We shall overcome, vows Nico boss
KENNETH BANDA
Correspondent
| Friday November 9, 2007 00:00
Nico are bottom of the log after managing a paltry four points from six games. Majombolo, who travel to Orapa to meet fellow strugglers Boteti Young Fighters, were at the receiving end when resurgent Township Rollers gave them a 4-1 drubbing at the National Stadium last weekend.
But chairman Nkoborwane said there was no need for the team to press panic buttons after 'just six games'. Again, the Nico boss has stood by embattled Zimbabwean coach Madinda Ndlovu who is under pressure from supporters to deliver.
The club convened a closed session on Wednesday evening to map the way forward in the wake of the disastrous start to the season. Ndlovu attended the meeting to brief the executive on issues affecting the team. Nkoborwane believes results would 'soon start coming'. 'There is no need for us to panic, we need to get a winning formula then everything will fall into place.
'Look at Rollers, they were struggling not so long ago but they have started winning,' Nkoborwane said.
He called for patience, saying the situation would improve before the second round of the league starts. However, if Majombolo do not pick up points, they will find themselves firmly rooted in the relegation zone. Nkoborwane said Ndlovu should be given a chance as he cannot be judged on a 'few games'.
'If we disrupt the coach, we will be disrupting the foundation that has been laid,' Nkoborwane said.
He said Nico has been improving over the years, citing a change from the days when the club was shuttling between the premier league and division one. He said this had changed dramatically.
'We are on the right track, it takes time to build a team. We have the right man to coach the team, we need to encourage the players and the coach,' he said. Nkoborwane said his executive was still addressing the contentious issue of players' welfare. He said in Botswana football, all teams are faced with a similar challenge of paying their players well. 'You can't say you have solved the problem, we are trying our best to attend to their needs. We try to keep them up to date as much as possible on what is happening at the club,' Nkoborwane said. He said Majombolo has to make do with the players that are available, as the club could not recruit any one before the transfer window opens. In his opinion, the problem lies with the lack of a holding midfielder.
'I feel we have a very good midfield, but we lack a destroyer who would do all the dirty work, someone in the mould of Norman Gumbo,' Nkoborwane said. Majombolo will be hard-pressed at Orapa, as the Boteti side, which started the season on a high, is eager to return to its winning ways.