Bright decries falling standards
Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday November 10, 2017 14:47
Speaking to journalists yesterday ahead of the Zebras’ trip to Gabon for a friendly encounter, Bright said he is not happy with the performance of Premier League sides. “The standards have gone down,” he said. He said this is a concern because it also has an impact on the national team’s performance. He said what it means now is that they work extra hard to try and condition players to the level where they can compete at international level.
Bright was echoing Gaborone’s comments, who during Security Systems’ launch for the new season, said the display on the field was below par.
The concerns follow the decline in performance by the Zebras over the years. Bright said at the start of the season, he called up all the 12 Premier League coaches whose teams are based in the south and asked them to bring their physical trainers to a workshop where they discussed football. He said his observation was that some of the Premier League clubs’ physical trainers were not qualified to be at the Premier League level. He said the workshop was to try and understand how the teams were conducting their pre-season.
However, he said he is hopeful that by January or February he will have a team that will be ready to compete and grind results ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola in March. “It is not easy to come up with a winning team. We have to be patient and not try and take short cuts,” he said.
He said at the moment they are trying to create a pool of players, but is close to finalising his squad. He said for now they will keep changing players because of their physical conditioning as well as game plan. “Games are not the same, so the plans will differ according to the games we play,” he said.
He said Gabon is not an easy side, but they will go there with a plan to counter attack them through the wings. He said players like Kobamelo Kebaikanye and Motsholetsi Sikele, with their speed, will help carry out the plan. He said the same plan will be used against Angola in March next year during the AFCON qualifier.
Team captain, Simisani Mathumo said they are trying very hard to get the results, which he hopes will soon come. Jerome Ramatlhakwana, who recently made a return to the team, said he will try all he can to help the team after Bright convinced him to return. Making the team is Rollers’ diminutive midfielder, Edwin Moalosi who has been on song for his club this season. He said he is happy that he has been rewarded for his hard work although he felt he is not yet at the level where he wants to be. The team will leave tomorrow and is expected to arrive on Monday, a day before they play the former AFCON hosts.