Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Siyabonga Nomvethe feels the gap between his former club and that of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates is too big.
Bhele, who also played for Pirates and used to torment Sundowns during his playing days, said the Buccaneers have done well in appeasing their fans by winning knockout competitions if they don’t win the league.
Pirates, under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, claimed their third domestic cup on the row when they beat Sundowns in the MTN8 final last weekend on post match penalties.
Last season, they won the same cup, beating Bhele’s other former club AmaZulu in the final and added the Nedbank Cup along with second place finish in the DStv Premiership.
Chiefs last won a major trophy was in the 2014/15 season when they claimed the double.
Since then, Sundowns has dominated – winning seven league titles, three Nedbank Cups, two Carling Knockout cup and the MTN8, CAF Champions League and CAF Super Cup, which has left Bhele to say Chiefs management have done everything they could and players should take responsibility for their actions – on the pitch
“There is a big gap and now I think now they have signed every player that they could,” said Nomvethe, who impressively scored 48 goals in 82 matches for Amakhosi.
“They have everything now and I think the players have to lift their socks up. We all know the blame falls to the coach for failing to win, but the players have an impact on the results because everyone looks at them since they are the ones who are playing.
“The coach can do so much by giving instructions on how they should play, but the players, even if the instructions of the coach are defeating them, do their own thing that can help the team.
“The coach can shout at you once when you are dribbling and cutting inside but if you are cutting inside and there is an end product, the coach won’t ask you why you cut inside – that will make him happy (because you scored).
“The players have to step up at some point because everything has been done – the club bought good players and it is them who have to deliver because the person that is under pressure is the coach.”
Bhele, during his time with Chiefs, won the Bob Save, BP Top 8 and Coca-Cola Cup.
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He was named Player of the Season in the 1999/00 campaign, the season Amakhosi beat Sundowns in the Bob Save Super Bowl.
Nomvethe said “it is painful to me since I played for the club and when you look at the football that they are playing, it doesn’t satisfy me.”
“It is never nice to see a big team that was known to be winning cups, make fans happy (but not anymore) and again I say Chiefs is a big club,” added Nomvethe during the Siyabonga Nomvethe School Cup final at Princess Magogo Stadium on Friday.
“It deserves to be like Sundowns or Pirates – at least if they win the league, let’s take a cup. You see Pirates might not be winning the league, but at least they are winning cups.”
