By Tadious Manyepo
DYNAMOS could be headed for yet another disastrous season following reports the executive is imposing players on the technical team led by Tonderai Ndiraya.
The Glamour Boys had a near catastrophic term last year after the team chefs emotionally released players en masse without consulting then head coach Lloyd Chigowe.
Chigowe, who had been roped in to save the club from relegation late in the 2018 season, was left without any option but to resort to inexperienced novices including Tino Muringai, Jarrison Selemani, Emmanuel Jai, Tawanda Chisi and Nigel Katawa, who was coming straight from high school.
The move almost backfired terribly for DeMbare as they struggled for form in the early stages of the marathon as the Premiership proved too heavy a task for the greenhorns.
Naturally, Chigowe was made the sacrificial lamb and he was replaced by Ndiraya.
Ndiraya only managed to stabilise the shaky squad after bringing in some experienced players in the mid-season transfer window with the addition of Archford Gutu, Simba Nhivi, Godknows Murwira and Evans Katema.
Nevertheless, Dynamos finished a distant ninth in the league and Ndiraya had reiterated at the end of the season that he would be looking to beef-up the squad ahead of the 2020 season.
“We are here due to mere hard work. You know where we are coming from. We have a squad of inexperienced players, some of whom joined the team straight from high school. I should say we did well under the circumstances to be where we are today,” said Ndiraya then.
“Obviously we will have to sniff around and bring in able reinforcements for the 2020 season. We should retain some key members of the squad but we definitely need to add more steel into the team.
“We are Dynamos and we have to be seen competing for honours rather than fight for survival. We will try and be competitive which is what Dynamos should do. I am happy we managed to finish the season with few defeats though I feel we should have finished in a far much better position had we won some of the many games, which we drew.”
The former Ngezi Platinum Stars gaffer is understood to have submitted his wish-list to the executive way back in October last year.
But the DeMbare executive has reportedly gone against the mentor’s wishes, instead signing players who Ndiraya never recommended.
The central defensive position was the team’s Achilles Heel last term where Chisi, Munyaradzi Mawadza, Jimmy Tigere and Godfrey Mukambi were rotated and the Glamour Boys have since roped in former player Partson Jaure from Manica Diamonds.
Though Ndiraya is a big fan of Jaure, having previously worked with the Warriors defender at Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum, it is not clear whether he gave the player’s signing the thumbs up.
While Ndiraya’s affinity for young blood is well documented, what he said at the end of the season pertaining the way he wants his troops to line up for the 2020 season seem to be in contrast with the taking on board of more young players.
But the adamant executive has since brought in Tanaka Chidhobha from Prince Edward Academy and another youngster Nkosi Mhlanga from Yadah.
With chief striker Katema set to leave for Zambia for medicals with Zanaco, Ndiraya’s 2020 prospects look increasingly in jeopardy given his team cannot compete with financially stable teams like FC Platinum and Chicken Inn in the transfer market.
Team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said signing of players is done with the technical team’s blessings and there was nothing amiss in as far as the signings done so far are concerned.
Dynamos spokesperson Tinashe Farawo scoffed off suggestions the executive was acting against the coach’s will.
Ndiraya last week told the media that he was not aware of the signings being done at the team.
“We know how to act in a professional manner. Dynamos is not a rag-tag team but an institution with millions of people behind that badge. We know the ethos and essence of corporate governance and we can’t do business in such an uncivilised way. The coach gave us his wish-list long back, maybe three or four months ago and we are simply chasing after those players,” said Farawo.
“We will never try to embarrass ourselves and go against the coach’s will. He recommended certain players and they are the ones whom we are following up and taking aboard. So suggestions that we are signing players whom he did not recommend are off the mark.”
Farawo also dismissed suggestions the team was going to off-load eight players including Katawa, Muringai and Mukambi, saying the coach is yet to submit the names of those he wants released. The Chronicle
