6 Things PSL Players Need To Learn From Lower Division Players

Photo by: Zwelizwe Ndlovu

Have you ever looked at a player and say “He used to be a better player when he played Ekasi”? A lot of players change once they are in the big leagues, they no longer do the same things that got them to the PSL, and You can argue that they changed in order to stay there, but a lot of soccer players changed their style without improving as football players. 

With the start of the new season tonight, PSL players need to learn or re-learn depending on if they had it at first. So I compiled a list of things I think PSL Players Need to Learn From Lower Division Players, that would benefit our soccer as a whole and hopefully get us more goals. because it breaks my heart that amateur players are learning the bad habits their role models which contributes in the deteriorating of our football in the country.

1.   Hunger

When ‘Terror’ Fanteni first made his appearance in the PSL, he was rumoured to have scored over a 500 goals in the Vodacom League ( A rumour I still do not believe by the way)

2.   Willingness To Learn

I think this is a strictly South African problem, where South African players feel that they have achieved and do not have anything else they can learn after a few good games they have played in the PSL.

3.   Take a lot of risks

If you want to see some of the most audacious things tried by South African players, granted It is the things they see being tried in European Leagues, then go to the lower divisions.

4.   Do not over play your part ( everybody has a job)

Some players want to do everybody’s job.

5.   Challenge Yourself

PSL players favourite line when asked what they want to achieve? “I want to do the best I can for me and focus on the team” It is like they go for the safe option, and challenging themselves depends on the club they are at.

6.   Sometimes disobeying the coach is what is needed

Coaches are great, but sometimes their plans just do not work, Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and expecting a different result.

7.   Deal with Pressure

When you are able to still play your game even when fans abuse you from the touchline....not stands but touchline. PSL players games seems to affected by the smallest things from fans who can not even get near the touchline

Hope we see goals this season, not eish, not almost but goals!

Backyard Support

Photograph by Zweli Ndhlovu

So it seems like the new football season has started with an exciting bang!

Social media is buzzing, football #hashtags are trending like the season never ended. Seems like we just picked up where we left of during the month of May when the under dogs did the unthinkable. The memes and the songs you hear from a stadium full of supporters taunting the visiting team, makes you wish you were there.

But...That’s Europe.

With the football season starting on the 23^rd of August this side, one can’t help but feel like we will bemoan poor stadium attendance in all but big three games against each other. Where empty stadium hashtags will trend more than the good football they actually give. (They really produce good games! but because there is no atmosphere you wouldn’t tell.)

It seems like we have some sort of an inferiority complex regarding sports in our country versus those from overseas. We never seem to find the right balance between valuing our sports and giving just enough respect to sports in other countries, but charity starts at home and not when they are at the Olympics! But our own leagues as well.

It always breaks my heart when people support a team that does not represent them or their town, in this country you would find that a team does not have support of the town it is based in and why is that? You see people from KZN telling you that they are proud Zulu or 100% Zulu and even that they are proud to be from but support a proudly Gauteng team.

I stopped supporting Chiefs when I realised that my focus on the popular teams and its rival made one less interested to get tickets to watch the smaller teams in stadiums when I hardly watched them on TV.

And we often rave on about how the Dortmund team is so well supported, or how small town teams like Leicester City win the league but never take a lesson from them, that they support their hometown teams, because they understand the importance of supporting teams that represent where they are from.

They say charity begins at home, and no growth in our sport will happen until we start in our hometowns to support sports teams we have.

Enjoy the 2016/2017 season and all the goals, surprises and memories it will bring. I am sure we can all say we missed it.