EXCLUSIVE: IF THEY WANT ME TO GO, WHO'S SAFE? Orlando Pirates boss Roger de Sa on three finals, Dauda and CHAN

Roger that: De Sa will not quit

ROGER DE SA responded to demands for his head today with characteristic aplomb, saying: “If they want me to go, who’s safe?”

Talking on my football show BOLLOCKZ! on www.ballz.co.za this morning (see video below), the Orlando Pirates coach insisted he was “satisfied” with his club’s unique achievement of reaching THREE cup finals before Christmas.

And the 49-year-old former international goalkeeper insists he aims to reach ALL FOUR finals on offer this season – while lifting his side off the foot of the PSL as they make up a huge shortfall in fixtures after their African Champions League crusade.

Following Saturday’s defeat in the Telkom KO in Mbombela the social networks have been awash with calls for De Sa’s resignation with the 2-1 loss coming on top of defeat in the MTN8 and African Champions League finals.

Though he picked up over R13m in prize money for reaching those three finals, De Sa accepts: “Look, you’re never going to stop people from talking, that’s the way it is. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. Whatever they want to say.

“But obviously yeah, look, I’m doing the job the best I can. We’ve had a fair amount of success. I’d like to finish it off, unfortunately we haven’t. Not for the lack of trying. Not that we’ve played badly.

“The guys are doing the best they can in a very congested season so far.

“I’m satisfied with what we’ve achieved, obviously I’m disappointed we haven’t won anything. Financially the club did well. We know we’re one step away from massive success.

On the day arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs extended Stuart Baxter's contract until 2016, De Sa insists: “All we can do is keep on trying – and working towards the next cup final. Only two coaches have ever reached every cup final. I’ve got one more (the Nedbank Cup) to come!

“If they’re saying I must go, who’s safe? I won’t worry about the others. I’ve got to worry about myself and the job I’ve got to do.

“It’s not just the results, it’s the way we played, what we’ve achieved. I think about that all the time. In all three finals, I don’t believe we deserved to lose any of them. We weren’t out-played. In all three of them we had opportunities.

“My job is to make sure we play as well as we can. If a guy misses a goal, I can’t do anything about that, I’m on the sidelines.

“We’ve got to keep going, get to the next final. Our football has been pretty good, especially in Africa. The goal from Ngele to win it for Platinum Stars on Saturday was a cracker, you don’t often see that in South African football. Got to take my hat off to that. It’s good for the game.

“Before Ngele’s goals we should have sealed the game off a few times. We had chances.

“It’s a South African sickness. Who’re you going to blame? You’re not going to blame the superstar guy, with his poster on your wall. You’re going to blame the coach.

Ironically, Pirates restart their PSL campaign against Allan Freese’s Platinum Stars at the Royal Bafokeng Palace on Monday. Roger laughs: “I’ve thought hard about that. It might be the best thing that could have happened to us. At least now we’re playing the team that beat us in two cup finals.

“It should be easy to motivate them this time! Improve a few things in some areas, then have another go."

With Pirates technical director Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala going public with demands Ghana No1 Fatau Dauda MUST play in goal on Monday, De Sa said: “Dauda is working extremely hard, he’s always in contention. The one thing that didn’t work in his favour was he wasn’t registered for the African Champions League. We had a lot of games where we had to be sure Brighton Mlongo and Senzo Meyiwa available.

“Senzo’s done a fantastic job. And Brighton is one for the future, no doubt about it.

“You need three goalkeepers. Dauda is playing right now in the second half of our training match. We are aware he needs to play to secure his place in the Ghana national team for the World Cup next year.

“But our priority is Pirates. We can’t worry too much about Ghana. Obviously, we’re not going to NOT give him an opportunity if the situation arises. The sooner the better. We WILL give him a chance.”

That could come during next month’s CHAN tournament, with Bafana Bafana only permitted to use players from their domestic league. On form, Pirates might expect to have as many as eight players in Gordon Igesund’s squad.

But will Pirates be happy to release players for the tournament, given that they are currently five or six games behind their rivals?

Roger admits: “We don’t know yet, we’re still waiting for the meeting between CAF and the PSL to see what the ruling’s going to be. I’m almost certain NONE of the clubs will want to release their players, particularly Pirates with such a congested fixture list.

“We’re probably going to be playing every third day – we don’t want to be caught short. It puts us in a very difficult position, we are aware of it. That’s why we’re trying to play these friendlies, to look at fringe players, make sure we have the depth to be competitive.”

BOLLOCKZ! my own football show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel onwww.youtube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ballz charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

Three finals, three defeats: but Roger de Sa has made R13m in prize money for Orlando Pirates

Roger that: Pirates boss De Sa

ORLANDO PIRATES fans, reeling from a THIRD cup final defeat before Christmas, took to the social networks on Saturday night to vent their understandable anger after a SECOND consecutive failed showdown against modest Platinum Stars.

Penalties divided the teams in the MTN8 final in Durban at the end of September. On Saturday night in Mbombela, super-sub Mogakolodi Ngele’s late brace kept the Crocodiles smiling in the Telkom KO. And of course, those two domestic finals were split by the two-legged African Champions failure against mighty Egyptians Al Ahly.

Attempts to cheer up the boo-hooing Ghost proved fruitless. But you have to try. As a player, as a coach, as a fan, losing a semi-final is far more gut-wrenching than a final I said. But no, “we’ve been humiliated three times, the final is worse” the bitter Bucca chanted.

When it was suggested Kaizer Chiefs would LOVE to play in a final this season when their arch-rivals have played in THREE, I was shouted down again. Apparently reaching a final is, for Pirates fans, worse than going out in the semi-final – or even the first round.

For Roger de Sa, with Steve Komphela and Ruud Krol lurking in the unemployment queue, there appears to be no logical way out. Though Komphela’s unplanned Free State Stars exit was no more deliberate than Krol leaving CS Faxien claiming bonus non-payment, both men are eminentaly capable of taking over at a Pirates side still stuck at the foot of the PSL with all those games in hand.

Even the economic argument, usually the old reliable in these debates, failed to impress. Look at this: As Telkom Knock-out runners-up, Orlando Pirates won R1 750 000. For the African Champions League, second place meant R10 350 000. In the “winner takes all” MTN8, they took home R800 000 like the other six non-finalists.

Lovable little Allan Freese might have won R10 250 000 for his Dikwena with two cup wins but De Sa can rightly claim to have bought over R13 000 000 into the coffers while giving Pirates fans THREE separate occasions to celebrate a final showdown.

And then there’s De Sa himself. Unfazed by the storm breaking around him, he shrugged off yet another gigantic disappointment and said: “Football can be a cruel game. But Ngele’s winner was a cracker, no doubt about that.

“It’s a sad moment. It’s missed chances, we should have scored sealed the game off with another goal. When you are holding a 1-0 lead, there’s always a chance you could concede. We just didn’t finish it off.

“You have to keep going. What do you do after losing three cup finals? You move on to the next one and win that.”

Ironically those could be his last words as Pirates boss. Time – and Dr Irvin Khoza – will tell.

BOLLOCKZ! my own football show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ballz charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

Two finals, one trophy. And it isn't even December yet. The delightfully cool Allan Freese on Platinum Stars, giant-killing and contract-signing

Slayer-in-Chief: Allan Freese

THERE is a delightful coolness to Allan Earl Freese as his Platinum Stars ice-berg continues to sink the Titanic giants of South African football.

Super-cool. Distinctly unfashionable. No contract. Sharp as a razor. The ultimate Caretaker Manager. Everyone thought last year’s PSL runners-up were in for a Phokeng struggle this season after Cavin Johnson decamped for SuperSport United.

Instead, Freese stepped up from assistant boss to guide his side past Orlando Pirates to the MTN8 trophy before, on Saturday night, he engineered a shock 1-0 defeat of double-winning Kaizer Chiefs to take his side to an unprecedented second cup final in his first season in charge.

Now 57, Freese had his moments as a player. I watched the AmaKhosi beaten with SABC analyst Desh Bhaktawer on Saturday night. The former Orlando Pirates goalkeeper explained: “Freesy was a fair player. I remember in the old days at Arcadia Shepherds, Stan Lapot rated him as one of the top left backs in the country.”

The Rock: Allan's brother
Howard captained Chiefs

Driving happily down the highway of unexpected success on the North West’s N4 on Sunday, Freese laughs at the memory. “Yes, I got the SMS from Deshi after the game. Those were good days! But this season I’m having fun. My brother Howard (“The Rock” captained Kaizer Chiefs, Allan went to Orlando Pirates) just called me. He said: ‘It wasn’t Kaizer Chiefs playing badly, it was Platinum Stars playing well. That was the difference.’ And I think he’s right.

“I have got a bunch of guys who play for each other at Stars, not individuals. Everyone can surprise me, not just Robert N’gambi (their Malawian top scorer) – how about Thabiso Semenya popping up with his first goal?

“We’re playing good football. People seem to forget that, they concentrate on how badly the other side are playing. But we beat Gavin Hunt’s Bidvest Wits home and away in the MTN8 semi-finals, we won the final on penalties against a Pirates side doing well in Africa… and we beat champions Chiefs fair and square.”

Despite breaking a seven-year trophy drought and keeping his side in the running for the PSL title while reaching the Telkom KO final at Mbombela on December 7, Freese remains on the assistant coach’s contract he signed two seasons at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace.

With Orlando Pirates looming in a repeat of the MTN8 final, he laughs: “I’ve been in to see the chairman a few times, we’ve talked about a new contract, but I’m doing okay without one. You know how football is. I got a pay rise, so did my assistant Willem Jackson.

“If you think I deserve better, you’ll have to say that. I couldn’t possibly comment!”

So I will. Dikwena football manager Senzo Mazingisa says the creeping crocodiles, funded by BaPhokeng King Leruo’s platinum profits, won’t offer Freese a contract until May.

That’s fine. By that time, Freese will have quite a CV I suspect. And other clubs will be looking. How do you  reward a man who has already picked up a trophy and reached two cup finals before December?

By offering him a much BETTER deal than the one he would have signed five months ago as the quiet understudy assuming control. There’s an icy sense of justice in that for Mr Freeze.

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ball's charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

SuperSport United boss Cavin Johnson on Pirates, Pule and the problems that beset South African football

LOST DECADE: Jabu Pule in action for Chiefs, 2003

CAVIN JOHNSON insists his SuperSport United troops can upset Orlando Pirates in the Telkom Knock-out semi-final today.

SuperSport United coach Johnson, talking on my football show BOLLOCKZ! on www.ballz.co.za, said: “ I think we can take them. We have to give them respect, you can call them the Southern African champions right now after what they did in the African Champions League.

“We lost to them in the MTN8 on penalties, we allowed them back in to the game after going 1-0 up. But my players knew they were in with a chance.

“Pirates have gone and played a lot in Africa but I think we have a chance, we’re at home. The one thing I’ve taken notice of is how well Pirates played in the Champions League but the local game is a much faster game.

“We’ve prepared ourselves way, analysed their weaker points, we are ready. We’ve done everything we can.

“Chiefs or my old clubs Platinum Stars in the final? It really doesn’t matter!”

Johnson (see video below) also touched on the return of Jabu Pule to football – he is training with the SuperSport squad but at 33, can he make a footballing comeback after three years in retirement?

Johnson said: “Jabu is involved as an ex-player, trying to change the mentality of the people in Atteridgeville. We want to take the neighbourhood and make it ours. Draw the fans.

“But at the moment Jabu is training with us to get fit. It’s my own personal thing: everybody deserves a second chance.

“For what he’s done, I’ve known him for a while, going on television talking about drugs, drink, women – for me that’s a good sign. But if he gets a relapse he’s really in the kak.

“We use him as an amabassador for the club at the moment but Neal, he still has talent hey. He’s like Maradona, Gascoigne.”

Johnson was singularly unimpressed by Gordon Igesund’s latest international success, insisting:

“The 1-0 Bafana win over Spain did not excite me. I was at Soccer City on Tuesday. It does nothing for me, it does nothing for the country.

“I’m happy we beat the world champions but we needed to qualify for the World Cup. Spain didn’t come out of the starting blocks. And I don’t think Spain will go well in Brazil either, look at the Germans, Dutch, South Americans, they’re all flying.

“And yes, Khune did play well against Spain but with all respect, yah, wrong time. How about when we were playing the bloody Ethiopians. What mentality did we have. Walk in the park? You know what I’m saying?

“This is a South African problem. We have all the facilities, the best league in Africa, but we have a low grade mentality. It’s going to take a lot more than just natural footballers to fix that up. It’s going to take a generation of intelligent mothers and fathers to get it right.

“Now when I sign a player, I tell them I want to see their parents, the brothers and sisters. I want to know what kind of mentality they have, what support system, this is what I’m going to do with ALL the players I sign from now on.

“I want to see who they’re messing around with, whether they have played in the PSL for 20 years or are just coming up.

“With all respect, we have to lose now in order to win later. I cannot run players for two seasons, and then kick him out. That’s not fair.

“We have to change the culture of South African football.  I can get foreigners to kick the hell out of everyone, some gorillas to boot the opposition. Look at them, they earn a lot of money in this country. That’s easy.

“I’ll give you an example. When I was at Platinum Stars and we played in Bloemfontein or Durban, their families would be waiting by the bus with their hands out. Not to greet them, but to say “put the money in my hand”.

“That for me is frightening. I’m preparing the boys for football but they’re scared of having to hand out their money to their parents. They don’t even give moral support to these boys, they say they have no bread at home, no money at home.

“They say “give us the money now” they don’t care about football. We need people to understand that. The generation coming up have to master that like the Brazilians. They have worse problems than we do.”

“It happens to every country. Took them 25 years to win a World Cup but there is a slump immediately afterwards, there’s nothing they can do about that. It’s the beauty of football.

“Look at Germany now. They were ordinary 10-15 years ago, now look at the pace they play at. The Spanish game is going down.”

 BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 9am. See the Ballz channel on www.YouTube.com for our growing collection of interviews with the big names in South African football.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice and how we are doing in using @thumperpigeon's R5,000 to make money for the Ball's charity WINGZ OF CHANGE.

The four PSL contenders this season? Look no further than the MTN8 winners this weekend

Double trouble: Kaizer Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter

THIRTEEN GOALS. A couple of red cards. A thousand incidents. Four teams left standing. The South African football season REALLY kicked off this weekend with the MTN8 quarter-finals after the opening round of the PSL last week.

The big guns made it. Today's semi-final draw saw the Soweto giants paired with Platinum Stars taking on Bidvest Wits in two-legged clashes with dates and venues to be announced.

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune immediately twittered: "Exactly what everyone was hoping for, Derby it is."

The pick of the quarter-finals for me was Mbombela on Sunday, where continental contenders Orlando Pirates, leg-weary and over-travelled, recovered from going behind TWICE to bounce back with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win after a pulsating 2-2 draw.

Predictably Senzo “Penalty King” Meyiwa was the man of the moment, though Andile Jali’s continued resurrection was recognised with the Man of the Match award in a game where Mame Niang frightened the pants of Pirates and Lennox “Bracela” Bacela proved he CAN score goals.

On Saturday night, I was at Soccer City for Kaizer Chiefs rousing 3-0 win over AmaTuks where a loud but insubstantial AmaKhosi saw their side overcome initial resistance to render meaningless Steve Barker’s dour, defensive tactics.

Platinum Stars’ 3-0 win over Free State Stars confirmed Allan Freeze still has the basis of a decent side in Phokeng and that Steve Komphela will struggle in Bethlehem. But judging by the attendance, nobody in the North West really cares.

But it was Bidvest Wits who caught the eye as contenders at this early stage of the season with their 3-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in a small but atmospheric Milpark Stadium on Friday night.

Their first-half performance was little short of scintillating, worth watching no matter what footballing language you might prefer. With Moeneeb “Stop ball-watching Boooooth” Josephs already at home in the Cleva Boys goal and the world’s tallest man Matthew Booth marshalling the defence, Gavin Hunt has build a defence which will be tough to breech.

Ahead of them, the excellent Burundian Faty Papy slots in nicely next to Matthew Pattison in a midfield unlikely to be outplayed anywhere this season, from Cape Town to Polokwane. Up front, Hunt appears to be relying on the ancient Great Zimbabwe edifice Benjani Mwaruwari, who at an estimated age of 34 still has a great touch.

That’s a strong spine, by any standards, though I suspect striker Nyasha Mushekwi may be added to an expensive University graduate scheme now that the Zimbabwean’s move from Mamelodi Sundowns to Belgium’s Oostende has fallen through.

Hunt himself accepts: “We’ve still got a few more signings to make before the end of the transfer window at the end of the month. But I’m happy with what we’ve got.

“Look there’s a lot of work to be done, but we’ve got the makings of a strong squad here. After all those years at SuperSport (where he won THREE successive PSL titles) I’m not here for a holiday.”

I reckon this weekend we’ve seen the four contenders for the PSL triumph in the MTN8. Orlando Pirates may be distracted by a remarkable African Champions League campaign, and Platinum Stars aren’t quite the force they were under Johnson when they finished surprise runners-up last season.

I foresee a down-to-the-wire showdown this season between Stuart Baxter and Gavin Hunt. A battle of the little big men. Chiefs have what it takes, grabbing the double of Nedbank Cup and PSL last season. Hunt’s Wits offer a backbone of players who have been there, done that.

Like Hunt, Baxter accepts: “There’s still work to be done. It’s still very early. We may make more signings.”

But if one of those two aren’t celebrating come May, I’d be surprised.


BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. A shorter version of THIS story will be published in The New Age on Tuesday.

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

THE PSL KICKS OFF ON FRIDAY: Benni says it's Chiefs, but does he know what's been happening out there?!

Too many Chiefs: Amakhozi celebrations after
the Carling Cup win on Saturday

SO according to the Benni McCarthy, Kaizers Chiefs are going to win the PSL, Bernard Parker will be the season’s top scorer and Itumeleng Khune is ear-marked for player of the year.

Which is all very well – though slightly annoying if you’re a fan of his former club Orlando Pirates – given Kaizer Chiefs utterly meaningless Carling Cup win at a packed Soccer City on Saturday.

Of course, the Amakhosi have the bragging rights after Lehlohonolo Majoro’s off-side goal separated the two sides in the gimmicky Soweto derby for profiteers - but as an indicator of the season ahead, as we say in England, it’s utter bollocks.

Under-pressure Pirates coach Roger de Sa is attempting to shave 8kg off Collins Mbesuma while simultaneously bedding in his new signings, Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter himself admits: “It was heaven and hell… they had us under pressure.”

So do we make Chiefs favourites to retain their title given McCarthy's views in today's Sunday Times? Possibly. But let’s remember Benni has barely been back in the country since his sudden retirement at the end of last season. The fact that he quit without actually telling the Buccaneers despite their R6m-a-year salary is beside the point.

McCarthy has spent his time in Spain and England, he has no idea how the new-look PSL is shaping up. Though nobody doubts his footballing talent, it’s hard to take his current predictions too seriously.

For a start, Bernard Parker failed to win the golden boot last season despite a four-goal start at AmaZulu last year. This year Knowledge Musona takes over from McCarthy as the nation’s best-paid player, on a year’s loan at the AmaKhosi from German also-rans Hoffenheim.

With Benni’s old club enlisting the services of Celtic’s Lennox Bacela and SuperSport United’s Kemit Erasmus, I don’t expect to see Parker among the top five this season .

Stuart Baxter is likely to use him wide and deeper with Musona and Majoro carrying the bulk of the goal-scoring burden.

As for the title race, I’ve seen most of the new-look squads in action – yesterday I sat with new Wits coach Gavin Hunt watching Amatuks giving Australian tourists Perth Glory a 2-0 tonking.

Gavin said: “Steve Barker’s done it again. Found some good youngsters, made them efficient. They’ll be hard to beat again this year.”

On Saturday I watched Gavin’s Wits, with eight new players, win a mini-tournament at Milpark, ending on top of Steve Komphela’s Free States Stars, Golden Arrows and Platinum Stars.

I had a chat with new Dikwena boss Allan Freeze, who admitted: “We haven’t signed anybody really, we’ve lost Thuso Phala but we’ll be okay. We finished runners-up last season, we can reach the top four again this season.”

Mamelodi Sundowns have made their usual army of signings and enjoyed a strong tour of Ghana, Amazulu under Craig Rosslee may be a tough prospect but Ajax Cape Town will have to rely on new recruits from their substantial academy to survive after losing a host of stars.

Promoted NFD champions Polokwane City remain a mystery to most, Martitzburg United have grabbed Ghana's Mohammed Yakubu - who survived just 30 minutes under Roger de Sa at Orlando Pirates - but are unlikely to threaten the top four.

But amid conversations on my BOLLOCKZ show on Ballz radio, Hunt, Freeze, new SuperSport boss Cavin Johnson, Swallows coach Zeca Marques and of course, the big two, Roger and Stuart, I have to say the surprise package could be promoted Mpumalanga Aces under the ageless Clive Barker.

Clive, cheerfully 68, told me on BOLLOCKZ last week: “The wife told me not to tell you we’ll win the league at the first attempt! But I can say we have good directors at Aces, we’ve made some great signings and we could be a handful!”

The Dog reckons he’s signed 12 players rather than the widely publicised 16. When I asked Hunt how many he’d acquired (live on air) he said: “I’ve got absolutely no f***ing idea!”

The point is this: When the PSL kicks off on Friday with Aces up against last season’s double winners Kaizer Chiefs, it’s an all-new situation.

Just as in England, where the top three clubs are all under new management, much has changed since Benni McCarthy retired.

And I’d keep an eye on Wits, if I were the Soweto giants. Hunt has Zimbabwean veteran Benjani up front (“I’ll use him sparingly, keep his legs!”), the experienced Matthew Booth at centre-back, the energetic Matthew Pattison in midfield and Moeneeb Josephs in goal.

Hunt laughs: “I’ve never actually had Moeneeb before. He’s amazing. So bloody enthusiastic – and absolutely radio rental! I love him already.”

Chiefs and Pirates beware. Platinum Stars nearly did it last season – the Clever Boys will be up and at it this term.

The opening round:

02/08    Mpumalanga Aces      20:00     Kaizer Chiefs

03/08    Golden Arrows           15:00     Ajax Cape Town

03/08    Moroka Swallows       15:00     University of Pretoria

03/08    SuperSport United       20:15     Free State Stars

03/08    Maritzburg United        20:15     Polokwane City

04/08    Bloemfontein Celtic      15:00     Mamelodi Sundowns

04/08    Platinum Stars              15:00     Bidvest Wits

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. A shorter version of THIS story will be published in The New Age on Tuesday.

#BOLLOCKS is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!

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)

Miracle worker Cavin Johnson leaves Platinum Stars for SuperSport United. You read it here first.

On the move: Cavin Johnson

WARNING: THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER ON HOLD!


CAVIN JOHNSON has finally made official his departure from Platinum Stars after a season which saw the Crocodiles from Phokeng so nearly take the PSL by storm.

Dikwena finished second behind Kaizer Chiefs - by just one point - and reached the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup. But as I said A MONTH AGO (see tweet below) Johnson has called time on his reign a fortnight of wrangling with the Royal Bafokeng Kingdom, owners of the club.

That's the official version. In truth of course, Cavin had made his decision months ago. Just as Gavin Hunt, the SuperSport United coach, made his decision to decamp to Bidvest Wits not long after Christmas.

While players and fans carried on happily "giving their all for the boss" in both Phokeng and Tshwane, both coaches had made up their minds. And if you want proof of this assertion see my tweet on n May 18, at 6.25pm, it looked like this: https://twitter.com/nealcol/status/335778181174943744.

If you go to the link, you'll see all the doubters questioning my prediction of Johnson to SuperSport United, though Hunt's move to Bidvest Wits was never really questioned. Suggestions he is on R750,000 a month are of course, ridiculous. He's on around half that, with bonuses. Jose Mourinho returned to Chelsea today on a salary of around R10m a month, AFTER tax. So let's not get in to figures.

Today, finally, the merry-go-round has turned, two weeks after Johnson's submitted a resignation letter suggesting he needed to move closer to Tshwane for "family reasons".

But that's ridiculous. Johnson knows SuperSport, expensively backed by DSTV, have big plans. With Stanley Matthews now the CEO at Matsatsantsa a Pitori (The Swanky Boys, The Trendsetters). 

I've long been a fan of Johnson. I wrote this after seeing his side come back from the death in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld: http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2013/04/cavin-johnson-and-platinum-stars-what.html

But despite his performance this season - he lost out on the PSL Coach of the Season only to double-winning Stuart Baxter at Kaizer Chiefs - Johnson has spent the season looking over his shoulder. His assistant Allan Freeze has always been highly regarded in Phokeng.

Johnson and Freeze were installed as joint coaches after Owen De Gama's controversial departure two seasons ago, but Johnson eventually got the nod as big boss.

March: Phala with Matthews

Now he gets to try his hand at SuperSport United, a club with a title-winning pedigree (lest we forget, Hunt won the PSL for three successive seasons in 2008, 2009 and 2010) and a raft of impressive reinforcements.

From Moroka Swallows he has Bennett Chenene and David Mathebula - they signed pre-contracts as long ago as January - while the impressive Senegalese striker Mame Niang will move from neighbours AmaTuks.

And of course, he can also call on his own Stars stars. In March, Thusa Phala was snapped up by former PSL CEO Matthews - his mother Suzan works at SuperSport as an events manager - along with fellow Dikwena man Enocent Mkhabela.

It worries me a lot that those deals were made in March, around the time Hunt was finalising his deal at Wits and, presumably, Johnson was agreeing his move to SuperSport United.

Breaking the news: my Cavin Johnson tweet, May 18

Will Johnson do as well at SuperSpot as he did at Platinum Stars? Time will tell. Follow me on twitter @nealcol for updates.

Baxter to the future: why champions Kaizer Chiefs should consider doing a Sir Alex Ferguson

Cup-lifting: Chiefs have had the upper hand this season

IF Kaizer Chiefs were to do the unthinkable and LOSE 1-0 to SuperSport United tomorrow night, the PSL title would still be in the balance.

Then, IF the mighty AmaKhosi were to lose 1-0 to AmaTuks on Saturday, and IF Platinum Stars crush SuperSport by say, 9-0 in their final League game, the side from Phokeng would actually lift the title by a single goal.

Those aren’t just three mighty improbable IFS. In footballing teams, for all three of those results to come to pass is, of course, impossible.

The truth is, Stuart Baxter has achieved what no other foreign coach has managed in the history of the PSL. The man from Wolverhampton has won the league title at his first attempt.

It hasn’t always been pretty, it’s had a lot to do with the failure of his rivals – Roger de Sa’s Orlando Pirates have been mis-firing since the African Cup of Nations (when Ironman Siya Sangweni got injured) and Cavin Johnson’s  Stars somehow contrived to lose to 2-1 to Golden Arrows on Saturday.

No doubt, in his title-winning speech tonight, Baxter will mention “transitions” and “pride” before finally being able to write the words “championship” on his much-debated CV.

Good on him. Baxter arrived to replace the no-nonsense Vladimir Vermecovic after a brief spell where the AmaKhosi were coached by a bunch of trusted former players.

Few expected the former Bafana coach to achieve what Chiefs haven’t since 2005. But the signings of Tower Mathoho and Morgan Gould – between injuries – certainly helped. Bernard Parker’s burst of four goals in the opening game against AmaZulu saw him and his side stay ahead of the bunch all season.

But the unquestionable star of the AmaKhosi’s reclaiming of this lady Gloria was one Itumeleng Khune. The One. Consistently near-perfect in his shot-stopping and distribution, the Bafana goalkeeper starred for his nation in Afcon and – apart from a Vampire-like fear of crosses and a couple of glitches against Ajax Cape Town down the closing stretch – he has been responsible for the riiiiiiise of the Zebras.

When Khune went AWOL for much of last season, the damage was always apparent.

For the crocodiles from the North West there can be only a toothless smile of “what might have been” as Johnson’s Dikwena finish closest in the League and accept extra-time elimination from the Nedbank Cup at the semi-final hurdle against Gavin Hunt’s stubborn SSU.

It’s Orlando Pirates who must harbour the deeper sense of grievance. Shock defeats against Chippa-Choppa United and Mamelodi Sundowns after the “Drawlando” stretch of six stalemates leaves coach Roger de Sa with the African Champions League as his only, distant hope.

Judging from the SMSes that fly between us, I’d say Roger is only a step short of the Sea Robbers’ plank. Shakes Mashaba is touting himself as a replacement, but I suspect Irvin Khoza is thinking big with former AFCON winners Herve Renard of Zambia and Nigeria’s flighty Steve Keshi on a long short list.

Manchester United fans were signing “We’ve got the title back, and Mancini’s got the sack” against Swansea on Sunday. Chiefs fans might be excused for inserting De Sa’s name in to that catchy little number tomorrow night. As far as he knows, Roger remains employed, insisting: "I've got a three-year contract, you can see it if you want."

So after their inevitable crowning at Polokwane or Mbombela this week, the Zebras move on to the double, where the Hunt – it’s always him – stands against the mighty AmaKhosi in the Nedbank Cup final on May 25.

Few doubt Chiefs, and their patient following of a reputed 15million, are serious favourites to add the pre-eminent knock-out trophy to their league title. And for that Baxter – and Khune – must take the plaudits.

Unexpected? A little. Deserved? Yes, though they needed a little prompting from their rivals.

The question now is: can Baxter build a legacy, a tradition? Like Sir Alex at United, Chiefs deserve – need – a long-running coach. One who can pull the club together from bottom to top.

Is Baxter that man? Will De Sa and the rapidly rising Pitso Mosimane at Mamelodi Sundowns get the chance to do the same with a full season in charge? We'll soon find out. 

A story similar to this will appear as my "Neal and Pray" column in The New Age tomorrow.

How the PSL title will be won: game-by-game analysis of how Kaizer Chiefs will be crowned champions

Every point: Kaizer Chiefs boss Stuart Baxter

TONIGHT Orlando Pirates play the team now known as Choppa United. Tomorrow night PSL leaders and title favourites Kaizer Chiefs play a desperate Ajax Cape Town.

For Capetonians, this could represent the beginning of the end for top flight football at the nation’s southern tip. Wins for the two Soweto giants at the squeaky bottom end of the season are vital and almost certain.

Stuart Baxter and Roger de Sa won’t be concerned in the slightest about the fate of the nation’s southernmost footballing outpost. Santos went down last season, Chippa sacked an estimated five coaches this summer and once-compelling Ajax have become, in the words of chairman George Comitis, a Greek Tragedy.

Only the incompetence of Limpopo’s spotty Leopards can save Cape Town from the ignominy of falling out of South Africa’s footballing top flight completely.

Tonight the Buccaneers, who travel to the DR Congo on Saturday for the second leg of their African Champions League last 16 tie with TP Mazembe, MUST destroy Mr Mpengesi’s men. The Pirates’ squeaky win over Wits on Saturday – Sifiso Myeni’s late, late goal ended a run of SIX successive PSL draws – should have raised spirits and Benni McCarthy is back.

And 24 hours later, Chiefs know that failure in Cape Town will see the champions and double-treble winners close to just four points behind with the mythical game in hand.

At the same time, Platinum Stars, who held Chiefs 0-0 in Polokwane on Sunday, play Maritzburg United. A victory for the Dikwena will keep them snapping at the heels of the Soweto giants.

Pirates then play Pitso Mosimane’s Sundowns on Saturday, May 11 and relegation-threatened Leopards on Wednesday, May 15. The Sea Robbers close their campaign against Maritzburg United on the 18^th.

Chiefs have got Gavin Hunt’s hard-to-beat SuperSport United on the 15^th, with AmaTuks to finish on the 18^th.

Platinum Stars run-in features Golden Arrows on the 11^thand finally, SSU on the 18^th.

Even if Orlando Pirates win their last four they can only get to 61 points. Platinum Stars should win two of their last three to hit 57 points (including the obligatory draw with SSU).

But Kaizer Chiefs WILL not lose tomorrow night. They’ll beat Ajax, draw with SuperSport and end with a win at AmaTuks. That will give the AmaKhosi 63 points and that long-awaited PSL title. Even a draw on the final day will give Chiefs 61 points and their goal difference (30 to 16) is vastly superior to Pirates.

Baxter knows it. They haven't won it since 2005, but the man from Wolverhampton admits: “If I’d been a fan at the Platinum Stars game, I’d have expected better entertainment. We started to play the long ball, that’s not really our way.

“Still, if you'd told me at the start of the season we would be top of the league with three matches left I would have taken it. If we keep playing, keep focused, I believe we can do it.”

And just in case complacency creeps in, he can tell his players what Platinum Stars coach Cavin Johnson said: “We will keep fighting. We have got a taste for this. If Kaizer Chiefs slip up, we’ll be ready…” 

This will appear as my "Neal and Pray" column in www.thenewage.co.za on Tuesday morning.

Cavin Johnson and Platinum Stars: what we need to know about the surprising double hunters

Starring role: Cavin Johnson

CAVIN JOHNSON. Took me a while to get the hang of that name. Not Kevin. Not Calvin. Not Gavin. CAVIN. It simply doesn’t feature on any list of popular South African names.

But with his Platinum Stars unexpectedly competing for the double of Premier Soccer League and Nedbank Cup at the squeaky-bottom end of the season, Cavin says: “We started badly, we weren’t quite ready - but now we’re super fit. We can climb the mountain.”

I saw Cavin last Sunday when two late goals sealed a Nedbank quarter-final win over his old club Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus. I told the tiny band of Dikwena fans they’d win 2-1 (I have Brazilian witnesses), remarkably they did with seconds to spare. They’ve got SuperSport United in the last four. I predict a similar outcome.

And after the come-from-behind 2-1 win over Wits this week, they are now two points ahead of Orlando Pirates in second and just four points short of favourites Kaizer Chiefs at the top of the league.

The top two meet on April 28 in Polokwane with Johnson well aware that his side is the only club to down the AmaKhosi in the league this season. And football analysts are finally starting to talk about Dikwena, the crocodiles snapping at the heels of the lumbering Soweto giants.

Johnson accepts: “The League is there for Chiefs to lose. They have the best side and – in Stuart Baxter – the best tactician in the country. It’s up to them to make mistakes – that would open the door for us.

"My challenge is to make this team peak at the right time – I’m happy we’re doing that.”

Then he issues the stock: “For us it is one game at a time and we cannot get ahead of ourselves and put players under unnecessary pressure.”

In the old Gaelic, Cavin is spelt Caoimhan, it means “beautiful at birth”. It’s listed as the 18,267th most popular name in the USA and apparently one in every 351,102 Americans is called Cavin. So the bloke who has taken South African Premier Soccer League by storm this season is fairly unique.

But we knew that. Perhaps Cavin’s greatest claim to fame is discovering a lad called Steven Pienaar in Cape Town. Now 54, Johnson came across the lad from Westbury in 1994, when the Everton star was a mere 12-year-old.

At the time, Pienaar was playing street football (for R5 a goal) and Johnson had just set up the Transnet School of Excellence. Johnson recalls: "There were other players around just as good but Stevie's attitude 

stood out, not just his technical quality.”

And perhaps that’s the key to Johnson’s rise. His ability to spot attitude. He soon added Dillon Sheppard and Brent Carelse to his finds and he became youth coach when Ajax Cape Town emerged from the merger of Seven Stars and Cape Town Spurs in 1999.

Then he took a similar role at Sundowns before rising to assistant coach under a bloke called Gordon Igesund when Msandawana won the PSL in 2007. Those were heady days in Mamelodi.

Both Johnson and his current Platinum-plated star Thuso Phala soon found themselves struggling to stay afloat in Patrice Motsepe’s money-no-object environment.

But they have reunited just outside Rustenburg after Owen de Gama’s controversial reign - and the club is finally fulfilling  King Leruo’s ambitions in the kingdom of the Bafokeng (more of that later).

Phala came to prominence as Igesund’s surprise Bafana Bafana package at the African Cup of Nations earlier in the year and Johnson grins: "Thuso is just reaching his peak at 26. His first touch has improved, we do a lot of technical work in training. His decision-making has improved too.”

Benson Mhlongo is another former Sundowner who has found his feet under Johnson. The former Orlando Pirates centre-back is the fulcrum for Dikwena with Johnson confessing: "Benson was told he would never play again when he injured his knee at Pirates.

“But I knew him from Sundowns and I bought him mostly to offer his experience to our youngsters. But it turned out much better than I thought it would. He won't play 35 games for us, but he's made a huge difference."

There are gems only Johnson could unearth in the mineral-rich, 14,000 square kilometre kingdom of the Bafokeng. Players like Vuyo Mere, the fullback from Chloorkop, another former Pirate in winger Patrick Malokase - and he spotted the former Leopard, Robert Ng’ambi.

Up front, Botswana’s Mogakolodi Ngele (9 after his brace against Wits this week) and Namibian Henrico Botes (7) have scored 16 between them to form one of the most-feared dynamic duos in the country this season.

And then Cavin offers this secret behind his success: "Kabelo Rangoaga does our fitness and Godfrey Sepuru is my physio. They are vital. We have not had a strained groin or hamstring for 18 months."

Or is it this? He wears TWO wristwatches – a posh one and a cheap digital - to keep Ferguson-like tabs on the referee’s time-keeping. He grins: "It's my only muti!”

PLATINUM STARS?

There’s a toughie too. Used to be Silver Stars. The name first came up, for me, in 2009. A bloke called Martin Bekker, spokesman for the Royal Bafokeng family, told me all about King Leruo’s plans for the little team that started out as Khakhu Fast XI in 1937 in the eponymous town 170km east of Polokwane.

A couple of months later I watched England and Wayne Rooney beat them 3-0 in a pre-World Cup friendly. Steve Komphela was in charge then. I saw nothing special, though Gavin Hunt told me at the time: “England aren’t going to win the World Cup!”

But the memory stuck. Bekker showed me a 35-year plan for Leruo’s Bafokeng nation which included shoving Platinum Stars to the top of the footballing tree in South Africa.

But I could find little evidence of impending success back then. And precious little record of Platinum Stars’ footballing feats until 1998 when the club’s then-owner Joseph “Tycoon” Mapfulagasha moved his team to Mapate, 30km south of Khakhu. They changed their name to the Mapate Silver Stars and were promoted from the Vodacom League to the National First Division in 1999.

Then came a link with the old white National Football League titans Highlands Park, when a Sandton businessman called Larry Brookstone purchased half of the club and linked them with his juniors at Highlands North, though “HP Silver Stars” continued to play their games just over 300km north of Johannesburg.

After four seasons in the NFD graveyard, they came to life in 2004 and were promoted to the PSL. They finished 11^th, 7^thand 5^th – and that’s when the Royal Bafokeng Nation took an interest.

It started off with a sponsorship deal, closely followed by a provincial border-crossing from Limpopo to 

North West. In December 2006, they beat Ajax Cape Town 3-1 in the first-ever Telkom Knock-Out final and they finshed the season as runners-up in the PSL.

That encouraged Royal Bafokeng Holdings to buy 51% of Silver Stars’ shares in May 2007 – and the name was changed to the local mineral, Platinum.

The catalytic benefits are obvious. This week Botes, the 33-year-old who was voted the best PSL player in Q2, signed a new deal, joining Ng’ambi, Msomi, Kagiso Mlambo, Lindokuhle Mbatha and Solomon Mathe as long-term investments. But the club has already lost Phala and Enocent Mkhabela to Nedbank Cup rivals SuperSport next season.

There are further problems as the club struggles to attract decent crowds at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium for their home games, despite being the only PSL club in the Northwest province.

Johnson is working on that: "We have to create a brand of football that pulls more supporters. We want to compete with well-supported clubs like Bloemfontein Celtic - but it's difficult to change footballing loyalties. So we have to attract a younger generation. It's a long-term thing."

Claiming the Nedbank Cup or the Absa Premier League title – or both - might help.

Follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol and see me on eNCAnews, DSTV channel 403 every Monday at 8.15pm.