Author: MICHAEL MWEBE
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THERE were almost no positive takeaways for Yanga from Sunday’s one-all draw with Polisi Tanzania in Vodacom Premier League tie.
The away draw was another poor showing for both the players and head coach Cedric Kaze.
Despite Polisi Tanzania playing with 10 men for the last minutes, Yanga never fully took control of the game, as the team did so many times during its dominant run to begin the season.
They actually went on to concede a last minute equaliser.
The sense of mental frailty that plagued the team for the better part of last season has apparently returned, and it is having a seriously detrimental effect on the entire squad.
A dismal return of seven points out of possible 18 points in the second round, the team have lost confidence and momentum.
Whether the blame for the team’s current poor run of form should be attributed to the players or the technical bench is still up for debate, but there is clearly a problem that needs to be fixed.
It seems obvious now that Yanga are simply not at the same level as Simba, and that it will take some time for the Green and Yellow to reach that level.
This means, unfortunately, that supporters should temper their expectations for the rest of the season.
Currently sitting top of the table but with four more games played than Simba who are five only five points behind, Yanga know the chase for the league crown is all but gone.
Simba can go seven points clear at the top if they win their games in hand.
Best case scenario, Yanga will have an easy ride to clinch the second spot and a chance at winning the Federation Cup— wishing for anything more than that would just be unrealistic.
Pointing this out might have angered the supporters who had dreams of reclaiming the Vodacom Premier League trophy this season but at the moment many will nod in agreement.
Before the season started, after spending big on new signings, an overconfident Yanga leader boldly claimed, the league title is all but sealed.
He went as far as he should be personally asked if the team doesn’t win the league title at the end of the season.
He basically guaranteed fans the club would win the title. Big promise comes with big expectations.
The reality was shoved aside, completely ignored. Yanga have many new players—most of them foreigners— who were forced into the starting XI without a real pre-season, making the transition a bit difficult.
The squad still needed time to gel, and doing so while navigating the already-crowded, constantly-changing fixture list will be a serious challenge.
These were mitigated factors that could have been used to temper fans’ expectations.
Although not related to the football world, it is said that one of the biggest reasons that George Bush did not return to power for a second consecutive term was because he had over-promised during the campaign that got him elected in the 1988 United States presidential election.
During the campaign for the 1988 election, the former US President had promised to impose ‘no new taxes’.
However, circumstances did not allow him to stay true to his words and he increased taxes when the country was going through a recession in 1990.
Other than the Ross Perot factor, this was a major reason that resulted in George Bush losing out to Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election.
The campaign and term of former President Bush should be a lesson for all football administrators that they should never over-promise to fans.
If you want to build trust with fans, then you must keep your promises. The best way to ensure this is by making promises that you can realistically fulfill.
In Yanga’s case, the biggest issue is unrealistic expectations that came as a result of over-promising.
Fans who are pregnant with big expectations can’t tolerate a continued stretch of bad performances.
