Ex-Chiefs star deflects blame from Baxter

JOHANNESBURG. – A former Kaizer Chiefs star has expressed his dissatisfaction with the tendency to single out Stuart Baxter for blame at the club.

Baxter is walking under a hailstorm of criticism and attacks after failing to bring the club’s longest trophy wait to an end in his first season back at Chiefs.

The Amakhosi are home to Zimbabwe international forward Khama Billiat.

Under Baxter, Chiefs lost the Champions League final then fell at the first hurdle in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup but still have second place to play for in the league having also endured the same trophy in the six years that he wasn’t at the club.

“Honestly, I don’t even think of blaming the coach,” Mohammed ‘Slice’ Ouseb, the 1998/99 KICK OFF Footballer of the Season told KickOff.com.

Ouseb spent three years excelling at Chiefs before leaving for Europe.

“I will only blame him for not utilising the younger boys but besides that, I don’t even think about the coach. The players should take responsibility when they go onto that field. I thought we would improve as time goes on, but we are stuck where we were.

“Let us use the younger boys and make sure the players on the field should work and know and respect the brand they are representing.

“For me, the players should take responsibility for whatever happens on the field when they go on to the pitch.

“We are a team that can create chances but if we can’t score then we can’t run towards blaming the coach. I believe that at training they are always working on scoring goals.

“When it comes to the game, if the players are missing chances why should we blame the coach. For me, players need to take responsibility. For me, a coach is just as good as his last training session. From there on whatever happens players need to take responsibility.”

Without any trophy to play for this season, the retired Namibian adds that more younger players should be used.

“The coach needs to start using the youngsters. He must throw them in so that we see what they can do. I understand that (Nkosingiphile) Ngcobo had not started a match in a while, and this is why he had a below-average match (against SuperSport United) yet we know what that boy can do with the ball.

“But for me, he didn’t perform the way I thought he would, but he needs to start the next match. The one with dreads (Kgaogelo Sekgota) should be given a chance so that we see what he can do because I believe these boys can play which is why they were bought.

“Let us see what they can do because so far, I can see that experience is not doing anything for us and so why can’t we take a chance with the younger boys,” he said. – KickOff.com.