I'm sitting here writing this column on Wednesday morning, due to our print deadline, with Bafana Bafana playing Nigeria in the semi-finals of the Afcon tonight. I have a broad smile thinking about the way our team has put smiles on the faces of our people with their performances. This is exactly what we anticipated, at least some of us, and they've not disappointed. I knew Cape Verde would be the toughest opponent, looking at their performance throughout the group stage, but what a sterling performance by the boys! Credit to our skipper, Ronwen Williams, who surpassed my expectations in the penalty shootout by saving four out of five spot-kicks. This was history-making as no one has ever achieved that at Afcon or even World Cup stage. Yes, we play as a team, but individuals make a difference. There are so many unsung heroes in our squad, the likes of Mothobi Mvala, Evidence Makgopa, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Thapelo Maseko, Sphephelo Sithole, just to mention a few, and even guys sitting on the bench because they all play an equally important role in the team's success. I just hope the boys will book their place in the final for Maseko, who suffered an injury.
Doc answers your questions…
Please don't forget to send your questions to editor@soccerladuma.co.za for now, until further notice.
Mankhen Mboweni is asking if I think there is a major shift in continental football, seeing that the dominant North African teams failed to make the quarterfinals of the Afcon 2023?
I think it is difficult to put a finger on what really happened because, unlike past editions, this has been such an unpredictable tournament. There were a lot of upsets and I think the level of competition has really increased. However, I wouldn't go as far as saying the rest of the continent has caught up to the North Africans. Let's give it another two-three years and see what happens and maybe that will paint a clearer picture of what is really happening. A lot of people were left disappointed and surprised by what happened in this tournament and that's the most exciting part about it.
Gavin Ryan wants to know if the technical team decides who takes penalties during a shootout, players who stood out in penalties at training or players who volunteer to take spot-kicks?
I think it depends on every team and the circumstances because things change and happen so quick. One thing for sure is that everyone practices penalties because you never know how many you will have to take. Players vary in terms of confidence, some will raise their hand, while others will take their boots off even before a decision is made on who takes the first five penalties.
Being Doc
I guess I was always fortunate to be in a position to learn more and be surrounded by people who were so selfless. I've never stopped learning because I am always after any information that will make me grow and improve. I'm not doing it for the moment but to enhance my skills and knowledge, so that I can be the best version of myself. It starts with being honest enough to say to yourself, "I don't know and I'm open to being schooled." But if you think you know everything, then there's no room for you to learn.
Coaches I've worked with: He valued my input
This week, I will be telling you about a coach I worked with at Kaizer Chiefs. Someone who put a smile on the faces of the team's supporters and someone I had such a great time working with. We delivered on our mandate and I learned a lot from this gentleman. The manner in which he handled the team, treated and made everyone feel important and part of the team. I'd like to believe, as much as I learned a lot from him, he also learned from me. The guy I am talking about is none other than coach Stuart Baxter! When he arrived at Chiefs, I was already part of the senior team. Coaches sometimes bring their own assistant, but Stuart had to choose between me, Ace Khuse and Arthur Zwane as his assistant. Fortunately, he chose to work with me, not taking anything away from my two colleagues because they were very instrumental with their input and knowledge of the game. I was over the moon and overwhelmed when it was announced that he had decided to work with me. I was really taken aback because, except for the UEFA A interaction, where he was my instructor, he didn't really know much about me. Our first training camp was in Potchefstroom and what an experience that preseason was to all of us! Stuart was managing me, the rest of the technical team, backroom staff, the players and everyone around, ensuring that we all understood how he wanted things done and the team to play. Believe it or not, the way he presented his philosophy to everyone was so unbelievable! This was something new to me and everyone, including the players. The chemistry within the team, the way he brought team spirit and took care of the social factor was amazing.
The understanding, trust, belief and all those social factors were emphasized and we left the camp having developed so much, as we were all singing from the same hymnbook. I was not surprised at all when the team played so well and won his first league title. The other trophies he won were just an icing on the cake because it was a norm at the club to win trophies, which is something I made clear to him when we started working together. I told him about the time I signed my first contract with the club and the message was clear: Put a smile on the supporters' faces. He understood what I said and when we started playing in the MTN8, I could see everything we had done in pre-season manifesting itself in our competitive games. The positive energy, the trust and belief that was shared by everyone was unbelievable and something really beautiful to watch and experience. We lost Bernard Parker and Siphiwe Tshabalala through injury, and those were two of our best players. We had to bring in Mandla Masango, George Lebese and George Maluleka. Those boys delivered magnificently and it was such a headache to try and bring Parker and Tshabalala back into the team because of these boys' top performances. That goes to show that the coach had thoroughly prepared every player signed by Chiefs, not just his regulars. He knew winning the league was a journey, so he had to plan for every eventuality. We were covered for the journey, which was the league, and the short sprints, which were the cup competitions. When injuries and suspensions hit, we were covered because we had two-three quality players in each position. Every one of those players was equal to the task whenever called upon. Stuart always made it clear that he was only the head coach on paper. When it came to preparing the team, he emphasised that I should never be scared or hold anything back because he valued my input.
Doc's memory bank: There was something new to learn from that man
You would find that some players would be running a bit late for training and they were scared to call the coach and talk to him about it. So, they would rather call and ask me to please relay the message to the coach. If there is a traffic issue, there is no way the players will be able to 'escort' themselves out of traffic, so they will be affected, especially if it is three or more players coming from the same direction. Coach Stuart would listen to that and ask me to relay the message to the players who were on time and let them know that we would delay training a bit. That understanding and believing in his players went a long way in strengthening the relationship between the coach and the players. He respected everyone and was always curious to learn about different cultures, which was a pleasure to see. He needed someone who would guide him on certain things that he didn't understand and he was always willing to listen and learn. If, for an example, there was a bereavement in one of the players' family, there are certain things that we do and I would explain those to him. We played a Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates and I could tell that their plan was around closing Shabba down. Every time he had the ball, two players were always on top of him, closing him down and he would lose possession. In the second half, I told him, "Coach, Shabba is defending against us. Loss of possession means we are not getting anything from him, so let's replace him with George Lebese." He was like, "No ways! We can't substitute Shabba, these supporters would kill us." I tried to convince him again and he said, "Ok, go ahead and do the sub." I stood up and made the sub, Shabba couldn't believe his eyes when his jersey number was raised, as he was in the far corner. I signalled to him, "Come, boy! Come, boy!" and George went on and we beat Pirates with an assist from George. After the game, the coach was like, "Damn, Doc! You got it right boy, I owe you one, big time!" He took me to a nice restaurant in Hyde Park. That was the first celebration and that restaurant eventually became our spot for our celebrations.
Doc's Friend Zone
When we were not working and just chilling, there was a seriously funny side to coach Stuart that a lot of people didn't know of. He can be one of the funniest people around when the atmosphere allows. There is a song that the boys used to sing in the dressing room and, from nowhere, he kept nagging me to teach him this song. Now it got to a stage where he wanted to know and sing along to every song. He would catch maybe one or two words and it didn't matter what you were doing, he would be on your case to teach him the song. I really got to know Stuart better through working with him at Chiefs and that's when I realised the funny side to him, which I never thought even existed, to be honest with you. Coach Stuart was a calm and humble individual. We'd have dinner in camp around 20h00 and we would sit there until almost midnight listening to him telling us about English players or coaches. A coach who wore so many caps in the team and opened his heart to everyone associated with the club. He was all about unity and humility. Whenever we went to camp, we all knew there was something new to learn from that man. Coach Stuart will make you eat green, whether you like it or not, ha, ha, ha. For someone his age, he was so trimmed and I'd look at myself with my tummy and be embarrassed. That man manages his diet so perfectly and he inspired me to get fit and watch what I eat. I can write a book about working with that man because he was more than just a head coach. I believe if I worked with him for at least five years, I would have been far in my coaching. Thanks for everything, coach Stuart. You are a true gentleman and I appreciate everything you've done for me and all the lessons I learned.
