How do you go from scoring a contender for Goal of the Season against the best goalkeeper in the league, to experiencing an unfathomable lack of game-time, to eventually being released, all in the same season? That this is the fate that has befallen Lantshene Phalane, a highly-rated midfielder with an engine comparable to only a few in the league, makes it all the more shocking. But fact is stranger than fiction sometimes, and the 33-year-old has had to come to terms with the reality that his time at Royal AM is up. It's a season the Zebediela native will quickly want to forget as he looks towards the next chapter of a career that is nearing its end. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Masebe Qina, "Bara", as Phalane is affectionately known, opens up about the topsy-turvy nature of his 2022/23 campaign, explains why there is no bad blood between him and Thwihli Thwahla, as well as makes a bold proclamation about what can be expected from him once he finds a new club!
Masebe Qina: Heita, Bara. 2022/23 was some season hey?
Lantshene Phalane: For me, personally, it was not a very good season because of lack of regular game-time. I didn't play as many games as I would have loved to play. The only goal that I scored this past season was voted for as the Goal of the Month (for February/ March) and I was happy with that, but overall, I was not happy about the number of games I played (11 league appearances) and I feel I could have done better. The thing is since I started playing regularly at my previous clubs, I have never looked back. I remember that in my first two seasons as a professional footballer, I played for Platinum Stars and University of Pretoria respectively. At those two clubs, I didn't play much as it was tough for me because I was still new in the professional ranks and I kind of understood, but when I moved to (then Moroka) Swallows for my third professional club, I started playing regularly, gaining experience and it was quite pleasing. This past season wasn't the best for me, even though I made sure that each opportunity I got, I used it. I had a target of playing as many games as possible and picking up Man of the Match awards along the way.
MQ: Earlier in the season, you were playing regularly, starting seven of the first nine league matches. How did things change?
LP: I had a groin injury which troubled me, and it affected my progress. I picked up the injury just before the World Cup break, and I remember I was already struggling with it when the team was preparing for the trip to Cape Town City for our game on the 30th of December. But at the time, I wasn't too concerned because I had faith in amajita (the guys) that they were going to do a very good job because those who were playing at the time had raised their hands to show that they were ready to deliver. What I liked about Royal AM is that there was no favouritism in the team and everyone who worked hard at training got rewarded with game-time in the official games. That's what motivated us to push each other.
MQ: How was the reunion with John Maduka after he came back from a stint with Maritzburg United?
LP: It was okay. Since from my days at (Bloemfontein) Celtic, I have been working with him and everything has been fine. He understands his players well and he knew how each one of us was. It was a very good reunion because I got to continue learning from him and the one thing I like the most about him is that he was also a player at some point in his career. There was a stage when he was a (team) manager (at Celtic) and later he became a coach, so he knows all about the different aspects of a professional football club.
MQ: How would you sum up the campaign for Royal AM?
LP: Well, for Royal AM as a team, it was also not a good season for us, as you can also see the position that the team finished in (11th) compared to the previous season (third). After finishing so high on the log in the previous season, the team was expected to maintain a top-four finish again this past season, but things didn't go according to plan for us. The 2021/22 season was the best season for Royal AM in the PSL (topflight) and the bar was raised, and therefore it was a disappointment when that couldn't be maintained. I believe that the team will sit together and regroup to come up with new ideas to start the new season afresh.
MQ: Go on…
LP: I really don't know what went wrong and all I can say is that things didn't go our way. But I think because the expectations were high for us to replicate what we did in the previous season, we were under too much pressure, hence the mistakes that occurred along the way. Maybe there were other things that affected us because this is football and a lot of things can happen in this game… you may never know. But it was never in our minds that we would be fighting down there in the league after doing so well in the previous season.
MQ: Your departure from the club closer to the end of the season came as somewhat of a surprise, although the Siya crew did report in edition 1321 that you were to be let go…
LP: Hmmm… If it was me alone who was released, it was going to be a completely different story, I think, but because it was a bunch of us, I think it is clear what the club was trying to do regarding planning for next season. We all reached an agreement and there was no problem. I guess it was a matter of everyone agreeing that a fresh start was needed for each one of us, and by releasing us early, I think it was a way of allowing us enough time to prepare for the next chapter. I didn't have a problem with it because it gave me enough time to find out what was happening out there while also looking for another team to play for.
MQ: Sure.
LP: But ukutshela iqiniso (to tell you the truth), it was a shock, although at the end of the day you have to accept as there is nothing that you can do as a player when you're told of the decision that's been made by the club. It's the club's decision and you can't change it, can you? There's nothing more to say about it – a decision was made and we had to accept. In the end, we had to reach an agreement, and all is well.
MQ: What were the reasons given by the club though?
LP: We were just told that we were being released, and there wasn't much of an explanation. I've got no details other than telling you that we were just told that we were being released.
MQ: Did the news hurt?
LP: I didn't have… like, I was shocked, to be honest with you, for a few seconds, but after that I came into the realisation that it's football after all and one has to expect everything (anything) at all times. There are no hard feelings and it's all good. In football, we get given chances and I was given mine and did all that I could do, and that's it. I was told that they were happy with my services but did no longer need them and that was it.
MQ: Overall, how was your time with the club?
LP: Everything was all good, man. No complaints or anything like that. I just got to do my job whenever it was time to do so, and it was okay. The main thing in football is to honour your contract. You have to do your best on the field whenever you are given a chance and you have to meet the club's requirements in terms of what you deliver.
MQ: There were reports of a players' strike at Thwihli Thwahla due to monies and signing-on fees allegedly owed. Did that contribute to you being released?
LP: Nope, nope, nope. Never!
MQ: Has everything been cleared then in that regard?
LP: Everything has been cleared. There was never a strike that I am aware of. People like to say things and justify them. Maybe someone just saw players sitting together outside and assumed that there was a strike. I just need to find out who came up with that story. I would like to find out from the person how he came up to the conclusion that we were on strike. As the players, we were also shocked when we read about it, and we were asking ourselves where these reports about the strike were coming from. We were shocked.
MQ: Where to from here, Bara?
LP: I've got a lot in mind. The opportunity that I am going to get next, I will have to use it to the best of my ability because I still have a lot to offer – that's what I can promise you. Sometimes we do need to be in certain situations as a wake-up call. The situation that I've been in this past season has served as a motivation for me to do very well at my next club. I am not saying that I have to prove a point, but I am saying I need to pick myself up again after the disappointment of this past season. At the team that I will be joining, I want you to also remember, Masebe, that I did mention to you in an interview for Soccer Laduma that I still have a lot to offer and that's what I will be doing. Just wait and see.
MQ: According to the Siya crew, you remain an option for Kaizer Chiefs. What do you know about that?
LP: That's something I cannot talk about. At the moment, I am a free agent and taking some time to reflect on the season that has just ended and will decide on the next move in due course. Also, I am just relaxing for now and there's nothing to worry about.
MQ: But it's not the first time that you've been linked with the Soweto giants.
LP: I wouldn't like to get into detail about anything to do with my next move right now. I wouldn't want to jeopardise things for myself regarding the club that I will be joining next. There is definitely something that is positive that is coming for me, but it isn't anything that you or anyone should worry about at this stage.
Chiefs Move On The Cards?
They don't call the transfer window period the silly season for nothing - 'denials, denials, denials' is the name of the game, and so it is in the case of Kaizer Chiefs' interest in securing Lantshene Phalane's signature! However, the Siya crew has eyes and ears everywhere, and as reported in Soccer Laduma edition 1324, the midfielder linking up with the Naturena-based outfit isn't an impossibility. After all, the club are desperate for a change in fortunes, with defensive midfield being one of the positions needing attention, what with the out-of-favour duo of Phathutshedzo Nange and Cole Alexander being headed for the exit door. Njabulo Blom has never really been replaced too. Added to that, Phalane is a FREE AGENT, something that should be music to the ears of Arthur Zwane, who is said to be a big admirer of the hard grafter. It has, however, been yet to be established whether contact has been made with the player's camp. The 33-year-old's reply in this interview, when asked about the Amakhosi link, leaves little to the imagination, as he said, "I wouldn't want to jeopardise things for myself regarding the club that I will be joining next. There is definitely something that is positive that is coming for me, but it isn't anything that you or anyone should worry about at this stage." Does this mean it is now just a case of crossing the t's and dotting the i's, and an announcement is imminent? Expect denials, but also expect anything to happen in this silly transfer window season!
LANTSHENE PHALANE FACT FILE
Date of birth: 21 November 1989
Place of birth: Zebediela, Limpopo
Nickname: Bara
Position: Midfielder
Jersey number: N/A
Club: Unattached
Previous clubs: Treka Chiefs (amateur), Baroka FC, Platinum Stars, Milano United (on loan), University of Pretoria, Moroka Swallows, Bloemfontein Celtic, Royal AM
Honours: None
