The Shakes Mashaba verdict: One game, one mighty away win. Now for Nigeria (hopefully)

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS CRITICISM AND OPINION. AND PRAISE

Lifting the nation: Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba

Shakes Mashaba re-started his career as South Africa’s national coach with a bang on Friday night and faces Nigeria (unless FIFA intervene) on Wednesday in Cape Town with renewed optimism surging around the country.

Chief among the praise singers? Our Sports Ministers Fikile Mbalula. I caught up with him at the ANN7 South African of the Year awards at the Sandton Convention centre on Saturday night just to check those laughing, dancing tweets he sends out are REALLY his: “No assistants, all my own work,” was his response to messages of wild congratulation to Mashaba in Sudan.

And that’s as it should be. Shakes went in to his first game pre-occupied by the fate of his AmaJitas, having engineered a path to the African Youth Championship in Senegal next year against Cameroon less than a week before taking over the big boys of Bafana.

For that reason, the questions before the game were many and varied. Players with strong European CVs like May Mahlangu, Thulani Serero and Siyanda Xulu were ignored in the coach’s new selection while Tokelo Rantie and Dean Furman, in-and-out players in the lower reaches of English football, were drafted straight in to the starting line-up.

In-form PSL players like Tsepo Masilela, Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro were left out while David Xulu and Bongani Ndulula were in. By the time Keagan Dolly and Mashaba admitted they knew next-to-nothing about Sudan or its football team, the debate was raging.

And when Kamahelo Mokotjo, playing well for FC Twente in the Dutch Ere Divisie, couldn’t even find a place on the bench, things moved up a notch.

But that’s how it should be. No national coach is immune to critique, even on debut. There's a nasty, desperate BBK column in the Sunday Times today suggesting racism is behind the questioning of some of Mashaba's decisions. Given the battle against his predecessor Gordon Igesund, that's just low-life journalism.

Yes, the build-up was lively, as you’d expect… but when Bafana hit back after a difficult first half with supersub Sbu Vilakazi scoring a brace before Ndulula added the third, general celebration ensued. Mashaba's brave decisions had become great ones. All was right in the diski world.

I said all week Sudan, ranked 115 in by FIFA, would be no match for South Africa, ranked 69. Mark Fish and I agreed a away point would be fine, but a win even better… and that’s how it turned out.

Bringing on player of the season Vilakazi of Wits for Bournemouth's Rantie proved a work of genius, Furman and Jali took control of the middle of the park and Senzo Meyiwa, who took the shirt and the armband from the injured Itumeleng Khune, was near-perfect. Oupa Manyisa, who should have started, added impetus when he came on. Shakes passed with flying colours on all his major questions.

With Nigeria in all sorts of trouble – they could be suspended from FIFA by the time you read this and “interim coach” Steve Keshi’s African Champions lost to Congo in their opening game on Saturday – but the fact remains they Super Eagles have only lost ONE and draw ONE in nine attempts against South Africa.

But Shakes is well aware of that. Blessed with an extraordinary ability to meld even an average bunch of players into a “patriotic unit”, here is his interview with SAFA after the match:  “Once we weathered the storm in the opening minutes in which they pumped long balls upfront, I knew we would achieve our goal of coming away with three points. And the boys stuck to the script.

“In the second half, we completely dominated the game and with clinical finishing, the scoreline could have been 6, 7 or 8. But the 3-0 win is quite encouraging and we need to maintain the momentum.

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“I think the entire team played well and it will be unfair to single out individuals. It was a great team effort and I think all players deserve praise.

 “We are meeting our nemesis but my gut feel is that all that all the losing to Nigeria is about to change. Wednesday should be a defining moment.”

Can’t say it any better than that, Shakes!

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' Youtube channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

The world according to Shakes: How Mashaba plans to sort out AFCON, finishing... and Mamelodi Signdowns

Fiery baptism: new Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba

ON an opening PSL weekend dominated by poor finishing, a poor pitch and the poor upsetting the rich, Shakes Mashaba has revealed his plans to revive South African football.

The sensible choice as Bafana Bafana’s new national head coach MUST hit the ground running with a hectic AFCON 2015 qualifying schedule looming next month. In the space of four days at the start of September he must survive a trip to Khartoum, Sudan and a home clash with Nigeria in Cape Town.

That’s some fiery baptism, and one that could be upset by the Ebola outbreak before qualification ends on November 19. Shakes says: “We have to finalise the technical staff. Then we’ll announce a squad for a four-day camp before those opening two matches.

“I wish I could turn back the hand of time to give us more room to prepare but I can’t.”

Some would say he might have cut short his time with the AmaJitas on their friendly tour of West Africa which shortened his preparation time by nearly a fortnight after his appointment. Two draws and two defeats suggest it was hardly the perfect trip.

But Shakes opted to stick with his Under 20s and - having named their squad today - will probably join them for the trip to Cameroon next week despite the pressing concerns of picking, preparing and refining a senior squad.

Though the last 10 years have been dominated by youth coaching, Mashaba insists he can handle the top level again: “Without any fear I’m on the mark when it comes to coaching. I doubt nothing about my ability and I can do nothing about those who do.

“In September there’s be a FIFA symposium in Egypt to look at the latest trends from the World Cup, like all progressive coaches in the world, I’ll be there.”

As for the glaring problems in our domestic league, Mashaba reckons: “We have two main challenges, match intelligence and finishing.

“The problem with our finishing situation is technique. It’s killing us. There are elementary things that must be drilled in to our players at the development stage.”

Refreshingly, amid the glib solutions, Mashaba is prepared to take on the Mamelodi Sundowns monopoly. The current champions, aka Moneyloani Signdowns, tend to buy up most of the local talent and loan out large numbers of their 60-plus squad while refusing to allow those players to play against them.

Pitso says: “I will speak to Pitso. Sundowns are not breaking any laws but how are they going to measure if these players are any good?

“I’d be happier if they erase this clause that says you, if we loan you, you don’t play. They’ve got to let loaned players play against them and see if they’re on their level.”

If he tackles that problem, Mashaba will be a hero. If he solves the national goal-scoring conundrum, even more so. But the fact remains, failure in those opening two AFCON qualifiers next month will end the honeymoon for a man who, in his previous attempts, won 12 and lost just two with the senior national side.

Mashaba says: “I know I’m nothing without support. I know there’ll be times when we cruise smoothly, times when we hit turbulence.

“We must not be swallowed by each moment. When we win we must know that sometimes we’ll lose. When we lose we must know that we have to repay that by winning.”

And on the thorny problem of non-selection of foreign stars which derailed Mashaba’s reign a decade ago, he told the Sunday Times: “Players that will be with my Bafana are the patriotic ones who won’t be told to honour this call-up and not that one. For people to say they don’t want to play for the national team is not on.

“All of us must be committed to reviving the kind of football we know we can play and bringing back joy to the faces of our people.”

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. Ballz will also provide daily World Cup updates from next week.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za. 

Quotes in this article courtesy of Sunday Times question and answer session last Sunday. My requests for a personal interview with Shakes fell on deaf ears!