How will Gor Mahia fans remember Logarusic ?
Gor Mahia is a club steeped in history. During its 45 year existence, the club has seen its fair share of legendary players. Not to be left behind are the legendary coaches who have led this great side : There is the Italian Peter Pampuro who in 1975 established the clubs’s first youth team and was key to building the team that won the league unbeaten in 1976. Allan Thigo became a legend as player/coach he helped lead Kogalo to the 1979 Africa cup winners cup final. The Ugandan David Otti is a club legend for leading the club to two succesive CECAFA cup triumphs. The biggest legend of them all is Len Julians. Under him, the club won the league 3 times in a row. No Kenyan team has won the league three times in a row since then, His keen interest in young players saw him recruit young players from obscurity and turn them into top class players who went on to win the Africa cup winners cup in 1987. Julians had briefly revived the club’s youth team before it was disbanded for lack of funds. There was Maurice Ochieng who coached Gor Mahia to victory against all odds in the 1985 CECAFA cup when the club played without six of its top players who were serving CAF suspensions along with coach Len Julians. Jack Johnson will forever be remembered as the coach/technical advisor who led Gor Mahia to win the Africa cup winners cup in 1987. Another feat that has never been repeated by a Kenyan team. There is also Serbian Vojo Gardasevic who was responsible for the club’s last league triumph in 1995 and almost won the league again in 1997. Under Vojo, Gor Mahia not only won but played scintillating football and the players had a never say die attitude. James Sianga used his contacts at the grassroots to identify good players whom he gave a chance. Some were still in secondary school. Many of them turned into solid first team players. Sianga helped win the FKF cup against all odds and under difficult circumstances. Say what you may about coach Zico but came within a point of winning the league in 2011. Fans will have mostly good memories of these coaches.
What of Logarusic ? How will the club fans remember him ? To be sure, he had a chance to become a club legend. Last season he took the club from the relegation zone to the brink of winning the league. During the 2013 season however , things became a little more difficult as the club had already lost two games and settled for a series of draws. Nevertheless, points wise the club was still in contention when Logarusic launched one of his temper tantrums. He placed a series of unreasonable demands on the club, chief among them was the demand for a raise supposedly because the club was receiving a better sponsorship deal. This is a sign of unabashed greed and disrespect for previous agreements. He also complained at not having a contract. Never mind the fact that he had been working all along without one. He then claimed that some members of the club’s executive committee wanted him out. However this does not wash when you consider that he is said to have the support of the club’s chairman Ambrose Rachier who inexplicably has been silent on this issue. Remember the Kenya rugby sevens coach Mike Friday took the correct approach even when other officials threatened to fire him and went through with their threat, he stayed calm knowing that it was the Union chairman who had the final say. Logarusic, if he was more committed to the club would have come back to fight for his place regardless of the hostility of club members. The fans were initially fully behind him and thus he would have weathered the storm. It is this lack of commitment to the club that is likely to be the lasting memory. He quit on the club at a time when fans were eager to win a title they have not won in 18 years.
In hindsight, the fan base should have seen it coming. Not only had Logarusic pulled his temper tantrums before , but fans will remember that when he joined Gor Mahia from King Faisal of Ghana, he had left the Ghanaian side under similar acrimonious circumstances.
The Kumasi-based side was lefts fuming with anger after the former Logarusic performed a dramatic u-turn to sign a one year deal with struggling Kenyan giant Gor Mahia, just days after reaching an agreement with the second-tier side.
Faisal brought him to the country and paid for his expenses which included airfare and accommodation. He also trained with the side once but shockingly left the West African country without informing officials of the second-tier side to ink a one year-deal with K’Ogalo.
The club’s Chief Executive reported Loga to FIFA. It should come as no shock that Logarusic pulled a similar stunt at Gor Mahia. It should also come as no surprise that he had agreed to work without a contract. This left him with the freedom to leave at any time he wanted with no consequences.
But fans will also note that Loga had no interest nor patience in grooming young players, something that the club had become known for during its 47 year existence.
Who is next ?
Bobby Ogolla has declared his interest to take over as head coach on a permament basis. “I really want the Gor Mahia head coach job on a permanent basis. I have a point to prove to everyone.” “I have been an assistant for so long at Gor and helped so many coaches before and I see nothing wrong for once getting the job as I know I can do it,” Ogolla told Supersport.com. However it must be said that his timing was not good given that the club had just slumped to two unimpressive draws under his watch.
A host of other coaches have expressed interest including Jan Koops, the former AFC Leopards coach. The club’s secretary general George Bwana has recently dismmissed the notion that the club had approached Sam Ssimbwa, the former Sofapaka coach who recently led Express of Uganda to the quarter finals of the CECAFA cup.
Having watched the dramatic improvement that the Brazil national team has undergone under Felipe Scolari, it is clear that the right coach can make a huge difference. Scolari took over a listless, clueless Brazil side that was ranked number 22 by FIFA and in short order has transformed them into a well organized team with a tremendous fighting spirit good enough to win the Confederations cup. A club of Gor Mahia’s calibre deserves a top tier coach. Key among his chracteristics is that he must have ideas on how to break through bunker defences which every KPL team now employs against Kogalo. He should ideally also have an interest in working with young players and grooming them into top tier players.
Logarusic is too temperamental and Jingoist but is a capable coach. At the moment I suggest that the club administration give this job to Bob to prove his worth in the remaining period of second leg. In our last two games, the boys played with alot of stregth, speed and good coordination. If the EC brings another person to take charge now, a division is likely. If ther is need for that then let the person deputise Bob.
A well written piece. As we support Bobby to deliver the results let’s also know that ouer target is beyond the league title and we need to go out there and conquer Africa. With that in mind the quality and character of a coach will really matter. Apart from the coach the organozation from the EC point of view will also count much. We cannot run Gor like we did during the 80s when the players were basically amateurs working in govt parastatals and playing football. Now all players are professionals but are the officials upto the calibre required to run the club into the next level. Occasionally I look at how PSL is organised and I wonder what it costs for us to have that level of organisation. While I acknowledge that there is more cash in SPL we can also do much with the meagre resources
Smile and wave
LOGARUSIC IS A GOR LEGEND !!!! 2 TROPHIES = 24 WINS 5 LOSSES AND A COUPLE OF DRAWS IN 14 MONTHS SPEAKS VOLUME……
GIVE ME OR TELL ME OF A COACH WHO CAN MATCH THIS RECORD WITHIN SUCH A TIME SPAN ?????
Ua tells how u will remember Logarusic.I will remember him as a principled coach who stood up to an office tht is hellbent on skimming the club’s coffers thro shady transfer deals. Remember the overweight Brazilian?I remember him as a coach who trimmed the squad to an efficient team.Now they releasing players of Yusuf Juma’s calibre n signing players like Ronald Okoth who has nt bn playing active football for sometime.Wht does tht tell u?It is our time to eat! !!Logarusic didn’t groom young players? Knw anyone called Anthony Gathu?Finally.r u currently working? If so do u av a valid contract? If Yes I rest my case,If No hw do u feel about it?Tht is wt Logarusic may av felt. Someone is soon taking Gor bk to the dark ages n he seems to enjoy ua support bt watch this space. The **** is soon hitting the fan
IT WAS A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE PULLED A NUMBER ON GOR MAHIA..HE DID THE SAME IN GHANA BUT NEVERTHELESS , HE IS A VERY GOOD ‘MENTAL ‘ COACH , NOT AN EXCELLENT TACTICIAN. HIS RECORD SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, 14 MONTHS , 2 TROPHIES,24 WINS, 5 LOSSES AND SOME DRAWS………
TPL IS WON BY VERY CONSISTENT CLUBS. I WILL NOT BE SUPRISED IF THIKA UNITED , BANDARI OR CHEMILIL WINS THE LEAGUE THIS TIME ROUND. IN GOR WE NEED A TACTIAN…ONE WHO CAN TRAIN PLAYERS ON TACTICS, READ THE GAME AS IT PROGRESSES AND MAKE EFFECTIVE CHANGES ! AM SORRY TO SAY THIS BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK ABROAD FOR SUCH QUALITIES.
Ooh Laaa Laa aa…!!! “JAKOYO’S VERY WISHFUL THINKING”…!!!
Did Kimanzi, Matano, Pamzo or Nyangweso clinch the TITILE because they are abroad based tactics wise and originality.
JAKOYO why do you like to ridicule local tacticians capabilities or to be precise JBO. If you suggest that the TPL 3013 might go the THIKA or CHEMELIL the is it because they have foreign or abroad based tactics. Pa’nga’nga everytime will take us no where bwana JATELO.
@Simon Muga you made me laugh when you mentioned Gathu. To begin with Loga was not interested in Gathu. It was Bobby who prevailed on him to sign Gathu. Loga was never interested in young players. He wanted ready established players.
With regard to Yusuf Juma, that is also Loga’s fault for not giving him playing time. Same applies to Moses Otieno. We had so many games yet these guys would not even be fielded during KPL Top 8.
Na hiyo mambo ya contract , you have not even said anything. What case have you rested ? How can a respectable coach agree to work without a contract unless he is up to no good.
Fact is Loga should not have bailed out in the middle of the season. He has really disrupted the team.
I wish we could forget about this guy Loga. He came, did whatever he could, disappointed some of us and left unceremoniously. My prayer is that JBO be granted the full responsibility to steer the team for the remainder of the season. A new coach will destabilize the team at this stage of the league. Otherwise coaches come and go and Loga was not an exception. Let us forget about him and move on.
For God and my beloved club – Kogallo
This league can be won by a foreign or local coach…it really doesn’t matter who the coach is as long as he can be his own man and rightfully stand up to the nonsense that some members of the EC bring to the team!!!
I among those people who believe,that at this point in time we need a coach of Vojos caliber.This is not to say that Sir Bobby is not up to task.for those who watched kogalo play Bandari,you will agree with me that with that kind of performance we should kiss the league goodbye.Lets hire a serious foreign coach.In November the results will be there for all to see.Remember guys we are at a vantage point where the league leaders are within our sights!
jakoyo,i hope you know the coaches of the respective teams you are mentioning and where they come from.Are we saying that Bandari(muhiddin),thika(kamau) and chemelil(muiruri) can win the league and not Gor(ogolla) because our coach is not a foreigner?Lest we forget if you look the table and the perfomance of all these teams in the last 3 games,i can assure you that none of the 16 teams has 3 wins and thats because of its competitive nature.In our last 3 games under Lugarisic we had a win against AFC,Drew with City stars and Lost to Western Stima and therefore we should accept that these league is tough regardless of the tactician.Figure do not lie we can only pretend not to know but thats the reality.
With more support i believe JBO can do a good job and he could be the one giving us the trophy after along wait.
Oooh Laa La a.!!”MLIO ZA CHURA HAU ZUI NG’OMBE KUNYWA MAJI”
…Text deleted by admin due to foul language……….
JBO is their to stay until end of the season and it is high time you know that here in K’OGALO some of us are more equal than others. Take your rightful position and shut up.
So far JBO has not proven that he should be given the mantle on a full time basis. My take is that he will remain interim coach for a while. A few more draws and I can assure you that fans will turn against him.
Its not a question of foreign vs local coach. Its a question of getting a coach who can solve the current technical problems facing the club. Perhaps the answer is JBO but so far he has not proven it.
@joe riaga,where did you get that info of loga nt being intrested in gathu?loga was a very inpatient coach,he would hav dropped him immediately.i wil remember loga as a principld,inpatient man.on bobby,he is yet 2 prove and am afraid we lose 2 bandari over the weekend there wil be trouble
@Stevo, trouble from who? I believe all Gor fans understand the position we are in. It’s very precarious. What if we bring a foreign coach and he doesn’t deliver. Last year Matano/Pamzo delivered for Tusker. Are they foreigners. Coach Kamau is doing wonders with young boys in Thika. As Gor all we need is unequivocal support for the team, players, EC and fans. There are many coaches eyeing the Gor position but the issue is that will they deliver? And what if the gamble doesn’t pay off? All we need is the EC, players and fans to give the same environment that Loga was operating on to JBO and we shall make it
Let`s call a spade a spade. The current GOR EC need somebody of Loga`s caliber.Example of the new signings. Were this players put on trials before they were signed? Is NOT surprising that if Loga would have come back would have refused nearly all of them. How can somebody who has not been playing for sometimes be singed (FOR A BIG CLUB LIKE GM) without trials? I don`t know the the person in charge of GM. Each EC member is trying to overdo the other. The Chairman is rarely heard. It is not Surprising that one official may have approached the Ugandan (whom Bwana is denying)without the knowledge of others. My opinion is that we promote Mr. Rachier to the position of Club Sponsor and search for a chairman who will have enough time to be at least be involved in the running of the club. Above all, we should bring in a team that will work together and make decisions based on deep consultations and NOT the way things are being done currently.