‘Bull’ supporters should not let ‘Rubber’ down

Bheki ‘Rubber’ Simelane, the new Mbabane Highlanders boss, has taken over what surely looks to be a crumbled empire.
He and so do thousands of Mbabane Highlanders supporters believe he can rebuild the kingdom that has been razed down to ashes.

The former midfield dynamo, whose delicate touches in the middle of the park during his heyday as an attacking midfielder were so often times the difference for his team, needs all the bravado he can muster to ensure his stay at the fallen city giants does not end in heartbreak. 

He was a crafty player, who loved operating just behind the strikers. Devious with the ball glued to his feet, there is no doubt that he will need all the scheming he can to succeed at the black and white ensemble.
Highlanders are still one of the teams that believe supporters can have a say in the administrative running of the team. The supporters still call the shots at will.

They actually dictate terms on who must run the team, who should be in the Management Committee (MC) and so forth.
That is why the team’s former Chairman, Senator Ngomuyayona Gamedze is at home as we speak licking his wounds after being shown the exit door by the very same supporters, who do not have an idea how much it costs to run a club, let alone one of Highlanders’ calibre.

Gamedze, who was there when no one else seemed to care, was tossed aside like used tissue by the same supporters who then ensured that Simelane became Gamedze’s successor, the decedent of the throne.
The heir. Such is the power of the Highlanders supporters that Simelane too cannot afford to relax and bask in his new-found power for surely it can be gone as quickly as it had come.

Simelane has thrown himself into a boiling cauldron. Many will rejoice at his failure. Many will not wish him well despite being self acclaimed Highlanders’ people. Still, a number of the Highlanders’ symphathisers will wish that he travels down the same potholed road used by ousted chairman Gamedze and later on patron Isaac Shabangu.

Simelane surely boasts of steely nerves, otherwise he would not have agreed to this. I believe in him as an administrator. His work at newly promoted elite league side Umbelebele Cosmos speaks volume on his potential as a team boss. I am, however, worried on whether the Highlanders people will have the patience and give him time to rebuild the club.
Everyone should know that the man is no magician. Far from it.

He has no magic wand to wave.  And Simelane is surely no sangoma that he can change the fortunes of the team in days. He needs to be given time. He needs people around him who will be true and not be afraid to tell him when they can see that the train has veered off the rails. 
Many a self-acclaimed Highlanders’ loyalist may have already warned him to be wary of la bafana bemaphepha when some of us are now raising our own children. Over the years, we have come to be called all sorts of names especially when things do not go according to expectations at a particular club.

Experience has also taught me that a majority if not all of the Mbabane Highlanders supporters are always eager to shift the blame. They are blaming everyone for everything.
Some Highlanders supporters still blame the team’s relegation on their rivals Mbabane Swallows and one wonders how Swallows could have ensured they failed to pay their players’ salaries, the technical bench and generally how Swallows could have ensured that they won only one game throughout the season.

These are the supporters Simelane should be wary of. They will also be quick to gossip and peddle lies at the expense of hardworking administrators. These are the people he should stay away from. The wolves in sheep skin.

If I had it my way, Simelane would be given enough time to try and change the team’s fortunes. Already, he has rang some changes and all he needs is support and definitely not the in-fighting, backbiting and badmouthing that charecterised the team’s operations last season.

Some of us believe in his capabilities and for agreeing to be the man on the hot seat, the least the man deserves is to be accorded respect and time as he tries to restore glory at Highlanders. He deserves all the support from everyone associated with the team.

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