Ah, the good old goalscoring problem in South Africa. This is not an unfamiliar topic for Mzansi supporters. Many wonder where the next Benni McCarthy or Shaun Bartlett will come from. Maybe the question we should be asking is where is the old McCarthy and Bartlett, and why are they not teaching the current crop their old skills in front of goals?
This has been the suggestion from a few fans, and the logic is simple: we used to have players who could score goals at ease, and now we do not… So why don't we get the old dogs to teach the puppies some new tricks?
"Where is your Dr Khumalos, Jerry 'Legs of Thunder' Sikhosanas, Benni McCarthys?" Soccer Laduma website user Jodika asked.
"Why don't they choose strikers and train them? We have great goal poachers… I bet you Gabuza and Mabena can become a force if given the right guidance, that I would put my neck on a block for."
Perhaps it is time to get a strikers coach on the technical teams of our local sides, much like we have goalkeeping coaches, something that was a rarity not too long ago.
Here is an extract from a Mark Williams interview with Supporters Club on the topic:
"You must remember, all the strikers – from me, to Shaun, to Benni, to Fani Madida who couldn't play much because he had to compete with me – for all those guys, scoring goals was a gift. You will score goals year in and year out, but if you are not a natural striker, you will score one year and not the next. Like Katlego "Killer" Mphela. I mean, he was a top striker and he can't even find a team now. Bernard Parker also used to score a lot more…
"Look, one thing I should be doing is maybe opening an academy for strikers. I will test them, teach them the basics, how to turn, how to hold the ball, when to pass, where do you get the ball. So maybe I should be coaching strikers; give the boy to me and you'll see, in three months, he'll be a star."
Do you think our teams could use a strikers coach? Should our former legends take more of an active role in coaching and development?
