After another great escape act, a Gunners' official now say they have learnt vital lessons and they would not want to put supporters through prolonged jitters that end with a final day survival. Club spokesperson, Kitso Dlamini says they are determined to ensure that Gunners go back to the top where they belong. He admitted that part of the reason Gunners struggled this season was their failure to recruit quality players during the transfer window. He heaped part of the blame for the poor performance on coach Fewdays Musonda. The Zambian was widely criticised for recruiting two foreigners who often looked out of sorts on the field of play. He was accused of favouring his country men at the expense of more talented local players.
"During the first round, we went for young unknown players and they did well as you might recall because they registered some wins which kept us in the top bracket by the end of the first round. When Musonda arrived, he was given the chance to recruit experienced players who would make his job easier, but he brought those two who did not even add any value to our team, hence we released them on free clearances," Dlamini said.
There have been several reports that Musonda would be leaving Gunners, but the coach has survived in the hot seat to date. Dlamini could not say if they will finally part ways with the coach. Though he noted that they were going to recruit more experienced players, he said that the management is still to meet to decide how best to approach the coming season.
"We haven't gone to the drawing board but I can assure you we need more experienced players," he said. Gunners might have to replace their captain Tshepo Motlhabankwe who is reported to be on the top of Rollers' shopping list. The Zebras' midfielder might also join South African Premier League after attending trials at Super Sport United and Moroka Swallows.
As the team failed to get points, angry supporters pointed fingers at management for failing to get things right. But Dlamini was quick to say that the behaviour of some of their supporters showed that they did not have the interests of the club at heart.
"Remember the people who form the management team are also supporters and we feel the same pain that those at the stands feel when the team loses. But what happened during our game with Rollers shows how some of the supporters can help destroy the team. Most of the time when we are supposed to be leading Gunners, we are busy attending to disciplinary hearings because of supporters' behaviour and it drains our little resources which could be used to bring in better players," Dlamini complained. Last weekend, Gunners' fans engaged in another incident of soccer hooliganism after the team conceded a penalty against Rollers.
