Sports / Local
'Bosso will turn the corner,' says defiant Kelvin Kaindu
25 Aug 2013 at 03:26hrs | Views
Highlanders' Zambian coach Kelvin Kaindu is confident the Bulawayo giants will turn the corner and rescue a season which is slowly meandering into a disappointing campaign.
The country's oldest premiership club has hit turbulent times in a campaign they were largely expected to put up a convincing Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title charge after an inspired run in Kaindu's first season last year which saw them lose the crown on the last day of the campaign.
But with just 11 rounds of fixtures left, the 2006 champions are not just four points behind log leaders Harare City but have already been bundled out of the BancABC Sup8r and have stitched up a poor run that has seen them losing thrice, and twice being forced into a share of spoils in their last six outings.
But Kaindu remains positive and reckons all hope is not lost.
"We are victims of the high standards we set for ourselves last season. But people ought to understand that 2012 and 2013 are two different football seasons.
"I understand the frustration in our fans because we had seemed to be running out of steam at a crucial stage of the campaign.
"But with the way we have been working hard, there is no doubt that we will certainly bounce back. It is also very important to note that we have not been playing badly as such, but the issue is we have not been converting our chances as much as we would have liked to.
"Such bad patches are quite normal in football and Highlanders cannot be an exception. The challenge, however, is how to respond when things seem not to be going your way.
"I don't want to talk about the title or promise any particular position, but what I can safely say is we will certainly bounce back when the league resumes," said the former Highlanders winger.
Kaindu also reckons the international assignments-induced PSL break might be the perfect tonic to soothe the troubled black-and-white souls of Zimbabwean football's four-times-on-the-trot champions.
"The break might just be a blessing in disguise for us, because it has afforded us the opportunity to work on our shortcomings," he said.
Bosso are yet to taste league success since 2006 when former midfielder Methembe Ndlovu returned from the United States to wrest the title from Caps United who had won two consecutive crowns under the mentorship of Charles Mhlauri.
But the arrival of Kaindu last season filtered a glimmer of hope into the Bosso camp with the Zambian leading them to a memorable 23-match unbeaten run before they crash-landed at the hands of a Ronald Chitiyo, Osborn Mukuradare and Artwell Mukandi turbo-charged Monomotapa at Rufaro last year.
Unlike eternal foes Dynamos, who lost the core of their title-winning squad, Bosso managed to retain their entire key playing arsenal led by the league's second-best player Masimba Mambare, raising expectations within their camp.
The country's oldest premiership club has hit turbulent times in a campaign they were largely expected to put up a convincing Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title charge after an inspired run in Kaindu's first season last year which saw them lose the crown on the last day of the campaign.
But with just 11 rounds of fixtures left, the 2006 champions are not just four points behind log leaders Harare City but have already been bundled out of the BancABC Sup8r and have stitched up a poor run that has seen them losing thrice, and twice being forced into a share of spoils in their last six outings.
But Kaindu remains positive and reckons all hope is not lost.
"We are victims of the high standards we set for ourselves last season. But people ought to understand that 2012 and 2013 are two different football seasons.
"I understand the frustration in our fans because we had seemed to be running out of steam at a crucial stage of the campaign.
"But with the way we have been working hard, there is no doubt that we will certainly bounce back. It is also very important to note that we have not been playing badly as such, but the issue is we have not been converting our chances as much as we would have liked to.
"I don't want to talk about the title or promise any particular position, but what I can safely say is we will certainly bounce back when the league resumes," said the former Highlanders winger.
Kaindu also reckons the international assignments-induced PSL break might be the perfect tonic to soothe the troubled black-and-white souls of Zimbabwean football's four-times-on-the-trot champions.
"The break might just be a blessing in disguise for us, because it has afforded us the opportunity to work on our shortcomings," he said.
Bosso are yet to taste league success since 2006 when former midfielder Methembe Ndlovu returned from the United States to wrest the title from Caps United who had won two consecutive crowns under the mentorship of Charles Mhlauri.
But the arrival of Kaindu last season filtered a glimmer of hope into the Bosso camp with the Zambian leading them to a memorable 23-match unbeaten run before they crash-landed at the hands of a Ronald Chitiyo, Osborn Mukuradare and Artwell Mukandi turbo-charged Monomotapa at Rufaro last year.
Unlike eternal foes Dynamos, who lost the core of their title-winning squad, Bosso managed to retain their entire key playing arsenal led by the league's second-best player Masimba Mambare, raising expectations within their camp.
Source - sundaymail
