Bosso at crossroads

HIGHLANDERS chief executive Nhlanhla Dube believes they have to rise above emotions and make the right decisions to turn the corner as a club.

The Bosso management was put on the spotlight this week after coach Erol Akbay argued that poor decision-making in buying and selling players left them weak.

"That is the burden of leadership my brother," Dube told H-Metro yesterday.

"It is normal that when we are not doing well as a club, we are bound to get a lot of (pressure) as leadership. We need to accept that every team goes through such a spell."

The crisis in the field of play, which has seen them record four defeats in a row, comes at a time when they face bitter rivals Dynamos at Rufaro this weekend.

Bosso have managed to produce top strikers recently, but they have failed to hold on to them for the rest of the season or buy able replacements when they are prized-away.

In recent years they have lost Thomas Chideu to Ajax Cape Town, Knox Mutizwa to Bidvest Wits, Bruce Kangwa to Azam of Tanzania and Prince Dube to Supersport.

Apart from Prince this season, experienced striker Rodreck Mutuma also left for Yadah mid-season.

Critics had pointed out that while coach Erol Akbay needed to accept responsibility for poor results, the management is equally accountable.

"Allow me not to respond directly to the sentiments by the coach, but to look at the bigger picture. In our view as management, the most important thing is to remain calm and try to find solutions to challenges in our camp."

"It is a big coincidence that last year we lost two players at the same stage and struggled as a team. And this time it has been the same thing. But it will not be correct to point out that the loss of two players is the biggest factor."

He said there was more to their problems than just the loss of two players this season.

"We have to look at other variables. In as much we have not been scoring goals, we have also been conceding goals. What will be important is to look at the bigger picture of how we can help our players and the coaches to regain their confidence," Dube said.

"You may start well and then find yourself in this situation. It is about how we react as leadership, which matters. We are an old institution and have seen it all. We should be able to recover from this and that is what we are trying to work on, away from the public," said the Highlanders chief executive.

He said they believe every player in the squad should be able to deliver.

"We are bound to sell players at one point and that is the reality of the situation. At the beginning of the season, we registered 30 players and we lost two recently. For us that is still a full squad and those 28 were judged to be good enough to play and produce results," he said.

Highlanders face Dynamos at a time when they are off the rails while their opponents have been ruthless.

In the past six games, Bosso have managed one win, a draw and four consecutive defeats in the run up to this match.

They last won 2-0 way to Shabanie, draw 0-0 with Harare City, lost to ZPC Kariba 2-0, became the first team to be defeated by Tsholotsho this season in a 1-0 loss, were massacred 3-0 by Ngezi Platinum before their 1-0 loss to Chapungu.

That has left the Bosso faithful on the edge. And a defeat to rivals Dynamos who have six wins in a row, including the last 2-0 win over CAPS, could leave Dube and company under more pressure.

The easier option will be to show Akbay the door with just months before the expiry of his contract.

"Dynamos are our biggest foe and the club understands what it is like playing them. Let's not talk about what can be before the match. We are fully aware of what we are facing and also aware of the importance of coming together as a club and approach this game with the seriousness it deserves," said Dube.