To this day, Robson Muchichwa holds a special place in the hearts of many Kaizer Chiefs supporters, after making a big impact in the famous gold and black jersey in the late 90s.
Soccer Laduma went back into time with Muchichwa to talk about how he made his move from Qwa Qwa Stars to Chiefs back in 1997.
The years
I joined Chiefs from Qwa Qwa Stars in 1997. I left Chiefs in 2001 to Ria Stars. I think I felt that I made a good impact at Qwa Qwa Stars and at Chiefs. I won silverware with both teams. I had a good time at Chiefs.
How the move happened
The boss of Qwa Qwa Stars, the late Bra Mike (Mokoena) is the one who communicated with Kaizer Chiefs. I was called in by him to tell me that Kaizer Chiefs were interested in me. I said if he did not mind me joining Chiefs, then I would love to go because I wanted to play for a big team. That's how I joined Chiefs in 1997. The feeling of signing for Chiefs was exciting. If you are playing for one of the biggest clubs that has history, it was a good opportunity, especially coming from a smaller club to a big club. Playing for Chiefs also opened up the door for me to play for the (Zimbabwean) national team, so it was a good move for me.
My first day at Chiefs
I can remember how nervous I was. There was nerves because I was joining a big club. It was not like it was a normal thing because I was meeting different type of players. At the time, Chiefs were doing so well and I was joining a club with history. I did not want the legacy of Chiefs to die in my hands, so I was motivated to work hard and make a contribution to the team and for us to bring silverware. I did not want our era to be remembered for not achieving, like what has been happening over the last few years. It's bad for Chiefs right now and I don't think the players are enjoying their football much. They are not carrying the legacy very well, which is difficult. To play for a club like Chiefs, you need to pull up your socks and you need to protect the history that has been there. But going back, when I joined, there was a new coach in Paul Dolezar and I clicked with him.
Who was in the team
I don't know if I remember everybody, but there was a lot of quality. Brian Baloyi was there, Neil Tovey, Humphrey Mlwane and Jacob Tshisevhe. We had the Namibian guys Mohammed Auseb and Robert Nauseb when they came in. We had Thabo Mooki and the late Banda (Thabang Lebese) and the late Marc Bachelor. The likes of Pollen Ndlanya and Mark Williams were there. We had Frank Makua. Those are the players I played with. It was a good team and to fit in to that team, you need to be at your best because there was competition. You had to work hard to keep your place. I think these days players get to Chiefs so easily and I think that's why they are not hungry enough. The competition we had kept me on my toes.
The best player I played with at Chiefs
It's a difficult one to pick because I played with so many good players there. I played with star players like Doctor Khumalo, Thabo Mooki, Thabang Lebese and Marc Bachelor. So, it's not easy to pick one from the guys I played with. We were a strong team and playing with them was such a pleasure.
Most memorable moment
When you win silverware, it's special. We brought some silverware to the team, but we unfortunately could not win the league because we were runners-up. Winning the Rothmans Cup was a great feeling, with such a huge amount of money back then. It was something special. We won the Rothmans Cup twice, so that was special.
Lowest moment
My lowest moment was when a new coach came in and I was not part of his plans. It was Muhsin Ertugral and you could see that I was not in his plans. I felt that I could not be a bad player overnight, especially because he did not know me much. I think he did not use the proper coaching criteria. He found me there and the history I had made with Chiefs was there. I was sidelined, so for me that was the lowest moment. I did not know what the problem was, so that I could fix it. I didn't play under him and that caused me to end up leaving Chiefs.
