SOCCER – MBABANE Swallows head coach Nsindiso Gama has made an impassioned plea to the club’s supporters to rally behind the team as it embarks on a rebuilding process ahead of the new season.
Gama says the club cannot restore its traditional “fear factor” without the backing of its supporters, warning that divisions and impatience could undermine efforts to rebuild the capital city giants. The coach made the remarks during an interview on the first episode of Swallows TV, hosted by Kimberly Mavuso, where he reflected on the team’s preparations and performance in the recently concluded 8BET Trade Fair Cup.
“Without the supporters behind us, we are no different from a person who is walking naked and is a laughing stock,” Gama said.
He said the supporters had a crucial role to play in helping the players regain confidence and rediscover the identity associated with the club.
“We need our supporters a lot and we know that there are a lot of things that didn’t go well for the club leading up to the start of the season.
“But if we are going to have a chance at rebuilding the club, we will need the fans who will help us regain our fear factor. The more the players see that the supporters are behind them, the better the results, as they will be motivated to play for the badge.”
Gama’s comments come as Swallows continue to reshape their squad, with a number of new players brought in ahead of the new campaign. This comes after the exit of nine senior players before the start of the new campaign.
The coach admitted that the team was still some way from reaching its desired level, putting its preparations at between 60 and 80%.
“We have many new players in the team where we had some practice matches to try to find the right balance and combinations. Players are adapting to the playing style and philosophy of the club, and that was our job as the technical team,” he said.
He nevertheless believes the preparations have laid a foundation for a competitive season.
The Birds opened their Trade Fair Cup campaign with an emphatic 4–1 victory over Rangers, a side that had proved to be a difficult opponent for them in the domestic league last season.
However, their campaign ended in the quarterfinals after they were beaten by bitter rivals Mbabane Highlanders.
Rather than viewing the defeat as a setback, Gama believes the capital derby exposed weaknesses that could prove valuable in the long-term rebuilding process.
“The loss to Mbabane Highlanders helped us a lot because it exposed us to a lot of the weaknesses we had that we needed to fix,” he said.
“If we had won that match, it would have given us false confidence and we would have been big-headed. It was a blessing in disguise to lose that match.”
Gama believes the attitude within the squad will be critical as the season progresses, insisting that the players have shown a willingness to learn and improve.
“The squad is willing to work and learn and I believe if they continue with this same spirit we can be counted amongst the competitive teams this season.”
But for that to happen, Gama says the club needs unity from the terraces as much as discipline on the training ground.
He has therefore urged supporters to be patient with the new-look side and resist the temptation to demand instant results.
“So I would ask the fans to be patient with us and understand that it is a process. Nothing good will come from divisions and rushing the team to perform well,” he said.
