Saintfiet project

New Flames freelance coach Tom Saintfiet’s ‘don’t shoot me’ Saturday’s pre-match ‘disclaimer’ was no sheer publicity stunt.

Three months, let alone a week, has never been enough for any football coach to turn things around. Saintfiet knows it better.

“First-half, we did not play top. You cannot miss three penalties. It was so disappointing,” Saintfiet told SuperSport television in a post-match interview at Nkoloma Stadium, Lusaka, Zambia.

Ninety days were not enough for Ng’onamo and seven days were never going to be enough for ‘Uncle Tom’ to prevent the Flames’ 2013 Cosafa Castle Cup quarter-final exit.

On this Belgian’s first competitive assignment, the Flames lost 3-1 on post-match penalties to Zimbabwe. This was Flames’ third consecutive exit at that stage in this tournament.

The shortfalls are easy to pick. Talk about conceding in three consecutive games, think about the Flames’ inability to put away the chances, the disjointed performance by the Flames’ senior citizens against the Warriors’ all local young upstarts.

Imagine, a Flames defender starting play from the back with no one offering himself onto space to fetch the ball. Come to think of a team that showed no much cohesion in the first-half when the ball rotated between the defence and the striking force.

A sluggish first-half had the Flames listening to the sound of Zimbabwe’s uncharacteristic tik-tak passing football complemented by Masimba Mambare’s 27th minute tap-in.

A careless captain Joseph Kamwendo foul and a lapse in concentration by right-back Bongani Kayipa on Zimbabwe striker Tendai Ndoro, allowed Zimbabwe to, after Simplex Nthala’s initial punch, score.

Zimbabwe outgoing coach Klaus Pagel acknowledged that in the first-half his team was really better and deserved to win.

The worst was to come. Luckless defender James Sangala went out of his way to dish some mob justice on the legs of surging Zimbabwe’s Ndoro.

With it, Sangala earned a second yellow card and a resultant red which Saintfiet, as most coaches do, blamed it on referee Janny Sikazwe.

“The referee was top giving out yellow cards. Playing 10 men against 11 is never easy,” Saintfiet noted.

So in the wrap-up, two goals scored and an equal number let in against Kenya on June 12, a goal let in to no reply against Mozambique, then yet another goal conceded, leads to some arithmetic.

Three goals scored in three games and four goals let in. Poor defence or a striking force that cannot just score enough to atone for some frontline limitations?

The work is cut out for Saintfiet whose main mission is to drag the Flames into the final two-legged qualifying stage of the 2014 World Cup.

After every calamity, you always go back to the rubble, pick up the pieces and see if there is anything to salvage.

With 52 days before the Flames travel to Nigeria for the decisive Group F World Cup qualifier, the Belgian must have been pleased with the defiance his charges showed when a goal down against Zimbabwe after break.

“You have to give it out to the Flames of Malawi. They have not dropped their heads after James Sangala’s red card. It has not really been felt,” screamed SuperSport commentator Steve Vickers.

With a man down, that is when Civo United defender John Lanjesi played his socks off. Substitute Chimango Kaira took the game by the scruff of its neck, after replacing Young Chimodzi Jnr.

Competitive match debutant Boniface Kaulesi showed no nerves when slotted wide on the right. Kaulesi had stepped in for Jimmy Zakazaka with Chiukepo Msowoya replacing Fischer Kondowe.

If the first-half, fielding of the likes of Zakazaka, who has not played competitive football for a month was a reminder of the Kinnah Phiri’s sad era, the second-half proved that at least someone was reading the game.

The Flames’ second-half performance showed signs that the Saintfiet project had begun.

“I am proud of my boys for their second-half performance. It is something to build on,” said Saintfiet.

The Flames can build on this if they play more warm-up matches between now and September, and against worthwhile opposition in the stature of Nigeria. Otherwise, Saintfiet has his work cut out.

The sooner Malawi football learns that there are no short cuts in this game, the better; otherwise, it is going to be stop-start and more stop-start.

It does not matter whether it is Ng’onamo or the promised one, Saintfiet. This is still the same football.