Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Arsenal severely spears Spurs

When it mattered more to the fans than the title, Arsenal demolished Tottenham Hotspurs subduing fellow Londoners to total submission. Even by the massive and infinite stretch of imagination, Arsene Wenger and realistic fans were taken aback.

On a day when two rare occasions could happen simultaneously, the Arsenal hit the right notes exactly when Spurs were off-tune. To be polite, the Gunners torpedoed an intoxicated fly. They shelled an insect trying to deal with an overdose of a pesticide.

Not taking away anything from the realisation that they had muscle to do so, and actually went on to do so clinically ruthless, they deserve the praise. The biggest achievement was coming from 0-2 goals of the day, and levelled the matters 2-2 at half time.

There is no team that you know, that would not have played any better in the second half, against any team that played like Spurs. In brief, Spurs never had a proper save to make in that period. All the shots on target were goals. Actually, any meaningful attack ended as a goal.

Teams like Manchester United, City, Chelsea or Liverpool would have sent Friedel to the net more often. As soon as it was the second half, Tottenham Hotspur players arrived centuries after the ball had been passed in all their tackles. The challenges were clumsy and tackles pathetically wild.

After every inch of the referee's patience had been stretched to the limit, Scott Parker was red-carded. Like many unpunished crazy tackles before this unfortunate event, it was a straight-red card.

To sum it up, Spurs seemed drowsed in some intoxication of some sort. The Gunners should be applauded for finishing them up in style. As to whether that was enough to turn the corner, you need to be a football fan to make a fair assessment. As for the 'Gunner for Life' club, Arsenal are back.

Does one swallow make a summer? 

Monday, February 27, 2012

In their own words: Witness Munkuli

e-Diski: Hello Mr Munkuli.

Witness: Hie to you and the readers.

e-Diski: Tell me about yourself and where you are based.

Witness: I am Witness Munkuli, born on the 27th of April 1975. My home town is Binga but I live in Harare right now.

e-Diski: With your family?

Witness: Sure. I have four children.

e-Diski: Cool. And what are you doing now?

Witness: I am a goalkeepers' coach at Harare City FC.

e-Diski: Oh cool. Who is Harare City now?

Witness: We were in the First Division and we will be playing in the Premier League this season.

e-Diski: I see, that is great and all the best in that adventure.

Witness: Thanks.

e-Diski: What was your nickname?

Witness: Bapati.

e-Diski: Goalkeeper? How did you get it?

Witness: No. It means 'senior'.

e-Diski: Like Boss? Which language is that?

Witness: Hahaha. It is a Tonga word. I am a Tonga by tribe.

e-Diski: When was your defining or breakthrough moment?

Witness: It was in 1996 when I signed for Hwange F.C. I played in the Premier League for the first time.

e-Diski: Great. Where were you and what were you doing before then?

Witness: I was playing for ZESA Hwange in Division One.

e-Diski: Ok. What was your memorable moment?

Witness: When I had my first child in 1996.

e-Diski: Becoming a father for the first time?

Witness: Becoming a father for the first time.

e-Diski: Mmmm. Ok. What was your highest achievement or your proudest moment?

Witness: Playing for Caps United. I had a good time there. In 2004 we won the Championship, the Buddie Cup and the Unity Cup.

e-Diski: Wow! And then?

Witness: I was the 'Goalkeeper of the Month' six times and eventually crowned the 'Goalkeeper of the Year'.

e-Diski: Great indeed, and congratulations.

Witness: Sure and thanks.

e-Diski: So what made you achieve so much? What makes Witness tick?

Witness: It is the self-belief and determination. I drive myself to achieve my goals.

e-Diski: And what is your dream?

Witness: To be Warriors coach. I wish to coach goalkeepers for the Zimbabwe national team.

e-Diski: I wish you well, but how will you achieve it?

Witness: It will not be easy but I will have to work hard as I have always done at my club, to produce the best goalkeepers.

e-Diski: What was the regrettable moment in your life?

Witness: I had a very bad day in 2004. I let in four goals against Highlanders. It was embarassing.

e-Diski: Sorry about that. Who was your best teammate to play with?

Witness: It must have been Laughter Chilembe.

e-Diski: Ok and who was your toughest opponent?

Witness: I did not have tough opponent but I must say I respected strikers but did not fear them.

e-Diski: Sure. And so, what do you think of the game today?

Witness: I cannot say much about that.

e-Diski: Why?

Witness: There is a lot of corruption in the game today, and then the issue of racism in world football is a big concern.

e-Diski: I understand. Which is the best football team at the moment?

Witness: Real Madrid is the best team at the moment.

e-Diski: And the best player?

Witness: Sure Lionel Messi of Barcelona.

e-Diski: What music do you listen to?

Witness: I listen to Sungura music.

e-Diski: By?

Witness: The late Tongai Moyo. He was my favourite artist.

e-Diski: May his soul rest in peace. Which is your favourite movie?

Witness: I love Angeline Jolie's movies.

e-Diski: Pick one.

Witness: SALT.

e-Diski: Great. Thanks so much for the time and chat and all the best in everything you do and God bless you.

Witness: You are welcome and God bless you too.

Some of Witness Munkuli's team-mates at Hwange included the great Nation Dube, Charles Chilufya, Tavaka Gumbo, Brian Njobvu among a host of gifted players. Munkuli was a fine goalkeeper who could win a match single handedly on his day.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Snippet from the book: The Balanda brothers.


Mandla Balanda tinkled me with his game, like his brother Clement. They caressed the ball with their feet.

Mandla’s trickery included a backflip over the defenders’ heads and controlling the ball on the other side, fry his man and accelerate, wait for the defender and push the ball through his legs before sending him to the shops.

Clement had opponents showing him their shirt number, run over the ball and going in one direction and coming back to kind of polish the leather sphere. He would scoop the ball up and defenders would hold the ball by hands.

There are no words to describe what they could do. For Mandla, the misfortune with scoring made his career at Bosso shorter than it should have been.

Extracted from What Highlanders need right now!, available as an e-book on Amazon.com.)

Monday, February 20, 2012

In their own words: Dumisani Nyoni


e-Diski: Hello Dumi!


Dumi: Hello, I'm ok e-Diski, thanks. Sorry for coming to you a bit late.

e-Diski: No worries at all. Where are you?

Dumi: I'm still in Bulawayo, here in Zim.

e-Diski: Do you have any family?

Dumi: Yes I do. I'm married to Precious and we are blessed with 3 lovely kids, a boy and two girls.

e-Diski: That's really great. So, what are you doing now?

Dumi: At the moment I'm just running my construction and bore hole drilling company.

e-Diski: Wow, all the best with that. What was your nickname when you played football?

Dumi: My nick name was or is SAVIMBI.


e-Diski: Of course I remember. How did you get it?

Dumi: The no non-sence attitude during matches earned me that nick name.

e-Diski: When was your defining or breakthrough moment?

Dumi: My breakthrough moment was in 1984 in the Chibuku Trophy vs Bata Power at BF.


e-Diski: Where were you and what were you doing before then?

Dumi: I was at High School doing my O' Level.

e-Diski: What was your memorable moment?

Dumi: My memorable moment it's when we beat Go Mahia of Kenya in the Africa Cup Winners Cup 4-2 on aggregate. I was name Man of the Match.


e-Diski: Who was your best teammate to play with?

Dumi: My best teammate was Tobias Nyamudyambanje.


e-Diski: Ahh, ok. Who was your toughest opponent?


Dumi: I didn't encounter any tough opponents really, instead I was the one giving opposite strikers torrid times.

e-Diski: What do you think of the game today?

Dumi: The game today is more commercial these days and it is no longer interesting like it was many years before.

e-Diski: True that. It's like plastic, hahaha. Which is the best football team at the moment?


Dumi: At the moment Hwange F.C. is enjoying good administration and I commend them for a job well done. They have good support from the community and of course they are playing well.


e-Diski: Who is the best player?

Dumi: I rate Canaan Nkomo of Chicken Inn as one of the best players in the Castle Premier League.

e-Diski: What music do you listen to?

Dumi: I listen to Gospel Music.

e-Diski: Which is your favourite movie?

Dumi: The Spy Who Loves Me.

e-Diski: That's a nice one. And the actor?

Dumi: James Bond.

e-Diski: Thanks very much for your time and chat, and may God bless you.

Dumi: God bless you too and keep up the good work.

Dumisani Nyoni had a lot of pace and attacking initiative as a left back. The great part of the greatest ever Highlanders Football Club, he played alongside Titus Majola, Mercedes Sibanda, Peter Nkomo, Willard Khumalo, Madinda Ndlovu, to name but a few. He was probably the best defender in Africa in his position at that time. He is the father of the gifted Vusa Nyoni who plays football in Europe.

Friday, February 17, 2012

The inside story


The Bobby Circuit was a complete dynamic wholesome and rhythmic group exercise that catered well for a huge number of people.

Paired according to size, stamina and speed, players would jog thrice or so around the pitch in two rows.
The leading pair would sprint for about 10 metres and then revert to the jog, and then the next two would do the same overtaking the leaders, and keep a 10-metre distance ahead of the leaders and so forth until the leaders were in their initial leading position.

Next, in similar fashion, it would develop into a zigzag sprint until, again, the leaders were ahead of the pack and every pair had their turn. The leaders determined what came next and they would wait until all had their turn.

Those in front would then bend over, feet astride for the next pair to jump over them. The third pair would jump over the first and crawl under the next two, all at very high pace.


The over and under pattern would repeat itself until the leaders were in front and everyone was done.
The next exercise entailed the front pair sprinting 10 metres and then lay on their stomachs flat on the ground, heads towards each other but creating a 1-metre wide corridor, and the next two doing the same and laying about 2 metres further. This allowed the whole crew to sprint at full stride over an array of flat bodies.

Then the leading pair knelt on all fours, facing each other with about a metre space in between them.
The following pair hopped feet together over the human obstacles and kneeling on all fours in the same manner leaving enough space for one to hop over once without hurting anyone. The routine went on until the leaders were in front and everyone had their turn.

The benefits of this complete physical condition and cardiovascular and respiratory preparation, was harmony amongst players, as the exercise was such fun. There would be enough recovery time after each bout of exercise. Pairs always enjoyed competing.

(Extracted from What Highlanders need right now!, available online as an e-book for between $9.99 and $11.99 depending on where you are).

Thursday, February 16, 2012

AC Milan assassinate Arsenal 4-0

Failure to place basic football components together in the correct order proved a fatal demise of Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League against AC Milan at the San Siro.

The alarmingly slow transition in converting from defence to attack just stuck with the Gunners as their seemingly super glued stunts gifted Milan with generous scoring opportunities.

On numerous occasions, the man on the ball took far too long to release the next player when it attack, allowing the Italians ample time to regroup and shape up.

The average decision-making became increasingly erratic and very much delayed in all departments, especially in midfield. The poor defending principles were obviously encouraging AC Milan and retreating to wrong areas did not help Arsenal's cause.

Too much spaces in defensive situations and poor take-off by the flat-footed Arsenal defenders resulted in the porous and stagnant shapes between the central defenders and the wing defenders as seen in the goals scored and missed clear-cut chances by Milan.

Playing too square and ignoring the blind side, the Londoners were found wanting for pace and ball watching. They seemed content dangerously zonal marking in the defending third.

The defense to attack conversion naturally failed to fatten the supply line in either channel and the numbers thinned in the attacking third.

Lack of crosses in attack saw the Gunners rarely threatening the relaxed Milan defence. There was never a squeeze or telling pressure to cause anxious moments for the hosts.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho had a field day running rings around Bacary Sagna, Karen Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen. Nocerino spent a good night supplying Kevin Prince Boateng with first class passes.

The goals came from Boateng (15 minutes), Robinho (38 and 49 minutes) while the 80th minute penalty by Ibrahimovic sealed the Gunners agony.

Thierry Henry bid farewell as he returns to the New York Red Bulls.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

How Zambia lifted the AFCON Cup


The Zambia national football team landed in the country with the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, after becoming the 17th team to lift the trophy since 1957. The attachment of the historical victory to tragedy of the Libreville coast of Gabon disaster of 27 April 1993, in which the 18 of the Zambian's finest players perished, is overplayed after the win as it was before the tournament. The Zambia Football Association is the only survivor of the air crash, Kalusha Bwalya.

Bwalya played his football in Mexico then and his travel schedule meant he would meet his teammates in Senegal for a World Cup qualifier. The emotions and thoughts of the sons of the soils inspired a fine performance to the Southern Africans and against the fancied West Africans. The effect lasted in the hairs of the skin just a psychological advantage, that is all.

Chipolopolo (the Copper bullets) has three AFCON final appearances to its credit. They lost in the Tunisia 1994 edition final that followed the air disaster. Bwalya le the youthful inexperienced cadres against the odds.

The current campaign that led to the victory against the much fancied and flamboyant Ivory Coast, is not an out of the blue once in a moment show by Chipolopolo. In Seoul 1988 Olympic games, the national under 23 recorded a sound 4–0 victory over Italy. The FAZ Chairman, Bwalya netted thrice.

After the disaster, the nation seemed to have kept mourning forever. The air disaster became a noble excuse for lack of success. This was always highlighted despite the 1994 performance which was actually 'emotionalised' as the current victory. Zambia played their best football two years on and were ranked 15 in the FIFA rankings in 1996.

The current manager, Frenchman Herve Renard coached Chipolopolo a couple of years and left for Angola. Bwalya took the FAZ chair and ran after Renard, convincing the man to return to Lusaka. The two seemed to fit like hand and glove and their work ethic became a lubricate of the cog that Chipolopolo's game pivoted on. 

Zambia won the African Cup of Nations on Sunday as you may know by now, after the nerve wrecking  penalties 8-7 at Stade de l'Amitie, not because of the 1993 air disaster, Bwalya or Renard. Zambians, like Zimbabweans, are just talented. They had the ability to play football. What Bwalya did, was to make the environment conducive for players to play without worry. Renard prepared the team very well. The disaster brought in the psychological element of the game, but the players deserve it.

They played football, fought duels, won tackles and defended solidly and scored the goals. Chipolopolo technique matched or surpassed any other team. They played the final with an enjoyable spirit of stylish moves and trickery to wow the crowd. Their pace and attacking prowess would fool one as a passing phase to fade into thin air of the dark night.

The rest of the issues were extras that may not always help anyone. It is never a forgone conclusion that if a team dies the next generation will win the AFCON. Many African nations would kill their own. It is only football that wins matches. Not managers, not coaches, and not juju. Playing very well pays.

There is no guarantee that if Zimbabwe or South Africa buy and use Kalusha Bwalya, they will win the FIFA World Cup. Renard himself was assisted in Ghana and boss in Angola, but it had to be Zambia in 2012. Only when the game is played well in all facets, does it involve good fortune. 

Many would dwell on the 'what might have beens.' The Ivorians and their supporters, the nay sayers and the unschooled would tell you that the 70th minute penalty miss but Didier Drogba of Chelsea was the turning point. It would be logical to agree. On the night, Ivory Coast would have been awarded a dozen penalties, they would have lost that match. If 22 dropped from the sky, Zambian players would have two ball each and that is exactly what happened.

One would have to ignore the crucial second minute Boubacar Barry save that the Ivorians survived. If the Zambians played a non-African team, it would even make more sence that witchcraft would have moved the goal post in the 85th minute for the Chris Katongo strike to curve around the post into the net to seal the victory.

There would never be anything obvious and the value of the match would not be diluted by the obvious cases. It would never be special. The climax needed to be explosive. It became mega explosive. Many still nurse a headache from the tension of the match. I do and hopefully I will have a good night sleep sometime soon.

While Chipolopolo were relaxed and entertaining the crowd with their fancy footwork, they appeared determined to keep solid and they did that very well. It was a game they knew they could play, and they did. 

All the basics were spot on to the letter. The team never lost shape and there was no respect of persons. Teams squaring against Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kaloe, Didier Zakora, Koloe Toure and Gervinho among others would wet themselves in the morning. Real Madrid, Manchester, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Marsellie or Barcelona would have loose bowels. 

The basic value of the whole team surpassed that of Arsenal and the bottom half of the English Premier League teams combined. Zambia could be worth the Gunners' reserve team. Yaya Toure's weekly salary would feed the whole Chipolopolo team with their families for a year. 

Zambia contended with Ghana, themselves favourites, beat charging Sudan, thrushed and eliminated fancied Senegal and dispatched co-hosts, Equatorial Guinea. It was a very bumpy ride but the victory was sweeter.

When it comes to football, closing the right spaces and opening the necessary crevices as a collective, precise passing and ball reception skills and the correct mental frame of mind count for millions. 

Kalushya Bwalya knows the life of the players. He knows their salaries. We may never know their bonuses for the victory. They may get great contracts overseas. Bwalya and the government will reward them well. Very well.

Cometh the moment, cometh the Chipolopolo.

Monday, February 13, 2012

In their own words: Lloyd Jowa


e-Diski: Hello Mr Jowa.

Lloyd: Hello Tse Ndex... how are you

e-Diski: Where are you?

Lloyd: I'm currently based in UK.

e-Diski: Do you have any family?

Lloyd: Yes I have a family. I live with them here.

e-Diski: What are you doing now?

Lloyd:  I'm currently working and studying.

e-Diski: What was your nickname when you played football?

Lloyd: Mcgyver, they called me Mcgyver.

e-Diski: How did you get it?

Lloyd:  It came about because I used to do tricks in the field, the same as Mcgyver in the TV Series.

e-Diski: When was your defining or breakthrough moment?

Lloyd: For me, it was breaking through to the Zim Saints first team.

e-Diski: Where were you and what were you doing before then?

Lloyd: I was still doing my secondary education.

e-Diski: What was your memorable moment?

Lloyd: The memorable moment must have been my debut. The very first time being selected for the senior team. We played against Black Aces.

e-Diski: What was the regrettable moment?

Lloyd: That would definitely not winning the All African Games 1995.

e-Diski: It was a great performance that will not be forgotten by all who watched the Games. Who was your best teammate to play with?

Lloyd:  There were plenty. I will mention Nkosana Gumbo, Matambanashe Sibanda And Muzondiwa Mugadza.

e-Diski: Who was your toughest opponent?

Lloyd: I would cope with any opponent Strikers really.

e-Diski: What do you think of the game today?

Lloyd: The game today needs a lot of investment from junior levels. Development is lacking yet it is the essential component of the overall picture.

e-Diski: Which is the best football team at the moment?

Lloyd: Barcelona. They play very well.

e-Diski: Who is the best player?

Lloyd: Lionel Messi.

e-Diski: What music do you listen to?

Lloyd: I listen to R n B.

e-Diski: Which is your favourite movie?

Lloyd: Godfather.

e-Diski: Great movie that. Thanks very much for your time and chat, and may God bless you.

Lloyd: God bless you too.

His daughter Vicky,  sent her regards to all the e-Diski family and said, 'Thank you for interviewing my daddy'. Jowa played a pivotal role in the Zimbabwe Saints central defence. He was a pillar of strength alongside Methembe Ndlovu, Engelbert Dinha, Stuart Murisa and Alois Bunjira among others in the 1995 All-Africa Games when they picked up a silver medal.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Should I send my CV to England?

The Zambians booked a fantastic historical berth into the Africa Cup of Nations final against the best African team, Ivory Coast, after beating favourites, The Black Stars of Ghana. The emotional final will be played at the graveyard of the greatest ever Zambian team that perished in a plane crash in Gabon in 1993. 

Besides the exciting launch of What Highlanders need right now!, the England captain, John Terry became the centre of attraction after being stripped of the armband by the Football Association and the England manager, Fabio Capello resigning as a result, was an icing on the cake.

The freshly acquitted Harry Redknapp, who was on trial over a tax-evasion case, expressed never thinking about the job of taking over England, saying his focus was on Tottenham Hotspur. While he feels obliged to return the favour of the support of the White Hart Lane family, it is a very strong temptation that many believe he will not resist for long. It could wait until the end of the season, as he takes a shot at the English Premiership title with Spurs. 

The managerless and skipperless England have SOSed Stuart Pearce, the under 23 manager, to take care of the team while due process to appoint a suitable replacement takes place. Pierce was England's left back for a long while in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His swerving free-kicks were the best seen at the time, comparing closely with greats like Ronald Koeman, Hristo Stoichkov and George Hagi. 

The last weekend had an Arsenal walloping some sorry boys by 7-1 with Thierry Henry scoring for the 228th time for the Gunners. Manchester City opened up a 3 point gap at the top of the table as Manchester United stunned Chelsea with the come back from behind of the century. From 0-3 down to a 3-3 is a sweet-sour situation for Sir Alex Ferguson, as conceding should be taboo, but it was three. Applauding the recovery is like heaping praise of a fool that successfully stopped bleeding of the stump of his foot that he cut.

Spurs were the generous self, having failed to beat City last week, they donated points at Anfield against Liverpool and surrendered the advantage to United. The 0-0 draw was in the interest of the Red Devils and it is high time Harry Redknapp turn in the throttle screw.  

Highlanders Football Club elected a new Chairperson of the Executive Committee that runs the daily affairs of the club. Peter Dube, the former secretary of Bosso took over the hot seat from Themba Ndlela. The excitement of the whole deal fell flat as the realisation that the club and the team remained the same despite the leadership, when BMC of Botswana beat Amahlolanyama 2-1 at Luveve Stadium.

Zimbabwean football suspended a lot of ASIAGATE players from the national team. The players are said to have accepted cash to fix matches. While the FIFA verdict is still pending, the said players would still feature for their clubs and hopefully they may be pardoned and not have to face jail terms.

As something the Zimbabwean game has taught the South African counterparts, the match-fixing allegations haunted Mzansi for sure as accusations and counter-accusations littered the media. 
The unfortunate match-fixing allegation centred around Bafana Bafana macthes against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala. The same issues haunted the local game in circumstances that led to the suspension of players and officials a few seasons back. 

Zimbabwe's Norman Mapeza and Joe Antipas have been also linked to the Asiagate and hence, that nation appointed Rahman Gumbo to lead the Warriors for the meantime while ZIFA try to engage a German coach.

Reciprocally, the northern neighbours football need to make a carbon copy of the fun fare seen when Orlando Pirates celebrated their 75th birthday. The glitz and glamour was Hollywood quality and so emotional that the Iron Duke,Irvin Khoza cried a river. Since when have teams like Highlanders FC cried tears of joy? It is possible. It may be What Highlanders need right now!.

Friday, February 10, 2012

The truth of the Bosso book


The best things are happening to the club almost at the same time. The recently launched e-book, What Highlanders need right now! (CLICK THE LINK), has the potential to help the team finances if looked at objectively with all honesty. The book is basically the brief history of the club, the most popular posts about the club and team from this blog and a strong appeal to get fans out of their butts and work for Highlanders FC in their own way, where they are and for 12 months every year.

The e-book is available world-wide and the print version will be available soon. The book sale is a personal project about the club and by goodwill, the profit of between 35 and 70 % will be shared with the club at a 50% rate. As one goes through the book, it goes without saying why it is worth every penny. The 50% royalty to the club is a huge bonus which will be improved by the responses.

From my as a gardener, then a teacher, a locomotive mechanic, a football coach, a business person and salesman, going by the norms were my weaknesses. Conventional methods were always complicated and I think my progress in all spheres of life basically resulted from the principles. The debate of how one contributes to the success of the team could end here, even though the marketing may be unconventional. 

As honourable as the questions of how anyone can be sure if the club gets its share, understanding that from where one is, cash for personal entertainment will end up in the club's coffers is prudent. While efforts are underway to get the official position of the club to endorse the personal project for marketing purposes, at this point, it should be treated like any recording of the club song by any artist, only that in this case, the net profits enrich the club.

The undertaking comes at several attempts I made for the benefit of the club and the multitude of fans. A couple of years ago, I opened a well designed blog for the club, THE BOSSO BLOG which has since been de-registered for inactivity, for which I gave the big fishes the passwords to run it as they saw fit. Less enthusiasm encouraged me to run the blog myself for the club, provided the club could provide the information. The success was as uplifting as moving mountains.

Without losing hope, attempts to source relevant updates were rock-hard but I managed to squeeze a few grapevine stories which were sometimes be inaccurate. Those attempts will not lie down as I will not give up. All attempts are for the love and worthy cause of the team. In trying to group and mobilise, different opinions and conflict of interest always meant less progress and even retardation of mechanisms in place. The natural instincts for me are always to troubleshooting and brainstorming.

When it comes to such issues, nothing stops me. At this point, my part is done. You can play yours or dismiss it. Only the action oriented can be assets. The best part of the project is, to have a an attitude of just buying a book. That makes the purchaser lose absolutely nothing. Without the wait and see stance, does not really do much for the team or the author, nor indeed the buyer. All that can happen is other teams to be at the forefront of their similar projects and succeed.

At this moment in time, the encouragement I should be giving the reader is that the book is an excellent product for personal consumption. It would be more easier for many to confirm and prove what percentage of sales the club would actually get and that the club to confirm an official position. As certain as one can be, the executive is not obliged to endorse the project. It would naive to think the club would shun a donation, in which case I the Highlanders Academy or something like that would really utilise the funds, maybe the Legends.

Some faithful fans have branded the idea 'Awesome', being encouraged by the fact that it's a Kindle book that can be used on several mobile devices. It will be easy to pick journalistic flaws and professional author touches, but one will surely feel the passion.

At this point, pledging the support of the new executive led by Peter Dube is the least the supporters can do. The present Highlanders' executive's deputy is Sikhanyiso Moyo, secretary-general Andrew Tapela, Odiel Nkomo, the treasurer, and new committee member Charles Moyo. While their debt and budget deficit problems are minimal, they need a lot of cash to function to a level where the only worry will be the results.

The executive reportedly supported the technical department while still looking at the details of the situations at hand. There has been calls to appoint Willard Mashinkila Khumalo as the new Highlanders Academy Director to work with our junior coaches and help advising our senior coaches on academy players who would be ready to be promoted for first team.

Academy players like Mgcini Sibanda, Arnold Ndiweni and Knox Mutizwa gave a good accounts of themselves in th match they played last Sunday. Much of the second half had nothing to write home about until perhaps the introduction of these juniors. Even Bruce Tshuma who came in for Brighton Choto did well but it was the youngsters who stole the limelight with some forgotten dribbling skills that saw the few fans who were there cheering and some vuvuzelas suddenly being blown.

While other sentiments to have ceremonial Chief Executive Officer are doing rounds for the fans, it may not be a priority and the new members will be worried about familiarising themselves with the conditions on the ground.

CEO position has been thought to be best suited for Themba Ndlela or Kenny Ndebele, which would bring some conflict of interest according to some opinions. All such issues run away from the point of making money for the club. These CEOs would be employees who have to be paid. As a new Bosso culture, let our line of thought be towards putting money into the club and not drawing from the team's account. It starts with your purchase What Highlanders need right now! (CLICK THE LINK) and encouraging everyone else to do the same.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Peter Dube is Highlanders' new boss.

Following a rather tumultuous tenure by Themba Ndlela, Peter Dube stepped up and got the confidence of the voters in an election held at the Highlanders Club House. The Highlanders Football Club elections followed the Annual General Meeting at the same venue a week ago.

Peter Dube beat the incumbent by 184 votes to 143 while Mandla Moyo amassed 23 votes. The outgoing Chairman, Ndlela pledged to support the newly elected Dube and his committee.
Ndlela had taken a debt ridden Highlanders FC that faced legal actions over unpaid bills and wages and the Club property attached by the Deputy Sheriff.

Andrew Tapela beat Emmett Ndlovu and Donald Ndebele to retain his Secretary General portfolio. Tapela received 153 votes to Ndlovu 147 and 55 for Ndebele.

The committee member position went to Charles Moyo with 130 votes while Wisdom Mabhena got 122 compared to D Mabhena who managed 99.

The new beginning for the oldest football club benefited from the balanced committee as Dube will have to work with those with inside information. This is expected to provide smooth hand-over and take over.

In a match played at Luveve Stadium after the elections, Highlanders went down fighting against BMC of Botswana. Bosso trailed by an odd goal until an equaliser promised to balance up things. There was going to be a surprise winner for the visitors as the new chairman watched his charges for the first time after taking over the hot seat.