Welcome to this first edition of my new column, OFFSIDE TRAP. The purpose of this column is to bring to the table issues that affect the beautiful game, especially within South Africa. I will be doing exactly what the offside trap does, I will be discussing issues that I feel have been caught offside on a weekly basis. So sit back and try to enjoy as I give you my opinion on what I think killed the spark of the Soweto Derby.
Another much anticipated Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates took place on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium. For almost the fourth or fifth year in the row, this highly-rated match failed to live up to expectations. It was no surprise to wake up on Monday morning and read headlines like “Soweto Derby plays out to a dull draw”. The country’s top football radio talk show, the Discovery Sports Centre with Robert Marawa had people calling in, sending emails lambasting the Soweto derby. Basically people were saying that these derbies play out to draws because these modern players have no passion anymore and so a certain extent, they are right. But that’s certainly not the root of the problem because it’s hard to believe that players would form a caucus with the aim of ’showing no passion’ in the Soweto Derby. The root of the problem is bigger than that. Let’s get right into it.
Every football team has a coach, well, almost every football team I can think of has a coach and the purpose of this is for that coach to prepare the team mainly tactically for each opponent the team faces. This is no exception for the Soweto Derby and the two teams that participate in it. Players always try to play to the coach’s instruction, even though it’s not always the case, but the coach plans for the opponent and then selects his best eleven that he believes will deliver his tactical plan. The point I’m trying to get to here is that perhaps it’s not fair to have a go solely at players, when they are merely instruments that carry out the coach’s plans. But I’m also not necessarily saying that coaches should take the blame for the slump in the derby’s quality. But to a certain degree, yes, coaches need to take the blame.
Why coaches? It’s simple, look at the recent results, and all you’ll see is draws; mainly goalless draws. This only means that the coaches are resorting to ultra defensive tactics, they have become very conservative when it comes to this particular fixture. But would you really blame them? Here in South Africa, when you coach either Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates, there’s one match you CANNOT lose, and that’s the Soweto Derby, if you lose, the fans start baying for your head. The fact is we, the fans, have killed the spark of the derby, coaches have become unadventurous with the fear of losing their jobs. Basically the thinking in most supporters’ minds or should I say the mandate they give to the coaches is: “We don’t care if you don’t win us the league title; just win us the Derby, because we want the Soweto bragging rights”. In fact, saying this reminds of one coach who went by the name of Ernst Middendorp; when he coached Chiefs, he won almost every Soweto Derby fixture, but did he ever win the league title? Nope, did he win cup competitions? Sometimes. The bottom line here is that, as much as we might hate to hear this, the Soweto Derby is not really the bigger picture for any coach who seeks to achieve ultimate success with either one of the Soweto giants. While it’s nice to win the derby, it’s really not the ultimate; it’s just another game worth three points. Don’t get me wrong, this fixture holds a lot of pride, but it doesn’t win us the league title, and common knowledge would tell me that coaches are mainly mandated to win titles. Especially league titles, of which by the way neither of the Soweto giants have won in the past fours seasons.
So in conclusion of my first edition of the OFFSIDE TRAP, the person caught offside is the FAN. We keep pointing fingers at players, coaches etc. when we are the real problem. We are the ones who have built this perception that “You lose the derby, you are out”, so you cannot in you straight mind blame the coach or players who carry out the coaches plan. Coaches are conservative because they fear you’ll call for their head if they loose.
Till next time.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
Hard to disagree with you when you covered your angles so well.
I couldn’t believe my eyes the other weekend when some United fans attacked Neville for saying he won’t mind if Liverpool does another double over United – as long as United defends the title. Some idiots said they’d give up the title – as long as they beat Liverpool. How dumb is that?
So yeah- the fans need to take their slice of the blame. Another loss for Krol would’ve really put him on thinner ice…
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Great observations. I would call the obsession over winning the derby naive support of football. I call it that because we don’t really care about winning it, but losing it. And that forces coaches to be conservative and defensive in approach. Its about time for supporters to appreciate football and stop obssessing over the derby or it will lose its spark completely.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 am
Well I didn’t watch the game…I don’t entire agree with you Calvin, fans did what was expected of them to support their teams and filled up the stadium which is a norm in a derby. Now the rest was with players to deliver the results. Fan are passionate about their teams and only want goals. They have the right to complain if results are not forthcoming, since they’re the ultimate stakeholders as they pay to watch these games.
Say next time around the derby is played in an empty stadium, as a form of protest from fans, would you still shift the blame on fans when both teams play to a draw?
The current crop of players are not allowed to display their flair, since these foreign couches are big on turning skillful players into robots.
I don’t care who says what, but South Africa needs to play the South African type of football which was the order of the day in the 80’s. During a derby the entire Southern Africa would be glued to the game. Though I was young growing up in Swaziland…the support was unbelievable, everything came to a standstill just because of the commitment from players.
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:38 pm
@Muzi – I think you missed my point somewhere along my long piece, but I’m not disputing the fact that fans must go to stadiums and support their teams, but what I’m saying is that we as fans have almost made the derby an ultimatum in the coaches mandates, if Chiefs loose to Pirates, the coach gets fired, this is the reality…
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
hai Muzi..i have to disagree with you on this point bro “The current crop of players are not allowed to display their flair, since these foreign couches are big on turning skillful players into robots.”
LOCAL players are lazy and big headed.. once they get a lil shine [for eg, score 12 goals in 2 consecutive seasons, they think they have made it cos they have endorsements and have been called up for Bafana]
take Teko for example.. before all this fame, go 2 seasons back at Pirates, he was a rising star.. what has he done since? You cant blame the coach for that..
it’s his lack of ambition [if I can call it that] to constantly grow and reinvent himself.. as a player you rise and fall and rise again.. look at the christiano ronaldo’s/theiry henry’s, etc.., they have good seasos, bad seasons and better seasons.. Local players need to take control and friggen raise up their game!
As we all know, Teko has a creative role at Pirates, we can even say its almost similar to Ronaldo.. but Teko likes doing everything with flair.. most of the time lately he has been losing the ball and trying too much stuff.. on the other hand, Ronaldo will do his flair, maybe a bit too much but he still scores and creates! Was sir alex makin him a robot? Nah..
I doubt tht foreign coaches are not allowing our boys to play the way we used to.. basics, commitment, flair and a lot of hard work[running 20km per match non stop] and you ad passion, you will win games!
there’s nothing better in football than a quick one two and a through pass, then opening up for the same player you just passed the ball to give him an option.. look back at the pirates/chiefs game.. see how many times that happened? running into spaces is our problem too..
basics is best, and once you have mastered that, add flair to your game.. not the other way around.. most local players since our glory days have lost the meaning of team work.. its all about skill now to them, like you will take on players from the back and go and score a solo..
think back at sizwe motaung.. sizwe would make a run from the back, pass doctor, doctor lays it to shoes, shoes gives it back to sizwe [who is still running forward], who then does a quick pass to helman who gives it back to sizwe [still running forward], who then crosses the ball [that’s from right back to right winger and most of the time the ball involved sizwe some how.. not dribbling, but basics.. running, passing and creating options] how many of those plays did we do in SA bro? heaps.. then there was david nyathi.. you want to tell me clive barker came up with those plays? Hell no! it was the players.. as a player you also become creative.. if the tactics don’t work, you try something else.. a couch is only there as a guide!
theres certain instances where we can blame coaches.. but in most instances its the friggen players.. paid too much and them fools is lazy!