Time up for Gordon's South Africa: after Nigeria embarrassment, is it time for Baby Bafana?

False dawn? Bafana celebrate against CAR

THERE are no words to adequately describe Bafana Bafana’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Nigeria at the Moses Mabhida on Wednesday night.

So often, under the management of no-nonsense Gordon "Four PSL Titles" Igesund, we have been tempted to scent a new dawn for South African football. There was the AFCON win against Angola, the World Cup triumph over the Central African Republic in Cameroon, even the two hard-fought 1-0 defeats in Brazil and Poland.

But nothing can quite prepare a nation for a thumping at the hands of an old footballing foe, many of whom live gleefully in our midst.

With John Obi Mikel out with a pre-season “tummy bug” and his Chelsea team-mate Victor Moses left languishing on the bench despite his enthusiasm for the Madiba challenge, South Africans were hoping for a rousing triumph – or even a drab draw – against a side with five wins and just one defeat against Bafana.

Instead we were treated to a performance which left many mourning the bad old days of Pitso Mosimane and the bungling Brazilians who preceded him.

Up front, Malmo’s former Pirate Tokelo Rantie, allegedly the subject of a R18m bid from lowly Bournemouth earlier in the day, barely had a touch. Next to him Benard Parker looked more likely to score at the other end, as he did with such stunning accuracy in the numbing World Cup qualifying defeat in Ethiopia.

At the back, the old Bloemfontein Celtic centre-back duo of Tower Mathoho and Thabo Nthethe showed alarming inexperience and a worrying ability to freeze as Uche Nworfor, on as a second half substitute, helped himself to a brace.

The first was a deft back heel, a moment of quick-thinking with his first touch after coming on for Shola Ameobi. The second was a mere tap in, with the glamour sub Moses involved in an intricate build-up which left Mathoho and Nthethe all at sea next to the Indian Ocean.

In the middle of the park, Dean Furman was exposed for the journeyman he really is at Doncaster Rovers with Reneilwe Letsholonyane just as hard-working but equally incapable of finding the killer ball world-class midfielders MUST be able to deliver.

As irate South Africans desperately searched for answers, there was In-Gord-We-Trust insisting: “We did well in the first half. But Nigeria were the better side, they had more purpose in the second half. We made poor decisions around the box, too rushed.

“We have to calm down, keep the ball. I threw in a couple of youngsters. I’m not too disappointed, there are things we can work on.”

But we have heard all that before. It feels like Bafana are no nearer a real solution than we were post-Pitso after that dream-crushing opening draw against Ethiopia.

Former Bafana and Pirates hero Mark Fish said: “It looked like we were afraid to tackle Victor Moses. Nigeria were a far better side going forward.”

There is no easy solution. Development in this country is barely touched on while SAFA and the PSL seek to bolster their coffers with short term solutions and gimmicks. The Bafana junior set-up remains an embarrassment, as do many of the so-called academies at our major clubs.

When Bafana return to the Moses Mabhida, a super-stadium which deserves better, on September 7 to play Botswana, Igesund will be relying on the Central African Republic to take at least two points off Ethiopia to stand any chance of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil next year.

And do we really stand any chance in the play-offs against sides like these African champions Nigeria? Of course not, given what we’ve seen.

The answer lies in youth. The only answer. Igesund must have the guts to tell the big boys at SAFA he has seen enough of Rantie, Parker, YeYe and Shabba, who shoot like rusty blunderbusses and sell their image rights with lethal intent.

He must ignore calls for a return to the days of Teko Modise, Andile Jali and Killer Mphela. That’s as wise as calling up Benni bloody McCarthy and patching up Siya Sangweni or recalling Stevie Pienaar.

Gordon must go for 2018 now. Unearth the youngsters who are steadfastly ignored as the agents and chairmen insist on the selection of their falling stars in an attempt to keep their value high. We have now reached the stage where these “legends” are named in the Bafana squad for PR purposes even when SAFA knows they won’t play as we saw before the COSAFA Cup and the current double-whammy.

Siyanda Xulu is a case in point. At 21, he kept the mighty Samuel Eto’o quiet for Rostov against Anzhi in the Russian league a fortnight ago, a shackling of the best-paid player in the world - a feat which may ultimately lead to the breakdown of Makhachkala’s billionaire policy.

Yet Xulu and the equally promising Buhle Mkhwanazi at AmaTuks played no part against Nigeria’s Super Eagles and did anyone else get that sinking feeling when Lerato Chabangu emerged as a sub? I did.

Victory over Burkina Faso on Nelson Mandela Sports day on Saturday may gloss over this woeful night for South African football. But thank God it’s the Springboks who are taking on Argentina at Soccer City on the same bill.

WARNING: This was written in the throes of post-match depression!

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. A shorter version of THIS story will be published in The New Age on Tuesday.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

  

THE WORLD CUP DREAM IS ON: As predicted, Gordon Igesund's Bafana leave rusty CAR with three punctures. And he found time to call me afterwards!

THREEDOM: Gordon Igesund

GORDON IGESUND. Bafana Bafana. We salute you. A 3-0 win over the Central African Republic keeps our World Cup hopes alive on the day Nelson Mandela, the father of the nation, finds himself back at death’s door.

Gordon knows that. Right after the huge Group A qualifying win in Yaounde he said: “How can we talk about football when Nelson Mandela is in hospital? We have to wish him well first.”

The man has all the bases covered. He called me  at 6.54pm to say: "Mate, they f***ed us about this week. We were tired. But we did it. NOW FOR ETHIOPIA! I loved the Rambo stuff. The boys have been so good here. Put up with everything they threw at us."

When I told him the SABC were unable to air the first 40 minutes, Gordon was shocked: "What? No man! We started so well! But I need to thank everyone for their support, it's been brilliant. I loved the Rambo picture in the Star!"

Before the game, after the expected problems with travel and training facilities in “neutral” Cameroon, he promised: “We have turned the negatives in to positives. I am confident. We will play an attacking game.”

And he did. Despite “technical problems caused by rain” which meant viewers missed most of the first half, Bafana were live and dangerous for the full 90 minutes.

Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker opened the scoring after 26 minutes, poking the ball under the advancing goalkeeper and blasting home with his left foot to make it 1-0.

Just before half-time, another of the AmaKhosi double-winners, Siphiwe Tshabalala played a nice one-two with Tokelo Rantie to surge through the “Centrafrique” defence and make it 2-0 to “Afrique du Sud”.

A quieter second-half was capped by a brilliant third – Orlando Pirates play-maker Oupa Manyisa et the full-back and stood up an inch-perfect cross for Moroka Swallows’ PSL top-scorer Katlego Mashego to nod home. Boom. The 3-0 scoreline I predicted on eNCAnews on Friday night was complete.

At half-time, I sent Gordon an SMS suggesting: “Just stop at 3-0, let’s save a few for Ethiopia next week.”

Afterwards, Rambo Igesund grinned: “I was very happy with our game plan. We went for a very offensive team.  I told you we would.

“We trained once in the week really, so it was a great achievement when you think about it. I was a little bit disappointed because we sat back in the second-half a bit.

“We looked a little scared, but I was telling them we could have got four or five really.

“Look, we haven’t spoken about it much but it was a very tough preparation for us. All the travelling problems and stuff. A very tough week it’s been, but we got through. We got the job done.”

With Botswana narrowly failing to take points off table-toppers Ethiopia in Gaborone earlier, Bafana MUST now win in Addis Ababa, a town around a kilometre higher (7,546 feet) than Johannesburg (5,793 feet) in terms of altitude.

The final game against Botswana at home should be a doddle, but Ethiopia finish with CAR, who looked broken down and rusty yesterday. A draw in Addis Ababa will NOT be enough given Ethiopia's two-point lead in the group.

In World Cup qualifying, unlike AFCON, goal difference counts first, then head-to-head. But that might only help if Ethiopia end with a draw. As Gordon says: “We’ve got massive four games now to get to the World Cup.”

While fasionable nations in CONCACAF, Oceania and Europe cruise to perpetual World Cup qualification, South Africa have a two-legged play-off against ANOTHER group winner to survive even if they do finish top of CAF Group A. That can’t be right. Or fair.

But on current form, who’s betting against Rambo being on target for Brazil 2014?

FOR the prediction: see last paragraph of this http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/06/rambo-igesund-turns-negatives-in-to.html and follow @nealcol on twitter!

BAFANA: Khune; Ngcongca, Mathoho, Nthethe, Nunes; Mahlangu (Ntshumayelo 80), Furman, Letsholonyane, Tshabalala; Parker (Mashego 63) Rantie (Manyisa 57).