HE DESERVES TO BE THERE
Dikgang Mabalane - Former Orlando Pirates winger
I think he deserves to be there, that's for sure. Yes, there are games where you wonder if you should put him there, but I think those games are fewer than the ones where he was outstanding. Also, all of Pirates hopes are almost on him. When you remove him in attack, then who do you have? He has influence in the game and he has been contributing and I am sure he will be a player that comes up when you consider those things, more than others. He just needs to be consistent for the remaining weeks of the season. Sometimes for him, it's something that disturbs him, but if he can be consistent and ride on the confidence and momentum, then he will be in a good position. He should not put too much pressure on himself because that would be counter effective. He should play like he is not aware of all this talk about winning the award, even though it's going to be difficult because he plays for a club where people are always going to talk about you. He needs to find a way not to put pressure on him. He should find distraction that's going to be a positive distraction because sometimes these things can go to a player's head very easily. You go to the township and people talk about you. You can't escape that, so he needs to find the right distraction.
WHAT HAS HE DONE?
Thulasizwe Mbuyane - Former Orlando Pirates striker
What has he done to deserve player of the season? Is Pirates winning the league? Yes, they can select him as the player of the season at Pirates, but not for the league. You've got guys who are performing week in and out who are playing for Mamelodi Sundowns and they are winning. You are only player of the season once you bring something to the team. Yes, he scores, but the performance which stands out for me, is the one against Sundowns in the MTN8. From there, he has been ordinary. He is excelling, but he is an ordinary player for me. I think it would be unfair to put pressure on the boy and say already in his first season at Pirates he should win player of the season. I doubt he would make it as a candidate for player of the season, but you know how football is in South Africa. You never know, but the reality is that there are guys who are doing well and they should not put pressure on this boy. He should just enjoy his first season at Pirates and then from there, with consistency, then maybe he can challenge. For now, I feel he is player of the season at Pirates, not for the league. He can build on from this season.
TOO EARLY?
Thapelo Liau - Former Orlando Pirates midfielder
For me, I think it's still too early to decide. But he has been consistent up to now and I think he is the favourite, to be honest. It's still early, but I think it's going to be tight between him and (Cassius) Mailula and you can also see that Peter Shalulile is trying to finish the season on a high. Shalulile is back and Teboho Mokoena has shown a high level of consistency at Sundowns, so that's why feel that it would be tight. So, I feel that it would still be early to decide if Saleng would win it. For me, it's Saleng, Mailula, Shalulile and Mokoena. The one thing I like about Saleng as an offensive player is that he is effective. He is brave, he is not afraid to take chances. When you watch Pirates, you can see the person who wants to score is Saleng and that's what I like about him as a player. If he is in a one-on-one situation with an opponent, he is prepared to take risks. He is not the type of player who would turn back and pass the ball backwards. He understands that, as a winger, he has to take players on and he likes to shoot. For him to win the award, the advice I'd give him is to remain consistent. He should not lose his form and he must keep on scoring goals. It's important. He must not relax and he must understand that he is up there (for the award).
