Since being appointed as Zambia national team interim coach in June, 2015, George Lwandamina put the Chipolopolo back on track to qualify for the 2017 Gabon Africa Cup of Nations back on track with an away win against Kenya after drawing with Guinea Bissau.
With yesterday’s resounding 3 – 0 win over Mozambique, Zambia put one foot on the plane to the 2016 Rwanda CHAN tournament having missed the last three editions.
However Lwandamina seems not to have won the hearts of the Chipolopolo fans.
With a record of three wins, two losses and two draws since taking over, Lwandamina popularly known as ‘Chicken’ has not had a disastrous start.
ZamFoot blogger Sly had this to say –
Zambia Zambia Zambia. Where has the trust you once owned gone to? Is trust not acquired through learning? It is my dear continent men and women.
You did not have trust in any of the coaches you have recently had Zambia. Not any longer. When Kalusha assembled the Chris Katongo led team at the cradle of the rebuilding process you shunned his tactics.
Herve Renard graced Zambian football with a French dimension and even took Chipolopolo to the summit of African football but you turned your backs on him to indicate that you wanted no more of him.
Your own product in Honour Janza came in and he was called names. Names of hate.
Now it is ba-George – another son of Zambia’s own soil and you still call him names.
New people to your football site do not know his full names. They think George and Lwandamina are short forms of his names. You have come up with show hate prefixes in Ka and Chi. You call him ChiChiken, KaLwandamina despite the progress he is making with Chipolopolo.
No matter how knowledgeable you are as a football fan or a player you still need to look up to someone for guidance and that is the coach .
There is a proverb that says even chickens know when it is morning but they still look at the move of the cock.
Do you think Lwandamina has what it takes to lead the Chipolopolo to the next level? Look out for a poll on this.
Honor Janza was better tactically than lwandimina. It took him time to settle but zambia played a better brand of attacking football with Janza. Had Mayuka not sustained an injury against Tunisia zambia would have won that game and qualified for the afcon quarter final. With George the writing is on the wall he cannot beat any big team from West or north Africa. We risk missing out on afcon 2017. After drawing at home with bissau we are in serious trouble in that group.
Let’s give George chance and time.
Time is important We are not tolerant enough.
I for one thinks Chicken must be given a chance, his doing fine at the moment, his a very good coach. let’s support him he will take Zambia to the next level
The government has no money to hire a better experienced coach. From the local scene, only Lwandamina and Big Figh are the best we have. To me let’s stick with these guys for now. Honour Janza was too rigid and it had to take soccer fans to remind him of players he should choose. If George can only listen to advice and choose better experienced players especially in defence, and if deserving players in certain departments can also be included, Zambia will improve. We have the players, but the problem we have is poor team selection and lack of tactics by the coaches.
My verdict is, we have no choice but to stick with Lwandamina, at least for now since we cannot afford an expatriate coach. And there is no one from the current locals apart from what we have at now.
…but they still look at the mouth of a cock.
George is one of the best tacticians you have. At the moment what matters is not playing enterprising football. That aspect is from a player not the coach.I call it adding style to execution. For now the coach has a task of making sure the team qualifies and also creating a pool of players for Zambia’s football life line now and in the future.George is doing well. Yes, the people’s choice of fullbacks in Kabaso and Kapumbu are there but what about the much needed competion in the team. How do you bring it if you dont infuse new players? The future of a team must also be gradually and continuously addressed. George is doing that very well with a couple of U23 players standing in for their big brothers. With George at the helm Zambia will soon be unpredictable in terms of its senior team lineup. I there think he is one of the rightful technical personnel to guide Chipolopolo.
Well said Sly!
I have never seen a negative collective of people like Zambian soccer fans! I totally agree with Sly as We have never given any Coach a chance and respect, all but zero of all the Coaches Chipolopolo has ever had have endured insults and unpalatable ridicule. When are We going to ever learn to say thank you! Further, the players also have a role to play, I for one have seen that our collective attitude has led to players not dying a little for their country. The time that Chipolopolo players put their all has ever been evident with excellent results! Look at the team of 1994…. that will ever tell a memorable story.
Another thing is we are too crowded with Europe whilst We have the best who can deliver! Sometimes I laugh when I see that even players like Kalengo are being rated as not being complete because they don’t play in Europe….this is sickness and inferiority at its worst.
WE MUST START BEING POSITIVE FOR ONCE AND APPRECIATE WHAT WE HAVE!!!!!!!!!
George is one of the best tacticians you have. At the moment what matters most is not playing enterprising football. That aspect is from a player and not the coach.it becomes the responsibility of a coach when the players are in abundance and that is when a coach choose to employ a player who bring the flare dimension.I call it adding style to execution. At the moment the coach has a task of making sure the team qualifies and also creating a pool of players for Zambia’s football life line.George is doing well. Yes, the people’s choice of fullbacks in Kabaso and Kapumbu are there but what about the much needed competion in the team? It is not a secret that it is not there.How do you bring it about if you dont infuse new players? The future of a team must also be gradually and continuously addressed. George is doing that very well with a couple of U23 players standing in for their big brothers. With George at the helm Zambia will soon be unpredictable in terms of its senior team lineup. I therefore think he is one of the rightful technical personnel to guide Chipolopolo.
in my views the coach is ok and i have respect fr tht man he is doin wel but we need to look fr fulbacks where we are lacking.
Only results will tell. Tuli pano.
Problem with locals is that:
1. They don’t have an independent hand when selecting national team players.
2. They seem clueless in terms of tactics and game plan (probably this is due to lack of international exposure).
3. Both Janza and Lwandamina are too laid back to command the respect of players and fans alike.
4. Right now any team can easily beat and outplay Zambia because we lack leadership on and off the pitch.
5. Decision making leaves a lot to be desired. Eg why should you introduce young/ inexperienced players in crucial matches? And why make silly substitutions like we saw against Egypt?
These are some of the things that make fans not to have confidence in local coaches. In modern football there’s no such thing as “let’s give him time.” Football is a result oriented business. You deliver you continue as coach, you flop you leave. No sentiments.
There was a time when we cheered Zambia because we enjoyed the brand of football we played (not just cheering for a fluke victory over less fancied opponents)
Well said and articulated @Paddy. You’re one of the objective bloggers on Zamfoot and I like the way you reason. I can’t say more than what you’ve said brother.
On point number 3 I totally disagree with you as I know most Zambians and Black people are mostly afraid and have utmost respect for White people so do they to most white Coaches. I have been and will never stop preaching about this, “we have must graduate from colonialism”. We are still intimidated by the white people! they are human like us, that’s why a lot of people (bloggers) on this site keep on preaching EPL
On Point no.1 I agree with you.
On point number 2 I don’t agree as this needs to be achieved with the cooperation of players, I reiterate our players are laid back they don’t die a little for their country.
On point no 5 I, too, don’t agree as We are paying for the same mistakes we made in the past of not exposing young players and depending on certain players whom when they don’t pitch up drains us off all our tactical approach.
Point number 4 alludes to point number 5 as you need the nursery before maturity, We desire the excellent fruits without feeding the roots with the right nutrients.
Just as there is strategy and tactical approach in the pitch there must also be strategy and tactical approach in the development of soccer as a whole to achieve the desired results.
I respect your very honest views. Please keep them coming for the good of the game. Just want to highlight that the coach’s personality is also very important. Look at RSA ‘s Shakes for example – the guy oozes confidence when talking to the press or when giving instructions to players. When players see that in their coach, they react positively. I’m not sure about being intimidated by white people. I think expatriates get more respect from players because they are more forthright and express themselves in a manner that leaves you in no doubt as to what they want or expect from you as a player.
I agree Paddy on the Coach’s confidence that is well noted, Bafana Bafana as a whole are very confident most of the times they win because of their attitude! This has to be planted and enshrined in our players and coaching staff. Kwena chilankalipa when I look at the skills of our players way forward and they reap nothing with that treasure of endowment, Kwena chilanshikita.
Well said Paddy, most of my sentiments exactly!! U can not support mediocrity just because it’s “your own”…!!
We cannot be overtaken by a Mozambique win and give lwandamina respect, in fact Mozambique played well until they lost concentration in the last 15 minutes,and we pounced on them.we had a real test with Egypt were we conceded early goals and this coach was exposed with his tactics .you should gauge the team’s performance from that Egypt game and the upcoming Sudan game not Mozambique.
True
time is all he needs
Well said Paddy wat else can we say.chicken needs to learn froM Janzas errors, Not conviced if Chicken can fly the Chipolpolo to greater heights.Surely were those the best players in the local league?
Chicken is the man, he made tacticle changes which made Zambia beat Mozambique. Thats what we call fruitful tactics in football. Lets give credit where it is due imwe. You must have missed the Zambia under 20 world cup in Canada where chicken managed to beat Uruguay and narrowly lost to Spain. Zambian players are average so expecting good results against good teams is nothing but developing your own BP and hate for Zambian football. Reality is lets accept we dont have big players in the team and Lwandamina cant manufacture Sanches or Lewandoski or Herreira/Martial/Mata/Costa/Hazard/Messi/Ronaldo and Rooney!! Sha
Playing six defenders when you are down by 2 nil becauses you say you don’t good players like messi,hhhhhhaaaaahh madness
If a coach lacks tactical approaches, who is he? It is like saying a good teacher who lacks teaching skills. Could someone educate me on the possibilities of such combinations. Believe it or not, currently Ba Chicken is the best coach at the moment. If you think Kalu choses for him…. you are mistaken. You certainly have no idea of who he is… Is he not the one who punched a naughty kid on the aftermath of a COSAFA games before the cameras!
We need to see utmost effort from players also!!!! well said.
EXPERIENCED DEFENDERS should be selected with cautiousness due to aging,eg Joseph Musonda is very good but age will limit him on speed,Nkausu is good to date can be called up but must groom new blood for continuity,this is too applied to mid field and front ,it depends on the player’s feeling on national duty ,when called for camp its a top class duty like a soldier appointed to lead a section or platton must be dedicated to duty and responsibility not only crying for allowances that’s what kills player.Feeling Bigger than a coach,becoming unbecoming,lustiful etc.these are the issues that downgrade most players at the same time lack of programmed education(schooled)contributes to players lacking vision,not all but some.
Lwandamina has failed we are going no were with this coach Janza was better.
truly lets give chicken a chance nd we shuld learn to appreciate nd give credit were its due.