For those still doing the math, calculating their chances of snatching the 2013 Tusker Premier League title from 'Sirkaal', am sorry to disappoint you-no chance! It won't happen. It has happened before in the last few seasons, most famously last year when Tusker won it with the last kick of the ball, literary, but no chance this year.
So what makes me so bullish about the 'Mighty K'ogalo's' prospects this year? Some analysts have claimed that Gor's playing unit is better this year. But I say, Gor Mahia have been strong the past few years- in fact, they should have won the league three or four times already, but they have gotten in the habit of spectacularly collapsing in the final stages of the season, all because of nerves, really. This time it has been totally different, and the club's fanatical followers, best known as 'the green army', must surely be preparing a feast - woe unto the fish!.
But to me, it is not the players- they had been performing well already, as I have intimated above. It is the coach. The moment I heard that the club had engaged former Uganda Cranes coach Robert Bobby Williamson, I knew something special was going to happen. The problem with Gor Mahia has been the lack of a coach with a winning mentality.
For all his eccentricity, in the mould of sacked Sunderland manager Paulo Di Canio, Croat Zdravco Logarusic could not help Gor's players hold their nerves together when it mattered most. But it has been different with Williamson whose calming approach has helped them remain focused even when things got somewhat uncomfortable.
The 52 years old Scot came to Gor with quite an impressive resume. Amongst the teams he has managed is Kilmarnock FC, the 2012 Scottish Communities League Cup Winners. He led the club to the 96-97 Scottish cup in his first season as Manager, beating Falkirk 1-0. He aslo led the club to European football.
In 2002 he took charge of Hibernian FC, who had gone 18 matches without a win, and won the first match, which kept the club safe from relegation. the club was forced to sell many senior players due to financial problems but he still led a team comprising of mostly young players to the 2004 Scottish League Cup final. He also won the Scottish Manager of the Month twice.
On appointment by Uganda, Mr Williamson was given an ultimatum to win the first two matches - and he did - against Niger and Benin. This started a steady climb on FIFA rankings for Uganda Cranes, and by the time he left the team, he had bagged four CECAFA titles - 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 - and Kenya had not managed to beat Uganda.
This is obviously a coach who has something to show in the form of trophies and results, something that not many coaches working in the country can brag about. If Gor Mahia manage to hold on to him, I can predict that the club shall win a regional, and even continental title soon. And - did FKF err in overlooking the Scotsman in favour of Adel Amrouche as Harambee Stars Coach? Time will tell.
03 September 2012
A mixture of the good and the bad in Kenya's football
The 17th round of matches in the 2010 Kenya Premier League Season saw a flurry of exciting goals, with KCB's Ezekiel Odera surely the toast of the round with his fantastic hat-trick against Karuturi Sports.
Sofapaka rediscovered their groove with a four-nil bashing of Red Berets in the policemen's own backyard, and Gor Mahia continued their fascinating displays with a two-nil hiding for former champions Tusker.
Amidst these appetizing displays on the pitches, the monster of football mismanagement in the country returned with its unwanted distraction yet again. The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) reminded us of the extent of malignancy bedevilling local football.
In Its report titled "Foul Play: the crisis of football management in Kenya", AfriCOG concludes that poor leadership and governance structures, unaccountability by local football administrators, and FIFA's partiality have all contributed to the degeneration of the beautiful game in the country .
The belligerence being exhibited by the so called local soccer chiefs does not offer any hope of this scenario changing any time soon.
The two warring factions stubbornly continue to hold on to their regressive positions in spite of the deep desire of Kenyans to see an end to the disruptive infighting, which has recently seen Kenya's promising midfielder Macdonald Mariga failing to secure a work permit to play in the English Premier League and also turned Harambee Stars players to armchair players during the recently concluded World Cup 2010, never mind the exciting fact that it was being held in Africa for the first time.
Already other countries are mapping their strategies for the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and even the 2014 World Cup to be hosted by Brazil, but don't be surprised to see our soccer administrators suddenly springing into action a week or two to Kenya's first qualifier for the 2012 Afcon only to rue missed chances at the end of the qualifiers.
It is not all gloom though, as the Kenya Premier League's recent matches have shown. The league's professional organisation with the helping hand of Supersport is seeing a gradual return of entertaining football to our stadiums, and quality players are being lured back to play here too.
Apart from the sizeable army of foreign players who have signed for the various clubs in the country, we are seeing quality Kenyan players that had ventured abroad in search of greener pastures trooping back home, obviously courtesy of improved terms being offered by the re-energised KPL clubs. Among the latest arrivals are Osborn Monday back from Azam FC of Tanzania, defender George Owino of Tanzania's Yanga and Allan Wanga, who could not secure a work permit in time to turn out for Europa League-bound Baku FC of Azebaijan.
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AFC Leopard's Coach Chris Makokha's resignation was bound to happen sooner rather than later, owing to the pedestrian results that the once mighty club continues to register in the league and the immense pressure exerted by the club's ultra-demanding fans.
The veteran coach reminded soccer fans that his association with the club stretches back to the glory era of the nineteen seventies and eighties. Perhaps that is in itself an adequate hint that Ingwe should seriously think of how far the game has evolved when recruiting the next manager.
Sofapaka rediscovered their groove with a four-nil bashing of Red Berets in the policemen's own backyard, and Gor Mahia continued their fascinating displays with a two-nil hiding for former champions Tusker.
Amidst these appetizing displays on the pitches, the monster of football mismanagement in the country returned with its unwanted distraction yet again. The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) reminded us of the extent of malignancy bedevilling local football.
In Its report titled "Foul Play: the crisis of football management in Kenya", AfriCOG concludes that poor leadership and governance structures, unaccountability by local football administrators, and FIFA's partiality have all contributed to the degeneration of the beautiful game in the country .
The belligerence being exhibited by the so called local soccer chiefs does not offer any hope of this scenario changing any time soon.
The two warring factions stubbornly continue to hold on to their regressive positions in spite of the deep desire of Kenyans to see an end to the disruptive infighting, which has recently seen Kenya's promising midfielder Macdonald Mariga failing to secure a work permit to play in the English Premier League and also turned Harambee Stars players to armchair players during the recently concluded World Cup 2010, never mind the exciting fact that it was being held in Africa for the first time.
Already other countries are mapping their strategies for the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and even the 2014 World Cup to be hosted by Brazil, but don't be surprised to see our soccer administrators suddenly springing into action a week or two to Kenya's first qualifier for the 2012 Afcon only to rue missed chances at the end of the qualifiers.
It is not all gloom though, as the Kenya Premier League's recent matches have shown. The league's professional organisation with the helping hand of Supersport is seeing a gradual return of entertaining football to our stadiums, and quality players are being lured back to play here too.
Apart from the sizeable army of foreign players who have signed for the various clubs in the country, we are seeing quality Kenyan players that had ventured abroad in search of greener pastures trooping back home, obviously courtesy of improved terms being offered by the re-energised KPL clubs. Among the latest arrivals are Osborn Monday back from Azam FC of Tanzania, defender George Owino of Tanzania's Yanga and Allan Wanga, who could not secure a work permit in time to turn out for Europa League-bound Baku FC of Azebaijan.
****************
AFC Leopard's Coach Chris Makokha's resignation was bound to happen sooner rather than later, owing to the pedestrian results that the once mighty club continues to register in the league and the immense pressure exerted by the club's ultra-demanding fans.
The veteran coach reminded soccer fans that his association with the club stretches back to the glory era of the nineteen seventies and eighties. Perhaps that is in itself an adequate hint that Ingwe should seriously think of how far the game has evolved when recruiting the next manager.
21 July 2012
Tusker's poor performance at CECAFA: how low we have sunk !
After two forgettable displays at the ongoing CECAFA Kagame Cup, Tusker joined whipping boys Wau Salaam of South Sudan and Ports SC of Djibouti as the first casualties of the regional club competition.
When the draw placed five time champions Tusker in group B together with minnows Mafunzo of Zanzibar and Azam of Tanzania, many Tusker fans must have sighed with relief. This is especially so considering that group A had three big clubs - Simba SC of Tanzania, Uganda's URA FC and Vita Club, the guest club from Congo DR.
Group C, which was tagged the group of death, also consisted of three big guns namely, Yanga of Tanzania, Atletico from Burundi and Rwanda's army outfit APR FC.
With such a seemingly favourable draw for the beer men from Ruaraka, it seemed a foregone conclusion that they would roll over their opponents and find themselves in the quarter finals without breaking a sweat. The opposite was the case, however, right from the first match when Tusker played out an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Mafunzo FC.
This result meant that Tusker had to win their next match against money-laden Azam FC, or at worst, force a 2-2 draw so as to eliminate Mafunzo. The Kenyan defending champions, however, returned to Dar es Salaam's National Stadium in worse shape than they were during their first match.
Obviously lacking creativity of any kind and sticking to an unproductive snail-paced approach, the team struggled to open up Azam's defence. Soon after, they resorted to wastefully shooting long balls into Azam's danger area.
Captain Joseph Shikokoti, who had managed a slightly decent performance against Mafunzo, had a performance to forget this time round. A blunt Azam forward line almost had the defender to thank for a gift of a goal when he powerfully headed towards his own goal, with goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch luckily preventing the ball from hitting the net.
The lowest point of Shikokoti's display was yet to come. It came courtesy of a school boy blunder. With an Azam striker breathing down his neck as he faced his keeper, the gigantic defender hesitated and left all defensive duty to Oluoch, who under the circumstances had no option other than committing a foul on the Azam player, earning a straight red card as a result.
Just like in the match against Mafunzo, Tusker's few chances came late in the match. One such opportunity involved substitute Obadiah Ndege, whose charge towards Azam's goal was suddenly halted a few yards from the Tanzanians' penalty area. Ndege's meek response when the resultant free kick rebounded towards him aptly summarised Tusker's miserable campaign.
Talk of leaving the party with a whimper when every one expected you were the guy to steal the show. With performances such as these, perhaps we should refrain from gloating and bragging about how our league has improved after professional management by the Kenya Premier League and cash injections by South Africa's Supersport and other sponsors.
When the draw placed five time champions Tusker in group B together with minnows Mafunzo of Zanzibar and Azam of Tanzania, many Tusker fans must have sighed with relief. This is especially so considering that group A had three big clubs - Simba SC of Tanzania, Uganda's URA FC and Vita Club, the guest club from Congo DR.
Group C, which was tagged the group of death, also consisted of three big guns namely, Yanga of Tanzania, Atletico from Burundi and Rwanda's army outfit APR FC.
With such a seemingly favourable draw for the beer men from Ruaraka, it seemed a foregone conclusion that they would roll over their opponents and find themselves in the quarter finals without breaking a sweat. The opposite was the case, however, right from the first match when Tusker played out an embarrassing 0-0 draw against Mafunzo FC.
This result meant that Tusker had to win their next match against money-laden Azam FC, or at worst, force a 2-2 draw so as to eliminate Mafunzo. The Kenyan defending champions, however, returned to Dar es Salaam's National Stadium in worse shape than they were during their first match.
Obviously lacking creativity of any kind and sticking to an unproductive snail-paced approach, the team struggled to open up Azam's defence. Soon after, they resorted to wastefully shooting long balls into Azam's danger area.
Captain Joseph Shikokoti, who had managed a slightly decent performance against Mafunzo, had a performance to forget this time round. A blunt Azam forward line almost had the defender to thank for a gift of a goal when he powerfully headed towards his own goal, with goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch luckily preventing the ball from hitting the net.
The lowest point of Shikokoti's display was yet to come. It came courtesy of a school boy blunder. With an Azam striker breathing down his neck as he faced his keeper, the gigantic defender hesitated and left all defensive duty to Oluoch, who under the circumstances had no option other than committing a foul on the Azam player, earning a straight red card as a result.
Just like in the match against Mafunzo, Tusker's few chances came late in the match. One such opportunity involved substitute Obadiah Ndege, whose charge towards Azam's goal was suddenly halted a few yards from the Tanzanians' penalty area. Ndege's meek response when the resultant free kick rebounded towards him aptly summarised Tusker's miserable campaign.
Talk of leaving the party with a whimper when every one expected you were the guy to steal the show. With performances such as these, perhaps we should refrain from gloating and bragging about how our league has improved after professional management by the Kenya Premier League and cash injections by South Africa's Supersport and other sponsors.
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