Considering the rare qualities he offers as a player, such as his calmness in possession, passing ability, mastering of the long-range shot and more, Phathutshedzo Nange's signing for Kaizer Chiefs, from Bidvest Wits via Stellenbosch FC, was considered a coup, especially as a rebuild was taking place at Naturena. His first season, 2021/22, was not a particularly bad one from an individual point of view, but the following one was riddled with frustration for the box-to-box midfielder, as he had to contend with a lengthy spell on the periphery due to injury. And at a club like Amakhosi, where it is often a case of 'out of sight out of mind' in regards to the fanbase, that meant he was up against it and his future would definitely be up for scrutiny come end of the season. More so as yet another campaign delivered zilch in terms of trophies for Glamour Boys. Out with the old, in with the new, and as he departed Naturena, came coach Gavin Hunt drooling over his signature. Now the mission to redeem oneself is well and truly underway for the 31-yearold. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Masebe Qina, Nange reveals what went wrong for him at the Soweto giants, how he's found the early days at Matsatsantsa and whether he feels he has a point to prove to anyone going into 2023/24.
Masebe Qina: To get this interview started, Phathu, let's talk about how pre-season has been so far with your new club SuperSport United.
Phathutshedzo Nange: Yeah, it's been very good so far and they welcomed me very well. I'm enjoying every moment of it and I'm looking forward to the start of the new season. Hopefully, we can do well as a team. With regards to the pre-season, I guess you know how hard it can be in terms of getting our fitness levels up and stuff like that, but we will get there. During the off-season, I was at home with my family and it was very nice being with them and I enjoyed every moment of it.
MQ: How does it feel having joined a new club so quickly after leaving your last one?
PN: I'm very happy and looking forward to the new challenge. Ja, I'm ready for the new season. I'm ready to work hard with the guys and do my best to contribute to the team. It's been amazing so far and, like I have said, the welcome has been very good and I already feel at home. I feel like I have been with them for a long time even though it's still just the pre-season. The good thing is that there are a few guys in the team that I played with previously at (Bidvest) Wits and that's why it hasn't taken me a long time to feel at home.
MQ: Was there anything you needed to hear from your former Wits teammates to help you adjust?
PN: Like I say, I already feel part of the family and they have been there for me on anything I need, and I'm grateful for that. We are there for each other and that's why I feel more than welcome. From the first day I arrived, I knew what was required of me in terms of contributing to the team and I am ready, even though I didn't play much last season. I was affected by injuries and the guys are encouraging me. The physical trainers have also been getting me ready and I'm grateful to them and I'm very happy with the progress I am making. I believe that I can be at the level that I need to be at so that I can contribute to the team.
MQ: What has coach Gavin Hunt said he expects from you?
PN: We haven't had that kind of a discussion yet, but as a player I know what is required of me. I worked with him before and I know how he operates. He would have discussions with us as a team and then as individuals, and I know that he wants to win. We also want to win as players. I know what the coach is expecting and he knows what we are expecting, and that is to win something at the end of the season. We will work collectively and do our best to deliver for the club.
MQ: Why didn't you play much at Kaizer Chiefs?
PN: I would say I did very well in the previous season and from there, I went to the national team when we played against Morocco in the Afcon qualifiers (in June last year). When I came back, I got injured during pre-season while in Polokwane. I picked up a knee injury and I had to go back to Jo'burg to get treatment. That injury took me a few steps backwards because the other guys were going ahead with pre-season training, and they were gelling with each other and were gaining fitness. I couldn't participate and when I recovered, it was already late as the season had already started and it was difficult for me catch up. Nevertheless, that's part of the game and that's how things can be in football. I had to soldier on and look forward to the new challenge for when I recovered to fight and to give my best for the team.
MQ: Must have hurt not being able to contribute to the team's cause due to injury…
PN: I was disappointed. I know injuries are part of the game and that there are times where you will be getting knocks here and there, but as professional footballers, we all want to be on the field. That's what we aim for and that's why we love this game – to play football, more than anything. I had to take it not as a setback and had to believe that it was not the end of me. I had to look forward to when I was not injured and aim to give my best.
MQ: What kind of support were you getting from the Naturena-based outfit during that period?
PN: The support was superb from all angles. From the supporters, Chairman, team doctors, management, coach and everyone, the support was just amazing. My teammates were very supportive and I really appreciate everything they did for me. I appreciate every second I spent with the club – it was amazing. What happened to me is something I can't fault anyone about. The rehabilitation I got was amazing and I really appreciate everyone who supported me and that's why I say the support was from all angles, honestly. During my time there, the team was building and young players were being promoted and they were amazing, good players that also needed to get a chance to play.
MQ: How do you look back on the two years you spent at the Village? Do you perhaps think you could have proved your worth had you been given another year or so to stay?
PN: All I can say is that whenever we play as footballers, we want to win something. Since my days with Black Leopards, and whoever I played for, I always wished to win something. So, I wanted to win something (with Chiefs), but it didn't happen. But I still want to win something, and I said, "Okay, I can still do it, maybe somewhere else."
What Others Have To Say About Nange…
He Didn't Live Up To The Expectations
Masilo Machaka – Kaizer Chiefs supporter
"I enjoyed watching Nange playing even before he joined the Glamour Boys. He played for Stellenbosch FC before joining Kaizer Chiefs and he did very well there. I remember seeing him doing well for Stellenbosch and there were never any bad stories written about him off the field as well. To be honest, we expected a lot from Nange based on his performances for his previous club, but during the two seasons with Chiefs, he didn't live up to the expectations. I always tell people that what players need to realise is that playing for Chiefs comes with a lot of pressure. You can be one of the best players elsewhere, but once you join Chiefs, it can be a different story altogether. As a player, you need to triple your efforts in order to be able to play and do well at Chiefs. With Chiefs, the thing is, the club's former greats such as Doctor Khumalo, the late Shoes (Moshoeu), 'Tsiki-Tsiki' (Thabo Mooki) and others raised the bar too high. It's always going to be difficult for any of the players joining the club to try and emulate what those former great players achieved with the club.
There are a lot of qualities that they would need to possess and some of those include having to be physically and mentally strong. You know when you enter that gate in Naturena, you can just feel that the environment is different. Even the air you breathe becomes different from the air from the outside, and that's what I always tell people. It is not like Nange and the other players that have been released by the club are not good, they are good, but the adjustment to playing for a big club such as Chiefs becomes a problem. While he couldn't make it under Arthur Zwane, who was the head coach last season and is now assistant to Molefi Ntseki, Nange will make it at SuperSport and you just have to wait and see. He will be a different player altogether.
I have come across comments and questions asking about the club's decision to release Nange and I am surprised as to why. Like I say, it's not like Nange and the other players that have been released are not good, they are very good but the adaptation to the standard required at Chiefs hasn't been easy for them. Don't get me wrong, Nange isn't the only player that struggled to adapt at Chiefs, there are a lot of others. I just want to wish Nange everything of the best and I know that he will make it at SuperSport because he is a good player. With the hunger that he is joining the club having, he will do very well. He is a player with a fighting spirit and he can make things happen in the middle of the park and therefore he stands a good chance to succeed at his new club. It will be important for the players that he will be surrounded by to be able to offer him the support that he needs in order to quickly adapt at the club. Football is a team sport and it is never about the individuals and therefore teamwork will be key to get the best out of Nange in order for him to be in the same level as he was before with his performances.
I'm happy that Nange left Chiefs because he was going to sit on the bench and sometimes join us in the stands, and that was not going to be good for his career. Imagine a player of such quality singing with us in the stands, 'Yonk' indawo Amakhosi ayaphumelela' because he doesn't make the matchday squads – that wouldn't be good. Wherever he is right now, he must be happy that he played for Chiefs and that should be the most important thing for him. Watch the space, Nange will rediscover his form in the new season. I just wish the supporters can stop blaming Chiefs management or the technical team for the decision to release Nange, because he is now where he is supposed to be. I remember I once told Arthur that coaching Chiefs' first team and the development are way too different. You can be good for development, but that doesn't mean you can be good for the first team and it's the same kind of pressure even for the players. I wish Nange everything of the best and I know that he is going to produce top performances for SuperSport."
Why did Chiefs bring him in?
Junior Khanye – Former Chiefs winger
"I want to be honest in answering your question. I think from the beginning, Chiefs made a big mistake by signing the player as he didn't suit their style, in my opinion. I remember during the one season he played for Stellenbosch FC before he made the move to Chiefs, he was used more as an impact player as he didn't start too many games. The way he was playing even there, it didn't look like they saw him as the player that they could fully rely on. It would have been a different situation if he was playing regularly at Stellenbosch and maybe I would be having a different opinion about him. Going to a big club like Chiefs where the expectations are very high and you haven't been playing enough where you came from, it was always going to be difficult for the boy and I can't fault him. I can't blame him because the club had already started changing their philosophy and having taken a wrong direction with regards to the players that were being signed. In fact, it didn't even start with the players but coaches too, it is even worse with the players because there isn't enough quality in the team. Let's just hope that the boy will manage to bounce back because even at SuperSport, the expectations will be high for him to deliver as someone coming from Chiefs. What I know about footballers is that most of the time, once they are deprived of enough game-time, their confidence goes down. Nange didn't get enough game-time at Chiefs and my worry is that his confidence might be at a low going to SuperSport.
He will need to fight for his place in that SuperSport midfield because even his value must be down now compared to previously. SuperSport has also set the standard and they finished third on the log last season and will be playing in the CAF Confederation Cup, so it won't be easy even there and he will need to raise his game. Truly speaking, he never lived up to the expectations at Chiefs and with the team no longer doing well or winning trophies, it was always going to be difficult for him and the other newly signed players to change the situation. Maybe the big question that we should be asking is, why did Chiefs bring him in, in the first place? But all is not lost for the boy and knowing Gavin Hunt as a coach who is always willing to give opportunities to people, I think Nange will get his chance to get his career back on track. Yes, there will be pressure at SuperSport also, but it will be less compared to at Chiefs. The good thing for the player is that he has worked with the coach previously and the coach understands him and that's why I believe joining SuperSport could prove to be a good move for him. Look at a player like (Siphesihle) Ndlovu, who went to (Orlando) Pirates and failed, but he has managed to revive his career under Gavin (Hunt) at SuperSport. Chiefs and Pirates are not like any other club and the pressure is huge there, which makes it difficult to play well and consistently for most players. He can surprise us at SuperSport. I do understand that the boy was injured at some point, which affected his progress this past season, but I still believe that it was always going to be a daunting task for him to do well at Chiefs and be consistent irrespective of the injury based on the reasons I've stated about his lack of regular game-time at his previous club."
I have no doubt he will do well
Mswati Mavuso – Former Stellenbosch FC midfielder
"What I know about him is that he is a good player and he is serious about his football. When I played with him at Stellenbosch FC, he was a good guy both as a teammate and off the field too. I didn't have any issues with him. He is a hardworking player who takes his football seriously and I think he will do well at his new club. He could have done well even at his previous club, better than he did, but he was disrupted in his progress by injury. Injuries are what have sometimes disrupted him even at his previous clubs from what I understand, but other than that, he is a good player and a top guy. Off the field, he is a bit quiet, and probably it's because he is naturally like that as he looks like a shy person. If he remains injury- free, I have no doubt he will do well."
