PERFECT TIME FOR A HOLIDAY IN SOUTH AFRICA: Baxter is back and Gord himself is sweating

NOT QUITE SECRET: Stuart Baxter and
his wife board the Gaurtrain on Friday
PICTURE: SIMPHIWE NKWALI

It was 9.30pm on a quiet Friday night when... in the space of a few seconds.... the job security of several PSL coaches dipped substantially.

The innocent beep of the SMS, and there it was. Stuart Baxter’s text message telling me: “This will be my temporary number while I am in South Africa…”

The number remains top secret of course. I wouldn’t have said a word. The former Kaizer Chiefs coach, winner of two PSL titles and three knock-out trophies in three short years at Naturena always said he was coming back.

Officially, the man who guided the AmaKhosi back to the big time, who finished last season with a record 69 points, is “only here with the missus to see some friends”. Unofficially, there was no stopping the news of Baxter’s return spreading like wild-fire through the football-speaking nation.

By lunchtime the next day, one tweep had seen him on a flight in to OR Tambo International Airport. Another had snatched the picture above, of Stuart and his Swedish wife Cecilia on the Gautrain. The word was out.

At 3pm the next day, we saw SuperSport United, with several of their expensive, high-profile signings out, fall to Cavin Johnson’s Platinum Stars. They were rubbish. The irony was not. SuperSport coach Gordon Igesund replaced Johnson at the helm last season, and spent MILLIONS on reconstruction with agents and officials rubbing their hands in glee.

They added two more to the Antipodean contingent spearheaded by Jeremy Brockie, and tempted not one but TWO former Bafana captains to join Gord’s crusade: Bongani Khumalo, who barely played in four years for Tottenham Hotspur, and Dean Furman, unable to persuade Blackburn Rovers or Bury to print out a contract over the winter.

With probably the best starting eleven on paper anywhere in the country this season, Igesund has failed to produce results. With the PSL now carefully put back in the box until October 17, SuperSport stand 13th out of our 16 Premier clubs.

Stanley Matthews, the canny CEO, wanted to put his club back among the big-hitters, remembering all too well Khumalo’s previous tenure at Matsatsantsa (Definition: Trendsetter, Swanky Boys) under Gavin Hunt when they won the PSL title three years in a row from 2008-2010.

A lot of money has changed hands. Expectations were sky high. Sadly, Igesund is struggling. He may have won the PSL a record four times with four different clubs, but as his reign at Bafana Bafana showed, there are weaknesses, not least of which his apparent lack of ability to adapt to modern players with big reputations.

Igesund is from the Sir Alex Ferguson school: Players are there to work, not drive about in fast cars and behave like David bloody Beckham.

So there we were on Saturday night, caught between Orlando Pirates' rousing 1-0 win over Al Ahly and Kaizer Chiefs' absorbing 1-1 draw at Ajax Cape Town… and Baxter appeared as a late recruit on our television screens to deliver a gentle verdict on his successor Steve Komphela.

Igesund won’t have missed the perfection of Baxter’s timing. With one win and two draws from six games this season, Gord’s improvement of Matsatsantsa’s form last season no longer matters. This term they have five points out of a possible 18, a goal difference of -5. Frankly, the millions invested were expected to produce a start to the season which didn’t raise fears of relegation.

Of course, Khulu Sibiya, the SSU chairman, denies everything: “I have not seen Stuart Baxter and none of my people have contacted him, they aren’t supposed to. We have a coach, Gordon Igesund. I expect him to finish his contract.”

But contact has been made. And Igesund IS under pressure. Just look at the colour of his face as his side slipped to that nightmarish 3-1 defeat against Johnson’s Dikwena on Saturday. Bright red.

There are others sharing similar concerns. Eric Tinkler’s discomfort was eased by Saturday night’s first leg CAF Confederations Cup win over the Egyptian giants, but Orlando Pirates fans insist he’s never been more than a space filler on their bench.

Pitso Mosimane, despite winning the PSL the season before last, found a loud sector of the Sundowns’ following baying for his blood in midweek despite a rousing last-gasp 3-2 win over Roger De Sa’s Ajax. A 2-0 win over Jomo Cosmos moves him up to sixth today and surely ends any sack race debate.

We could talk about Maritzburg United too. They tried to call Baxter a fortnight ago but (obviously) his mobile phone number had changed. They've opted for 72-year-old Clive Barker to lead them off the bottom, but his former club Mpumalanga Black Aces gave them a good tonking today.

And how about BafanaBafana? Baxter has been there before, but with Ephraim Mashaba looking particularly Shaky this year, few doubt the man from Wolverhampton would do a better job.

But in truth Baxter has always been in the SuperSport United cross-hairs. They have the cash, channelled from DSTV’s bulging coffers, and they have the players.  They just need somebody to put it together, seal a defence Igesund confesses is “simply not good enough”.

A Willard Katsande or a decent defensive central midfielder to the mix and SuperSport would soon rejoin the contenders, playing the canny Baxter way.

Sibiya can deny it all he wants. Baxter is the answer. And after walking away from Kaizer Chiefs at his peak when Bobby Motaung refused to let him have a say in player movement, he’d love nothing more.

Having been ousted just two games in to the season by Turkish club Gencerbigli a month ago, a holiday in South Africa was always on the cards. Let's see how long it lasts.

SEE ALSO:

Baxter on his FIRST sacking: http://neal-collins.blogspot.co.za/2015/08/exclusive-former-kaizer-chiefs-coach.html

Orlando Pirates: Official statement from chairman Dr Irvin Khoza on reaching the African Champions League final

In the chair: Dr Irvin Khoza

Dr Irvin Khoza has just released the statement below after his Orlando Pirates returned home from Tunisia today, having qualified for the final of the African Champions League for the first time since they became the first South African side to win the tournament in 1995.

It's fascinating and brilliantly written. Too often we have wondered about his role in the crusade which has ranged from the Comores and Zambia, via a torrid to trip to the DRC and group games in the Congo and Egypt, twice.

I guess now we know. He DOES retain a healthy interest in his Sea Robbers. He has input. And he tells it well. How about this: "To the team I say, be conscious for consciousness is as important as competence."

And as his side reached the final on the back of two defeats and three successive draws, the Doctor accepts:  "Our journey to the final can hardly be referred to as a juggernaut."

Khoza also reveals he has ‘imvuselelo’, chats with the lads, where he tells them to work on body language and focus on history.

As his Buccaneers prepare for their home and away final against seven-time champions Al Ahly on November 2 (Orlando) and 9 (Egypt), he ends with: "The success of Orlando Pirates is not for the Buccaneers alone. It is for our nation and region."

Here's the statement in full:

There has been a conversation within Orlando Pirates Football Club that I believe it is now the right time to share with the nation.

I have visited with the team from time to time to do ‘imvuselelo’ – to continue a conversation to make sure that all our energies and efforts work in concert towards a common goal. After qualifying for the semi-final, I wrote a letter to the technical team and each of our players. I deemed it important that they knew, from me, that their success was witnessed. It can be soul destroying to have unwitnessed achievements.

In this letter I tell every member of the team that we are on a path of history. I recall that they survived what commentators termed the ‘group of death’ – that many could not see us through the two Egyptian giants. I commended the players for being conscious on the ball, off the ball and when the ball was in transit. I commented specifically about their body language. I shared with them my observation that their body language meant business and that they played for each other.

I reminded the team that we had unfinished business in Tunisia – that in Tunis, in 2006, against CS Sfaxien that we lost in the semi-final. We had planned to play our Saturday match against Esperance in red. Unfortunately we were forced to use a combination of the black top with red pants and socks to avoid any clash of colours. It was after-all in Tunisia that we launched our red jersey in 2006.

I believe that it is time for me to let in the nation on the conversation. The outpouring of support and emotions by our nation cannot go unacknowledged. I am a proud South African who shares a country with compassionate fellow citizens. I am heartened by the media’s coverage in the SADC region where our brethren down South of Africa see Orlando Pirates’ step by step achievements, as their own.

Our journey to the final can hardly be referred to as a juggernaut. The devotion and sacrifice demanded to achieve a juggernaut was, however, consistently displayed by the Orlando Pirates team en-route to this all important final. Our team had to encounter a path with TP Mazembe, Zamalek, Al Ahly and Esperance who together have won the CAF Championship eighteen times.

The first leg of the final at Orlando Stadium on the 2nd of November will be the 15th game played by Orlando Pirates since the beginning of the competition. The team played a further nine games in the PSL, this notwithstanding the four ABSA Premiership games that had to be postponed.

A route to the final that included AC Leopards, the 2012 CAF Confederations Cup Champions; Zamalek , five-time CAF Champions League Champions; Al Ahly, the defending seven-time CAF Champions League Champions; and Esperance, two-time CAF Champions League winners is no mean achievement. This achievement talks to more. It talks to the competitive league that the PSL is.

Most of the teams that have dominated the CAF Champions League play in leagues that are two-horse races dominated by two teams always in contention for the top spot.

The PSL is highly competitive and hence not predictable. It is also punishing in its schedule that includes the ABSA Premiership and three cup competitions. I have to commend the Orlando Pirates players for not complaining, at any stage during this grueling contest. It is worth noting that when Zambia won the AFCON, most of its players were playing in the PSL.

The success of Orlando Pirates is not for the Buccaneers alone. It is for our nation and region. I pray that Orlando Pirates success in the Championship spur Bafana-Bafana to another AFCON win reminiscent of the 1996 success after Orlando Pirates triumphed in 1995.

To the team I say, be conscious for consciousness is as important as competence. This final will require that you are as aware as you are able; mindful as you are experienced, sensible as you are skilled, awake as you are fit. One attribute without the other will result in lapses that you now know you cannot afford at this level of the competition.

I would like to thank our South African Ambassador in Tunis. Thank you for creating a home away from home for our team.

Thank you to the media here at home and in the region. Your interest, confidence and support grew with the progress the team made in the Championship.

DR IRVIN KHOZA

CHAIRMAN

Dr Khoza's admission - that Orlando Pirates have not gone through the African Champions League like a juggernaut - is borne out by their road to the final (below, taken from the OrlandopiratesFC.com website).

Pirates horde: OR Tambo today (with thanks to OPFC)

Incredibly, including the stormy passage past DRC's TP Mazembe, the Buccaneers have played 10, won three, drawn four and lost three in the Champions League - and their last FIVE, reads NO wins, two defeats and three draws.

But that won't bother Dr Khoza or Roger de Star as he is now known. With their national league suspended Al Ahly are an aging side with star players aiming to retire after the final. Pirates beat them 3-0 at Al Gouna before the nail-biting 0-0 draw to finish the Group A.

Pirates returned amid tumultuous scenes at OR Tambo yesterday with Roger breaking his silence after the tense semi-final draw in Esperance: "We've got a Telkom Cup match with Golden Arrows on Wednesday night so we're going straight in to camp, we'll just carry on doing our thing.

"Esperance was tough, the crowd were intimidating and there were lasers everywhere. Testing conditions. But we were outstanding, my players were fantastic.

“It’s been a wonderful turn-out at the airport today. I want to thank the fans, the minister & the MEC, and all the media gathered today."

Journey to Final

Preliminary Round

Orlando Pirates 5-0 Djabal

Djabal 0-4 Orlando Pirates

(Aggregate: 9-0 to Pirates)

1/16th Round

Zanaco 0-1 Orlando Pirates

Orlando Pirates 2-1 Zanaco

(Aggregate: 3-1 to Pirates)

1/8th Round

Orlando Pirates 3-1 TP Mazembe

TP Mazembe 1-0 Orlando Pirates

(Aggregate: 3-2 to Pirates)

Group Stages

Gameweek 1 : Orlando Pirates 0-0 AC Leopards

Gameweek 2: Al Ahly 0-3 Orlando Pirates

Gameweek 3: Orlando Pirates 4-1 Zamalek

Gameweek 4: Zamalek 2-1 Orlando Pirates

Gameweek 5: AC Leopards 1-0 Orlando Pirates

Gameweek 6: Orlando Pirates 0-0 Al Ahly

Semi-Finals

Orlando Pirates 0-0 Esperance TP

Esperance TP 1-1 Orlando Pirates

(Aggregate: 1-1 Pirates win on away goals rule)

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Miracle worker Cavin Johnson leaves Platinum Stars for SuperSport United. You read it here first.

On the move: Cavin Johnson

WARNING: THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ON HOLD!


CAVIN JOHNSON has finally made official his departure from Platinum Stars after a season which saw the Crocodiles from Phokeng so nearly take the PSL by storm.

Dikwena finished second behind Kaizer Chiefs - by just one point - and reached the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup. But as I said A MONTH AGO (see tweet below) Johnson has called time on his reign a fortnight of wrangling with the Royal Bafokeng Kingdom, owners of the club.

That's the official version. In truth of course, Cavin had made his decision months ago. Just as Gavin Hunt, the SuperSport United coach, made his decision to decamp to Bidvest Wits not long after Christmas.

While players and fans carried on happily "giving their all for the boss" in both Phokeng and Tshwane, both coaches had made up their minds. And if you want proof of this assertion see my tweet on n May 18, at 6.25pm, it looked like this: https://twitter.com/nealcol/status/335778181174943744.

If you go to the link, you'll see all the doubters questioning my prediction of Johnson to SuperSport United, though Hunt's move to Bidvest Wits was never really questioned. Suggestions he is on R750,000 a month are of course, ridiculous. He's on around half that, with bonuses. Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea today on a salary of around R10m a month, AFTER tax. So let's not get in to figures.

Today, finally, the merry-go-round has turned, two weeks after Johnson's submitted a resignation letter suggesting he needed to move closer to Tshwane for "family reasons".

But that's ridiculous. Johnson knows SuperSport, expensively backed by DSTV, have big plans. With Stanley Matthews now the CEO at Matsatsantsa a Pitori (The Swanky Boys, The Trendsetters). 

I've long been a fan of Johnson. I wrote this after seeing his side come back from the death in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld: http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/04/cavin-johnson-and-platinum-stars-what.html

But despite his performance this season - he lost out on the PSL Coach of the Season only to double-winning Stuart Baxter at Kaizer Chiefs - Johnson has spent the season looking over his shoulder. His assistant Allan Freeze has always been highly regarded in Phokeng.

Johnson and Freeze were installed as joint coaches after Owen De Gama's controversial departure two seasons ago, but Johnson eventually got the nod as big boss.

March: Phala with Matthews

Now he gets to try his hand at SuperSport United, a club with a title-winning pedigree (lest we forget, Hunt won the PSL for three successive seasons in 2008, 2009 and 2010) and a raft of impressive reinforcements.

From Moroka Swallows he has Bennett Chenene and David Mathebula - they signed pre-contracts as long ago as January - while the impressive Senegalese striker Mame Niang will move from neighbours AmaTuks.

And of course, he can also call on his own Stars stars. In March, Thusa Phala was snapped up by former PSL CEO Matthews - his mother Suzan works at SuperSport as an events manager - along with fellow Dikwena man Enocent Mkhabela.

It worries me a lot that those deals were made in March, around the time Hunt was finalising his deal at Wits and, presumably, Johnson was agreeing his move to SuperSport United.

Breaking the news: my Cavin Johnson tweet, May 18

Will Johnson do as well at SuperSpot as he did at Platinum Stars? Time will tell. Follow me on twitter @nealcol for updates.

The boot is on the other foot: goalless Gordon finds himself in Pitso's shoes

Remember when: Gordon Igesund celebrating a goal, circa 1872

Suddenly Gordon Igesund finds himself in Pitso Mosimane’s shoes. And they’re not very comfortable. By Wednesday evening, he'll have his own footwear. Question is: will they be flip-flops or stillettos?

The awful goalless draw against Algeria after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Norway’s unwanted youngsters was “very Mosimane” but excusable. A pair of meaningless, friendly slippers.

Gordon reassured the nation: “We are improving. You haven’t seen my best side yet. We are hard to beat and we will score goals,” just a week before Saturday’s big kick-off at the rechristened National Stadium.

Then, like Pitso, Carlos Alberto Parreira and a cast of hundred haplesscoaches before him, Igesund was entirely incapable of raising the game for the opening clash against minnows Cape Verde.

Awful. Embarrassing. Toothless. Boring. And those were the polite verdicts. The government has apparently declared all goals in South Africa “national key points” until the AFCON final at Soccer City on February 10. But that's okay, none of us have seen one in nearly 300 minutes.

Ghana and that famous medic Dr Congo shared four goals between them on Sunday to lift a tournament which started with that record goal drought on Saturday - but that is not enough for soccer-mad fans in the host nation.

Forced to endure traffic jams, ticket scares and bus disappearances in the build-up, what did Gordon offer to console the fans after his side’s drab opening? “My players froze up. We can’t afford to play like that again. The nerves got to them and a lot of players were hiding.

“They are very disappointed but we win together and we lose together. With Angola and Morocco drawing 0-0 too, we are now all on an equal footing in Group A. Let’s see how we can rectify the situation.”

Very Pitso isn’t it? The initial knock-kneed approach has morphed in to a genuine mistrust of the media, and if really thinks those two goalless draws on Saturday are good for Bafana, he’s fooling himself.

The scenario is this: South Africa draw against Angola on Wednesday, Morocco will crush the vocal Verdians. Then we’ll draw against Morocco in the final game – remember Gordon’s words after Algeria “we are becoming difficult to beat” – but Angola will then polish off the volcanic islanders to qualify with Morocco.

And that will leave an unbeaten South Africa waving goodbye to another tournament despite their privileged position as hosts.

Nobody wants that to happen. Gordon least of all. Even Pitso, wiping the smile of his face somewhere in Mamelodi or Chloorkop, doesn’t want that to happen.

Gavin Hunt, the SuperSport United coach who won three successive PSL titles and was short-listed for the hottest seat in South Africa outside of Nkandla, doesn't either.

He appeared on our new show SportsTalk on www.702.co.za this week and told presenter Udo Carelse: "I feel sorry for Gordon. Some of his players look like they couldn't be bothered. Siphiwe Tshabalalala needs a long holiday on a Mauritian island. With a one-way ticket. The guy needs a break from football.

"And Thuso Phala is okay. But he's a fireman. He's always putting it out."

Now only victory against Angola tomorrow night offers Gordon the chance of redemption.

And the last flickering flame of hope lies in these words: “We have to move on. We can’t harp on about Saturday. Football is a funny game (many English coaches have resorted to that one over the years) once we score a few goals and get the country buzzing, I believe we can go all the way.”

Wednesday evening, Gordon gets the chance to remove Pitso’s shoes and wear his own. Whether they will come back to kick him up the bottom remains in doubt.

To hear podcasts of our new show go to: http://www.702.co.za/podcast/podcast_sportstalk.asp.

Music to the Iron Duke's ears: Benni McCarthy ready to work with new Orlando Pirates boss Roger de Sa

Big job: Roger de Sa, the new Orlando Pirates boss

Benni McCarthy’s response to the Roger de Sa appointment was exactly what chairman Irvin Khoza would have hoped for.

He replied to my twittered concerns over last season’s Telkom Knock-Out final rift in public saying: “Cool, Calm and Collective. I wanna continue winning things wit Pirates so have to play it cool.”

McCarthy, out for six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in his 10-minute appearance for Bafana in their 1-0 loss in Brazil on Friday, also found time to reassure an anxious Ghost on Twitter.

I’ve sorted some of the twitterisms, but here’s what South Africa’s record goal-scorer had to say: “Hope we can win more trophies and conquer Africa with Roger de Sa. I'll make sure the coach gets the very best from everyone in the team.

“Wow, if you think the appointment of our new coach will end my career! I've got God on my side. We the players will work hard to make life pleasant for the fans and help the new coach settle in good.

 “The rift with Roger ended after the Telkom Knock-out final, which we won (smile). It’s gone and forgotten, now we must work as a team to see what we can win together.

“Coach Palacios brought the best out of the team in difficult times. Give credit where its due.

“I seriously have no clue what the reasons were (behind yesterday’s announcement). The coach was struggling with his back for a while though.”

And he told his 30,725 followers: “Thanks for the get well wishes I'll be back soon, fitter and stronger most definitely.”

But Benni alone cannot ease the fears raised by De Sa’s appointment, confirmed to me by Khotso "Nic" Ditshego this morning an hour before the "high noon" press conference. The Iron Duke has now employed four coaches in two seasons – but his Buccaneers have plundered six trophies in that time, including two PSL tiles.

With the ghost of Ruud Krol still hanging over the Pirates, Brazilian Julio Leal and Peruvian caretaker Augusto Palacios failed to thrive at a sometimes violent Orlando Stadium.

Now along comes De Sa, who famously accused McCarthy of being “paid by the kilogram” when Pirates beat Wits in last season’s Telkom finale. McCarthy said afterwards that De Sa and his assistant Eric Tinkler were “dead to him” but both parties appear to be willing to work on their relationship.

It’s another relationship – De Sa’s break-up with his former partner Nicole Henderson – which stirs further controversy.

Last July, as Wits tumbled down the PSL table, the Randburg Magistrates Court heard how De Sa “harassed and threatened” Henderson and her new boyfriend Deon van Rensburg with violence. In court documents, Henderson and Van Rensburg went into detail how the former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper sent them abusive SMSes.

A month before, De Sa had been slapped with a protection order which instructed him not to “assault, threaten, harass, intimidate, verbally or physically abuse” the mother of his two chidren.

But Henderson told the court: "Roger tracks me down. I am not sure if I am being followed. He is mentally abusing me with ugly words.

"If he knows we are together, it goes on through the night. He is threatening to beat up my boyfriend. He told my kids he has a baseball bat and gun in his car. He has threatened to give me a hiding too.

"I don't think he is mentally stable at the moment and I am scared of what he might do. He is completely acting out of character, almost psychotic."

Van Rensburg, a Free State-based businessman, also sought help from the North Gauteng High Court last May to control De Sa’s post-relationship depression.

Van Rensburg showed the court De Sa’s text messages which read: "Hey fat p***sy! Come visit and face me man to man. Coward!; Always know where u r. U don't come to me. I will to u. F****d my family. U gonna pay. Hope u coming to Jhb! So we meet. Still running?; Next time I see u! U know. Be ready and be a man. If it takes 10 yrs. Its on. G Night Babe. XXX"

Henderson’s representative told the court: "According to Henderson the First Respondent (De Sa) was involved in numerous relationships with other women while he was also involved in the relationship with her. His tendency for affairs led to tension. They had regular fallouts. She told me she had left him in May 2011 ..."

In turn, Da Sa insisted: "I do not have a firearm and am not in possession of any firearms. It is the applicant who has a firearm that is not licensed, being a small pistol.

"I always have a baseball bat in my car, which is usually under my seat, for protection.”

"I deny that I am not mentally stable. I find it strange that the applicant, as a hairdresser, has the qualification to make any verdict on my mental health.”

After two spells in charge of Wits lasting nearly 10 years, De Sa was fired by Wits on July 9 last year. He insisted: “No, I was not fired because of those reports. They have been one-sided and my side of the story has not been heard so I would not like to dwell much on them.”

Maputo-born Rogério Paulo Cesar De Sá, who guided Wits to the Nedbank Cup in 2010 and represented South Africa as a footballer and basketballer, is no shrinking violet.

Now 47, Roger’s dad Octávio Augusto César De Sá (1935–1990), played in goal for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon between 1956 and 1960 before moving to Mozambique. Roger arrived in South Africa in 1974, aged 10.

De Sa played for – and captained - Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns – and was in the 1996 African Nations Cup winning squad, though he won only one cap for Bafana Bafana.

De Sa started coaching Bidvest Wits towards the end of his playing career in 2001, aged 37 and was named PSL Coach of the Season in 2002–03. He rejoined The Students in June 2007, after two years in charge at Cape Town club Santos.

De Sa, who also acted as Bafana Bafana’s goalkeeping coach under Carlos Queiroz, said yesterday: “This has to be the right time as I had years ago contacted the chairman for this job to no avail. When I got the chairman's call I was obviously delighted as I believe I am up to the task at hand.”

The resignation of Augusto Palacios, who was only confirmed in the permanent coaching role at the start of the season after winning the PSL title as a caretaker last term, was not unexpected.

After four games without a goal and emphatic 3-0 defeats against SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows at a grumbling Orlando Stadium, chairman Khoza’s statement read: “Augusto Palacios has had to step aside as a result of a persistent back problem that resulted in hospitalisation last week.

“Augusto Palacios will revert to his position in the development structures of Orlando Pirates Football Club with due consideration to his recovery which is expected to take several months after undergoing major spinal surgery.

“Roger is a team player who has worked in various capacities for our senior and junior national teams including being roped in to the technical team of the Portuguese national team during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“I have no doubt that he will find the new challenge at Orlando Pirates a worthwhile enhancement to his career.”

De Sa will take charge for the first time against Platinum Stars on September 18 and you have to wish the man luck. Clearly Roger and his family have had a tough year, but – like Stuart Baxter at Kaizer Chiefs – he claims he is up to coaching one of the nation’s biggest sides despite his personal ups and downs.

Just how he will cope with the egos in the squad and the passion of the fans is hard to say. The pressures at Wit and Santos were nothing compared to the stress of leading the Buccaneers. He’ll need all the luck he can get.

Komphela hung, drawn and faltered. Step forward Gordon Igesund.

In Gord we trust: Igesund

We all knew silky-tongued Steve Komphela could talk the talk. Sadly, we now know he doesn’t quite walk the walk.

The Free State Stars miracle-worker had every opportunity to revolutionise the Bafana Bafana squad bequeathed him by the unlamented Pitso Mosimane after the disappointing 1-1 draw against Ethiopia at the Bafokeng Sports Palace nine days ago.

Instead, he barely tinkered with his starting line-up as the caretaker could only muster another desperately disappointing 1-1 draw against Botswana in the tiny University Stadium in Gaborone last Saturday.

I watched what I could of the match while preparing to go on air at SuperSport’s EuroZone garden in Randburg, and believe me Steve, you don’t want to know what Bradley Carnell, John Barnes, Ruud Krol and Thomas Mlambo had to say when I relayed the score to them. On hearing the final result, the old warhorse Terry Paine simply shrugged: “A draw with Botswana? It’s a disgrace.”

In Neal & Pray last Tuesday, like many other pundits, I offered alternatives to Komphela, a man I like and admire. Up front, I suggested Santos top-scorer Eleazar Rodgers or the recently-bereaved Thulani Serero, now strutting his stuff with Ajax Amsterdam. Instead, Komphela stuck with the alleged killer Katlego Mphela – fair enough, he struck against Ethiopia – and PSL top-scorer Siyabonga Nomvethe from Moroka Swallows, utterly ineffective a week before.

At the back, he refused to budge on the selection of non-playing Tottenham centre-half Bongani Khumalo while Bloemfontein Celtic’s impressive Mulomowandau “Tower” Mathoho was left with the cushion on the bench once more.

And in midfield, there was the mystery man from Golden Arrows, Thanduyise Khuboni, still starting ahead of Sweden’s player of the season May Mahlangu and Orlando Pirates dynamo Andile Jali.

Sure, Komphela dropped wounded Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe 'Yeye' Letsholonyane for Buccaneer title-winner Oupa Manyisa and, just like Pitso against Ethiopia, he put on Sundowns match-changer Teko Modise for the struggling Amakhosi favourite Siphiwe Tshabalala after 68 minutes. Oh, and Tokelo Rantie took the 34-year-old Nomvethe’s place on the hour.

But essentially this was simply a rehash of Pitso’s mistakes. The team remained leaderless (I suggested bringing in Benni McCarthy, if only to issue threats from the bench) and toothless (only Morgan Gould’s head really threatened the Zebras).

And for those reasons, former Kroonstad schoolmaster Komphela, you can no longer expect to get the Bafana job permanently, no matter what happens in the friendly against Gabon at Mbombela on Friday. What exactly happened to the brave, new Bafana? Does the deadweight Brazilian Jario Leal still tell you who to pick? As I said on eNew yesterday morning, please tell me that ain’t so, Steve.

We had the normal Komphela platitudes afterwards: “We're not pleased,” “We are not happy,” and “The nation deserves better.”

But with Ethiopia beating the Central African Republic 2-0 to go top of the group, there can be no more mistakes. South Africa haven’t won a football game since November last year. Of the five names on the SAFA short-list, we know Gordon Igesund, the 55-year-old who has won the PSL title with FOUR different clubs, can change that after all that he has achieved over two decades in domestic football.

Having lost faith in Komphela, I can hardly turn to Neil Tovey, the 1996 Afcon-winning captain now managing Thanda Royal Zulu in the second division. Gavin Hunt could do the trick and said last week “I couldn’t turn down the Bafana job”, but he would surely fall out with SAFA’s bungling power mongers within a matter of seconds.

Shakes Mashaba, statistically the best international coach on the short-list after his run of 19 matches, 12 wins, five draws and two losses came to an acrimonious end in 2004, has suddenly emerged as the people’s choice after a rash of calls to Robert Marawa’s Metro Radio show last Thursday.

 And yes, he has all that it takes, despite failing to qualify for the London Olympics this year with the Under23 squad.

But now is the time for decisive action from SAFA. As their vice-president Danny Jordaan, the force behind the 2010 World Cup, said this morning: “We have dropped four points. It’s disappointing. If we lose the next game at home to the Central African Republic next year, we can say goodbye to Brazil.”

So say hello to Gordon Igesund. Moroka Swallows fans know it makes sense after his miraculous turnaround at Dobsonville last season. If anyone can get Steve Pienaar and his over-paid squad to fly, it’s Igesund.

This first appeared as my Neal & Pray column in www.thenewage.com on June 12. Since then, Igesund has topped a kickoff.com poll asking who should lead Bafana permanently: of the 3000 votes cast, there were 1,920 for Igesund (63.6%) with SuperSport's Gavin Hunt second on 334, caretaker Steve Komphela and Under 23 boss Shakes Mashaba tied on 328 in third. Thanda Royal Zulu's Neil Tovey, the 1996 AFCON-winning captain was a distant 5th with 3.5%.

Neal Collins is a South African football analyst who spent 25 years on Fleet Street. You can catch him on eNews every Monday morning a 8.15am and on SuperSport3’s EuroZone on Saturdays at 4pm. You can also follow him on www.twitter.com/nealcol orwww.nealcollins.co.uk. I'm on eTV Sunrise at 7.30am tomorrow, eNews at 8.15am talking Euro2012.

Too many Chiefs for Celtic, but did VV go too far in his post-match critique?

EITHER Vladimir Vermezovic isn't very clever, or he's incredibly brave. You decide. After Kaizer Chiefs' emphatic 2-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic last night, his frankness was almost alarming.
Despite completely outplaying a useful Celtic outfit, he felt compelled to tell the world on Supersport after the final whistle:"I am not satisfied. The biggest problem is that our guys are not killers. We missed so many chances. I mean, there were opportunities where it would have been easier to miss than to score.
"What can a coach do when they miss chances like that? Next time, those chances may be what win us the game. I am very unhappy. We missed those chances when we were 2-0 up today. But what if we miss chances when it is 0-0?
"I will talk to my players but I am not satisfied."
Fascinating. He wants a gang of killers - and you've got to wonder if he was referring to Sundowns' Katlego Mphela, the Premiership's current joint top scorer.
Personally, I thought Chiefs were dominant in every department including finishing last night. Itumeleng Khune is getting his sharpness back, they were resolute in defence and the midfield functioned well despite the continued absence of Tinashe Nengomasha, the General in the middle of the park. More about him later.
Lucky Baloyi's goal on the half-hour from 30 yards was magnificent, and Lehlohonolo Majoro made the game safe - the former Amazulu striker is looking increasingly adept.
Though Baloyi could have scored at least two more and Bernard Parker toiled in front of goal once more, it was top referee Daniel Bennett's decision not to issue Thabani Stemmer with a red card that was the real talking point.
Watching the excellent SuperSport analyst Thomas Mlambo discuss that decision - and the third minute red card which ruined Ajax Cape Town's night against Free State Stars - was entertainment enough for anybody.
The Celtic goalkeeper was well out of his box when he reached out an arm to deny Siphiwe Tashablala a clear scoring chance with no defender in the offing. Clear red card, but the usually impeccable Bennett went for yellow. Perhaps he's colour blind or somebody had shuffled his the pack of cards in his pocket.
Perhaps VV could have focused on that decision, and allowed his players the chance to bask in a comfortable victory which puts them back in contention at fourth in the Absa Premiership. But no, he preferred to lash his hapless players for their profligacy in front of goal.
Strange. I was at a packed Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday night where goal-scoring was simply not on the agenda. Bad finishing? Ask league leaders Sundowns and champions Orlando Pirates about that. With 60,000 begging for a goal on a night of amazing atmosphere, neither side was able to produce a finish in a 0-0 draw which suited the Downs more than the Buccaneers.
And how about SuperSports United? They went in to the Christmas break looking like contenders, but a distinct lack of firepower has left Gavin Hunt's side looking like desperate also-rans after another 0-0 stalemate yesterday.
Thing is, of course, Serbian struggler VV must know his players are unhappy. His bust-up with Nengomasha appears to be ongoing - originally ruled out of the Soweto derby with injury, he is now officially suspended and didn't play last night - and the past problems with ex-captain Jimmy Tau, Josta Dladla and Abia Nale are now a matter of history.
The New Age, a paper worth picking up (especially as I now have a column running in it) ran this anonymous text message from a senior Chiefs player:"We cannot stand this guy VV. He is rude and abusive and I don't understand why the management is doing nothing as they are aware of our grievances with the coach."
Three weeks ago, I was made aware of similar sentiments in the Orlando Pirates camp. I wrote all about it on this site. Just like Itumeleng Khune today, Monieb Josephs came out and said all was well between the players and the coach. Khune told kickoff.com today: "We laugh it off. People are trying to destabilise the club." Josephs said almost exactly that when rumours surrounded his coach. Two weeks later, Julio Leal was suspended and replaced by Augusto Palacios.
VV should tread warily. He may be going the same way. With three points in the bag last night, he may have been better off not behaving like Sir Alex Ferguson.
Fergie has his players under control. VV clearly doesn't.