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Someone recently posted on one of the social media platforms that Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker has been a promising player for a decade now.
I followed this up by posting a question on Twitter and Facebook (Yes! You read that correctly: Facebook) asking whether people agreed with the statement.
One of the most spot-on responses came from author and businessman Letepe Maisela, who wrote: “I think in his day he was okay, but he has long reached his sell-by date. Only Middendorp [coach, Ernst] does not know that. Kaizer [Motaung, the club boss] should have made Shaun Bartlett the main coach.”
Some people had the opposite view – that Parker was a good player.
I actually agree with the initial post. For me, Parker is one of those players who showed great potential at the infant stages of their professional careers, only to fizzle out as they grew older, instead of the other way around.
Another player headed in that direction, in my view, is Hendrick Pule Ekstein. Excuse me for being a phlegmatic, grumpy old man, but I don’t understand the hype about this underperformer.
However, when the 28-year-old attacking (please note: attacking) midfielder was promoted to the senior team from the MultiChoice Diski Challenge (reserve) side at the beginning of the 2015/16 season, he became a sudden hit with fans.
His dribbling, guile and pace sent the dyed-in-the-wool Amakhosi faithful minds cascading down memory lane to the days of the likes of Jabu “Shuffle” Mahlangu (formerly Pule) and the late Emmanuel “Scara” Ngobese.
However, promise has remained just that for the Bekkersdal-born former Junior Rangers and Chiefs junior sides player.
Over the years, Ekstein has tended to dribble aimlessly – sending the crowd into a frenzy – only to misplace a crucial pass, shoot off target or make a pass when he is supposed to score.
His decision making, in a game where this is of paramount importance and is usually taught at junior level, has left much to be desired.
Being a crowd favourite seems to weigh heavily on his shoulders and he tends to try too hard and thus commit silly mistakes.
He is becoming ever more reluctant to shoot for goal and would rather pass the ball to a team-mate, which is a sign of waning confidence, because of the number of chances he misses.
His only Bafana Bafana appearance was a cameo one as a 60th minute substitute in an irrelevant Cosafa Cup plate semifinal penalty shoot-out loss to Malawi in May 2015.
This followed two appearances in innocuous practice matches that didn’t count for any caps.
That he has not been called up for Bafana since then and is already 28 is an indicator that he might be headed for that ever-growing scrapheap of “promising players”.
By now, Ekstein should have reached his potential and, actually, given his natural talent, he should have moved to Europe long ago.
The promise he showed at the early stage of his career had all the hallmarks of a Lionel Messi in the making.
The fact that the official Kaizer Chiefs website still refers to him as a “young creative midfielder” is another sore point and a serious indictment of our football.
A 28-year-old is by no means a youngster in modern football’s terms.
At that age, many European and South American players are breaking records and doing well internationally.
As an “attacking midfielder”, Ekstein should be scoring more goals than he currently does. According to transfermarkt.co.uk, this season Ekstein has scored one league goal and managed one assist in 17 starts, which translates to 42% starts.
The club’s website also states that “his progress in the first team has been a steady one with impressive performances that have allowed him to garner support from the Amakhosi followers”.
This also needs to be updated.
I hope that Ekstein reads this column, or that somebody reads it to him or tells him about it, and that it serves as encouragement for the player to be more focused and work harder to reach his true potential.
While at 28, time might not be on his side, it is not too late.
Forget the adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I think that, with proper coaching and guidance, he can still be a late bloomer.
. Follow me on Twitter @Sbu_Mseleku
