Wheels of change in motion

Thuso Palai | Tuesday March 4, 2014 12:16

I must hasten to say that this is just the beginning and for me this game is not about the result but about application. This game will give me an idea of Butler as a coach. Yes; the result is important but at this early age, it is more about performance and outlook that is important to me.

The players called into camp only met for the first time on Sunday and by the time the game is played, Butler would have had only two days to work with them. This is new territory altogether. This is a new start altogether. Butler picked his squad last week and there were a lot of surprises. Welcome surprises if you ask. From his first selection, you can see that he clearly wants to make it clear that the national team is not the privilege of a few select players from a few select clubs. He has cast his net wide and called players who on another day, under another coach would not have had a sniff at the national team.  This can be both good and bad. Hopefully it will work in our favour. Gone are the days when the national team selection was predictable and we all knew who would be in the national team even before the national team was selected. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but it was rather rigid.

The wheels of change are in motion and one can only hope that this is for the better and the wheels are turning towards more sustained success. I for one wanted someone else for the position, I had my preference, but it was not to be. Butler has been appointed and I move on. I support him wholeheartedly, atleast for now. That he was not my favourite for the position is water under the bridge. All we can do is support him. As for his maiden national team selection, it was full of surprises. Some of the selections I totally agree with, and some of the selections left me with more questions than answers. As much as I can question some of the selections and beg to differ, at the end of the day he is the man at the helm and he is the man with all the football qualifications, which I don’t have. That however doesn’t mean I can’t differ with him; that is the nature of football, we always agree to disagree. In the goalkeeping department, he played it safe, calling into the team Noah Maposa, Kabelo Dambe and the in-form but rather erratic Mwampule Masule. No surprises there.

It is in defence where the major surprises were. I could not hide my pleasure when I saw Otlaantshekela Mooketsi’s name on the list. Now that is one player that I really like and has confidence that he will shine at national team level. Other than Musa Ohilwe, the majority of the defence is made up of unknown qualities at national team level who I feel are not yet ripe for the national team. Among them Leutlwetse Tshireletso, Simisane Mathumo, Osego Gaotewe, Agisanyang Ramaabya and Gogontle Marumo. They are good players in their own right, but are they good enough and ready for national team action: we’ll wait and see. I would have instead opted for Khunwane, Oscar Ncenga and Obonye Moswate. I bet Butler saw something in the guys that he picked and I can only hope that he is right. For me this defence lacks an experienced leader.

In midfield and attack, it is largely business as usual, with just one or two surprises. Football being football, and with all of us being ‘experts’, I’m sure we would all individually pick a different line up. The buck however stops with the man at the helm, and we just have to support and rally behind the players he picks.  Most of the players he has picked are novices at international football and will surely have cold feet going into their debut game. Afterall everyone started there. One thing for sure is that the wheels of change are in motion and we can only hope that they are turning towards success. And I maintain that we should support the new gaffer until such a time he gives us reasons not to.