Mediocrity the common denominator at Pirates

Finally, Owen da Gama has buckled under pressure at Pirates and resigned, notwithstanding his constant ‘we are building for next season’ theme. His departure for me is not just another coach leaving Pirates, but rather it is a manifestation of deep-rooted problems in that team. It must be said, though, that the more significant development is the news that 15 players have been transfer-listed. It seems the management at Pirates has finally realised that Pirates was becoming a big club in name and support only, with no on-the-field glory to justify their premier status in South African football. A big team such as Pirates should be winning cups, challenging for the league, and ultimately, should compete in Africa.

The lack of winning culture at Pirates became more evident than ever last season. The team has just finished their worst season since the inception of the Premier Soccer League. They had to beat Amazulu in the last game of the season to sneak into the next year’s edition of the SAA Supa 8. This, for a team at some stage was in a position to make a serious challenge for the premiership title. They somehow fell along the wayside and constant justifications by Coach da Gama, who seemingly is rather good at manufacturing excuses, that his mandate was to build a solid team for next and finish in respectable position, seemed to have inculcated complacency instead of averting it. Now that’s the ‘philosophy of a loser’ that Jose Mourinho, in reference to Chelsea’s season of near-wins was talking about. Looking at what Pirates have at the moment, he cannot claim to have built a solid team that can challenge for the league come next season.

Another season without silver has dictated that Pirates management does something if they are to regain their glory status. Changes were inevitable; it was just a matter of when and where those changes will take place. As is often the case in South African football, the coach was the first to depart. Then followed the mass exodus of 15 players. In any other team, transfer-listing 15 players would be a shocking development; more shocking than Morgan Tsvangirai being arrested twice in a week. But this is Pirates we’re talking about; they had an oversized squad. Actually, I had forgotten that some of the players in that list are Pirates players (think Cavaan Sibeko, Mpho Rashete, Gerald Modabi, Tebogo Mashaba and Gary McNab — was he not retired?).

Having a huge squad is not entirely a problem on its own, the quality or lack thereof is the problem. In the case of Pirates, their last season’s squad just lacked quality. Take Teko Modise away from that team and you will be left with a mixture of the promising/good players (Walaza, Thwala, Mdledle, Chenene); redundant players with no progress (think Joseph Makhanya, Lebo Mokeona); over the hill players (Tico-Tico; Lucky Legwathi, Mushangazike) and just average players that do not deserve to play for the only team in Mzansi to win the champions league. Thus I suppose whoever decided to release these players should be commended for diagnosing the first main problem plaguing that team.

What Pirates still lack though is visible leadership. The team desperately needs to feel the leadership void caused by Khoza’s absence. Kaizer Motaung and Patrice Motsepe are both regular sights when their team plays. Motsepe is a billionaire, for crying out loud, and is able to accommodate Sundowns in his presumably busy schedule; surely Khoza can try and be more of a father to his team. He can always go to Benni McCarthy for fathering lessons. He showed the rest of the country what a good father he is by snubbing the national team to ‘spend’ more time with her lovely daughter.

Khoza can do what most chairmen often do, appoint a competent chief executive to manage the daily operations of the team. The last time I checked, Floyd Mbele was disguised as Pirates CEO, but from what one read from the press he wasn’t doing much, or wasn’t allowed to do much. One constantly heard players and the coach saying they are waiting for Khoza to squeeze them in his hectic schedule so they can discuss administrative issues such as contracts with him. So if the team chief executive does not even deal with players’ contracts, and players are forever told to make appointments with the chairman, what does he do then?

The appointment of competent administrator/s must be followed by intelligent signings. Pirates must stop signing free agent players just because they are out of contracts. They have the financial muscle to compete with any team in the transfer market. The team has more sponsors than they could print them on their jersey; this must become evident as they buy more quality.

The lack of leadership at management structure is more pronounced than ever, it’s pretty much the same on the field as well. Ask anyone who is a Pirates captain and you are likely to get one of the following names Teko, Mdledle, Lucas Thwala, and Seema amongst others, since they were at some point during the season captaining the team. Since the departure of Tso Vilakazi, who in my view is an excellent leader with a winning mentality, Pirates have not been the same. This just indicates how much work the next Pirates coach will have on his hands.

Nevertheless, whoever becomes the next coach must be able to infuse a winning culture, which is desperately lacking at the moment. To get a stronger Bafana team, we need all our big teams on board. The potential for Pirates to be a continental powerhouse is immense; it just needs be cultivated prudently.