Victory last Saturday has surely provided a reprieve for the troubled coach. It was a credible win, I must say. Tell you what, one subject that makes my heart palpitate with pleasure is that of the national team. I am not alone here. Football fans do share some bizarre thoughts at times. Our team is always winning. The coach is always at fault. I get an eerie feeling at times because when one bashes the coach, we all join in. Truth need be told. It is high time people stopped dredging up excuses as cover for many of our disgusting behaviour at games. Supporters have a right to voice their displeasure, but to boo their own team because a preferred player has been omitted is misguided. We saw this happen against Libya in a friendly prior to our clash with Mauritania. Why is that when the team loses, the coach carries the can and when there is victory it is because of the players? When are we ever going to grow?
Mark Twain once wrote: "Get the facts first. You can distort them later". We need to admit we have carried this culture of heaping the blame on a coach from our clubs. Often there is too much ignorance and delusional thinking. It is a fact that players are not adequately prepared at clubs owing to a litany of reasons such as lack of support for their welfare. Poorly run clubs cannot produce excellent players for the national team. Players are developed at clubs and not at the national team. Resources are not there at clubs neither do we see enough efforts to get them. Even when a team suffers because of lack of resources and poor management, it is often the coach who carries the blame.
We have imported the boo-the-coach-approach to the Zebras under the pretext that we are patriotic and we love our national team. Please.
Often the danger is not those who ridicule the coach or want certain players fielded. The danger, dear reader, is the conspicuous lack of informed and sober analysis in the media. Supporters can never dictate to the coach what he ought to do. Everyone is into bashing a coach. To me, it does not really matter who the coach is. What matters are the glaring facts. Compared to past national team coaches, Rowe's record is not that poor. And think of it. Some supporters have called for the recall of Jelusic Veselin. Which brings me to the real point of today's offering - the amazing double standards we show. During Vasco's time, people were complaining just about everything.
He was bashed for poor team selection. Some said he had a tendency to side-line emerging talent. They said he preferred robotic style players and derided his team generally for lack of creativity. Some accused him of playing rigid and non-attacking football. Me thinks our people are making a contribution to Alice in Wonderland! Emotions are allowed to run amok in bashing the coach and people think anyone holding an opposing view needs an appointment with a shrink! I am positive I do not need one. Obviously during Vasco's time, fans, quite bizarrely, forgot the Zebras had built some reputation of sorts and had moved a few places up FIFA rankings. Vasco too was constrained. Remember dear reader, he is the same coach whom, despite lack of league activity for quite some time, still managed to keep the nation together by performing heroics with Zebras. Who sang, "you never know what you have got till its gone?" Remember pressure was mounted on the BFA to relieve him of his work at the national team.
We need to give this man called Rowe a chance. I think he is, as desperate for a win as we all are. I don't think he left all those rubies in Jordan to come and mess up here. So, if we happen to differ with him regarding the modus operandi, would we rather not give him a long rope to hang himself? Are you saying look who's talking? Come on. The last time I had a go at Rowe, I honestly did it out of reason, and not with any malice intended. It was because I honestly could not make sense out of some bloke crying and labelling our media harsh and un-cooperative when he comes from Britain! The gist of the story was that Rowe had better change his style and accord the media here some respect. No apologies for penning that piece. Needless to mention, Rowe did take stock of himself and saw the folly of his behaviour. I have recently encountered plenty of his views in the media.
I was just telling this man that it is not always factual that our media carried crap and those diligently discharging their duties needed his co-operation. We have a bunch of schizophrenics in the stands who vent their anger on the Zebras after their club's poor showing. They pervert a notion that they are more patriotic and pay huge sums of money to watch the national team compared to other Batswana. Who says when supporters pay money and attend games in droves have rights to determine how a coach should discharge his duties?
