'Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed‚' says Parker about Chiefs teammate Mphahlele

07 March 2019 - 13:15 By Sazi Hadebe
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Kaizer Chiefs' German coach Ernst Middendrop and striker Bernard Parker looks dejected during the Absa Premiership match against Cape Town City FC at FNB Stadium on January 30, 2019.
Kaizer Chiefs' German coach Ernst Middendrop and striker Bernard Parker looks dejected during the Absa Premiership match against Cape Town City FC at FNB Stadium on January 30, 2019.
Image: Lefty Shivambu

Inspired by the fact that most teams close to the summit of the Absa Premiership table are dropping points at an alarming rate‚ Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker has refused to rule out his seventh-placed team from challenging for the league title.

Even after Parker was told that his teammate Ramahlwe Mphahlele had just told the reporters that “it’s all over for Chiefs in the league race”‚ the veteran Chiefs striker refused to throw in the towel.

“Everybody has got their own opinions but I don’t think it’s true what ‘Rama’ [Mphahlele] said‚” Parker weighed in at a Chiefs media event at their headquarters in Naturena on Thursday morning.

“Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning‚” reacted Parker when told of Mphahlele’s realistic observation of Amakhosi chances in the league.

“It’s for us to believe‚ and if we believe we know anything is possible. We’ve got quality‚ I mean‚ come on gents ... .

“We’ve got the quality and we’ve got the best technical staff and we we’ve got the best facilities and resources.”

Parker said he believes that if Chiefs can improve on their erratic form‚ which has placed them eight points behind log leaders and eternal rivals Orlando Pirates with eight games to go‚ they can still turn the tables.

Amakhosi have a game in hand on Pirates‚ and can reduce the gap to five points if they beat Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 6pm).

“It’s just for us now as players to give our everything week in and week out in our remaining matches‚” Parker said.

“I know‚ and I know for sure‚ that if we give our all with the fight that we have within us‚ our quality will show automatically.”

Maritzburg come into Saturday’s match fueled by their last-gasp 2-1 win over AmaZulu in the KwaZulu-Natal derby in Pietermaritzburg last week and Parker is fully aware of the threat posed by the team who Chiefs failed to beat away in the first round.

“What we’ve seen with Maritzburg is that they are fighting for their lives‚” Parker said.

“I’m sure they are going to come with a lot of energy‚ they need the points as much as we do.

“We need it more than anything else because there’s also hope for us that we can [still win the league] if we win all our remaining matches.

“It’s just for us to identify those spaces against Maritzburg and if we identify and exploit them‚ the game will go positively for us.”

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