Absa Premiership 2008-09

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Fern9do

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I must admit that I enjoyed the PSL immensely last season. The standard of football as well as the general level of competition has increased dramatically over the last few seasons.

Gone are the days when the Title used to be a two or three horse race. Supersport United’s exploits last season showed how much the gap has closed between the so called Big-Guns and perceived Rank Outsiders.

More importantly, it should be a lesson to other Clubs who go into a League season with a Mid Table or Top 8 type mentality. If you play with belief and take it one game or three points at a time, who knows what can happen? It’s not just the Pretoria outfit that should be commended, though. Credit should also go to the likes of Ajax CT, Santos, Free State Stars, in fact any unfancied side that defied expectations last term. Thanks to the events of 2007/2008, we should see teams like Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates step up a gear this coming year (as soon as they can remove the rocket from their backsides). But that’s not all that I was impressed with this past season. I also found it extremely refreshing to see a lot of young players being given first team and starting line up opportunities.

It would be unfair to single out one particular team on this issue because the vast majority of the Clubs introduced some young talent into the PSL. So young starlets such as Khune, Moon, Dikgacoi, Isaacs may not yet be the finished product but our League at least exposed us to their bags of potential. What we need to do now is nurture them effectively so that they can develop into world class performers and not fizzle out like Pule, Lekoelea and others. Another highlight that deserves a mention is the emergence of home grown coaching talent. Last season we witnessed the likes of (to name but a few) Manqoba Mngqithi (Arrows), Gavin Hunt (SuperSport), Craig Rosslee (Ajax) guiding their teams through a gruelling campaign. For me their performances demonstrate how competently local coaches can hold their own if given enough time and support (let’s hope the Pirates management is reading this).



Of course, as good as the PSL season was, there had to be some downsides as well. The one that stands out for me has to be the lack of effectiveness displayed by most of our local strikers in 2007/2008. It wasn’t just about the statistics (no striker in the League reached 15 goals). My biggest concern is the amount of clear cut opportunities most of our front men tend to squander. This situation has reinforced the importance of honing our young strikers’ techniques from as early a stage as possible in their development. I was also slightly disappointed the continued policy of move derby games to stadia that are outside the particular area represented. For example, we had one Tshwane derby being played at Olympia Park (Rustenburg). Look, I have no objections with taking the game to the people but surely, having this fixture played in Pretoria would have guaranteed a better turn out. So I just believe we should have derbies in venues that will allow for the best possible attendance, which will in turn make for a better atmosphere. So the point is, we had both highs and lows last season. What no one can dispute, however, is that it was a season to remember.



With the following campaign fast approaching, I can already hear the questions fans are asking themselves; will my team bounce back? Can the PSL Trophy possibly stay in Tshwane? Who will set the scene on fire next term? Which players’ praises will we be singing this time next year? We can only guess the answers to the above questions. Only time will tell. That’s why we love this game and follow it so closely. That’s why we keep supporting our favourite sides through thick and thin because there’s always the chance that they could surprise us. As for me, all I want to ask is; what questions are YOU asking yourself with regards to the PSL season 2008/2009?
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Thuaght I'd start a thread for The Premier Soccer league;)
 
I think it's going to be a tough season for the "big" teams since these small teams are really going to give a run for their money!
I suspect Super Sport might defend this league. It will take more games for Sundowns squad to combine.

Chiefs had a good pre-season, they might take this one. Pirates might fight relegation this season. :D
 
Haha. Sad for the happy people then. Pirates just dont play like a team. They just like a bunch of individuals on the field. Maybe Krol can fix that though.
Two teams that impressed me with their style of play over the weekend was Swallows and Chiefs but i agree that the smart money would be on Gavin Hunts men.

I support Ajax but im not sure if we can challenge after losing so many key players:(
 
Although I'll be outside of SA for most of the PSL season, I hope that someone comes along, anyone, that can score more than 22 goals in a season. What's shocking about SA football is the lack of quality in front of the sticks...I love all the other stuff but strikers need to score goals if more people are going to come to the stadiums. Attendances have been from previous seasons but only goals will bring consistent patronage.
 
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The problem with SA players is that everyone wants to be a mid fielder. We do not have traditional strikers like before. The likes of Phil Masinga, Pollen Ndlanya, etc.
 
Agree with you guys about our strikers. Since Lesley Manyathela passed away I have not seen a natural finishing south african striker in the psl.
Attendances look to be improving yah, must admit i only went to one or two ajax games last season because i was busy with final year studies but plan on going to more games this season:)
 
I once dated a girl who loved going to football matches with me, she was the coolest. But back to the topic. I hope that Ajax has better luck this year and can hopefully win the elusive league championship.

With Ajax you always get the feeling that they're on the brink of something and then in the final couple of months of the season they somehow manage to lose a couple of games, that on paper they should have won.

Lesley Manyathela, for me, was not a beauty to watch although he was effective for Pirates, I got the feeling that outside of SA his technical deficiencies would be obvious to better defenders where he would be tested every week.
 
2008/09 Absa Premiership Fixtures Released
The Premier Soccer League has finally released the fixture list for the 2008/09 Absa Premiership campaign.

The PSL released a statement on their website where they apologised for the delay.

After careful planning, the Premier Soccer League is pleased to announce that fixtures for the 2008/2009 season have been confirmed and are now in the public domain.

The League would like to thank the media and its stakeholders for being patient on this matter.

The League understands the importance of getting these fixtures out timeously although the delay this season was beyond the League’s control.



"I would like to apologise for the delay in the fixtures," said PSL General Manager: Football, Ace Ncobo.

"We were really hamstrung by venue issues as certain stadiums were not available due to construction, but we have since put in alternative measures to ensure that we have a smooth season ahead of us," read the statement.



Soccer fans have been waiting for weeks now to get a glimpse of the fixture list so that they can see who their teams will be coming up against when the season kicks of.



League runners up Ajax Cape Town will play in the League's opening match when they face PSL new boys Bay United at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday the 27th of August. Bidvest Wits will entertain Santos on the same night at Bidvest stadium.

On Saturday the league will kick into full swing with Kaizer Chiefs playing their first game of the new campaign against Thanda Royal Zulu at Loftus stadium.

PSL Champions Supersport United will start their title defense against Free State Stars whilst Golden Arrows will take on Orlando Pirates. Moroka Swallows will play against Bay United in the day's other match.



Finally on Sunday Bloemfontein Celtic will do battle with Mamelodi Sundowns while Clive Barker's Amazulu will take on Platinum stars to complete the first round of games.



Click here to see the entire PSL fixture list for the 2008/09 Absa Premiership Season.
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http://www.safootballfans.co.za/abs...00809-absa-premiership-fixtures-released.html
 
PSL Fixtures: 30 - 31 August 2008

The Absa Premiership kicks into full swing this weekend after Ajax, Santos, Wits and Maritzburg United opened the league season on Wednesday Night. This weekend the rest of the PSL teams are all in action with some real mouth watering matches taking place.



PSL new boys Bay United have a difficult opening match, facing Moroka Swallows at Olypmia Park on Saturday. Meanwhile Rudi Krol will be taking charge of his first PSL game when Pirates take on Golden Arrows at the Chatsworth Stadium.

League Champions Supersport United will open their title defense against Free state stars while the on-form Kaizer Chiefs will do battle against Thanda Royal at Loftus in the day's Final match.



On Sunday Trott Molotto's expensively assembled Sundowns team will travel to Bloemfontein to take on Celtic at Vodacom Park in what looks to be the tie of the weekend. Finally Amazulu will entertain Platinum Stars at home.


PSL Weekend Fixtures



Saturday 30 August

Swallows vs Bay United - Olympia Park (3pm, SS4)

Golden Arrows vs Orlando Pirates - Chatsworth (3pm, SABC1)

Chiefs vs Thanda Royal - Loftus (8pm, SABC 1)

Supersport United vs Free State Stars - Super Stadium (8pm, SS4)


Sunday 31 August

Bloemfontein Celtic vs Sundowns - Vodacom Park (3:30pm, SS4)

Amazulu vs platinum Stars - Princess Magogo (3:30pm, SABC 1)
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http://www.safootballfans.co.za/abs...rship/251-psl-fixtures-30-31-august-2008.html
 
I'm going to Loftus to watch my boys Chips win this one. I haven't watched them play in a long time ek se.
 
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Here's hoping Masokolara can pull an upset on Sunday. :o
 
I'll just be watching one or two matches at home. Ajax dissapointed me with their performance on Wednesday. Should be a good weekend for sa soccer though.
 
sox63 said:
Here's hoping Masokolara can pull an upset on Sunday. :o
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Sorry dude but Masokolara looked very rusty yesterdays! I'm sure they will get much better as the season continues.

How about the 2 Soweto giants that got whipped by KZN teams that did not even play pre-season?
All those competetive matches in the pre-season didn't help at all, instead the two teams looked drained.
 
JungleBoy said:
Sorry dude but Masokolara looked very rusty yesterdays! I'm sure they will get much better as the season continues.

How about the 2 Soweto giants that got whipped by KZN teams that did not even play pre-season?
All those competetive matches in the pre-season didn't help at all, instead the two teams looked drained.
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I've always said that these two play way too much football. You can't do that to your players. If they're this "Drained" this early in the season, how are they gonna handle the rest of the league schedule? Should be interesting. Sorry masokolara though. It's hard being a Celtic supporter man. :D
 
JungleBoy said:
Sorry dude but Masokolara looked very rusty yesterdays! I'm sure they will get much better as the season continues.

How about the 2 Soweto giants that got whipped by KZN teams that did not even play pre-season?
All those competetive matches in the pre-season didn't help at all, instead the two teams looked drained.
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Rusty is an understatement dude. A very painful day yesterday was. The cricket and soccer did not go the way I wanted it to.:(
 
Whats wrong with Pirates and the red jerseys nogal? Keep it Black and White offcourse. Mrs Krol and Palmer seem to be still clueless who to play.
 
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