Morning folks, hope you had a good weekend, I know I had a good one hence the ability to get up this early on Monday morning to write this piece, it’s about 4:30am to be precise.
There are two things that have been very big worrying factors as far development or growth in South African football or soccer as you might prefer to call it is concerned. The first is the number of goals scored by the player who wins the Golden boot also known as the Lesley Manyathela award and the other thing which was always worrying me is the fact that we haven’t seen a South African bred striker winning the award since Jackie Ledwaba won it with 15 goals in the 2003/2004 season.
Looking at the statistics last night, the top goal scorer stats that is, I noticed that the list was topped by South Africans and the one thing that got me excited was the fact that with 5 games to go till the league comes to an end, the current top goal scorer has scored 15 league goals and that ladies and gents is none other than Richard Henyekane of Golden Arrows who has been on fine form this season. And closing in on him with 13 goals is ex Chiefs striker Mabhudi Khenyeza who rediscovered his goal scoring touch after joining Ajax Cape Town at the beginning of the season.
This is how the top ten list looks like:
Richard Henyekane (Golden Arrows) - 15
Mabhudi Khenyeza (Ajax) - 13
Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi Sundowns) - 10
Bernard Parker (Thanda Royal) - 10
Dumisani Ngwenya (AmaZulu) - 9
Nkosinathi Nhleko (Thanda Royal) - 8
Robinson Renteria (Platinum Stars) - 8
Anthony Laffor (SuperSport United) - 8
Gert Schalkwyk (Bloem Celtic) - 8
Sthembiso Ngcobo (Free State Stars) - 8
By South African standards I think it can be argued that these are signs of great things to come, signs of real growth. Especially with the 2010 World Cup hitting our shores in just a couple of months, the country needs to start having confidence in its strikers. I am not saying that they are at top level already, but there has definitely been growth considering that in the past two seasons the award was won by players who left the country mid way through the campaign.
Here are some FACTS:
In 2007/2008 Absa Premiership season:
James Chamanga, a Zambian striker who played for Moroka Swallows won the award with just 14 goals, and may I note that he didn’t play the full season as he was poached by overseas club after scoring 6 goals in one game for Swallows. Yes, he had to fly back to collect the award.
The runners up were,
Sibisi, Diyo(SA) - Free State Stars: 13
Isaacs, Erwin(SA) - Santos: 12
Mashego, Katlego(SA) - SupersSport: 11
Ndlovu, Sandile(SA) - Moroka Swallows: 11
In 2006/2007 Absa Premiership season:
Christopher Katongo, scored a fine 15 goals for Jomo Cosmos to win the award, but the disturbing thing for all South Africans was that the player who had only played exactly half a season had to fly back to fetch his award as no striker was able to reach has 15 goal tally. In fact on Kaizer Motaung jnr of Chiefs came close with 12 goals, disturbing innit?
The runners up were,
Motaung, Jnr. Kaizer(SA) - Kaizer Chiefs: 12
Isaacs, Erwin Bradley(SA) - Santos: 11
Fanteni, Thembinkosi(SA) - Ajax Cape Town: 11
Sapula, Godfrey(SA) - Mamelodi Sundowns: 9
In 2005/2006 Absa Premiership season:
Mame Niang won it with 14 goals while playing for Moroka Swallows
The runners up were,
Alton Meiring(SA) - Golden Arrows: 13
Abram Raselemane(SA) - SuperSport United: 12
Christopher Katongo(ZAMBIA) - Jomo Cosmos: 11
Surprise Moriri(SA) - Mamelodi Sundowns: 11
In 2004/2005 Absa Premiership season:
Zambian striker Colins Mbesuma won the award with a whooping 25 league goals for Kaizer Chiefs, the highest number to break Fani Madida’s record of the most league goals in a season.
Sandile Ndlovu(SA) - Dynamos: 18
Lungisani Ndlela(SA) - Supersport United: 10
Mulondo Sikhwivhilu(SA) - Black Leopards: 10
Phumudzo Manenzhe(SA) - Orlando Pirates: 10
The disturbing thing here is not only the number of goals scored to win the award in the last 3 seasons, but the fact that not even one South African won the award. This has raised many eyebrows around the world and has caused for this doubt about our capabilities of producing the goods when the world show piece comes home next June.
So maybe now we can start breathing… agree?
But wait! The current league’s top goal scorer has never been called up to feature for Bafana…. Why has Henyekane not been called up by Santana and Pisto Mosimane? Topic for another day maybe?
Cheers for now, I need to get ready for work…
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April 6th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Well done to Richard Henyekane. Hats out to him a cut above the rest on the field scoring heat seeking goals into the net the only way to the top of the food chain in football, why he has never been called is a question that needs to be answered. Those of us that say the powers that be know what they doing well DO THEY really?.
C’mon guys someone there owes us some sort of an answer. Can you please shed some light? Listen POWERS THAT BE out there lets push up our players help them out we can only look better and yes we will look better in the public image and get more photos snapped (say cheese). Stop worrying who’s got a bigger pay check or rather my car is better than yours and my house cost more than yours. If we can’t hold it together when it counts when will it happen?
Good things are happening to us finally and you wonder why. Is it not obvious?
I say it’s about time. Well get your vuvuzela out gals/guys and let them hear us because they certainly goanna feel it on the field weather its my favourite team player or not Richard Henyekane should be called up its his time now to shine in the spotlight, open your eyes and stop walking around with blinkers for crying out loud
April 6th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Too much money has spoiled these boys, for them its no longer about passion of the game. In the eighties there was no money, yet goals were galore. Fani Madiba and Marks Maponyane should open a goals scoring academy…
April 6th, 2009 at 10:17 am
There should be a benchmark for a top goal scorer, only players with 30/more goals per season will be considered for an award. 15 goals is not good enough, too much sex and drugs…these boys are just fat cats.
April 6th, 2009 at 10:26 am
@Muzi,
At one point if I remember very well, last season when ABSA came in as sponosors of the leabue there we talks of such a bencmark and it was gonna involve a lot of money, somewhere in the millions…
April 6th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Morning gents,
The lack of development is the main cause of this problem here in SA, the fat cats of SAFA are sitting on their fat butts doing nothing about the future of the contry, the strikers are the very important players in the field of play and we should have special programs to irradicate this problem, including re shuffling SAFA
April 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am
@Zane,
My brother, unfortunately no matter how much we shout about the SAFA administration, no one seems to care, those guys will just sit there and much all the sponsors cash, nxxxx, SAFA is just…..
April 6th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Firstly great article calvin.
My thoughts on this matter is similar to Zane’s. Our strikers are simply just not good enough. The fact that we are celebrating breaking the 15 goal barrier is actually quite sad.
It may be a developement issue but at leat we can take comfort in the fact that even a country like England is struggling to produce 20 goals a season strikers.
My gut tells me that the players are not working hard enough at their games. They are comfortable picking up R20K a month, instead of working hard at improving their finishing. Practice Practice Practice. Teko Modise is one of the few local players that you can doing this. His technique is amazing.
These guys need to work harder at improving their game, then maybe we can have a 20 goal a season striker in Mzansi
April 6th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
@Ash, thanks for the comp,
You make a good point about players themselves putting in that extra effort, I mean somethings just have to be initiated by individuals themselves, i mean let me make an example, I am a developer right, if I want to be a better developer, I should take time learning and practicing new methods to become a better developer, I mean it goes for everything in life, if we want to be better at some, we need to work harder and not wait on our CEO or top officialls to do it for us, after all, at the end of the day the glory goes to the player himself…
April 6th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Exacly!
Hell if guys like Ronaldo can stay behind to work on his game I dont see why our boys can’t. Unfortunately the coach cant teach a striker how to finish. It should be second nature to him by the time he breaks into the first team.
I think some of the blame should be placed at the feet of our midfielders as well.
I was reading Kick off the other day and Sibusiso Zuma commented that the quality of final ball in the PSL is well below what he received in Europe. According to him in Europe 8 out of 10 times that he made a good run he whould receive a quality ball, whereas here in the PSL its something like 4 out of 10 times.
I think this is why we are struggling at National level as well. The quality of players that we are producing is way way belowe what guys like Nigeria ans Cameroon are producing.
The few guys that manage to get a deal overseas usually go to small European clubs like Maccabi Haifa for example.
April 6th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
hehehehehe, Eish Maccabi haifa has become a one stop club for SA player
January 19th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Exacly!
Hell if guys like Ronaldo can stay behind to work on his game I dont see why our boys can't. Unfortunately the coach cant teach a striker how to finish. It should be second nature to him by the time he breaks into the first team.
I think some of the blame should be placed at the feet of our midfielders as well.
I was reading Kick off the other day and Sibusiso Zuma commented that the quality of final ball in the PSL is well below what he received in Europe. According to him in Europe 8 out of 10 times that he made a good run he whould receive a quality ball, whereas here in the PSL its something like 4 out of 10 times.
I think this is why we are struggling at National level as well. The quality of players that we are producing is way way belowe what guys like Nigeria ans Cameroon are producing.
The few guys that manage to get a deal overseas usually go to small European clubs like Maccabi Haifa for example.