Cavin Johnson's first task as SuperSport United coach: MANCHESTER CITY live and dangerous at Loftus on Sunday!

CAVIN JOHNSON faces possibly the most frightening introduction possible to his new job as SuperSport United boss on Sunday – when he faces a club by the name of Manchester City.

The most expensively assembled team in the history of English football flew in to Durban’s King Shaka airport today before their Nelson Mandela Invitational opener against Matsatsantsa at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday.

And yes, Jesus is coming – Jesus Navas. Sheikh Mansour’s most recent acquisition from Spain's Sevilla is included in the City squad under the management of new Italian coach Manuel Pellegrini, who replaced Roberto Mancini despite their runners-up finish in the Barclays Premier League last season.

Speaking on my show BOLLOCKZ on www.ballz.co.uk, an excited Johnson – who moved to SuperSport last month after taking Platinum Stars to a surprising runners-up spot in the PSL last season – told me: “Neal, in all respects, yes, City players are among the highest-paid players in the world but for us at SuperSport it’s an honour to play them for Nelson Mandela.

“But on the other hand, in England, City are one of the top four teams. In South Africa, SuperSport United are one of the top four teams!

“Two different brands of football are coming together – hopefully on the day we’ll have the advantage. City have had to fly 11 hours to get to our country!

Johnson, who replaces three-time PSL champion Gavin Hunt at the helm, revealed: “Thuso Phala, the man I brought with me from Platinum Stars, is injured unfortunately, but you will see former AmaTuks Senegal strike Mame Niang.

“David Mathebula and Bennett Chenene from Moroka Swallows will definitely play. We have a new youngster called Morne Nel – he’s only 17. I might give him ten minutes against Manchester City! He’s a midfielder. Who knows, what a dream that would be for him! Dino Moketse is another youngster – but he played a few games last season.

OUT IN AFRICA: England captain Joe Hart and City's
Belgian captain Vincent Kompany on the
road from King Shaka airport yesterday

“We have agreed to allow eight or nine substitutions so we will be able to give a lot of players a run.”

Among his more established stars are Sameehg Doutie, rumoured to be wanted in Europe, South Africa’s fastest defender Bevan Fransmann – who will fly off to join Bafana Bafana’s COSAFA Cup campaign in Zambia after the game – and Mor Diouf, who memorably scored from 70 yards in the Tshwane derby against Mamelodi Sundowns last season.

Diouf told me after that goal he loves the long range efforts though England goalkeeper Joe Hart may be harder to beat from the halfway line than Wayne Sandilands!

“The question is, can my players get a hold on players like David Silva or their new Brazilian Fernandinho? That will bring a little bit of spark into our lives at Loftus on Sunday!

“For me it’s about giving the crowd a good display of football – and hopefully we’ll be able to score six or seven!"

England's 2012 champions City, like neighbours United and Chelsea, start the season under new management too.

Their new Italian boss Manuel Pellegrini arrived in Durban today insisting: "I am here to work with young players and the professional team. Winning trophies is important but it is not just about that." 

Johnson grins: “At the present moment, considering what Manchester City have done in the Premier League, it couldn’t be a better start for me at SuperSport.

“We’ve had Engen join us as sponsors and we have exciting development programmes in place.

“I don’t actually support any club in England, as a coach I need to see all the other teams and what they do!

“I’m enjoying this job to the fullest right now. It’s one of the big teams in South Africa, we have a lot of personalities and I’ll see you on Sunday at Loftus!”

You can follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol- or you can meet me at Eastwoods, the Loftus bar, at high noon before Sunday’s game with SuperSport United fanatic Trevor van Wyk and other twitter buddies!

EXCLUSIVE: How I revealed Cavin Johnson's move to SuperSport United in May:  http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/06/miracle-worker-cavin-johnson-leaves.html

CITY'S PRE-SEASON TOUR IN FULL!

July 14 Supersport United (South Africa)

July 18 AmaZulu FC (South Africa)

July 24 South China (Hong Kong)

July 27 Tottenham/Sunderland (Hong Kong)

July 31 AC Milan (Germany)

August 1 Bayern Munich/Sao Paulo (Germany)

August 10 Arsenal (Finland)

Contract killer: If Orlando Pirates lose Bafana's two-goal hero Segolela now, it will be Tlou much

At the double: Tlou Segolela scored twice for Bafana in Maseru
despite his notoriously unmanageable hair 

My European friends don’t understand me anymore. I write things like “Cometh the man, cometh the Tower”. Or “Bernard could have Parked a bus in that gap”. I’ve even considered “Klate is no great Daine”. Then there’s simply “MashaMIGHTY!”

This is the language of football in South Africa, where men are men and aristocratic Chiefs battle plundering Pirates. In England, they bore themselves to death with Lamps, Roo and celebrating fourth place. Not here. Oh no. As Bill Shankly, the legendary Scotsman at Liverpool once said: “Football isn’t about life and death. It’s more important than that.”

After Sunday’s 2-0 friendly win against Lesotho – a competent if unspectacular success before the life or death World Cup qualifiers against the Central African Republic and Ethiopia – we have a new name to conjure with.

When Tlou Mashedi Segolela took Maseru by storm (okay, his first goal was an off-sidish tap in but the second, a turn and shot with his left, was a cracker) I immediately tweeted: “TLOU MUCH!” and set about discovering what the story is with his contract at Orlando Pirates.

It’s not complicated. The man from Polokwane – born on the same day as me (March 1) but 27 years later – is known as “Rea Viya” (“here we go”, though his first name means elephant) for his express pace (presumably he runs better than those buses) and has waited a long time for his big break.

Sunday was just that. When he rammed home the second I pointed out that his transfer value has just rocketed – though with no new contract on the table at Parktown, perhaps the Buccaneers are about to miss out on his sudden marketability.

In January last year, Segolela said he was happy to sign a two-year contract until June 2014. But with a year to run, big clubs tend to offer a new contract to keep star players happy, maintain transfer value – and stop them from signing a pre-contract with a rival club.

And then you have to ask: How can this happen? How can South Africa’s latest footballing flavour of the month be  left to see out his contract at one of South Africa’s richest clubs? I’ve been SMSing Roger de Sa – he told me last week he’s on holiday on the Algarve in Portugal until June 10 – asking him just that.

This bizarre system when the coach apparently has little to do with new contracts and transfers appears to be the problem. At Mamelodi Sundowns, Johan Neeskens was undone by Trott Moloto’s ridiculously expensive moves in the market, at Kaizer Chiefs Stuart Baxter has enjoyed the signings acquired by Bobby Motaung, but at Pirates, Screamer Tshabalala appears to have no contact at all with the under-pressure De Sa right now with the transfer window open and the group stages of the CAF Champions League pending.

After his two-goal Man of the Match performance in the windy Maluti mountains on Maseru’s unforgiving plastic surface, Tlou himself said: “I am looking forward to the World Cup games. I just want to stamp my authority here, become a regular for Bafana Bafana.

“Look, this was a good confidence booster for me and I am happy with how I I played.”

Everyone appears stunned to find Tlou centre-stage. Okay, South Africa are ranked 56th in the world by FIFA and Lesotho just 155. But two goals for his country is a marvellous boost. And remember, in 2011 and 2012 he picked up SIX winners’ medals as the Pirates under various coaches pouched the double trebles.

But that masks the full truth. Segolela has been at Pirates since 2007, when he left local club Seemole as a teenager from Moletjie near Polokwane. In five seasons since then, he has played just 45 games for the Sea Robbers. He played 38 for Bloemfontein Celti on loan in 2009/10.

He won goal of the season a year later for his Maradona-like effort which began in his own half against Free State Stars at the Botchabelo Stadium. The man also known as “Gautrain” derailed four defenders en route to goal. He also provided the corner for Isaac Chansa’s title winning goal that year.

But no matter who the coach is at Orlando – Ruud Krol, Julio Leal, Augusto Palacios or Roger de Sa – Segelelo struggles to keep a regular place in the first team, which is probably why they allowed his contract to run down.

Clearly, Screamer and Roger – with the permission of chairman Irvin Khoza of course – must get their heads together over this bloke. Kaizer Chiefs are lurking. Mamelodi Sundowns are always looking to invest.

To lose Segolela now would be erm… simply Tlou much.

Exclusive: Gordon Igesund on Brazil, Neymar, Rantie and McCarthy

Saviour of the universe? Bafana boss Gordon Igesund

I’ve just spoken to Gordon Igesund, the man with the toughest job in football. Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and Johan Neeskens of Mamelodi Sundowns may dispute that right now. They’d be wrong.

Back in 1980, Freddy Mercury and his popular music quartet Queen sang: “Flash Gordon. Aha. Saviour of the Universe.” For South Africa’s own Gordon, saving the planet would appear to be a doddle compared to taking on five-times global conquerors Brazil on Friday night.

Just last Friday, after Igesund named his first squad to play Brazil and Mocambique, I was thinking seriously of fronting a television show about the 56-year-old’s heroic deeds with Queen’s Flash Gordon as the signature tune.

But a weekend, as every international coach knows, can be a long time in football. On Saturday, Steven Pienaar – Igesund’s iconic captain from Westbury – was declared crocked by a “thigh muscle strain” despite playing the full 90 minutes in Everton’s disappointing defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

Rather than turning to Orlando Pirates sought-after dynamo Andile Jali or Sundowns play-maker Teko Modisane, Igesund chose to call up the impressive SuperSport United midfielder George Maluleka. Controversial but understandable given the form of the Buccaneers and Brazilians of late.

Saturday also saw the withdrawal of Belgian-based Anele Ngcongca, who injured knee ligaments while playing for Genk. The club say he will be out for “at least two months”. That may open the way for 18-year-old Peterborough defender Kgosi Nthle to make an unexpected debut in Sao Paolo. Igesund’s only ever seen him play on video but as been assured by Posh boss Darren Ferguson – one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s twin sons: “He will never let you down.”

But it’s up front where Gordon’s universe is beset by falling stars. First, he told us in his squad-naming announcement last Thursday how he had picked former Orlando Pirates loan ranger Tokelo Rantie in his original squad of 23.

But then he explained how, on both the player and his new club Malmo’s advice, he had opted to scratch Rantie’s name off the list as he was “only 60 per cent fit”. Then what happens? Rantie scores for Malmo – his fifth goal in four games - in a 1-1 draw with Mjallby and played for 78 minutes before being subbed.

And back in South Africa, Igesund’s “old reliable” Siyabonga Nomvethe – PSL top scorer for Gordon’s Birds last season - suffered scan-confirmed “torn ligaments in his big toe” during a remarkable 3-0 win for Moroka Swallows at Orlando Pirates in the oldest Soweto derby.

Igesund immediately called up Sundowns striker Jabu “Edward” Manqele, the Brazilians’ R7m transfer window signing from Free State Stars. But he too was withdrawn, after pulling a hamstring in Sundowns shock defeat 2-1 against Martizburg United amid the riot police at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville.

Then, and only then, Gordon turned to big, bad Benni McCarthy, last season’s PSL title-winning hero for Orlando Pirates who was controversially sent off amid further crowd trouble in the MTN8 semi-final defeat at the Orlando Stadium a week ago.

When Gordon rang yesterday morning, at the airport on the way to his date with destiny in Sao Paolo on Friday (Live from Estadio Morumbi on SABC1, 8.45pm), the weight of saving the universe with a patched up platoon hung heavy on his shoulders.

“Look Neal, you can’t say I’m upset about Rantie playing for Malmo. I spoke to the club and the player. They both said he was not fit. Rantie said he was sore because he hadn’t been through proper pre-season training.

“He said he was 60 percent fit and he didn’t want to play for Bafana when he was less than 100 percent. Rantie said he might only get one or two chances for the national team and he wanted to impress right from his first game with me.

“Then Malmo called and thanked me for leaving him out. They said it was the right decision. What can I do? I have to take their word.

“Then came the news that Stevie Pienaar and Siya Nomvethe were out. You can imagine. What a blow. My Premier League captain and Nomvethe, such a good, experienced Zulu lad.

“But look, you know Benni McCarthy. He can still do the job. And I’ve still got Bernard Parker, who scored four for Kaizer Chiefs the other day and Dino Ndlovu who scored his third goal of the season in Israel over the weekend.”

Igesund can also point to the two goals scored by Thulani Serero for Ajax Amsterdam yesterday – though he was sent off 53 minutes in to the 2-2 draw against Herenveen for a “crude challenge” on Filip Duricic.

Gordon continued: “You have to turn these negatives in to positives. I still have good players, we are still on track. I can look at some of the young players like Serero and Nthle, check them out.

“And you’ve seen this squad. It’s well-balanced, the mood is good, we are still positive. Now we just have to play Brazil with Neymar and all their stars on their biggest public holiday of the year.

“I know how hard it will be, but this is a new era for Bafana. But we aren’t going to worry about Neymar. We won’t go out there feeling inferior to Brazil, even though we know good they are and the crowd will be noisy.

“You know me, I won’t go out not to lose. I’ll play positive football with wide players. And we’ll make our country proud.”