Play for me first, freese tells �Tsotso�
Thato Kala | Monday October 27, 2014 16:29
“I had a word with him and I told him ‘you have to play for me first before you move because how will Sundowns get a player who is not playing?
If I don’t play you, how will Sundowns get you?’ Otherwise Sundowns will say they bought someone who is not even playing,” Freese told Monitor Sport on Saturday.
Although Freese demanded consistency from Ngele, he admits the knee injury he picked up in April has affected the player. Tsotso injured his right knee towards the end of last season during an ABSA Premiership game against Moroka Swallows.
“He has had a few knocks this season and missed a few games but he is doing fine,” Freese said.
Ngele has only started three League games this season and made one substitute appearance in a Telkom Knockout match. He is yet to score a goal.
After exactly nine rounds last season, Ngele had featured in seven games and made one substitute appearance, scoring three goals.
In total, he started 20 games and made nine substitute appearances in all competitions last season. His season’s tally was 10 goals.
Kick-Off chief reporter, Tiyani Mabasa has blamed the big money move to Sundowns for the player’s dip in form.
“I have a feeling the biggest factor could be the well-documented move to Mamelodi Sundowns next season.
I have seen players in the past lose focus once it is confirmed they will be joining another club in six months or a year.
The biggest problem with some of these players is that they become big-headed once they know they are moving to a bigger club,” he said.
Sundowns which have over 55 quality players this season have a reputation of ‘winding-up’ the careers of bright young talents. “I maintain that this is a wrong move for the player. Yes, financially it is good when you play for Sundowns but there are just too many players at Sundowns. In his case, there are even more in his traditional position.
My view is that it is good that he will be at Stars this season where he will hopefully get back to his best. As for Sundowns, I guess he will cross that bridge when he gets there.”
Ngele’s former coach, Calvin Johnson, who signed him from Township Rollers, is also asking himself what has happened to the young man who set South African stadiums alight under his tutelage.
“You ask yourself what happened in between the time he came and the time he scored cup-winning goals for Platinum Stars. There is probably something that happened,” he said.
Of course, he cannot pinpoint the problem, but Johnson said during his time there was always room for improvement for Tsotso.
Johnson stated that in Ngele’s first two seasons in the ABSA Premiership, he was always eager to get better.
He said Ngele’s direct competition at Sundowns will be the Zimbabwean duo of Khama Billiart and Kuda Mahachi, Nigerian Uzoenyi Ejike, Lebogang Mokoena, Teko Modise and Themba Zwane. Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane often prefers a 4-5-1 formation, accommodating only three of the above players per game.
Johnson, however, said Ngele thrives where there is competition.
“I don’t know if it is a good move but he always had the ability to compete. He is quiet like all the other Botswana players I’ve coached like Kabelo Dambe and Mogogi Gabonamong.”
Ngele has so far struggled to weave his way back into a Stars’ team that has not-so-big-names like Malawian Robert Ng’ambi, Letladi Madubanyana, Tintswalo Tshabalala, Sibusiso Msomi, Mduduzi Nyanda and Sol Mathe.
Mabasa said Ngele’s recent tiff with Zebras’ coaches is worrying because his dip in form comes around the same time he clashed with the Botswana national team tacticians.
“If it is true that Tsotso walked out on the coaches after the Egypt game (in Gaborone) then he could be developing a big head, which is not good for his career.
A player of his quality must focus on producing on the field of play rather than being in the media for the wrong reasons.
Such things slow down a player’s career and he does not need that at this stage. Botswana cannot afford to have one of their stars not performing to his best for reasons that have nothing to do with football.”
Mike Makaab, Ngele’s agent, also condemned the player for the Zebras incident and told him to go and ‘sort things out’.
Makaab said a clash with national team coaches was the last thing his client needed at this stage.
While Ngele’s form and his potentially ‘career-threatening move’ to Sundowns are viewed negatively by most people, Makaab still believes the player will do well for the Patrice Motsepe-owned side. He said that a move to Europe is still a possibility and cites Andile Jali as an example.
Jali’s chances of moving abroad were questioned after several seasons at Orlando Pirates. The player, whom Makaab also manages, then moved to Belgium and is presently doing well.
“Many people asked whether Andile (Jali), who is also our client, would move to Europe. It happened and he is currently the best midfielder in Belgium. Tsotso is talented, has a cultured left foot. If he works hard at Sundowns, a move to Europe is still possible,” said Makaab. However, Jali’s lot is different from Ngele’s. Jali was Orlando Pirates’ trump card while Ngele faces an uncertain future in Tshwane.