A fond farewell to AmaZulu... or can Steve Barker's jolly green giants produce a miracle?

Living on the edge: Mabulelo "OJ" Mabizela

WHILE the PSL seems intent on promoting the Carling Black Label gimmick cup which takes place before NEXT SEASON, some of us are still concerned about THIS SEASON.

As our domestic league hits the final two rounds, the battle for second place is absorbing enough but we have to ask “What happened to AmaZulu’s Great Escape?” at the foot of the league?

The mid-season break saw our historic men in green firmly rooted to the trap-door with just one win when Stevie Barker left AmaTuks for Amazulu. Most of us felt he was jumping out of the frying pan in to the fire.

But the 5-2 win over SuperSport United appeared to signal a major revival and until the narrow – but aimless – 1-0 defeat against champions Kaizer Chiefs there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Needing another win against Gordon Igesund’s men on Saturday – with fellow relegation candidates Free States Stars and Moroka Swallows picking up huge three pointers – Barker’s men simply let all the hope slip away in a 3-1 defeat which revealed the fatal flaws lurking in the Usuthu dressing room.

A quick glance at the Q4 table shows just how well the relegation fighters - particularly Free State Stars - have done, but for AmaZulu, it looks like it won't be enough.

How they stand: the Q4 tabl

Having already got rid of one club captain, ­Carlington Nyadombo, amid allegations of bad muti and poor time-keeping, the new skipper Robyn Johannes found himself confronted by the controversial Mabulelo Mabizela in the tunnel after the match.

OJ, the man who once made waves at Tottenham Hotspur before “home sickness” lured him back, has all the talent in the world. But he’d just picked up his fourth yellow card of the season – he’ll be banned for the vital clash against AmaTuks tomorrow night (Wednesday the 6^th) - and been fingered for Jeremy Brockie’s vital second goal.

The feeling was OJ, the 34-year-old who has scored four vital goals in 12 games so far in green,  should have cleared before the Kiwi netted to make it 2-1. But whether that was the cause of the altercation remains unclear. All we know is captain Johannes threw a water bottle at Mabizela, and nearly hit Asive Langwe, perhaps indicative of AmaZulu's accuracy this season.

A fight broke out in the tunnel, and Sedat Ouro-Akoriko, scorer of AmaZulu’s only goal on the night, had to separate the pair before Barker and marketing manager Lunga Sokhela locked the entire squad in the dressing room for an hour.

Steve Barker, whose uncle Clive had a bit of a roller-coaster with OJ at Mpumalanga Black Aces, was quoted in March saying: “Sometimes he gets too involved in the game and also too emotional. We can't be over-robust and over-emotional in games that will, at the end of the day, cost us. We need to be to calm and we cannot lose focus now.”



Today, Barker justified the bust-up. He said: "Emotions are running high here, and we are fighting for our lives. Everybody wanted to win against SuperSport. I would be upset if players weren't emotionally engaged: if they just went to the change room and sat down and accepted the defeat, I would be more worried.

"This incident shows passion, it's good sign. At least players are showing that they were gutted by the defeat, but we need to stand up and be strong against AmaTuks."

Sadly that has come to pass. With just two games left for the clubs battling relegation, Amazulu now need to beat AmaTuks and Maritzburg United on Saturday while hoping Moroka Swallows slip up at Nedbank Cup finalists Ajax Cape Town tomorrow and Bloemfontein Celtic on the final day.

With former AmaZulu boss Craig Rosslee now at Dobsonville and picking up points, it’s a forlorn hope for a club formed way back in 1932.

Those with an acute sense of South African football history will hope troublesome toddler Chippa United (29 points, 14 coaches following the departure of caretaker Mich D'Avray over the weekend) are dragged in to the battle – they’ve got Aces and Chiefs to finish – but the truth is AmaZulu (24 points) are favourites for the drop with Swallows (27 points) competing in the play-offs.

For a club with such a history, for a club once so prominent – I remember those days in the early 1980s when KwaMashu and uMlazi turned up in numbers to worship the likes of Joel Faya and Henry Cele - that’s a desperately gloomy prospect.


Some may take solace from Lamontville Golden Arrows - led by former Charlton Athletic and Bafana striker Shaun Bartlett - clinching the automatic promotion spot in the NFD on Sunday. But given Arrows link to certain PSL officials, that's hardly a consolation for real football fans in KwaZulu Natal in my book.

With Orlando Pirates still involved in the CAF Confederation Cup, Mamelodi Sundowns look set to claim second position - though Pirates won't mind too much if they get past Guinea champions AS Kaloum and in to the group stages.

But perhaps the most bizarre problem we ALL face is this: why did the PSL spend Monday launching the distinctly dodgy Carling Black Label Cup between Pirates and champions Kaizer Chiefs with the PSL headed for the final showdowns and the Nedbank Cup final - which desperately needs a push - still to come?

Answers on a postcard please. The PSL, who seem to care as much about their sponsors as they do about the dwindling number of fans, seem to have no explanation at all.

13 good reasons to back Kaizer Chiefs against Orlando Pirates in the first big Soweto derby tomorrow

Discarded: Lucas Thwala takes on Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009

I HAVE 13 good reasons for hoping Kaizer Chiefs win the first Soweto Derby of the new season against arch-rival Orlando Pirates at Soccer City tomorrow night.

That’s how many players – many of them loyal members of the squads responsible for winning two successive trebles – the Buccaneers have forced to walk the plank before the much-maligned Carling Black Label Cup live on SABC1 at 7.15pm tomorrow night.

Though pre-season has been with us for nearly a month now, coach Augusto Palacios and his Iron Duke Irvin Khoza decided to release the names of the essentially unwanted on Thursday. Read through them. Mashele, Boubacar, Mabalane, Ngidi… a list of lads who were promised fame and fortune, lured from smaller clubs by the famous skull-and-crossbones badge, praying they would be forever revered by the Ghost.

Those hopes now lie in tatters, and just like free-spending Mamelodi Sundowns, we are handed another band of talented players left to see out their careers dreaming of what might have been.
And it appears Tokelo Rantie, such a vibrant young foil to veteran Benni McCarthy, has been discarded too, but more of that later. Let's concentrate on Thursday's ill-timed clear-out.

First Khoza transfer-listed six players, long after the real wheeler-dealing for the new season has been done:

•             Dikgang Mabalane

•             Lizo Mjempu

•             Talatou Boubacar

•             Njabulo Ntusi

•             Chiukepo Msowoya

•             Njabulo Manqana

Then, the Buccaneers told us, another six can be released on loan though most PSL teams now have their squads in place:

•             Hlabane Kutumela

•             Patrick Ngidi

•             Patrick Mashele

•             Benjamin Nthete

•             Aubrey Ngoma

•             Thabo Rakhale

And the final blow? Lucas Thwala has been told he is simply not needed with the club revealing they spoke to loyal servant Thwala on Thursday morning to explain he was surplus to requirements. And to help him on his way, this brief comment: “Lucas Thwala has been a loyal servant of Orlando Pirates for many years and the club would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Chiefs, Sundowns – and most other members of the currently sponsor-free PSL – made such decisions over a fortnight ago, releasing players who were surplus to requirements when rival clubs were jostling for new blood. For an unlucky 13 Buccaneers, suddenly the future is bleak.

Tomorrow, after the usual votes from the fans, Orlando Pirates will be represented at Soccer City by Josephs,  Lekgwathi, Matlaba, Mahamutsa, Sangweni, Myeni, Mayambela, Jali, Manyisa, Mbuyane and McCarthy.

And Kaizer Chiefs will go with: Khune, Gaxa, Jambo, Mashamaite, Gould, Letsholonyane, Nale, Dladla, Lebese, Majoro and Parker. The Amakhosi millions have seen fit not to team up the newly-signed Bafana pairing of Tower Mathoho and Morgan Gould which laid the foundations for last week’s Gauteng Challenge triumph over Moroka Swallows and Wits.

Before tomorrow’s game, Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper and captain Itumeleng Khune, the man responsible for sending his penalty over the bar at the Carling Cup last season and gifting the first trophy to Pirates, says: “We don’t want to lose this competition two years in a row. We want to set the tone for the rest of the season.

“It is really only a friendly, but pride is at stake. Chiefs used to  be known as the cup kings. We want cups to come to our cabinet this season.”

With Khune’s failed penalty attempt last year probably still orbiting the earth, the Bafana No1 grinned: “I don’t think this one will be decided by penalties but if it happens, we are ready for it.”

Oupa Manyisa, who starts for Pirates tomorrow, says: “We can beat Chiefs. We will transform what we have been doing in training.”

And he’s probably right. McCarthy has apparently lost the “love handles” and slimmed down ready for the new season having impressed when it mattered in the title race last season. Strike-partner Tokelo Rantie was apparently considered to expensive to sign permanently - he flies back to IFK Hassleholm in Sweden on Sunday - but Zimbabwe striker Takesure Chinyama is named in their squad for next season, listed below. He won’t start tomorrow in a match many consider to be an unfair advantage for the big two in South African football, with the whole edifice struggling for sponsors right now.

There are other highlights tomorrow of course. You could watch the much-hyped all-South African Super 15 rugby semi-final between the Sharks and Stormers at Newlands kicking off at 8.30pm on SuperSport1 or Banyana Banyana’s second Olympic game against Canada in Coventry on SABC1 at 3.45pm.

But everyone knows the Soweto derby, “friendly” or not, will be the big one tomorrow. And Pirates have to be favourites to deliver the first major blow of the new season.

NOTE: I am NOT a Kaizer Chiefs fan. I have thrown my considerable weight behind AmaZulu, my rivals when I followed Umlazi Bush Buck in the early 80s.

As a special favour to the Ghost, I’ve listed the full 31-man Orlando Pirates squad for the season…. with shirt numbers. The double-treble winners remain favourites for the PSL crown… no matter who sponsors it for how much.

Goalkeepers

Moeneeb Josephs – 16

Senzo Meyiwa – 1

Brighton Mhlongo – 41

Ntando Nkala – 44

Defenders

Rooi Mahamutsa – 28

Lucky Lekgwathi – 14

Siyabonga Sangweni – 21

Mbongeni Gumede – 33

Robyn Johannes – 30

Happy Jele – 4

Bheki Nzunga – 19

Thabo Matlaba – 8

Patrick Phungwayo – 3

Ayanda Gcaba – 2

Midfielders

Oupa Manyisa – 20

Manti Moholo – 35

Thendani Ntshumayelo – 6

Andile Jali – 15

Onyekachi Onkonkwo – 5

Mpho Makola – 27

Mark Mayambela – 12

Daine Klate – 7

Sifiso Myeni – 11

Khethowakhe Masuku – 24

Tlou Segolela – 23

Forwards

Rudolf Bester – 25

Thulasizwe Mbuyane – 18

Bongani Ndulula – 9

Ndumiso Mabena – 26

Benni McCarthy – 17

Takesure Chinyama – 34