The players understood him as a human being as well. I think what’s special about coach John is that he played the game f or a very long time. He was a captain, he was a leader. That’s what sets him apart. He is a leader and not just a coach. We need that. He has played the game and it makes it so simple. He understands what the players go through. He is a professional. I must be honest that he is someone who will share his experiences and guide you. He is a God-fearing person. So, he wants to do the best f or the club and players. It’s a good thing to have him back and it’s motivating.

TM: Football, at times, works in a funny way. There are instances where a new coach comes in and the fortunes immediately change for the better. After Thwihli Thwahla announced his return, you beat Golden Arrows and went on to knock Cape Town City out of the Nedbank Cup. Just incredible.

MM: With him, he knows his players and knows the culture of the team. That’s a big plus for him when he comes back. To answer your question, you find that there were players who were comf ortable and when a new coach comes in, it’s a clean slate. We start again and many of the guys are rejuvenated and they want to show the coach what they can do for the club. You want to push, and you f eel like you’ve been given a new lease of lif e. That’s what the dif f erence is. With John, there is more to it – he is a good human being and he handles the change room well. I think that’s his major secret.

TM: So, what does this say about the coach who was previously in charge?

MM: Every coach has a certain way of working. Obviously, you’ve got to know the type of players you have. We are all different and it always boils down to your philosophy and if you have those players to f it into your philosophy. I must say, the players we have at Royal AM are what John wants and it’s what he can handle. With different (other) coaches, sometimes they can’t win the change room because of a whole lot of f actors. It’s maybe because they don’t have the players they need f or their f ormation or system. It will always boil down to what the coach wants and with coach

John, we are what he wants.

TM: Right now, you’re almost like fighting relegation as well as to be in the Top Eight, as the difference in points is so little. Do you see yourselves as r elegation candidates or Top Eight contenders? MM: There is no doubt we are going to be in the Top Eight this season. We wanted to see ourselves in that second or third spot, based on where we finished last season. But it’s still possible, if you look at the log. If you win two or three consecutive matches, then you are up there. The main f ocus was to go back to competing in the CAF competition and it’s possible. The Top Eight is still open for teams placed ninth to 16th. Even the last team can make the Top Eight. I think e will make the Top Eight this ason.

M: Was playing in the CAF nfederation Cup a challenge well this season?

M: When it comes to ntinental f ootball, it was the st time most of the players ere playing there. But I will honest with you, we were ry fortunate to have the airlady. The travelling s spot on. We travelled ll and I don’t think ere were times where e would complain. The avelling was planned well. There were times we would f ly straight to the host) country and back. A jet would be booked s and I think that was great f rom the chairlady. We were pitted against one of the biggest teams (TP Mazembe) that had been competing in continental football, so it was never going to be easy f or a team competing f or the f irst time. So, that played a role. When we got knocked out by TP Mazembe, their players were impressed. They were saying we gave them a run f or their money, so it shows that there was something we could take out of it. We would want to go back as a team and represent the country in Af rica. It was a good experience and it gave players that experience. It was always going to be tough. It’s dif f erent altogether. Going to play Mazembe in their stadium was something else, but the experience was great.