The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
“EXPECTATIONS are like fine pottery. The harder you hold them, the more likely they are to crack,” wrote one think tank!
Mutare-based Castle Lager Premiership outfit, Manica Diamonds’ fans cannot be blamed for expecting much from their team, given the impressive start to the season.
Given that on paper, Manica Diamonds, who face ZPC Kariba at Sakubva Stadium on Sunday, are one of the best assembled teams in the country’s top-flight league, with the strength and depth exuded by experienced players within their rank and file, their fans can surely be forgiven for expecting good results.
That Manica Diamonds are one of the few teams in the domestic Premiership whose players are getting their dues, not only regularly, but partly in hard currency is more than enough cause for their fans to harbour great expectations on the field of play.
But such is life that expectations are not a guarantee of bad performance and poor results, but it increases the chances dramatically because expectations create pressure on you to fulfill them.
Such is the life we live that expectations can hurt one both physically and psychologically.
Manica Diamonds seems no exception!
The pain of Sunday’s 0-1 defeat away at the National Sports Stadium at the hands of log leaders, Dynamos reverberated through social media platforms where the Gem Boys’ fans and critics poured out their emotions about the team’s waning fortunes.
Surely, after going for five matches without collecting maximum points, amassing a paltry four out of a possible 15, Manica Diamonds fans cannot be blamed for airing their discontent.
For a team that sent early warning shots, occupying the league’s top spot for weeks, Manica Diamonds suddenly lost the rhythm and turned into draw specialists.
They are yet to win a match in the previous five rounds of league matches.
Manica Diamonds settled for a one-all stalemate against Cranborne Bullets before playing a goalless stalemate against FC Platinum at Sakubva Stadium.
The Gem Boys then picked another single point from another goalless stalemate against FC Platinum at Sakubva Stadium before the three-all draw against Chicken at Luveve Stadium in Bulawayo.
It was a case of two points dropped than a point gained for the Gem Boys in another disappointing goalless stalemate against Bulawayo Chiefs at Sakubva Stadium.
Sunday’s away defeat by a solitary goal against Dynamos placed their free fall into context.
Below are the comments passed by their emotional fans on different social media platforms:
• Your problem is that you placed yourself on the wrong level. The Manica Diamonds level is the same like Yadah, Herentals and company. Don’t even put it in the same class with CAPS, Bosso etc. Worse still you want to compare it with DeMbare, that is pure madness. Good day. – Jongo Jongo.
• How can Liberty Chakoroma be deployed in the midfield? I am not saying he is a bad player, but he should be played at the Central Defence (CD) PERIOD. When you see people criticising the team they would have seen that something is wrong. Manica Diamonds has the players, my brother even though they are failing to be on the same level with those teams that you are talking about. – King Sapu.
• Let us not act like we are not seeing what is happening at Manica Diamonds. If he (coach, Johanisi Nhumwa) is the one who is setting the team, he would have been fired a long time ago. – Alfred.
• Coach Nhumwa is getting things wrong, big time, but some of the players we have at Manica Diamonds are big headed. They think they are world class stars. Even if they get a very good coach, the problem will not end there. Due to these bad results, we will soon hear of people becoming physical at Sakubva Stadium. Just wait and see. – Donald Manhende.
• Why is it Manica Diamonds players do not salute fans at the start of each match if they understand the role played by supporters before we even point fingers at the executive. Are they supposed to be told by Chihowa (Masimba Chihowa, Manica Diamonds chairman) to go and greet the fans? – Empire to the world.
• To bring everything to an end, if they lose Sunday’s match, we want their heads, that’s all. They are fattening their pockets at the expense of our emotions. – James Chatindiwara.
