Hunt becomes the Hunted

Chiefs will have to break the bank for Nodada to spark a revival

● That picture of Itumeleng Khune lying flat on his back, legs spreadeagled and hands on his chest, is emblematic of the waning powers of the club that made him.

The Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper has fallen from grace goes the argument. The journey of the one-club man has been one of an ascendency to poster boy of SA football owing to heroics for club and country.

The jury is out on whether he is done and dusted.

Goalkeepers usually have longer career lifespans than their in-field counterparts. At 34, Khune is still a kid.

Legendary Egyptian gloveman Essam El Hadary retired at 47, after becoming the oldest player to play at the 2018 Fifa World Cup aged 45.

Gianluigi Buffon is still pulling an Italian job for Juventus.

Khune’s achievements are undeniable. There was a time when “clean sheets” was a Khune synonym. But nowadays, a mention of his name conjures up images of an erratic figure, a man who is a pale shadow of his former self.

A renewal on the horizon

His form, or lack thereof, mirrors that of the club. On and off like Eskom. With his contract ending in June, Khune’s future is uncertain. Talk of a new deal is dead silent.

Chiefs’ challenges in the DStv Premiership campaign are well documented. A renewal is on the horizon. It begs the question, who will herald the new era?

Those in the know say Cape Town City’s jersey number 10 Thabo Nodada is a top priority. Word from Cape Town is that John Comitis values him at R20-million.

There are no two ways about it. Kaizer Motaung will have to break the bank to bring on board the best to build anew a team to challenge the hegemony of Mamelodi Sundowns.

Kgaugelo Sekgota, 23, the former Vitoria Setubal winger who signed a short-term contract with Swallows, goalkeeper Brandan Peterson, 26, midfielder Phathutshedzo Nange, 29, and leftback Sifiso Hlanti, 30, will be incoming. The quartet worked with coach Gavin Hunt at Wits and trained with Chiefs in the off-season. As far as offloading is concerned, insiders say Chiefs are set to get rid of 10 players. Uncertainty hovers over the heads of Bernard Parker, Kgotso Moleko and Willard Katsande.

From within, who does Hunt turn too for the rebuilding project? A band of youngsters? Youngsters in SA parlance because, Kyllian Mbappe won the World Cup aged only 19. They will bear the brunt of breathing life back into Amakhosi. All of Nkosingiphile Ngcobo, 21, Happy Mashiane and Reeve Frosler (both 23) have emerged as being equal to the task.

Who will spearhead the revival

“Any successful football team will have that transition from young to old, but we need to get the balance right,” Hunt said. “Sometimes the balance might be wrong because I know in the derby [against Orlando Pirates] I had too many of them playing.

“But we have to test them somewhere. We have to be careful how we do it, but in our situation, they have to play and they have to learn very fast. I liked Happy from the very first day I saw him because he is my type of player. He is fantastic.”

The trio appear to be fit for the purpose of spearheading their revival. Ngcobo and Mashiane were on the scoresheet in successive matches when Chiefs beat Cape Town City and Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila. Frosler offers variety with his versatility.

An Achilles injury in 2019 dashed the then 19-year-old Ngcobo’s dream of representing South Africa at the Fifa U-20 World Cup and delayed his progress of becoming a regular in the first team.

His growth will be boosted by competing in the Caf Champions League. Trips to countries such as Cameroon and Angola are perfect platforms to build character.

It is in the Champions League that Chiefs have produced professional performances, getting wins of great consequence. In their maiden visit to central African country Cameroon, Chiefs returned with a 1-0 win over PWD Bamenda. In their first round, second leg encounter in Angola, a 1-0 triumph made Amakhosi the first SA team to beat Primeiro de Augusto. Chiefs play Wydad Athletic of Morocco in Burkina Faso.

Flirtation with relegation

The result against Augusto secured their first ever appearance in the group stages of the continent’s premier club competition. That development has inspired some confidence compared to their domestic form, where the mantra has largely been a flirtation between ninth position and relegation spots.

Horoya, who held Chiefs to a goalless draw at FNB Stadium on Tuesday, hailed Chiefs as one of the big teams in Africa. Those who remain rooted in reality will hasten to testify that the powerhouse of yesteryear has, in recent years, been reduced to a paper tiger.

What used to be a spine-chilling roar has been reduced to a mere meow.

It is in Hunt’s hands to reverse that. Only two wins at home is poor by any stretch of the imagination.

The chopping and changing has bred chaos. He may have his reasons. Whatever they are, they are causing rumblings and restlessness. In instances when they have grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, Chiefs have conspired to be their own worst enemies, undermining their efforts with defensive blunders and goalkeeping errors

Opponents have pounced and exploited the frailities.

Hunt undermines himself with utterances like not rating video analysis. In the realm of modern football, that stance is stone-age thinking, if you ask me. Isolating the team by talking about being embarrassed to lose to a first division Richards Bay in the Nedbank Cup last 16 was pretty lame. He who sets up the team takes responsibility for the result.

Coming back from an injury, Samir Nurkovic is not the sharpshooter who spearheaded an amper maar nie stamper nie title challenge last season. Hunt’s cause has not been helped by the injuries to Khama Billiat. Even more pressing for him would be the ability to hold on to the Zimbabwean whose ears are hearing Egyptian whispers.

Lazarous Kambole looks nothing like the striker who scored a glut of goals for Zambia’s Zesco in the Champions League a few seasons back.

Hunt confirmed Ramahlwe Mphahlele, who skippered the side in the last two league games against SuperSport United and AmaZulu, as his choice for captain. His contract is also nearing its end.

But the affirmation with the armband may suggest that Hunt sees him as part of his reconstruction.

Which suggests Khune’s 21-year-old union with Chiefs, whom he captained for many years, could be heading for the divorce court.

He may have his reasons. Whatever they are, they are causing rumblings and restlessness