21 Jun 2015

The history of the development of Gaborone as a modern city is intrinsically intertwined with that of Township Rollers.

The founders of the club were the blue-collar workers of the public works department,which constructed some of the capital’s earliest roads of the 1960s- including Queens, Khama Crescent, Botswana Road and South Ring.

The map depicting those roads was immortalised in the old Rollers logo, still visible in the heart of the one currently used after re-branding.

Like traditional rivals; Gaborone United and Notwane, Rollers evolved out of the small Gaborone township of the 1960s, going on to inspire and entertain generations of residents of the capital since those early years, becoming a part of its identity. That Mark Harrison, the Briton recently unveiled as the new Rollers coach speaks highly of the city should augur well for his stay at Rollers.

“This looks like a wonderful place to live in, it is modern, first world, it feels safe,” Harrison waxed lyrical about Gaborone. “I love it here.”

Harrison has been offered a one year performance-based contract which could be extended by a further two years, but it is clear from our chat with him; he plans to be here for the long haul.

“My intention is to win things at Rollers, the league, the domestic cups on offer, and then I want us to challenge in Africa, and this is a vision that is shared by the club president (Jagdish Shah),” Harrison revealed in an interview.

“I believe I can deliver,” he says, “Rollers could be the right platform for me to win trophies.”

Harrison notes that the clubs he has coached so far, including the likes of Mpumalanga Black Aces and Chippa United in South Africa did not have the right resources to challenge for honours.

“How do you compete with Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates for honours if you are at Aces or Chippa? I’ve never found myself at the right place at the right time to challenge for honours. I thought I could do that at CAPS United (his previous club in Zimbabwe) because they are one of Zimbabwe’s three biggest clubs, but they were in financial turmoil,” he adds. 

Upon hearing from the Zimbabwean media that Madinda Ndlovu had resigned his post as Rollers coach; Harrison tendered his application and had fruitful discussions with Shah.

“I found that the club president has a great ambition for the club. I had heard of Rollers being Botswana’s biggest club, but nothing much beyond that. I am excited to be here, they are ambitious, they seem to be professionally run, this could be my big break in terms of winning trophies,” he adds.

Harrison has a UEFA A coaching licence and a Diploma in Football Management, and played for the likes of Southampton and Stoke City in the old English First Division (now the Premier League).

He has also worked as goalkeeper coach at Everton, and coached the Bangladesh national team, as well as sides in the lower rung of the South African PSL then CAPS; he now longs to be part of a side winning trophies.

"I believe that I am qualified enough to coach at the highest level. But in England it is hard to land a job with a premiership side One of my friends, Steve Bould is an assistant manager at Arsenal, he is highly qualified, he is an Arsenal legend, but it is hard for him to be the senior coach.

So I’ve had to move abroad for the right job, but I was coaching at places like Black Aces, where I managed to reach the semifinal of the Nedbank Cup, losing to Orlando Pirates on penalties. But I’ve not had the chance to lead teams that have the right elements to win things, and I believe at Rollers I have the chance to fulfill my potential,” he says.

Harrison said he wants to see Popa play an exciting brand of football, insisting that ‘football is an entertainment, it is called football, not snowball’ so he expects his team to play possession football, and to use all areas of the pitch including the wings to attack their opponents.

"Rollers is a big team, but I can handle the pressure.  I made my debut in the English First Division (now Premier League) as a goalkeeper for Southampton against Manchester United at Old Trafford. There were 48 000 people there, we played against legends like Bryan Robson.  A couple of weeks later, I faced a Liverpool side that had European Cup (Champions League) winners like Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush. At Hellenic in South Africa, I played a Kaizer Chiefs team that had the likes of Teenage Dladla and Ace Ntsoelengoe, legends. At Everton, I was the goalkeeper coach, training Neville Southall when he was one of the best keepers in the world in the 1990s. I am equipped to handle pressure,” he says confidently.

His message to Rollers fans is that he will be doing his all to return them to glory days, but he seeks the support and patience as he rebuilds the team. Time will tell whether his signature has been a masterstroke by Popa management. ENDS