Only 3 of South Africa's AFCON squad don't come from their domestic league, so the PSL maybe stronger than we give it credit for. Though Lyle Foster at Burnley was unavailable. But the Saffas have plenty of other players in Europe & the MLS their Belgian coach has overlooked. https://theathletic.com/5166472/2023/12/28/lyle-foster-afcon-south-africa-burnley/
ADJ the hero, in a 3-2 win. No easy task scoring that.
A week after winning the League Cup final, Stellenbosch go beat one of the biggest PSL clubs Orlando at their home in Soweto. Stellies up to a very heady 3rd spot on the table, going into the 6 week AFCON break.
Andre De Jong with the game-winning heroics 🤙
Stellenbosch were 2-0 down vs Orlando Pirates when ADJ was subbed on after 67 mins
Oh well more fun playing any sort of game, than just training for the next 5 weeks whilst the AFCON tourney in the Ivory Coast is on. Stellies next PSL game is not til 14th Feb. The All Stars XI is just a scratch team of PSL stars from other clubs.
The South African squad (Bafana Bafana) have actually been training in Stellenbosch in prepartion for AFCON, so must be some good facilities there. De Jong another Kiwi overseas, Auckland could be interested in. He may have even have popped back to NZ for a brief 09 holiday with Fred & co.
The PSL is always suspended during the Afcon. There is two reasons for this. The PSL usually (not this time) contributes 3rd/4th most players from leagues around the world to the afcon. In most places in Africa the PSL is the 2nd/3rd most watched league after EPL and Ligue 1. So for Afcon officials they don't want the PSL being a distraction ( tv viewers) from the afcon. No not kidding
Gotta wonder why De Jong hasn’t achieved a bit more. He’s seemed okay with the AWs, and is a big athletic fellow. What’s holding his game back?
And might he be a target for the Auckland franchise?
Though not really on our radar the PSL could be a better league that we give it credit for. A primarily home based South Africa are into the AFCON semi finals. Sundowns the biggest club in the PSL are doing well in the CAF Champions League.
ADJ obviously likes the country, and I think he's dating a local lass. But you are only ever one nasty crime incident away from wanting out of there. I'd say yeah will be on Corica's radar, during his discussions with old UK club team mate Bazeley.
Forget the lass. Money talks when it comes to any footballer. AdJ has 1 problem- consistency. As an attacker he just doesn't get enough goals or assists in a season. His all round play is admired in SA. He was linked to a European club a few years back but he got injured. All you need is 10 goals in the first half of the psl season for a Belgium, French, Scandinavian or mls club to sign you. Facts. How hard can that be in this so called weak league. Lol
In 1998 I visited Stellenbosch with some Kiwi mates (we were 4 mths in Africa) for a wine tour, and got some photos outside that Stadium. Is a statue of famous Springbok player & coach Danie Craven outside the ground (which is in his name)
I reckon he could go okay in the ALM, as a squaddie for Auckland FC. But they are likely taking their time sorting out their attacking players they will sign. Targeting some marquees first, and see what they need after those signings are completed.
Stellenbosch (2nd, 35 pts) travel to Soweto to play Kaizer Chiefs (7th, 30 pts).
Top 2 qualify for CAF Champions League. That would be huge for a small club like Stellies. But will be tough, with only 6 pts between them & 8th, and 10 PSL rounds still to go.
Always wanted to see a bit more of him and Collier play. It was an interesting tactical idea of Hay’s to play him and Wood almost together, with him crumbing Wood’s knock downs. Close to working iirc.
The way he won that header there seemed like what some were talking about for the AWs- a bigger bloke with a bit more experience.
South Africa is okay money though? Or just if you’re Brockie or Boxall?
ADJ's big chance came in the 2 game series against Socceroos in Sept 2022, when yes he started alongside the Woodsman.
I went to the first game at Suncorp, Wood terrorising Sainsbury & Degenek (don't think either have played for the Socceroos much since) flicked a header into ADJ's path, but De Jong with a great chance on goal shot wide. Who knows what may have happened since if he'd scored.
Saffa who posts on here, said basically in the PSL De Jong just doesn't either score enough, nor provide enough assists to warrant a move to Europe or where ever.
Edit - anyway overnight Stellenbosch won 1-0 at Kaizer Chiefs. Big win for Stellies, against one of the PSL's historically bigger clubs at their Soweto fortress. ADJ off at 66 mins (1-0). Stellenbosch in with a real shot of qualifying CAF Champions League. Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams seems their key man.
Oh and from memory the big money in the PSL is at Mamelodi Sundowns. Sundowns are gunning for their 7th consective PSL title & doing it in a canter. They signed Brockie from SuperSport, when Brocks was on fire there (alongside M Boxall).
But Brocks was a very well paid flop at Sundowns. I'm sure he's bought himself a nice pad somewhere in Aussie, with the coin he got at Sundowns - who are often accussed of signing players they don't really need, just to make their PSL opponents weaker.
Terrible news mate. Luke Fleur was a highly regarded footballer and future national team players. It's true, South Africa does have a crime problem, but Adj has got a job to do and is well paid ( or he would be at Auckland fc). Football is such a short career. To be fair though mate, I think you should ask Boxie and all the Kiwis in the US to cancel their contract and leave the US first before Adj. US has a far, far bigger problem than SA statistically.
According to the media, the highest paid footballer in the PSL is at Kaizer Chiefs (who are the biggest support sports team in the country by a very wide margin). Keegan Dolly is paid approximately NZD125000 a month. Please remember this is wispers because salaries are not officially released to the media in the PSl. However Mamelodi Sundowns players will get much more through bonuses from winning the PSL and Caf competitions. Players usually get half the winnings in bonus + salary ( which is not far off from Keegan Dolly)
Terrible news mate. Luke Fleur was a highly regarded footballer and future national team players. It's true, South Africa does have a crime problem, but Adj has got a job to do and is well paid ( or he would be at Auckland fc). Football is such a short career. To be fair though mate, I think you should ask Boxie and all the Kiwis in the US to cancel their contract and leave the US first before Adj. US has a far, far bigger problem than SA statistically.
I've travelled alot (about 65 countries), including 3 trips to South Africa. It's easily the country I've felt the most unsafe. Especially the last time, when travelling solo. Colombia maybe 2nd for danger feel.
Hearing gunshots in daytime Durban, turning around to see a black guy sprinting, whilst a white guy is swearing & frantically trying to reload his handgun. Back in Durbs a few years later, my French hostel doom mate, arriving all shaken after seeing a stabbing at an ATM, people trying desperately to keep the female tourist victim alive.
A mate in Cape Town talking about how his business was broken into by an armed gang. All the men including him hog tied, but the young female employees left with their legs untied (a visible statement) - then terrified for the next hour they were going to be raped, whilst the place was ransacked. Thankfully they weren't, in a country with an extremely high rate of HIV.
A woman I met here in Aus, who was the victim of a car jacking in Natal. Driven around for 2 terrifying hours at night, the 2 crims saying they were going to murder her & dump her body. She amazingly staying calm enough to talk them out of it, take them to some ATMs, withdraw some cash, and them eventually letting her go unharmed. They still took the car!
The wealthy/middle class all living behind barbed wire or glass embedded in their high fences. We all know a South African with a violent crime/murder horror story, their own or someone they know. The fact many white South Africans (even women) have a hand gun in their car, purse or home.
It's a beautiful country, with amazing scenery & wildlife. People are generally warm, and welcoming. But as soon as you leave your house in any major urban area, you can't fully relax (especially at night). Always need to be mindful of where you are, and who's around you. That's my experience as a tourist anyway.
Terrible news mate. Luke Fleur was a highly regarded footballer and future national team players. It's true, South Africa does have a crime problem, but Adj has got a job to do and is well paid ( or he would be at Auckland fc). Football is such a short career. To be fair though mate, I think you should ask Boxie and all the Kiwis in the US to cancel their contract and leave the US first before Adj. US has a far, far bigger problem than SA statistically.
I've travelled alot (about 65 countries), including 3 trips to South Africa. It's easily the country I've felt the most unsafe. Especially the last time, when travelling solo. Colombia maybe 2nd for danger feel.
Hearing gunshots in daytime Durban, turning around to see a black guy sprinting, whilst a white guy is swearing & frantically trying to reload his handgun. Back in Durbs a few years later, my French hostel doom mate, arriving all shaken after seeing a stabbing at an ATM, people trying desperately to keep the female tourist victim alive.
A mate in Cape Town talking about how his business was broken into by an armed gang. All the men including him hog tied, but the young female employees left with their legs untied (a visible statement) - then terrified for the next hour they were going to be raped, whilst the place was ransacked. Thankfully they weren't, in a country with an extremely high rate of HIV.
A woman I met here in Aus, who was the victim of a car jacking in Natal. Driven around for 2 terrifying hours at night, the 2 crims saying they were going to murder her & dump her body. She amazingly staying calm enough to talk them out of it, take them to some ATMs, withdraw some cash, and them eventually letting her go unharmed. They still took the car!
The wealthy/middle class all living behind barbed wire or glass embedded in their high fences. We all know a South African with a violent crime/murder horror story, their own or someone they know. The fact many white South Africans (even women) have a hand gun in their car, purse or home.
It's a beautiful country, with amazing scenery & wildlife. People are generally warm, and welcoming. But as soon as you leave your house in any major urban area, you can't fully relax (especially at night). Always need to be mindful of where you are, and who's around you. That's my experience as a tourist anyway.
The murder stat is terrible, but it also tells me that you have an 80% chance of surviving a violent crime in the US than South Africa. This is absolutely true because of the States vast numbers of hospitals, human and financial capital compared to a third world country. Because the victim is more likely to survive (rather than in SA), the act will be class as a violent crime rather than a murder. Violent crime stats are are far more accurate read.
Here is anecdotal evidence for you, the only country in the world I got shot was in the US (Vegas, on the strip of all places). Now, it wasn't classified as a shooting because it was a stray bullet that grazed and cut my skin (lower right leg). It hurt like hell. I still consider Vegas a safe city even though according to their stats you have a 1 in 50 chance of suffering a violent crime. I have a mate in Indianapolis who is close to tears every morning because he is sick to death worrying about whether his children are going to return alive from school every day. He would love to return to London (where we met) but can't. He says guns in the US is a massive issue, but he himself has about 12 guns in his home.
Every South African knows we have a terrible crime epidemic, like every American. I can also list numerous headlines from the States like I have before about numerous footballers and their families being attacked in the UK. The point is, the boys have a job to do. Leave out the politics
PS. I went to Cartagena 10 years ago. It wasn't that bad
