Another Project opens up at Nkana

Today I look at why AC was released and replaced and of course you may have different reasons but here is what I think…….

It wasn’t supposed to go this way. Aggrey Chiyangi was supposed to stay for four years, bring back hope for the Wusakile team and put them back at the top of Zambian football.

This was the plan , and after his hugely successful career as a player and later coach, many believed he could do it. But the project never really took flight. The football was often boring, and despite finishing third, he just didn’t bring the success the fans craved.

Now he’s released, and the coach many Nkana fans had such high hopes for is generally seen as a failure.

So what made Aggrey Chiyangi at Nkana adventure so difficult and challenging such that today everyone would understand why he has been released?

Here are the reasons why AC is no longer head coach at Nkana:

1. The failure to compete in the Super League title race and especially after leading for a very long period to end third confirming that George Lwandamina and Numba Mumamba were better off not with the material but understanding the trade.

2. knocked out of the Barclays Cup by ZANACO in a clear technical bench master piece by Numba Mumamba that was an embarrassing result and had he won that one and even played the final, AC would have been the coach today.

3. The achievement was finishing third, but that alone is no longer enough for a successful season; the top two was the minimum requirement and they failed at that task allowing a team with fatigue with as many games in hands was also a clear indication that perhaps ZESCO was better off.

By anyone’s standards, that’s an unacceptable for Nkana especially after seeing what was spent and the hype before the start of the season

4. At Nkana AC’S desire for control just didn’t have the right effect. He tried different formations, shuffled positions and made some bizarre substitutions, but even after two years of trying to instill his ‘philosophy’, it didn’t work.

5. AC’s constant focus on possession seemed particularly ineffective. At one point, there were even rumours of certain players coming close to mutiny. Clearly, these players desired much more attacking freedom than they were allowed.

6. I wonder if some of the transfers were sanctioned by him? Perhaps the case of Jacob Ngulube is the most absurd. In 2015, Nkana signed the talented midfielder from Mufulira Wanderers to an extent of going to FAZ and finally got him for a record fee I guesse
One miserable year later, he wants off to either GBFC or ZANACO. could it be connected to AC or there is something else.

Sometimes signings simply don’t work out. But if he wasn’t planning on letting Jacob Ngulube do what he does best, then why sign him at all? But after spending all those money before one season , the team still lacked the quality it needed. AC may not be the only one to blame for a large part, he is to blame because he is the head coach.

That’s it….

The 2016 season has brought a lot of learning points in the ZSL super league, however, it has become clear things aren’t the way they used to be anymore.

Possession-based football simply doesn’t guarantee success anymore. In the Premier League, this has been proven by managers like Dan Kabwe and Numba Mumamba.

Numba , who won the 2016 league title with ZANACO, prefers counter attacking tactics over possession. Dan Kabwe still has a lot to prove, but the way he sets his teams up to transition quickly and go for goal as soon as possible has made fans looking forward to what’s coming.

The nature of the Super League, the difficulty of the task he had and even bad luck might have played a big role in AC’s failure to suceed at Nkana. Yet you can’t escape the feeling AC’s philosophy might be a little outdated.

And as I write this I wonder if Nkana in bringing in Zeddy in the firing range have done what is best for the club or its another experiment that we as the people with that extra eye different from the close fans of the club will be waiting to see how this new project pans out.

One thing though is certain just as I stated in my article yesterday as long as AC is close to the team…..there is nothing new in this new project and Zeddy Sailet is not being helped to show what he can offer and he will be fired too.

CAF Champions league list for ZANACO is out that’s my next concentration for now all the best Nkana…..

@ Bwezani Mbewe