From the Sidelines

THE Namibian domestic football season is coming to a close at the end of the month and there is a lot of drama which is still to unfold.

The teams of the moment are Civics and Ramblers. Civics are the defending champions but it will not be easy to keep Ramblers at bay this time around.In fact, their capabilities of winning the title will be measured next Saturday when they meet at the Ramblers Stadium.This match will be crucial fro Ramblers as they have never won the league since 1992, while Civics are on the hunt for their second after winning it last season as well.There are five matches left for each team, with Civics two points adrift of Ramblers.It is going to be a two-horse race, provided both teams pick up maximum points in at least three of their remaining matches.Blue Waters, which chased well just past the half-way mark, have produced poor results of late as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Oshakati City, before going down 2-0 against strugglers Chief Santos in their last two matches.Blue Waters will effectively be out of the title chase if they fail to win at least four of their five remaining matches and pray that the table-toppers slip up in the process.Coming back to the two potential title winners.It is without any doubt that Ramblers have players who can win it for them.Civics are an outstanding team, but they are beatable on any given day.Testimony is their 1-1 draw against African Stars in their last league match.Stars are not strong opponents, but proved Civics wrong by pulling off a draw.Ramblers, unlike Civics, have more players in the national teams and most of them have picked up experience through the ranks, while most of them have played as a unit at the club for years now.Goalkeeper Esau Tjiuoro, midfielders Victor Helu and Michael Pienaar, George Tsamaseb and Bernadine Mbilizi, are some of the players who form the core of the Ramblers side and can bring glory to them.Their two coaches, Tollie van Wyk and David Fransman, have dealt with the discipline of the players, which nearly got out of hand at the beginning of the season, and it will be good if the players reward them with a league title this time around.Nothing can be taken away from Civics, but their biggest downfall is the height of their players, who often struggle against more physical opponents.Pint-sized midfielder Rudi Louw will for sure always struggle against Ramblers talisman Michael Pienaar in any given situation.But despite that, Civics have won matches with those players and that is why they are on top in the league and destined for the league title.Players like defenders Mentos Hipondoka, Vladi Abrahams, Franklin April and midfielder Heinrich Isaacs have grown into reliable and important players for their side.The team heavily relies on their services, as most of the senior players have left or are sidelined through injury.It is important for them to stand up and be counted, despite their height and young age.Club owner Helmuth Scharnowski will be a happy man to see his side defend the title successfully and once again take a chance at the next African Champions League, which Civics bowed out of this year.The Civics club was established in 1983 and has an illustrious track record of ending on the winning side in especially the premiership.Civics hold the record for the longest unbeaten run of 21 matches, but Ramblers have come a long way, as they have been around for more than eight seasons now.Track records and statistics matter sometimes in head-to-head situations, but what matters now is who will be crowned as league champions.I would say both teams have a good chance to take the league title, but Ramblers get the ultimate nod if they just stick to their winning formula, which has worked wonders for them lately.Civics can rely on the considerable amount of determination that the youngsters in that side have, but this time, they are likely to be shown the back door by Ramblers.Civics are the defending champions but it will not be easy to keep Ramblers at bay this time around.In fact, their capabilities of winning the title will be measured next Saturday when they meet at the Ramblers Stadium.This match will be crucial fro Ramblers as they have never won the league since 1992, while Civics are on the hunt for their second after winning it last season as well.There are five matches left for each team, with Civics two points adrift of Ramblers.It is going to be a two-horse race, provided both teams pick up maximum points in at least three of their remaining matches.Blue Waters, which chased well just past the half-way mark, have produced poor results of late as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Oshakati City, before going down 2-0 against strugglers Chief Santos in their last two matches.Blue Waters will effectively be out of the title chase if they fail to win at least four of their five remaining matches and pray that the table-toppers slip up in the process.Coming back to the two potential title winners.It is without any doubt that Ramblers have players who can win it for them.Civics are an outstanding team, but they are beatable on any given day.Testimony is their 1-1 draw against African Stars in their last league match.Stars are not strong opponents, but proved Civics wrong by pulling off a draw.Ramblers, unlike Civics, have more players in the national teams and most of them have picked up experience through the ranks, while most of them have played as a unit at the club for years now.Goalkeeper Esau Tjiuoro, midfielders Victor Helu and Michael Pienaar, George Tsamaseb and Bernadine Mbilizi, are some of the players who form the core of the Ramblers side and can bring glory to them.Their two coaches, Tollie van Wyk and David Fransman, have dealt with the discipline of the players, which nearly got out of hand at the beginning of the season, and it will be good if the players reward them with a league title this time around.Nothing can be taken away from Civics, but their biggest downfall is the height of their players, who often struggle against more physical opponents.Pint-sized midfielder Rudi Louw will for sure always struggle against Ramblers talisman Michael Pienaar in any given situation.But despite that, Civics have won matches with those players and that is why they are on top in the league and destined for the league title.Players like defenders Mentos Hipondoka, Vladi Abrahams, Franklin April and midfielder Heinrich Isaacs have grown into reliable and important players for their side.The team heavily relies on their services, as most of the senior players have left or are sidelined through injury.It is important for them to stand up and be counted, despite their height and young age.Club owner Helmuth Scharnowski will be a happy man to see his side defend the title successfully and once again take a chance at the next African Champions League, which Civics bowed out of this year.The Civics club was established in 1983 and has an illustrious track record of ending on the winning side in especially the premiership.Civics hold the record for the longest unbeaten run of 21 matches, but Ramblers have come a long way, as they have been around for more than eight seasons now.Track records and statistics matter sometimes in head-to-head situations, but what matters now is who will be crowned as league champions.I would say both teams have a good chance to take the league title, but Ramblers get the ultimate nod if they just stick to their winning formula, which has worked wonders for them lately.Civics can rely on the considerable amount of determination that the youngsters in that side have, but this time, they are likely to be shown the back door by Ramblers.