ShakingInk

By Herrold Lamola It is now only a distant dream. Many years ago Orlando Pirates were the dominant force in South African football. Those ruthless teams also reached two African finals in three years. That infamous Pirates side that won the infamous double-treble has long since gone. Pirates won their first treble in 2011 under Ruud Krol. The next season they repeated the feat. The difference between that squad and the current crop of players is commitment. One can say the current squad has no leaders but that for me is a NO-NO. What about Oupa Manyisa, Thabo Matlaba, Happy Jele and Brighton Mhlongo? These lads should stand up and be counted when their team needs them. The players need to remember what it means to don the famous black and white jersey. That skull on the jerseys next to their hearts. They should learn from previous generations. There isn’t any unity in the team and it shows. Oupa Manyisa played in that double-treble winning squad. However, since the departure ...

By Herrold Lamola Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic are out to dethrone the reigning MultiChoice Diski Challenge champions, Golden Arrows as the kings of the Diski Challenge. With a mere two games to spare in the Multichoice Diski Challenge league, Golden Arrows are certain to lose their title this season. The title race is still open for the top four sides to grab. Bloemfontein Celtic, Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits and Kaizer Chiefs can still clinch the Diski championship as only five points separates number one and number four on the log.  A real fight is between Mamelodi Sundowns and Bloemfontein Celtic though. Mamelodi Sundowns title aspirations have suffered a minor dent last week Sunday when they drop valuable two-points after playing to a 1-1 draw against Free State Stars. Bloemfontein Celtic deposed Sundowns from the summit of the log table after collecting maximum points from their 3-2 victory against Orlando Pirates. Sundowns is now one point adrift log lea...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Kaizer Chiefs is still leaking its fresh wounds from a Mamelodi Sundowns defeat and are set to lock horns with another Tshwane side Supersport United at the FNB Stadium  on Wednesday  night. Kick-Off is set for  19:30 The Glamour boys will be looking to redeem themselves in the expense of Matsatsantsa a Pitori. Supersport United under the supervision of Stuart Baxter is made up of Kaizer Chiefs rejects. Supersport boats six Chiefs ex-players in their squad and that has to worry their opponents. Supersport are on ten-match unbeaten streak and in contrast Chiefs has not tasted a victory in their last four matches. With Steve Komphela's tactics under the spotlight following their disastrous performance against Mamelodi Sundowns at the weekend it will take more than just a win to ease the pressure off Komphela. Komphela's tactics were deployed by Stuart Baxter before at Chiefs and have yielded some results. During his...

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee) It is not a smooth sailing at the reigning African Champions League kings, Mamelodi Sundowns, as they  are set to keep Keagan Dolly despite the midfielder's agent looking to secure him a move to Europe. There are contractual crises looming between the two parties and the Premier Soccer League had to intervene and resolve the matter.  Sundowns tried to apply similar tactics and delay Bongani Zungu's move to Portugal but the 24-year old midfielder opted not to renew his contract and left as a free agent in May this year. Sundowns outspoken mentor, Pitso Mosimane, says he wants Dolly to spend at least one more season at the club in order to grow. Mosimane who has guided Sundowns to their first ever continental victory insists that South African players are late bloomers compared to their European counterparts. Mosimane told The Star "Our players are still young. Keagan needs one or two more years before he can talk about moving...

By Herrold Lamola  (@Lamola_eitcHDee) South Africa will come to a standstill when its two biggest stars lock horns at FNB Stadium this Saturday afternoon - kick of at 15:00. Orlando Pirates will host their arch-rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, in a much anticipated Soweto derby. FNB Stadium is expected to be filled to capacity when the two giants face-off. Although Chiefs usually  use FNB Stadium as their home ground, their rivals will have enjoy home-ground-advantage. Both sets of fans will demand that their teams deliver them the post-match bragging rights. This about more than three points. As Bill Shankly once said: "Football is not a matter of life and death, it’s much more important than that." A Soweto derby is one of those games that you can feel that this is more important than life and death. Those who back these two giants know only too well its importance. Kaizer Chiefs have a superior record over Orlando Pirates - having beaten them 24 times and lost 13 of their P...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee) Bafana Bafana coach, Ephraim 'Shakes' Mashaba, has announced his 25-men squad to take on Senegal in a 2018 World Cup qualifiers encounter and this is the legit squad he has ever assembled since taking the reins in July 2014. Shakes is under a severe pressure as he failed to qualify for the 2017 Cup of Nations finals. He has to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in order to save his head from the chop. His mandate with the South African Football Association (SAFA) was to qualify for both the Afcon and World Cup but he has already missed out on one which makes his life difficult and he must top the group. Shakes has collected a single valuable point away in Burkina Faso earlier this month following a 1-1 draw with the Stallions. A team that concedes a goal in the last minute of the game after surviving two penalties has no qualities to qualify for the world cup. South Africa has no squad that can take on the powerhouses of football at ...

By Herrold Lamola (@Lamola_eitcHDee ) Teko Modise has re-written a well documented story in media circles. The 'Bad luck carrier' story has made headlines in the past but Teko has written a new chapter that changes the entire book. One of the most criticized players of his generation, Teko 'Google Earth' Modise, was less fortunate earlier in his career. Modise made a belated breakthrough at SuperSport United before securing a big move to Orlando Pirates in 2007. Modise was labelled a 'carrier of bad luck' by the media and the public in large. His move from Supersport United to Orlando Pirates meant he would miss out as Gavin Hunt’s side won three consecutive League titles in 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10. Modise was one of the fan favourite footballers in South Africa during his stay at Orlando Pirates. Despite his name rising above his peers, Modise couldn't help Orlando Pirates to win any title on offer. His silky skills went unnoticed as he was ...