DOLLY MIXTURE
Menga has incredible talent and scored goals for me against the biggest clubs in Belgium but he drove me crazy by sleeping in for training and missing team meetings says boss who took him to the big time
DOLLY MENGA has finally woken up to his potential after his former boss feared his career would be wrecked by continually sleeping in for training.
The Angolan international struck the winner against Rangers to continue high-flying Livingston’s incredible start to the season on their top-flight return.
Menga was alert to the chance as he fired beyond Allan McGregor from Scott Robinson’s cut back but was caught napping too often early in his career.
Ex-Belgian international defender Chris Janssens gave Menga his big break when he signed him for Lierse after the frontman caught his eye during a loan spell at SintTruiden from Standard Liege.
Janssens admitted he was a real talent but dozy Dolly had him tearing his hair out when he kept arriving late for training despite living in digs just five minutes away.
Menga lost his way and went on to have spells at seven clubs in three different countries before moving to West Lothian in the summer following a spell at Blackpool.
The 25-year-old’s strike against Gers was his first since he netted in a 2-1 win for 10-man Lierse – Tony Watt was sent off – against Charleroi five years ago. And Janssens hopes Menga can now lay down roots and kick on in Scotland.
He said: “I signed Dolly on a free transfer for Lierse as I’d been impressed after watching him for Sint-Truiden where he was on loan from Standard Liege. He was fast and had a fantastic shot.
“Dolly was a player who could really make a difference.
“But his biggest problem was discipline and his attitude towards working hard. That is probably another reason he has had so many clubs.
“He was young and I talked a lot with him but sometimes you get one, two, three chances and then clubs say they are finished with you.
“Dolly stayed at the club hotel a five-minute walk from the training ground and even then he was arriving late for training.
“He slept so much that he forgot what hour in the day it
was. He didn’t look at the clock. If a meeting starts at four o’clock and you leave your hotel two minutes before then there is a risk you will be late. “I can’t understand that attitude because you have nothing to do all day. You only have to be somewhere for a certain time, eat, sleep and play. That’s all you have to do as a player. “But he had talent and I’ve never seen someone who could shoot as well with their left and right foot. He was very strong and had incredible skills.
“Dolly scored goals for me against big teams such as Anderlecht, Racing Genk and Cercle Brugge.
“He should have achieved more but he’s still only 25 and has time. If the people around him had mapped out a better career path for him then he might have achieved more.
“Maybe it was too big a jump to go to Benfica, Braga and Torino.
“The people around you can make strange decisions which aren’t good for you and he went to Italy, Portugal, Israel and England.
“It was hard to keep up and I didn’t even know he was now at Livingston.
“His advisors chased the money but they were taking him to a level that was too high and he wasn’t playing. “If you are a footballer then the biggest pleasure is playing and not sitting on the bench or even in the stand as was the case with him.” Menga has proved a real handful for Premiership defenders with Motherwell next up for Gary Holt’s side who sit third in the table after their storming start. The physical striker is unpredictable and Janssens, 49, said: “I can’t compare Dolly’s style to anyone I’ve s e e n before. “There were times he’d be running with the ball and he’d run out of the stadium if the gates weren’t closed.
“And then on other occasions he would do fantastic, amazing things. A lot of the time he doesn’t know in his head when to take one touch, two touches or pass.
“You can’t predict what he’s going to do next but he was a talent. He had the potential to go higher than he is now.
“He’s a super boy and I could have a laugh and a joke with him but his discipline was an issue at that time.
“I had to keep increasing his fines and then drop him when he was continually late.
“I knew how vital he was to the team but I couldn’t let him away with more than the other players as that would send out the wrong message.
Dolly slept so much that he forgot what hour in the day it was CHRIS JANSSENS
“I can’t say for sure what would have happened if I’d stayed. He was certainly the first name on my team sheet and he loved to play.
“If he listens to the manager he can have a good season.”
“As a manager you always believe you will be the one to get the best out of a player and he did listen to me but I left Lierse before him.