Players: Work on your Craft

Photo by Zweli Ndhlovu

I came across a Dave Minchella tweet asking which players we had forgotten about. The names that came up under that thread brought back memories of the players I used to go crazy over, anticipating the day they got their chance at the South African National Team “Bafana Bafana” and showed the world the amazing talent we know we have.

What PSL footballers did you nearly forget about from days gone by? I recalled Clifford Ngobeni - highly rated Ajax Cape Town prospect who went to Pirates. Disappeared off the scene so quickly.

— David Minchella (@David_Minchella) July 12, 2018

Naturally, with names that bring nostalgia, the question of what happened to those players is asked.

“They had so much potential…till this day no player had his talent...” Those type of thoughts starts to go through your head as you scroll through all these players, Sipho Nunes, Rene Richards, Calvin Sibeko and a lot more that could have done amazing things in football.

There is some whose potential was hampered by injuries and football politics (being blackballed unfortunately exists in our sports).

Then there are others whose destruction was the result of life choices which to a degree we blame the clubs and association for not educating enough. When the truth is most of these players were not dedicated to their craft, which is being footballers.

I’m not talking about showing up for the job (practice and games) but spending time actually trying to perfect their craft. Most of these players really ever put effort into their craft when they are trying to crack the professional levels, after that, they seem to just want to punch in time and leave like this is not something they grew up wanting to do.

Perfecting a craft is more than trying to copy your idol because it looks cool when you watch them do but understanding the need to have a certain skill and mastering it until you can do it in your sleep.

Most of the players who fell away too early all share a common thread of not being dedicated to holistically improving their skill. Players never take the initiative to see how far their potential could get them, they rely on the coaches to do all that heavy lifting. But those coaches aren’t the ones who go out on the field.

I understand, there is some role football associations, leagues along with coaches need to play of which they are not playing currently to a satisfactory level, but it is still up to the players to take their game to unimaginable heights.

Lastly, football is a craft in the same way artistry in all its forms is. It that needs to be perfected beyond development stages. Until our players realise that, the trend of almost players will continue.

A Game Of Thrones

Photo by Zweli Ndhlovu

“The crowned Prince is upstaging the King…”

I am probably paraphrasing here, but this is what a commentator said as teams went into halftime on Tuesday 11 April 2017. Paulo Dybala was giving the Barcelona a torrid time as Juventus ran out 3-0 winners in that game.

We have this fascination with crowning the new king every single season. I mean, we were already looking for the new Messi in 2008. We never let players just enjoy his career without us trying to get someone else to usurp that player.

We do not even wait for a player to reach the twilight of their career. In the PSL for example, we were looking for the next Thulani Serero when Serero was still 21, probably his best season in the PSL. Funny thing is when the player we touted as the next king fails to live up to the expectation, we turn around and act like at some point we never tried to elevate that player to King status.

Soccer is a fast-paced game, but the constant lookout for the next elite players is effectively killing off many players careers who were yet to reach their peak (some players peak late honestly) early. How many players have you thought “This player should give others a chance, so and so is here now and is taking their spot.” I think that is why in hindsight we realise how much a player was underrated in their generation because of the constant need for something new.

As fans, we are making football a game of musical chair where we constantly want something different in a short space of time. We never fully appreciate the players we have at the moment and only on their retirement do we realise how much we missed on because we searched for a replacement before it’s time.

Lost Passion

There comes a time when the sports that you love does not drive you. Where you still love the sport, but not enough to want to watch it, talk or write about it.

Which is weird for me because I have never been here before. I do not know how to react or deal with it.

So I am dedicating my time away to finding my passion for the beautiful game again. Rediscovering what made me love the sport in the first place.