Monare was a major coup for Orlando Pirates at the time that he signed for them from the now defunct Bidvest Wits, especially because he had been linked with their closest rivals Kaizer Chiefs. We are talking here about a player that has consistently been up there among the best midfielders in the PSL in the last few seasons, with statistics to back this up. The Embalenhle-born player has hit the ground running at the Soweto giants, playing a pivotal role in their MTN8 triumph, although has a fight on his hands fighting for a place in Bucs' star-studded midfield. What are his early impressions of his coach, Josef Zinnbauer? What is it that attracted him to Pirates to the point that he did not think twice about joining them? Was joining Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC ever an option, after the Limpopo side bought the status of Wits and relocated? What does he make of the club's much talked-about result against Black Leopards? Monare answers these and other questions in a candid interview with Soccer Laduma.
By the end of today, Kaizer Chiefs will have played 12 league matches, and the Soweto giants are slowly starting to look like themselves again. That said, Gavin Hunt is still trying to implement his preferred style of play on the squad. In a feature comparing Amakhosi's stats last season at this stage and this season so far, we check out what has changed from when Ernst Middendorp was in charge. What is the team doing well and what are the areas of improvement? We can compare the stats by looking at passing and distribution, attacking threat, how many chances are being created and defensive performance levels. One crucial thing to keep in mind, though, is that Middendorp had a full pre-season before last season and had 14 league matches to get his feet under the table before the 2019/20 campaign got underway, while Hunt has not had that luxury. Either way, the numbers don't lie, and these stats say a lot about Amakhosi's progress so far this season!
Not many youngsters would forego the opportunity of representing a massive side like Mamelodi Sundowns when it is presented to them, but Mswati Mavuso is an exception to the norm. He was scouted for the Tshwane giants' development side as a teenager, but his desire for success saw him choosing to leave in search of regular game-time in the lower division. Come to think of it. Was that the right decision, though, seeing it took him until the end of 2020 to finally resurface in the elite division? He is now at Stellenbosch FC, looking to flourish as per his ambitions. Does he have any regrets about the choices he made? What happened after being linked with an overseas move? The 20-year-old former national U17 international discusses all of this in an interview with Soccer Laduma.
The Swallows FC attacker's unique goal celebration has piqued the curiosity of many South African football lovers, and he even had to apologise for it after doing it against Kaizer Chiefs earlier this season. After inflicting pain on both Amakhosi and Lidoda Duvha with his beautiful goals as The Birds finished 2020 unbeaten, Soccer Laduma caught up with the club's Tembisa-born attacker to find out about the controversy behind the goal celebration. While at it, the 30-year-old also speaks about the contractual challenges he had at Leopards, Swallows' impressive form and Brandon 'Brakkies' Truter's remarkable way of announcing his arrival in Mzansi's topflight.
In simple layman's terms, things just did not work out for Ndengane at Orlando Pirates, having joined from Bloemfontein Celtic in January of 2019. A lot was expected of the Khayelitsha-born player as central defence has always been a problem area for the Soweto giants, but he could not secure regular game-time and, on the odd occasion when he played, did not deliver to the expectations of the sometimes hard-to-please Ghost. Having had his deal terminated at the end of last season, Ndengane did not take a lot of time finding a new team, linking up with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC, for whom he has already played 11 games. In an interview with Soccer Laduma, he looks back on his time at Bucs and talks about the negative press TTM seem to be attracting since buying Bidvest Wits' status.
This week, we get the views of newly-appointed TS Galaxy head coach, Owen da Gama, who speaks about his early days in the hotseat and reacts to the weekend's loss to Chippa United. He also reveals his plans to bolster the team and where he feels his charges are lacking.
In this week's edition of the popular Siyagobhoza section, there is news about Orlando Pirates securing the future of one of their star players, a defender who could make the switch to Mamelodi Sundowns, the latest on Bernard Parker's future at Kaizer Chiefs, and more…
