Zimpapers Logo

Dingilizwe Ntuli in BULAWAYO
HIGHLANDERS coach Madinda Ndlovu’s five-minute post-match Press conference following his team’s goalless draw against Herentals at Barbourfields yesterday, betrayed a gaffer who is in denial of what is unfolding at Bosso. Madinda told football writers, at the beginning of the presser, that it was going to be brief.

He then repeated his previous utterances that his charges were playing good football and only lacked the finishing touch.
To be precise, Madinda said all the ingredients of football were being put together but, at the end of the day, there was no one to eat the food.

The only people who could eat the food Madinda is talking about are his players and the question that begs answers is why is there no one to eat the food that he would have prepared with his two assistants?
Something is fundamentally wrong if his players are unable to deal with his instructions.

Could it be that his ingredients are not suitable for his current crop of players or the players are refusing to eat his food?
Is there a probability they could jump to eat the food if he changed the ingredients that they have evidently failed to eat in the last eight matches?

Somehow, Madinda’s comments imply a reluctant coach failing to take full charge of his team.
It’s normal for coaches to protect their players, publicly, and defend glaringly poor performance.
But, hopefully, Madinda confronts them behind the scenes.

Surely, yesterday’s performance was poor, by all standards, and no amount of peppering can sugar coat that.
Confidence is missing among the players and the same can be said of the technical team, as nothing they do, or say, inspires any confidence in the boys.

If the truth be told, most players’ performance yesterday resembled lost sheep without a shepherd.
Imagination was lacking, tactics static and confidence absent.

Madinda has to be brutally honest with his players about their performance and must tell them face-to-face over and over again.

Sometimes the truth is painful and sometimes could lead to an uncomfortable confrontation, but that’s the only way.
Only the truth can get Highlanders out of the mess it has created for itself.
It’s high time the club’s processes are set aside and the truth be told.

This covers the players, coaches, executive, board and supporters alike.
The truth can only be found in answering why Bosso are performing so terribly?
Is the problem with the players, the coaches, the executive or the board?

If heads have to roll, for the truth to come out, so be it because it’s no longer hilarious anymore.
Supporters sacrifice their meagre earnings to watch a team they love wholeheartedly and they can’t be held hostage by the coaches’ shortcomings, players’ poor performances and management malfunction.

Meanwhile, Chicken Inn turned on the style to thrash Chapungu 3-0 yesterday to ease into second place on the league table.
The airforce side had impressed with a 2-1 win over CAPS United on Thursday.

But they were no match against the visiting Gamecocks who scored through Clive Agusto, the league’s leading goalscorer, and Obriel Chirinda.