Konkola Blades have in a space of five months made another fascinating decision and hired a second former Faz footballer of the year as coach to try and steer the Chililabombwe club to better fortunes in a see-saw 2009 campaign.
Out has gone the enigmatic Peter Kaumba, recipient of the 1982 award, and in comes another revered legend from back in the day in the form of Kaiser Kalambo, a winner of the players award just two seasons earlier.
Kalambo’s shock appoint has gone against the recent philosophy of most Faz Premier Division clubs who have recruited a supposedly new and progressive generation of coaches who have delivered very little in terms of attractive football or discovered and natured credible gems over the last decade.
And Kalambo is now the only man from the class of 74 currently at the helm in the top flight in an age when clubs have shunned from hiring any old guards.
The 55-year-old former Ndola United and Zambia ace faces one of his biggest tests especially that he has not coached at the highest level on the local scene since 1988 when he left for better prospects in Botswana.
Kalambo’s most recent spell at Division 1 North side Lime Hotspurs of Ndola is the latest reference on his profile.
And it is only appropriate that Kalambo begins his tenure against 3rd from top Green Buffaloes when he takes 10th placed Blades this weekend away at Woodlands Stadium.
It was against Buffaloes that Kaumba began his uneasy stay at Blades with a promising 2-0 home win over the army side in Week 1 on March 14 before thinks slowly culminated to a sour end last month.
Kalambo will be surely be hoping for a win at Buffaloes but without an air of De Ja Vu hanging over the match.
Weekend Scorecard
Caf African Champions League
18/07/2009
Group A
Chililabombwe
Zesco United 1(Rogers Kamwandi 44″)- kano Pillars 1(Hillary Chukwu 77″)
Khartoum
Al Hilal 0- El Merreikh 0
[standings league_id=14 template=extend logo=false]
19/07/2009
Group B
Harare
Monomotapa 2(Daniel Kamungenga 1″, Darryl Nyandoro 60″)- Etoile du Sahel 1(Ahmed Akaichi 49″)
Lubumbashi
TP Mazembe 2(Tresor Mputu 47″, Alain Kaluyitukadioko 77″)
[standings league_id=9 template=extend logo=false]
Weekend Fixtures
Faz Premier Division
25/07/2009
Week 16
Zesco United- Zamtel
Green Buffaloes-Konkola Blades
Chambishi -City of Lusaka
Forest Rangers-Choma Eagles
Nakambala Leopards-Kabwe Warriors
Roan United-Lusaka Dynamos
Zanaco-Power Dynamos
Red Arrows-Young Arrows
Faz Division 1
26/07/2009
week 18
North
Prison Leopards-Chindwin
Kitwe United-Kalulushi Modern Stars
Zesco-Luapula-Nkana
Kalewa-Mufulira Wanderers
Mufulira Blackpool-Ndola United
Luanshya United-Nchanga Rangers
Indeni-Lime Hotspurs
Muchindu-Mining Rangers
Afrisports-Chingola Leopards
South
Police Bullets-Paramilitary
National Assembly-Kascol Rangers
Mazabuka United-Young Green Eagles
Lusaka Tigers-Zamcoal Diggers
Livingstone Pirates-Lusaka Celtic
Nkwazi-Riflemen
Luena-Profund Warriors
Lusaka City Council-Nampundwe
Petauke United-Green Eagles
Good to know that Kaiser Kalambo is still around.
Even the hiring of Kaiser Kalambo at Konkola Stadium will not help matters. The team is going through a bad patch. There is need to overhaul the entire system right from management down to players. That is the only medicine. Changing coaches will not solve the current problems.
“Supposedly new and progressive generation of coaches”- indeed have not done much, if any, to game of socer, save for a handful. We have had a mushrooming of a lot of coaches lately, just because someone played in the national team once, and by fluke, they think they can handle the bench. Doezn’t work that way. KK shud sure inspire the boiz at Bancroft and produce dezired results.
Brave Rangerz, this 2nd half of the league, there shud be no room for error, the goal shud be maximum points all the way. Either we get three points all the gamez or our opponents get zero and there are no two wayz about it, else we become sitting tenants in Division 1!
No.2 Very correct. It cannot be the coaches always.Management must go and pave way to that which will motivate players at Bancroft. Players are simply on strike!!
#2 you are right. Blades can hire Scolari or carlos alberto peraira but if they have wrong players and wrong guys in management they will still not perform.
Looking at the league table above. Zesco are not supposed to be on. Simple reason; they conceded a goal at home. Kano Pillars should top the group.