Downs pay big price as loaned players shine
by Sbu Mjikeliso,
2014-11-11 06:57:41.0
PERHAPS more bizarre than Mamelodi Sundowns’ penchant for signing almost every talented PSL player is their selection of which players they are willing to loan out.
One could write a book about the players who are shipped out. It could be as thick as the anthology you would compile on players whose careers have stalled at Chloorkop.
Dove Wome — the beacon of Gordon Igesund’s debonair attacking style at SuperSport United — has followed in the long line of Sundowns players deemed surplus to requirements who have shone at rival clubs during loan spells.
The 23-year-old Togo international made it three goals in three Telkom Knockout games when SuperSport United beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 at the weekend, adding to finishes that saw off Bidvest Wits and Free State Stars previously.
His parent club, on the other hand, left with no goals in scorching Rustenburg, where they lost 1-0 to Platinum Stars on Sunday.
That on-loan forward Eleazar Rodgers scored Dikwena’s winner rubbed salt into the gaping wound. It is a peculiarity that dates back to the days of Sandile "AK 47" Ndlovu, who found it easier to fire bullets in the orange of loan club Dynamos than the yellow of The Brazilians.
Former SuperSport United marksman Glen Salmon said though Sundowns may rue letting Wome switch to cross-town rivals United, he may not have fitted into Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s plans.
"Sundowns have a lot of players to select from, so it boils down to what type of player the coach wants and what his feelings are towards that player," Salmon said. "You loan a player out and all of a sudden they set the world alight — it often goes like that. Sundowns could be thinking they need a player in Wome’s kind of form but they let him go for a reason. Maybe he didn’t fit in with their plans.
"Sometimes you struggle when you switch clubs, as Wome did from Stars to Sundowns, but there is nothing wrong with going to SuperSport to get back to your form of old and taking it a step further.
"It all boils down to confidence, though. When you’re confident the ball seems to follow you and makes life easier. That’s what Wome is experiencing at the moment."
It is clear Sundowns are unable to be parsimonious in the transfer market and, with results oscillating between unsatisfactory and terrible, expect the cash register to ring again in January.
United have scored at least once in the eight games in all competitions since Igesund took over. At times front men Dino Ndlovu, Thuso Phala and Lebogang Manyama have played piggies-in-the-middle with opposition defenders.
"What I’ve noticed about their game, especially against Wits, was how their attack linked up nicely. Obviously Gordon has brought a change but the biggest thing in their favour is the level of confidence they’ve built," said Salmon.
It all boils down to confidence, though. When you’re confident the ball seems to follow you and makes life easier
SINKING FEELING: Pitso Mosimane of Sundowns during the Telkom Knockout Semi Final match between Platinum Stars and Mamelodi Sundowns at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday in Rustenburg. Picture: GALLO IMAGES
PERHAPS more bizarre than Mamelodi Sundowns’ penchant for signing almost every talented PSL player is their selection of which players they are willing to loan out.
One could write a book about the players who are shipped out. It could be as thick as the anthology you would compile on players whose careers have stalled at Chloorkop.
Dove Wome — the beacon of Gordon Igesund’s debonair attacking style at SuperSport United — has followed in the long line of Sundowns players deemed surplus to requirements who have shone at rival clubs during loan spells.
The 23-year-old Togo international made it three goals in three Telkom Knockout games when SuperSport United beat Orlando Pirates 2-0 at the weekend, adding to finishes that saw off Bidvest Wits and Free State Stars previously.
His parent club, on the other hand, left with no goals in scorching Rustenburg, where they lost 1-0 to Platinum Stars on Sunday.
That on-loan forward Eleazar Rodgers scored Dikwena’s winner rubbed salt into the gaping wound. It is a peculiarity that dates back to the days of Sandile "AK 47" Ndlovu, who found it easier to fire bullets in the orange of loan club Dynamos than the yellow of The Brazilians.
Former SuperSport United marksman Glen Salmon said though Sundowns may rue letting Wome switch to cross-town rivals United, he may not have fitted into Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s plans.
"Sundowns have a lot of players to select from, so it boils down to what type of player the coach wants and what his feelings are towards that player," Salmon said. "You loan a player out and all of a sudden they set the world alight — it often goes like that. Sundowns could be thinking they need a player in Wome’s kind of form but they let him go for a reason. Maybe he didn’t fit in with their plans.
"Sometimes you struggle when you switch clubs, as Wome did from Stars to Sundowns, but there is nothing wrong with going to SuperSport to get back to your form of old and taking it a step further.
"It all boils down to confidence, though. When you’re confident the ball seems to follow you and makes life easier. That’s what Wome is experiencing at the moment."
It is clear Sundowns are unable to be parsimonious in the transfer market and, with results oscillating between unsatisfactory and terrible, expect the cash register to ring again in January.
United have scored at least once in the eight games in all competitions since Igesund took over. At times front men Dino Ndlovu, Thuso Phala and Lebogang Manyama have played piggies-in-the-middle with opposition defenders.
"What I’ve noticed about their game, especially against Wits, was how their attack linked up nicely. Obviously Gordon has brought a change but the biggest thing in their favour is the level of confidence they’ve built," said Salmon.
It all boils down to confidence, though. When you’re confident the ball seems to follow you and makes life easier
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