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Cape Town - Former Bafana Bafana winger Delron Buckley believes Siphiwe Tshabalala faces a tough challenge in Turkey with BB Erzurumspor, if he doesn't hit top form soon.
The 33-year-old ended a glittering 12-year stay with Kaizer Chiefs at the end of August to move to the Turkish top-flight outfit though he has since struggled for playing time.
Buckley, who enjoyed success in Europe for clubs in Germany, Switzerland and Cyprus, revealed he was surprised by the move and added that fans in that country are fickle if 'Shabba' does not deliver. The attacking midfielder has started just twice in six appearances in that country.
He told KickOff website: "I was shocked, but I feel you're never too old to play anywhere. At 33 I was still playing in Germany.
"And Shabba still has it in his bones, you saw when he played for Chiefs, he can still run 90 minutes, and the Turkish League, to be honest, isn't too hard.
"There's only three teams that fight for the championship, and the rest are usually soundly beaten. But I'm sure he'll have fun.
"One thing with the Turkish: when you arrive, they love and embrace you, but the minute you don't produce, that's when you see the other side of them.
"I heard a lot of stories from players I played with who were in Turkey and had to duck into cars and were smuggled into Germany because they weren't allowed to leave Turkey, and they weren't paid for three months.
"So, Shabba needs to ensure he's on top form, otherwise they might make his life a misery."
