Kaizer Chiefs legend Bernard Parker has questioned the club’s scouting criteria, insisting that’s been the root of their downfall in the last 10 seasons.
Chiefs haven’t won trophies for almost a decade, which has seen playing and coaching personnel join and leave the club without success. They were hoping that would change this season as they attempt to rebuild while winning trophies under new coach Nasreddine Nabi and his technical team.
That hasn’t been the case, though. Chiefs have been inconsistent, so much so that their only chance of winning a trophy rests on the Nedbank Cup.
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They have bolstered the squad for the second half of the season, signing striker Tashreeq Morris, attacker Makabi Lilepo and midfielder Thabo Cele on respective deals.
From the lot, only Cele comes with a lofty billing, having played abroad for the better part of his career and represented Bafana Bafana previously.
Morris didn’t have a club before joining SuperSport United this season, where he scored four goals and registered two assists across 16 games in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Lilepo was playing for a third division club in France before joining Chiefs, also scoring four goals and registering two assists in 16 games.
Parker – who spent more than 10 years at Chiefs, winning two league titles and two trophies – has questioned the scouting department of the club, which is led by Thembela ‘Tera’ Maliwa.
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Parker was speaking at the #NOEXCUSE event in Johannesburg yesterday, which is a programme that’s set out to curb Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and is organised by Carling.
“I think what has been happening in the last 10 years, we just keep signing and signing. And then the next thing, we offload, and sign again, and offload,” Parker said about the Amakhosi. “But do we thoroughly profile the player? Do we bring a player that has shown consistency over three years, not six months or over a year?
“That’s very important, because any player that joins Kaizer Chiefs needs to be a seasoned campaigner – not just the six months or year form that he has been in. Also, when we sign players, have we identified where we can strengthen the team, and what we have inside?
“If we just add on, hoping that the player will hit the ground running, I think that will just be a continuous fall every year.”
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Before being converted into a midfielder in the last few years of his career, Parker was a prolific goal-scorer for club and country. However, the 38-year-old is not happy with the conversion rate of the current crop of players in South Africa, saying they lack consistency.
“That’s a huge concern that we have in the country in terms of consistency in today’s modern game, especially in terms of goals – because, what do we play football for?” Parker said.
“We want to get goals for us to win games. It’s just how it is. We don’t play football for passes. You want to get the ball in the back of the net.
“The number of strikers that just show a glimpse here and there is a big concern for the strikers. Let’s at least be consistent, where there can be a ratio of one goal in four games.”
Parker will hope that Chiefs’ strikers will bring their scoring boots when they visit arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in the Soweto Derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday (3.30pm kick-off).
He has, moreover, set out a stern warning to youngsters when they play in front of the 90 000-strong sold-out crowd, especially now that they are the current toast of local football.
“If the youngsters understand that it’s not just about standing on the ball and hoping the fans will go crazy... it’s not about that,” Parker said.
“It’s about being productive in terms of doing your level best and being effective, contributing to your team’s win.”