Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Things fall apart at Highlanders Camp.

It dosen't take rocket scientist to know that Zimbawe,s soccer Champions are under going a severely difficult time. This weekend saw the team lose to a little known and newly promoted minor soccer team Lengthens FC. The Zimbabwe,s oldest team suffered a devastaing loss at home, drowning the hopes of the faithful fans who still have Championship hopes, with the team behind Dynamos by two points. The 4 to 1 defeat sounded heaviy to legions of black and white colored religious fans. It must noted be that highlanders fans are probably the most impatient fans any team can have. Even with this background,the fans from the begining of the year had already expressed disatisfaction at the way the coaching was handling things, this went on even to a point were the executive had to investigate the allegations of favouratism and bribery among the coaching staff. The Sibanda lead exucutive came out satisfied that none of this was true. Enerst Mapepa was a dalling in his days as a player, is still commands the same respect decades after he hanged the boots. The man is at the helm of Tshilamoya or Bossolona depending on which name you want to use.

The beloved Chairman had not been shaken until Sunday, when one could hear the drop of a pin at the traditional team slaughter house Babourfields. Many fans are said to be calling for the head of the coach Methembe Ndlovu. They accuse him of trying to bring United States College soccer to the Premier league at Highlanders. Some do not like his 4-1 4-1 formation saying its too defensive, Some go on to accuse him and his assistants of bias when it comes to the selection of the team. As if that is not enough they go on to say he does not position players by thier abilities. They say he is always experimenting at the expense of the team. However founded or unfounded the accusations may be its clear that there an Indaba in Bulawayo. Some fans are threatening to quit coming to the games unless mayor changes his ways or the exeutive relieve him of the hot sit. These were sentiments expressed by fans interviewed by the local daily the Chronicle. Most of us will remember that when the team loses the paper aslo suffers heavy loses in sales. The partnership between the two goes way back in time.

Methembe or Mayor as we call him is a humble gentleman and a friend to me. The man under fire is both a home boy and a former school mate to me. The down to earth soft spoken dreadlocked man is different from the picture the media is painting. Ndlovu a son of Highlanders himself and a former Zimbabwe under 23 superstar is in many ways an accomplished man. I know no dedicated soccer envoy and a sold out sportman than the above mention man. I have no time to begin to open his achiements because frankly I would need weeks to be able to compile them.A respected coach even here in United States for winning Champion ships several times. Like I always say any time you get an opportunity acknowledge your folks. Mayor is a success story to me. He ranks in the like of Thulani Biya Ncube, Ronald Gidiza Sibanda, Bongani Mafu and Lovemore Ncube. For him and these guys to have come out of my neighbour hood makes me proud. Needeless to say that me and Ndlovu were once in the same time at junior team at grade school. That makes me feel like a star when ever he achieves something. Somebody once said you are not successful until someone claims to have gone to school with you.

When the man Methembe came home from the US, his first season as a coach he wasted no time in claiming the Championship at Highlanders. At the time he was praised as a genious who mixed American Football and Soccer together to come up with a winning formular. It is clear that his honemoon days with Bosso might be over. At this point and time the executive which is said to have immediatedly call an emergency meeting after the Suday's game has not relised the results or the outcome of the meeting. The stakes are high here and anything can happen in soccer but the Tshilamoya machine is not willing to gamble thei Championships hopes. Good luck to High High but to Ndlovu I think its time to move on mfanekhaya. You will alwas be a hero after all. AmaZulu Indiana will always be behind you.

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