Sad but true, Highlanders fans have never tweeted or posted on WhatsApp, that they have won the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title.
The Bulawayo giants last got their hands on the biggest club prize in the country in 2006, well before the two social media platforms came into existence.
For a club that big, and with arguably the most passionate fans in the country, it’s fair to say they are success-starved, which is why any development that might have the potential to end that drought, will be greatly welcomed.
The appointment of Portuguese expatriate Baltemar Brito, was met with euphoria by the hard to please Bosso faithful.
The 70-year old once worked with Jose Mourinho and together they won the UEFA Champions League at Porto in 2004.
Highlanders fans probably did not even research about the coach’s record —the fact that he once worked with self-proclaimed Special One, was enough for them to dare to dream.
They even cast a deaf ear to the most asked question in the local football fraternity right now—what is a coach who is that ‘decorated’, doing in Zimbabwe?
To them, Brito is the genius they say he is.
Despite all that hype, which has seen hope replaced by expectation, Brito is yet to register consecutive victories in the Bosso dugout.
He has overseen six games, winning three, drawing two and losing one.
While those statistics are not bad for a coach who still settling, the reality is Highlanders have failed to beat the bottom two teams in the league.
They lost to WhaWha at Ascot, which was Brito’s first defeat, produced a lackluster display but scrapped past Bulawayo City last week and failed to beat a Tenax side in turmoil, at Babourfields Stadium yesterday.
Under Brito’s guidance, Bosso have so far failed to end their woes on the road. They last won an away game in the league, back in September 2009.
He has constantly complained of ‘dirty tactics’ in the local top-flight, ironically that is, for someone who has worked with Mourinho.
Brito has worked in Portugal, England and Italy but in the the aftermath of Bosso’s last two league games, some questions have been asked of the coach.
