Sipho Ndlovu, popularly known as 'Sambulo' on television series The Wife, feels the one man who will be able to coach Kaizer Chiefs is Dan Malesela.
Ndlovu has been an Amakhosi supporter for over 20 years and has not been convinced with Arthur Zwane's first season as coach of the Soweto giants. Here he tells Soccer Laduma what he thinks the club should do to have a much better campaign next season.
Following another disappointing season as a Kaizer Chiefs supporter, how are you feeling at the moment?
I am a staunch supporter of Kaizer Chiefs and I will never leave Chiefs. We are in the rebuilding phase and we understand that when you are building, you need to be patient. If you look at where Sundowns come from, you will remember that they used to fire every coach until Pitso Mosimane came. When they got Pitso, there was hope. Sundowns are not successful because of money. It's the foundation that Pitso built there. But my problem with Arthur Zwane is that he does not have a vision. That is the problem. He is not motivating those boys.
If you say Zwane does not have a vision, should Chiefs still keep him as coach?
I will be brutal on this one. We gave Zwane a chance. He has been there for a number of seasons, even before he was head coach. I don't understand why we should give him a chance because he has been there. He has been an assistant coach before, so what is it that we will expect from him? Giving Zwane a chance will be like committing suicide because the guy was there. We gave him a season, with Dillon Sheppard. What did he do? He flopped and he is not a leader, the way I see it. One thing I see is that there is no unity with those boys. You can see it when they play. As a coach, you need to be a motivator and he is not doing that. You watch the game Chiefs played in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals against Pirates, you will see that those boys did not feel that they have a leader. That's why they played that way. They don't have confidence. I think we can build with another coach. One thing I can applaud Zwane for is that the style of play changed. At least now we can build up from the back. I just feel Zwane has not utilised (George) Matlou. That boy can play in those pockets and he can make those passes.
Is there a coach you feel Chiefs should appoint?
Chiefs need a South African coach, someone like Dan Malesela. I know he is underrated, but I know he can coach Kaizer Chiefs. And I don't think Zwane and Sheppard should stay. They must leave. Their time is over at Chiefs. Dan Malesela can coach Chiefs. Also, if Chiefs could appoint someone like Pitso Mosimane, they would do well. He is like a father figure and he can motivate those boys. You can take Pitso Mosimane to Kaizer Chiefs and he will do well.
Where does your love for Chiefs come from?
I was born in 1986 and my father was a Chiefs supporter and we used to watch the games. We used to have Kaizer Chiefs plates at home. When my mother dished food, she would dish on those plates. Remember when there was Shane McGregor, (Neil) Tovey, Donald Khuze, Doctor Khumalo, John 'Shoes' Moshoeu, Botende Eshele and (Wedson) Nyirenda...I've been at Kaizer Chiefs for a long time. Those are my players.
Do you have an all-time favourite Kaizer Chiefs player?
I do. It's Emmanuel 'Scara' Ngobese. May his soul rest in peace. That boy was gifted. When we talk about Chiefs' strong players, he is there. Another one I can remember is Tinashe Washington Nengomasha.
Do you have a favourite player in the current team?
It's very tough to say. I don't want to demotivate the players, but they lack that drive. There's no drive. But if I were to pick one player, it would be (Edmilson) Dove. He works very hard. I like him.
Lastly, what do Chiefs need to do to win at least one title next season?
They need to go out and sign players. There is a player called (Fiston) Mayele to help (Christian) Saile. Saile is a good player, but it's just that there is no motivation at Chiefs. We need someone who will help Saile. We also need (Mduduzi) Mdantsane and (Thabo) Nodada. Chiefs need to sign good players, not average. If they can sign the right players, they can win the Nedbank Cup, not the league. I think we still need about four more years to win the league.
