The 2012 ABSA Premier awards... and the winners are...

THIS is moment we've all been waiting for, off the field, as the climax to the South African football season approaches on the pitch. The ABSA Premier awards nominees for 2012. Fascinating. It's never easy to decide these things but these are the glaring ommissions.No mention of Siphiwe Tshabalala, the handsome Bafana Bafana hero of the 2010 World Cup who has worked so hard amid the chaos of Amakhosi's political problems this season.
No mention of Lucky Lekgwathi, the veteran Orlando Pirates captain, approaching 40, who works tirelessly and produced THAT last-gasp goal against SuperSport United a fortnight ago.
No mention of Kenney Mweene, so vital in Zambia's 2012 AFCON triumph and the rise of the Free State Stars, the little stars of Bethlehem who are threatening to finish right up the top of the Premier League this season, among the big boys.

No matter, we must accept these things, just like we have to accept Irvin Khosa and Kaizer Motaung launching their precious Charity Cup rubbish right in the middle of the Premier League melting pot and before the Nedbank Cup final. Ludicrous.

I have no bias. Though I am taking flak from Orlando Pirates Ghosts as the final round of Premier League fixtures approaches, my loyalties remain with the now-defunct Umlazi Bush Bucks, champions way back in 1986.

Though I have been predicted Moroka Swallows would rise from the ashes of relegation contenders last season, I believe the Buccaneers will triumph this week against the Golden Arrows in Durban and retain their title.

Without further ado, let's have a look as the nominees... with my suggested winners and why... please feel free to debate by adding your comment below.

Absa HOT Young Player:

• Lucky Baloyi – Kaizer Chiefs
• Ronwen Williams – SuperSport United
• Lehlohonolo Masalesa – Bidvest Wits

Toughest category of all. Baloyi has certainly impressed during a troubled season. And next season promises to be even tougher with Stuart "Dodgy CV" Baxter in charge of the Amakhosi. I spotted Masalesa earlier this season, but Wits have been terrible of late. Williams has been impressive  but he operates behind Gavin Hunt's stingy back four, and I guess Bloemfontein Celtic's Tower Mathoho is out of the age range, so it has to be LUCKY BALOYI.

Absa Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season:

• Wayne Sandilands – Mamelodi Sundowns
• Ronwen Williams – SuperSport United
• Moeneeb Josephs – Orlando Pirates

There's no questions Josephs has offered a lot for Pirates. I believe he spoke for the players during the campaign to get rid of coach Julio Leal and his glowing affirmation of caretaker Augusto Palacios was fascinating on Robert Marawa's Thursday Night Live last week. But as a goalkeeper, while superbly vocal, he lacks the reflexes of Williams, the distribution of Kaizer Chiefs' oft-injured Itumeleng Khune and the presence of Free States Stars' AFCON winning No 1 Kennedy Mweene. Taking all those factors into account, the best all-round goalkeeper and a classic shot-stopped? WAYNE SANDILANDS.

Absa–lutely Awesome Goal:

·         Clifford Mulenga – Golden Arrows vs Bloemfontein Celtic

     ·         David Mathebula – Moroka Swallows vs Orlando Pirates
      ·         Benni McCarthy – Orlando Pirates vs Maritzburg United
Personally, I was looking for Bernard Parker's superb free-kick in the first Soweto Derby this season but Goal of the Season will always throw up too many contenders. For me it has to be McCarthy, on as a subsitute for the Buccaneers, raising his creaking 34-year-old body in to position for an overhead kick which matched that of Wayne Rooney's classic. It was late in the game and secured three points against Arrows which may just be the ones that matter by Saturday night. BENNI McCARTHY.

Absa Premiership Coach of the Season:

• Gavin Hunt – SuperSport United
• Gordon Igesund – Moroka Swallows
• Steve Khompela – Free State Stars

For me, Hunt ruled himself out of contention with his anti-referee rant after the Unlucky last-gasp defeat against Pirates a fortnight ago. Too much Sir Alex Ferguson. Igesund has, as I've said so often, taken his Birds from relegation fodder to championship contenders in a year with a carefully composed collection of rejects, alcoholics and veterans. This weekend, he could well clinch that title. But for me, the talkative Khompela takes the cake. His little Stars of Bethlehem have been on my agenda all season. A small-town side without much money have pushed the big boys all the way. He should have been offered the Chiefs job ahead of Baxter and I suspect his elevation to Pitso Mosimane's assistant with Bafana will only be temporary. He has all the attributes to lead his country at AFCON here next year. STEVE KHOMPELA

Absa Premiership Player of the Season:

• David Mathebula – Moroka Swallows
• Siyabonga Sangweni – Orlando Pirates
• Siyabonga Nomvethe – Moroka Swallows

Mathebula, rejected by the glamour clubs, has been immense this season. Goals, distribution, tracking back. Sangweni, scored of a vital winner at Celtic last week, has been equally important for Pirates, in a category where his captain Lucky Lekgwathi also deserves a mention. But how can we look beyond a 34-year-old whose 20 goals have single-handedly propelled the Swallows into contention and put him ahead of all the big name top scorers in the ABSA Premier League in recent years? SIYABONGA NOMVETHE.

Absa Premiership Player’s Player of the Season:

·         Teko Modise

      ·         David Mathebula
      ·         Siyabonga Nomvethe

There were glimpses of the old Buccaneering Modise this season under Johan Neeskens at Sundowns. A brilliant engine, an eye for the defence-splitting pass. But it all fell apart for Downs and their Dutch master at the crucial point of the season. We have talked about Mathebula and Tshabalala in this category, and no doubt the players cast a few votes for McCarthy, Lekgwathi and Sangweni too. But for me, the old gunslinger stands supremer once more. SIYABONGA NOMVETHE.

How Moroka Swallows could be flying high by the end of the week

FOR avid Bird-watchers and lovers of underdogs, here’s the three-scene drama which could await us over the cornflakes on Saturday morning.

Scene 1: Champions Orlando Pirates share a hard-fought, card-strewn draw at SuperSport United tonight (live on SS4 at 5.30pm) before Scene 2: A resurgent Kaizer Chiefs upset leaders Mamelodi Sundowns tomorrow night (delayed live on SABC at 10pm).

Then, flying beneath the footballing radar in Scene 3: Moroko Swallows win their game in hand at the Leopards on Friday (live on SS4 at 7.30pm). If the Dube Birds win by more than two goals, they go top of the PSL on 50 points (ahead of Pirates on goal difference and one clear of Sundowns and SuperSport) with two games to play.

Should all this come to pass, we will go in to squeaky-bottom time with SIX title contenders – including outsiders Free State Stars... and the flocking Swallows leading the way.

This particular fairy-tale is not that far-fetched. Augusto Palacios, the Peruvian journeyman thrust in charge at the Buccaneers when they got rid of Julio Leal, may be quite happy to grab a single point from the tight-fisted Gavin Hunt tonight. After Pirates’ 1-1 draw against Ajax Cape Town last Friday night, Palacios appeared remarkably sanguine. He said: “One by one we'll get there; we are not thinking about the other results. The media always say that we draw, but we are also not losing, and that's the most important thing.”

The Ghost, haunted by the prospect of seeing their title defence slip in to the twilight zone, may not agree with that. Based on budget, fan base and available talents, Pirates should be plundering the likes of Ajax and SuperSport at this stage of the season, but with Benni McCarthy looking a little weary at 34 and Tokelo Rantie suffering a sudden loss of form, perhaps Palacios knows more than we do.

That Swallows should beat the Leopards is highly likely – Siyabonga Nomvete’s hat-trick against Golden Arrows on Sunday took the veteran striker’s tally to a nationwide high of 16 this season and he looks a lot more sprightly than McCarthy at the same age.

As for Chiefs beating Sundowns… stranger things have happened. The Amakhosi have never lost four games on the trot before. Ace Khuse and Doc Khumalo deserve a turnaround in fortunes. And to be fair, they were unlucky not to grab a point in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against SuperSport which led to ugly post-match scenes around the tunnel.

Of course, Sundowns have to be favourites for the title. Johan Neeskens is no mug, he’s in pole position heading for the final weeks of the season. Pirates must be second favourites, with Rantie promising before tonight’s showdown: “The coach has been pushing us hard at training to work on our mistakes. I’m very confident that we will collect maximum points.”

All I’m saying, as I have been for the past month, is keep following the Birds. Gordon Igesund has won the title with four different clubs and has already expressed a huge enthusiasm for making it a record five.

On eTV Sunrise on Monday (watch out for me again tomorrow morning at 7.30am), I lauded Igesund for taking the Swallows from relegation fodder to title contenders in a single season, saying he had forged a collection of “rejects, alcoholics and veterans” in to a cohesive unit with some aplomb.

Swallows were immediately on the telephone complaining about that description, but here’s an immediate response from one of my thousands of helpers on Facebook and Twitter,  a senior financial consultant called Nhlakanipho Wiseguy Hlatshwayo: “By rejects you mean David Mathebula,  by alcoholics you mean Lerato Chabangu, by veterans you mean Syabonga Nomvete and MacBeth Sibaya. Kwaaaakwaaa!”

Thank you. Wise guy indeed. Perhaps Swallows should take a compliment when it comes their way. And the odd title tip.

After all, it’s not as if certain pedigrees haven’t been enhanced this week. Did I ever tell you about my coach as a teenager in Pretoria a few decades back? Roy Hodgson his name was. And look where he is now!

This column appeared as my regular "Neal and Pray" column in The New Age newspaper this morning. See www.thenewage.co.za.

Minister of Tourism McCarthy: Now Maniche wants to come to South Africa

BENNI McCARTHY'S future seems assured. The Tourism Department will snap him up if Orlando Pirates ignore my pleas to forge him in to a future coach.
With former West Ham team-mate Luiz Boa Morte already signed up as an honorary South African after an encouraging chat with Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza, another Portugal international could soon be on his way.
Nuno Ricardo de Oliveira Ribeiro is better known as Maniche. He played with Benni in 2004 when Porto won the Champions League. And acording to The Sowetan today, Benni's had a word.
Though he didn't enjoy the Nedbank Cup defeat against the excellent Steve Komphela's Free State Stars at Orlando on Saturday, the magic McCarthy smile recovered when he revealed: "Maniche is not the only one. There are loads of professionals interested in coming to South Africa next season.
"In the past, the big stars like David Beckham and Thierry Henry have gone to finish their careers in the American MLS or the Middle East after quitting the big European Leagues.
"I can only advise, but I'm proud to hear household names want to play in our Premier League.
"The youngsters here will learn from them. Their presence in South Africa ill help improve our game and the profile of the PSL."
After a week which saw a 90,000 crowd for the Soweto derby - where McCarthy scored twice in a 3-2 win for the Pirates - plus huge crowds for their goalless draw against Sundowns at Loftus and Chiefs 2-0 Bloemfontein Celtic - Benni insists: "The PSL has a great future."
McCarthy couldn't confirm whether Maniche, who won 50 caps for Portugal and eight trophies with Porto, will join the old guard at the Buccaneers. But the former Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Dinamo Moscow, Porto and Benfica central midfielder is definitely keen to come to the tip of Africa.
McCarthy confirmed: "We had a chat with Nuno, I played with him at Porto and he is a wonderful talent. He is very keen to come and further his football career in South Africa.
"He wanted to know what it is like to play in South Africa and I just told him: It's incredible."