UEFA Champions League 2017 final tonight - Ronaldo and no Messi

The UEFA Champions League 2017 final in Cardiff between Real Madrid  and Juventus brings the year's football fixtures to a close in grand style. In tonight football, there is Ronaldo and no Messi.

The analysis of football tonight will centre around different brands of the game the fast defensive Italian football with swift precise counter attacking and the solid systematic attack of the Spanish.

It must be said that Real have a lost a second or so in their speed of attack and became a calculating force of destruction. This is due to the aging of the Ballon' Dor winner who now plays more with head than feet.

Without the brute force of Athletico Madrid, the cunning nature of FC Barcelona, both protagonists ooze confidence as their capability to dish out the two elements is common knowledge.
 
This Champions league brings few things to the fore. Zinedine Zidane, like many Spanish managers fast-tracked into greatness, has people talking of him as a great coach already. Winning this will make his fans happy.

Personally, a great manager is not one who is able to stick when thrust into luxury. That is not bad either, as many managers have failed to develop staying power in those positions. To me, it is a sign that one is not a bad manager, than to confirm as a good manager, and there is a huge difference.

The good thing is that many, like Pep Guardiola, develop in that environment to be good managers due to coaching the best players who earn thew most money, by default of course. The managers coaching the worst squads with minimum budgets and bring them to greatness, usually go back to find another situation of a rescue mission perennially. Back to the match tonight.

A lot of experience comes to the party, with Cristiano Ronaldo making his 136th appearance, the only players with more than 50 with two different clubs (52 with Manchester United and 84 with Real Madrid) and Gianlugi Buffon (39) making it his 104th appearance.

Buffon's case is a sad one. He is one of the two centurions (with Zlatan Ibrahimovic) to have not won it. H e has been there many times and sentimentally, he deserves the winners' medal. However, Ronaldo has to put the Ronaldo or Messi argument to bed.

Already, the Portuguese has honuors with his country and record hat-tricks under his belt. Still, there is an army of doubters of who is the greatest. This is not a blatant support for him, but as a team player, he has no equal. Lionel Messi has incredible individual brilliance.

Without making this a poll of who is better, I leave it in your hands and look to Gareth Bale. Consider that the match is in Cardiff and Gareth Bale, born in a hospital a few minutes away from the stadium, may play only part of the match from the bench. It is never rosy even for the best.

Who is your money on, and why?

There is no formation like 4-3-3 or 4-4-2

With football stories and results predictably uninspiring all over the world, we continue in viewing the game with my game. I have always been fascinated by the issue of formations and substitutions. 

For a full-time coach, there is not enough time in 24 hours to do the job. Reacting to variables like injuries and change of weather is a serious challenge. This is simply because all the plans revolve around players and their playing relationship.

Incapacitation of one parameter means a change of formation. The formation is vital if you have a philosophy and pattern you want to impose on the opposition. The formation is the skeletal arrangement of personnel from the goalkeeper onwards.

The goalkeeper forms the top and main part of the spine. Then comes the central defender, central midfielder and the striker.  Given the backbone function of the keeper, leaving representation of his position in naming a formation is ridiculously annoying.

Take heart that not only you make the mistakes. Even accomplished and respected mentors use the notations like 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 5-3-2 or 4-4-2. Mostly, the excuse would be that everyone is using it.

These notations should read 1-4-3-3 and 1-4-4-2, unless the goalkeeper is not part of the team. According to the FIFA Laws of the Game, it is clearly stated that the match shall only commence when a team composed of 7 players (or 8 depending on the competition or rules thereof) ‘of which one must be a goalkeeper’.

Therefore, having had this free education, desist from a misedutated notation of the technical lingo of the game and train yourself on the proper use of terms. Teach others too.

Defending the objective

All footballers have different tastes and priorities or philosophies. The school of thought you subscribe to,  will affect your point of view and what you value in each and every match. Here, the key is to understand the point system in place when you are playing league matches. Long ago, victories used to be awarded two points and a draw for one with none for losses.

The concept of three points for a win and one for a draw has made the share of spoils less attractive. One thing that remains is the vitality of the single point, if push comes to shove. To a radical view, it becomes an all or nothing affair, but to me, that is fatal.

The best and only approach for me is to understand that at kick off, the result is 0-0. It remains that way until a resultant force tips the balance of scales. The question of which way the favour goes will illustrate my point. If you are the one calling the shots, praise God, but if not, then we can not overemphasize the trouble of trying to come out of that pit.

As the whistle blows for kick-off, take that 0-0 as a point in the pocket. As the match wears on, think  of how much you are doing to keep that point. By the same token, keep in mind that while we have it on hand, it is not going to fee our families. This mindset sets you in a tactical platform even as you set up your team for the match.

It is a tug of war whereby you are sticking to your guns while trying to gain ground. Always make sure you end up with at least what you started with and even more at the final whistle. This thinking will make you think of building your team from the back going forward. It will make your training start at looking at closing the doors before probing.

Loosely, at first glance, it looks like a defensive philosophy, but then, you do not attack naked. Dressing up forms part of your defensive mechanism as you prepare to go out and fight. 

The same can be said in Cup matches, but then, you may just end up with that 0-0 score line while you do not have a penalty kick saving machine or a dead ball specialist. You may be pressed to avoid tha scenario at all cost. The other team may also have the same concerns and that situation will present you with loopholes to exploit as the concerns are going on.

At the end of the day, the approaches differ as a result. You will realise that the idea of being the co-Cup holders at kick-off is real. It will be either letting go of your end or getting the other hand to hoist the shield. You do not want a pound for pound boxing match. You just want to clobber the guy and walk away.

 Tournaments will present the best of both world if there is a round robin arrangement. You want to get points. You begin with half the deal that you do not want to give away and eventual deliver a knockout blow. You are still mindful of the knockout blow that may end your dream.

Depending on the outcome of the first few matches, you may play for points as if there were a Cup final. Everything is thrown into the match and you know there will not be a second chance to be in the same tournament for ages to come.

It is vital to note that big teams will field reserve team players in the early stages of the Cups and tournaments. This serves two things. The level of professionalism due to lower division team involvement may mess up the first team players and they may not cope. You do not want them to lose to bad playing armature teams. Of course there may be injuries. 

The other reason is that the fringe players will always through their all into the game as this represents an opportunity into forts team football. They also may be at the same level as the smaller teams they play, but they have the advantage of the brand they represent. It boils down in reading the situation well and make prudent decision, which may not always carry the day for you. 

After all is said and done, you must always have the pride of knowing you planned well and did the best there is and still failed. It is very easy to see if you have been beaten in mind games,and in that case, you cannot wait for revenge, either to the same team or whoever comes next.

As football coach, champion your cause

How many times have we seen coaches shouting instructions to players, and the players respond by giving a thumbs up? Many. Ask the player after the match about what the coach was saying. They will tell you they heard nothing. If you listen to player interviews where they are asked about what the coach said at half-time, they all say the same thing. "The coach said 'go out there and enjoy yourselves' and so we did''. Those are parting word after a long lecture.

There are so many men and women aspiring to coach football teams one day and my advise is, believe not only in your dreams to be coaches but in other people's dreams to be led by yourselves. That is far from enough. Success only comes to people who have the assurance that they will be great coaches, that they can deliver.

Why does one desire to be a coach? Hopefully, it is not to be like Gavin Hunt, Keutsepilemang Ndebele or Joseph Mourinho. Having a yardstick is encouraged, but then, be your own man. Do whatever you can to curve out your football. Be the architect of your own designer football.

The desire to be a football coach becomes futile if one looks at the money and the fame that goes with it. Stress is part and parcel of the package and you cannot escape it. In doing football at a high technical level, forget EVERYTHING you have ever heard from football commentators, analysts and reporters because, entertaining as they are, they are not knowledgeable at all. Their analysis is good to the ear and for arguments, but it is fatally dangerous for your consumption as a professional.

That goes to all media people as well, like myself. They are great people and do a good job in providing information, because, normally they get access into where no Jack and Jill can. Sometimes they get access to information you need as a coach and it will be worthwhile to get them closer so you can have visuals or audio to do your job.

You must become a coach to portray a pattern of the game that is only in your head alone. Stop dreaming and fooling yourself trying to think what Sir Alex Ferguson says to his team. It is never about what anyone says. Words are the most irrelevant and behaving like a traffic cop on the touch-line making a nuisance of yourself is meant for circus. It is what one does at training that gets translated on match day on the pitch.

I say this because many people expect a coach to tell his players to do this and that, play here or there and so forth. That is the best way to express your ignorance about the game. Players are not to be told anything, they are to be coached football at the training ground. As a coach, teach them football during the week and wait for them to show the world what you taught them from training on the match day.

However, somehow the most marketable coaches are those speaking the language of the layman. They are in good books with the media and the administrators. They operate and the same level with them -  birds of a feather. That is why national teams fail. The board members interview national coaches and when the coach talks the football language, the interviewers laugh when he leaves the room, and then go on t give the job to the one who makes them nod heads in approval. We all know where that leaves the national teams.

Become that kind of coach and get good jobs with good salaries and produce nothing. You tend to have a lot of sweet football words without depth. This type of coaching also translate to a lot of talk during team talks and half time. There is too much emotion and shouting and the chairmen and owners who gate crush the dressing room enjoy the scenario because he believes you are really 'telling them'. That is a lot of dust.

This boils down to a mentality or a philosophy. You want to achieve a certain football result that only you can produce and in your own way. It becomes necessary for the club culture to share components with what you can, and want to achieve. In this regards, keep good friends around including journalists and administrators so they can source you tools you need.

The concepts and their applications as you want them must be researched, planned for by you and practised over and over until well understood. Repetition is key to any training. However, national team coaching becomes more interesting and less laborious as more tactical work is done.

Understand football rules and their limitations so you can utilise and sometimes exploit them and then work out what you want attack or defence to mean to you. Learn to define what you call success. As said before, if certain people around you start to shout your praises, watch out and do not be carried away and begin to lose focus.

Having a football strategy that you exhibit to the world successfully week in and week out makes you a good coach. It makes you feel good and very selfish football-wise, which is good. It is for this reason that qualified people step on each other's toes if placed under the same roof. Most stay together to keep their jobs because they have families to feed.

As a potential coach yourself, know what you want and map a way to achieve it. Go out and study trends and developments. Sit down and draw up practical plans and get the players you need. Gather data, pictures, videos, talk to those who know, ask questions, invite experienced mentors to your teams and to watch your sessions and matches.

Consultation does not mean copying and pasting other people's ideas. The point is to polish your own. It means you want to see how your football can be similar or different, better. It is about trying new things and maybe remodelling the status quo. You need useful information that may make your football more relevant or useless. It helps keep your game at your finger-tips and strive to be better than yourself.

You will remember that when I formed KFA, most of the best players were registered with other teams and the particular group I eventually worked with were said to be rebels and thugs. Using reverse psychology, this is the tool I used to make KFA fearsome. It was my straight talk with the players, because I told them in their faces that I heard they were criminals and unruly.

While they were concerned to start with, I told them that is exactly why they will not be beaten in football. The thuggery energy was suddenly converted to a spirited weapon that detonated at each kick-off. We went on a rampage and thrilling fans and referees in 2nd Division. We refused a few penalties offered for free and quite a lot of favours. Actually, the only two losses from our 40 games came when entertained referees tried to help us.

Have a very strong belief in your own football. Read the game well, see the wrongs in general terms, and see the good. Give solutions to the problems your players have. Sometimes it can be done on the spot, but usually, major tactical problems are to be noted and trained upon during the week.

This actually makes your starting point. That you must have players play football and give them solutions to the problems they face. You can not start giving the solutions to the problems they do not have, and may never have.

I have seen revered coaches who find teams playing football and then they try to give half-time pep talk. You can only give advise and corrections to students you have taught. Otherwise, just let them play and enjoy. The essence of coaching gets drowned in the emotions and theories sometimes. Under all circumstances, know the parameters under which you are operating and adjust accordingly.

As a coach, you must always remember that, you do not play Arsene Wenger or Jose Mourinho's football. You play your very own football. Players and clubs play your own football. Get the data and statistics you need, sit and plan. Go to the field and follow your plan to the letter. Do not create or accept short cuts. Make very simple and practical exercises in areas that resemble the game situation. It is either you will go along the trends or against the grain.

Be involved and be part of the players and make fun. Let the whole thing be enjoyable. Come match day, all you did during the week becomes your team talk. That goes for half-time pep-talk in the dressing room. You do not go in there and shout out things that players are not aware of. Calm down, and then go over the game plan, what is going right and what is going wrong. In either case, you state why you are right and why things are going wrong. You will need statistics to prove your points. Ask questions from players about where they are finding difficulty and how they think they can solve the problems. All within the scope of your work with them.

In my case, I become calmest when I am losing and the situation is bad, but somehow players will tell that the boss is mad. They will try to make things happen for you. It becomes a very hard noisy push when the win is big (2-0 and up) and could have been bigger. You must be tactful to know your players. Some people you do not take it lightly the use of a loud voice or public address while others will only hear and act if facing open ridicule.

Either way, they are playing your football.  While fans may be clapping and cheering for you and your team, and commentators are revving and screaming your praises, remember someone may be sitting somewhere in a corner laughing at how much of a moron and a clown you are. It is unfortunate they never really get time to sit down and ask you what exactly you were trying to do.

In most cases, 5 to 10 minutes will sell out your tactics and depending, one coach may be changing their tactics to counter yours, or turning the screw to stamp their authority. Depending on your ability and strength of mind, you may be one coach or the other.

I Am Looking For That Dog That Ate My CV.

As it turns out, the Warriors coaching job still up for grabs. Contrary to previous reports carried on this blog and elsewhere in the media, ZIFA are still to appoint the national mentor. The unfortunate and premature announcement was made on the basis of conducted the interviews and was leaked by a different football department altogether.  

Tom Saintfeit was named the said appointee. Saintfeit is currently coach of the Namibian national team and is said to be experiencing some tensions with his current employers. While he travelled with the team for their AFCON qualifier fixtures last week he may be leaving Namibia.

Tom has actually counted himself out of the race and even, there is a claim teams from abroad are interested in his services, particularly India. Former Highlanders and Amazulu boss, Cosmas Zulu, Botswana based Godfrey Tamirepi and Fabian Zulu are among the locals with an interest for the top job.

I am still looking for that dog that ate my CV. I will be trying to bribe one official only to push it through as I know I will pass the interview. Do you reckon ZIFA can meet my $25 000,00 salary demand? It's not really much in any case.

I Am Looking For That Dog That Ate My CV.

As it turns out, the Warriors coaching job still up for grabs. Contrary to previous reports carried on this blog and elsewhere in the media, ZIFA are still to appoint the national mentor. The unfortunate and premature announcement was made on the basis of conducted the interviews and was leaked by a different football department altogether.  

Tom Saintfeit was named the said appointee. Saintfeit is currently coach of the Namibian national team and is said to be experiencing some tensions with his current employers. While he travelled with the team for their AFCON qualifier fixtures last week he may be leaving Namibia.

Tom has actually counted himself out of the race and even, there is a claim teams from abroad are interested in his services, particularly India. Former Highlanders and Amazulu boss, Cosmas Zulu, Botswana based Godfrey Tamirepi and Fabian Zulu are among the locals with an interest for the top job.

I am still looking for that dog that ate my CV. I will be trying to bribe one official only to push it through as I know I will pass the interview. Do you reckon ZIFA can meet my $25 000,00 salary demand? It's not really much in any case.

I Am Looking For That Dog That Ate My CV.

As it turns out, the Warriors coaching job still up for grabs. Contrary to previous reports carried on this blog and elsewhere in the media, ZIFA are still to appoint the national mentor. The unfortunate and premature announcement was made on the basis of conducted the interviews and was leaked by a different football department altogether.  

Tom Saintfeit was named the said appointee. Saintfeit is currently coach of the Namibian national team and is said to be experiencing some tensions with his current employers. While he travelled with the team for their AFCON qualifier fixtures last week he may be leaving Namibia.

Tom has actually counted himself out of the race and even, there is a claim teams from abroad are interested in his services, particularly India. Former Highlanders and Amazulu boss, Cosmas Zulu, Botswana based Godfrey Tamirepi and Fabian Zulu are among the locals with an interest for the top job.

I am still looking for that dog that ate my CV. I will be trying to bribe one official only to push it through as I know I will pass the interview. Do you reckon ZIFA can meet my $25 000,00 salary demand? It's not really much in any case.

I Am Looking For That Dog That Ate My CV.

As it turns out, the Warriors coaching job still up for grabs. Contrary to previous reports carried on this blog and elsewhere in the media, ZIFA are still to appoint the national mentor. The unfortunate and premature announcement was made on the basis of conducted the interviews and was leaked by a different football department altogether.  

Tom Saintfeit was named the said appointee. Saintfeit is currently coach of the Namibian national team and is said to be experiencing some tensions with his current employers. While he travelled with the team for their AFCON qualifier fixtures last week he may be leaving Namibia.

Tom has actually counted himself out of the race and even, there is a claim teams from abroad are interested in his services, particularly India. Former Highlanders and Amazulu boss, Cosmas Zulu, Botswana based Godfrey Tamirepi and Fabian Zulu are among the locals with an interest for the top job.

I am still looking for that dog that ate my CV. I will be trying to bribe one official only to push it through as I know I will pass the interview. Do you reckon ZIFA can meet my $25 000,00 salary demand? It's not really much in any case.

Zimbabwe Warriors Coach: Who Exactly Is Tom Saintfiet?

Tom Saintfiet was born March 29, 1973 in Belgium and coached the Namibian national team, where he beat Comoros and Malawi and drawing Lesotho in the 2008 COSAFA in South Africa. He played football between 1983 to 1997 before becoming a football manager at 24, becoming the youngest manager in Belgian football.

A holder of UEFA A Pro License, Saintfiet coached in several countries including Qatar where he was assistant club coach and then Under-17 coach which qualified for FIFA World Cup, Germany, Faroe Islands finishing 2nd in the 1st Division league, and Holland teams junior sides and was 1st Division Technical Director. He was Finnish Premier League club Rovaniemi coach before going to Namibia.

Saintfiet, who holds Sports Psychology and Econimic Psychology qualifications, was also an advisor for the Kazakhstan Football Federation and worked as a TV football Analyst for Belgian Television and a translator for the DFB.

Is this the best for Zimbabwe Warriors?

Zimbabwe Warriors Coach: Who Exactly Is Tom Saintfiet?

Tom Saintfiet was born March 29, 1973 in Belgium and coached the Namibian national team, where he beat Comoros and Malawi and drawing Lesotho in the 2008 COSAFA in South Africa. He played football between 1983 to 1997 before becoming a football manager at 24, becoming the youngest manager in Belgian football.

A holder of UEFA A Pro License, Saintfiet coached in several countries including Qatar where he was assistant club coach and then Under-17 coach which qualified for FIFA World Cup, Germany, Faroe Islands finishing 2nd in the 1st Division league, and Holland teams junior sides and was 1st Division Technical Director. He was Finnish Premier League club Rovaniemi coach before going to Namibia.

Saintfiet, who holds Sports Psychology and Econimic Psychology qualifications, was also an advisor for the Kazakhstan Football Federation and worked as a TV football Analyst for Belgian Television and a translator for the DFB.

Is this the best for Zimbabwe Warriors?

Zimbabwe Warriors Coach: Who Exactly Is Tom Saintfiet?

Tom Saintfiet was born March 29, 1973 in Belgium and coached the Namibian national team, where he beat Comoros and Malawi and drawing Lesotho in the 2008 COSAFA in South Africa. He played football between 1983 to 1997 before becoming a football manager at 24, becoming the youngest manager in Belgian football.

A holder of UEFA A Pro License, Saintfiet coached in several countries including Qatar where he was assistant club coach and then Under-17 coach which qualified for FIFA World Cup, Germany, Faroe Islands finishing 2nd in the 1st Division league, and Holland teams junior sides and was 1st Division Technical Director. He was Finnish Premier League club Rovaniemi coach before going to Namibia.

Saintfiet, who holds Sports Psychology and Econimic Psychology qualifications, was also an advisor for the Kazakhstan Football Federation and worked as a TV football Analyst for Belgian Television and a translator for the DFB.

Is this the best for Zimbabwe Warriors?

Madinda Ndlovu To Coach National Team.

Black Mambas Technical Director, Madinda Ndlovu, will coach the Zimbabwe Warriors as an assistant to one former Namibia national team coach, Tom Saintfiet. Ndlovu is a former Highlanders FC coach, having moulded one of the greatest Bosso sides that was well taken care of by Rahman Gumbo.

He built a young multi-championship winning team that was captained by Captain Fantastic, Thulani Biya Ncube, Siza Khoza, Gift Thebe Lunga (Junior), Alexander Phiri, Blessing Gumiso, Thabani Mqwayi Masawi, Dazy Kapenya, Zenzo Zemura Moyo, just to name a few.

Madinda went to have a good coaching stint in Botswana and came back to a cash-strapped Bosso that still owes him gazillions. His move to Mambas is slowly bearing fruits and his progress could not longer be ignored by the national association.

His decorated playing career is common knowledge, having played in England and Germany. His local contribution to the local game is one of the biggest by an individual, both for the club and the national team. He was part of the successful and entertaining team of the 1980s alongside Willard Nduna Khumalo, Mercedes 'John Rambo' Scania Sibanda, Douglas British Mloyi, Alexander Cool Ruler Maseko, and Peter Nkomo, among an array of gallant footballers of all time.

In the national team, he played in the CECAFA tournaments alongside Boy Maxmillion Ndlovu, Moses Razorman Chunga, Ephert Lungu, Japheth Short Cat Mparutsa, Stix Mtizwa, Stanley Sinyo Nduduma, Joel Headmaster Jubilee Shambo and Shakeman Chinyarire Bere Tauro.

With such a background, it is easy to understand the seduction his CV would give to a panel of national coach selectors.
Of the local coaches, Zifa were impressed with Ndlovu's resume and resolved he would be the right man for the job.

A report from The Chronicle said that Norman Mapeza will remain part of the coaching staff probably as second assistant. It said that Monomotapa mentor Taurayi Mangwiro who is with Monomotapa will coach the Under-23 deputized by former Chapungu goalkeeper Innocent Chogugudza.

The biggest suspected resolution of the Zimbabwean football fathers is their desire to let junior national team coaches deputize the next age groups, and that the junior teams will take part in all regional tournaments. Hopefully, there will be money to participate in these.

Congratulations to Madinda Ndlovu and hope he will one day lead the Warriors to where they need to be.

Madinda Ndlovu To Coach National Team.

Black Mambas Technical Director, Madinda Ndlovu, will coach the Zimbabwe Warriors as an assistant to one former Namibia national team coach, Tom Saintfiet. Ndlovu is a former Highlanders FC coach, having moulded one of the greatest Bosso sides that was well taken care of by Rahman Gumbo.

He built a young multi-championship winning team that was captained by Captain Fantastic, Thulani Biya Ncube, Siza Khoza, Gift Thebe Lunga (Junior), Alexander Phiri, Blessing Gumiso, Thabani Mqwayi Masawi, Dazy Kapenya, Zenzo Zemura Moyo, just to name a few.

Madinda went to have a good coaching stint in Botswana and came back to a cash-strapped Bosso that still owes him gazillions. His move to Mambas is slowly bearing fruits and his progress could not longer be ignored by the national association.

His decorated playing career is common knowledge, having played in England and Germany. His local contribution to the local game is one of the biggest by an individual, both for the club and the national team. He was part of the successful and entertaining team of the 1980s alongside Willard Nduna Khumalo, Mercedes 'John Rambo' Scania Sibanda, Douglas British Mloyi, Alexander Cool Ruler Maseko, and Peter Nkomo, among an array of gallant footballers of all time.

In the national team, he played in the CECAFA tournaments alongside Boy Maxmillion Ndlovu, Moses Razorman Chunga, Ephert Lungu, Japheth Short Cat Mparutsa, Stix Mtizwa, Stanley Sinyo Nduduma, Joel Headmaster Jubilee Shambo and Shakeman Chinyarire Bere Tauro.

With such a background, it is easy to understand the seduction his CV would give to a panel of national coach selectors.
Of the local coaches, Zifa were impressed with Ndlovu's resume and resolved he would be the right man for the job.

A report from The Chronicle said that Norman Mapeza will remain part of the coaching staff probably as second assistant. It said that Monomotapa mentor Taurayi Mangwiro who is with Monomotapa will coach the Under-23 deputized by former Chapungu goalkeeper Innocent Chogugudza.

The biggest suspected resolution of the Zimbabwean football fathers is their desire to let junior national team coaches deputize the next age groups, and that the junior teams will take part in all regional tournaments. Hopefully, there will be money to participate in these.

Congratulations to Madinda Ndlovu and hope he will one day lead the Warriors to where they need to be.

Madinda Ndlovu To Coach National Team.

Black Mambas Technical Director, Madinda Ndlovu, will coach the Zimbabwe Warriors as an assistant to one former Namibia national team coach, Tom Saintfiet. Ndlovu is a former Highlanders FC coach, having moulded one of the greatest Bosso sides that was well taken care of by Rahman Gumbo.

He built a young multi-championship winning team that was captained by Captain Fantastic, Thulani Biya Ncube, Siza Khoza, Gift Thebe Lunga (Junior), Alexander Phiri, Blessing Gumiso, Thabani Mqwayi Masawi, Dazy Kapenya, Zenzo Zemura Moyo, just to name a few.

Madinda went to have a good coaching stint in Botswana and came back to a cash-strapped Bosso that still owes him gazillions. His move to Mambas is slowly bearing fruits and his progress could not longer be ignored by the national association.

His decorated playing career is common knowledge, having played in England and Germany. His local contribution to the local game is one of the biggest by an individual, both for the club and the national team. He was part of the successful and entertaining team of the 1980s alongside Willard Nduna Khumalo, Mercedes 'John Rambo' Scania Sibanda, Douglas British Mloyi, Alexander Cool Ruler Maseko, and Peter Nkomo, among an array of gallant footballers of all time.

In the national team, he played in the CECAFA tournaments alongside Boy Maxmillion Ndlovu, Moses Razorman Chunga, Ephert Lungu, Japheth Short Cat Mparutsa, Stix Mtizwa, Stanley Sinyo Nduduma, Joel Headmaster Jubilee Shambo and Shakeman Chinyarire Bere Tauro.

With such a background, it is easy to understand the seduction his CV would give to a panel of national coach selectors.
Of the local coaches, Zifa were impressed with Ndlovu's resume and resolved he would be the right man for the job.

A report from The Chronicle said that Norman Mapeza will remain part of the coaching staff probably as second assistant. It said that Monomotapa mentor Taurayi Mangwiro who is with Monomotapa will coach the Under-23 deputized by former Chapungu goalkeeper Innocent Chogugudza.

The biggest suspected resolution of the Zimbabwean football fathers is their desire to let junior national team coaches deputize the next age groups, and that the junior teams will take part in all regional tournaments. Hopefully, there will be money to participate in these.

Congratulations to Madinda Ndlovu and hope he will one day lead the Warriors to where they need to be.