"We end up losing the game [because of] the same player - and I am going to say it - he cost us the whole season. He has cost us two goals again tonight [Saturday]. It's unacceptable."
This is what Gavin Hunt said after Bidvest Wits' 2-0 loss to SuperSport United last weekend.
As much as I respect Hunt for being honest and forthright, I don't agree with him at all regarding how he handled the situation. No matter how angry you are, this is not how you address your player/s. You don't condemn him publicly like Hunt did to Sifiso Hlanti.
What is even more unacceptable is Hunt's rant about how Hlanti cost his team the season. Who put the defender in the team in the first place? It's the same coach who is lambasting him now.
How does a player play for you when you give him a dressing down in public? Is he going to die for you? I doubt it. It doesn't matter how peeved you are at your player, the last thing you do is call him out publicly.
The least you can do is to call him aside and tell him what you think. This is man management 101 - player management, in this case.
Yes, Hlanti has been off form for some time now this season, but why hasn't he been benched? No player goes in there on a mission to cost his team points.
I'm still to hear Hunt condemn his other players - notably Ricardo Goss and Sameehg Doutie - for abusing referee Masixole Bambiso during their league game against Cape Town City in January.
The pair was this week banned for eight matches, four of which were suspended.
They have also cost the club financially as Wits have been ordered to pay R150 000 for bringing the league into disrepute.
This was a costly and serious offence, but the coach has not publicly condemned it.
With Wits still in with a chance to contest for the Absa Premiership title, Hunt will miss the duo when he needs all hands on deck.
To say Hlanti is the one who has been costing them games is not true. Yes, he might have conceded a penalty against SuperSport last weekend, but is he the only one to have done this? Nope.
Captain Thulani Hlatshwayo conceded a penalty against Highlands Park and cost them points when the two teams drew 2-2. Phathutshedzo Nange conceded a penalty against Orlando Pirates. Thabang Monare conceded a penalty against Cape Town City.
Did the coach call all of them out? I don't remember.
I'm not saying that coaches mustn't have a go at their players when they are not performing to their expected levels, but there is a place and time for that.
You can't always hang out your dirty linen in public.
One thing with coaches is that they are quick to shift the blame when things don't go their way.
I'm still to find a coach who admits that they got the tactics wrong or a line-up wrong. All coaches are always right and would rather find something or someone to blame when things go wrong.
What Hunt needs is introspection about himself and his team.
This is not the time to point fingers; rather, he should be rallying his troops. If ever there was a time he needed everyone pulling in one direction, this is it.
He should rather say: "We play together, we fight together, we win together and we lose together."
It is time for togetherness, not time to single out players when they make mistakes.
Remember, players are humans too, and they make mistakes.
Hlanti has friends in the team who will obviously side with him, but they will also be wondering if they will be the next men to feel the coach's wrath.
Does Hunt want a divided dressing room? I don't think so. In my opinion, Hlanti deserves a public apology from the coach. I just hope he is strong enough to bounce back from this ugly episode.
I hope that, as a professional, he will take it on the chin and will instead go out and prove his coach wrong.
On the flip side, if he is not mentally strong, this could be the beginning of the end for the Bafana Bafana defender. I hope this is not the case.
- timothy@citypress.co.za
- Follow me on Twitter @TimspiritMolobi
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
