Gor Mahia now considering various coaches
Former Uganda Cranes coach Bobby Williamson is among several European coaches who have expressed interest in coaching Kenyan Premier League giants Gor Mahia.
Williamson, who steered Uganda to four East and Central Africa Senior Challenge title in five years, has communicated to Gor Mahia through an agent and the club is considering him among several others who have forwarded their testimonials.
Williamson had several succesful years with the Cranes before being fired after the loss to Liberia. Before that, he had coached Hibernian in the Scottish premier league. He had also expressed interest in the Harambee Stars job before Adel Amrouche was hired.
According to Gor Mahia secretary general George Bwana, others who want to coach Gor Mahia are Serbians Damilo Doncic, Momcilo Medic and Zoran Pefic, Irishman Amrore Oghenerwede Zion and Englishman Dave Booth. This according to the Daily Nation
“We know our fans want an experienced foreign coach. It is also our desire to get a qualified coach who will be a worthy replacement of Logarusic if not better,” said George Bwana in an interview with the Nation.
Bwana says they will look at all the CVs objectively and will not favour any of the individuals.
“There are issues of what it will cost us to employ the coach, language and experience. We want one who will command respect from the players in the same manner Logarusic did and also bring in the desired results. Our fans should remain patient.”
Bwana also flatly denied that they had approached Sam Ssimbwa. “It is not true that we have talked to him. At the moment everyone is trying to use our name to gain mileage. What I can say is that the search for a new coach is in top gear. We are receiving applications and hope to complete the signing soon,” said Bwana.
Lule roots for Bobby
Meanwhile Bobby Ogolla has received support from another Kogalo legend, Nahashon Oluoch Lule who has asked the club to elevate Bobby Ogolla to head coach on a permanent basis.
“He has deputised Logaruzic for a year and his (Ogolla) productivity and track record will determine whether to continue coaching or not. But he should be given a chance to prove himself,” Lule told The Standard.
However Lule may lack objectivity on this subject given that the two played together and are probaby friends. Secondly a club of Gor Mahia’s magnitude should not be a proving ground as Lule says. There is far too much at stake.
Exactly mr admin. gor is not a training ground for coaches to prove themselves. the day local coaches start getting respect, not only from players but from the officials who appoint them that’s the day their carriers will prosper. i thnk this should be a good lesson to the local coaches. if you cannot be promoted when the main coach goes then that shud tell you that it’s not only ‘BORED’ guys like me who see whats happening. i will repeat to you local coaches , take a lesson from matano. he might not necessarily be the best coach but i would easily pay him 500k.
As much as we like JBO coaching Gor comes with challenges like managing the EC which I believe only a foreign coach will manage. Not that a local coach cannot but because of so many dynamics they tend to be compromised. As locals we have our cousins,brothers, nephews who we want to recruit despite their ability as well as EC and other members fronting their relatives. This is coupled with issues financial as well managerial which tend to bog down a local coach. If we had a very professional EC then a local coach would fit very well but currently in Ingwe and Gor it’s a tal order. Look at what happened to Olaba in AFC and compare with the things a coach like Loga would get away with. Coaches like Matano are managing because of the structure of teams like Tusker where vested interests are very few compared to Gor and Ingwe.
So personally I would go for Williamson unless JBO proves that he can ‘manage’ the EC which is a very tall order.
The EC must change the manner in which they handle the team. If they continue this way then even if they hire furgason to succed Loga, it will be invain. However i support Williamson as a replacement.
Williamson is fresh and no-nonsense and gets along very well with Africa, just look at how far Uganda football has gone…..Lets give him a chance.
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.
Most of us have seen what Williamson can do. However if any other coach prove to be better than him without compromise, let it be so and support him
JBO has no papers ever UEFA Class B certificate. It is paramount that we need a coach that has credentials and success to handle a team like Gor Mahia or AFC. Can Admin publish the applicants’ credentials particularly where they have coached and trophies or accolades they have won?
Why I’m discounting JBO is due to his indecisiveness in decision making process. I do not agree with Lule. I just remember that JBO went to Cairo to obtain a certificate after only attending a three day coaching course organized by CAF…Al these years where has been JBO?
@dan: i would not agree that it’s about vested interest in gor or afc. if so then clubs like sony, muhoroni or ulinzi would always take the league. managers simply must be ppl who go in at their terms. give me this and i give you results. if this is not negotiated and put on pen and paper then you will never last. one problem with we ‘miros’ is that we still find it hard to keep our part of the bargain, unlike westerners. try lending your ‘friend’ money and u will see what i mean. we take these bad cultures to the office and the end result is a poorly managed ‘everything’.
Jul 4, 2013 2:08:00 PM(courtesy og goal.com)
A reliable source has revealed to Goal that the former Uganda Cranes tactician arrived in Nairobi on Thursday and held talks with K’Ogalo’s top brass
Former Uganda Cranes coach arrived in Nairobi on Thursday and held talks with Gor Mahia officials over a possible move to the club.
Though club officials were unavailable to confirm what had been agreed upon, sources confirmed the Scot jetted into the country at 9a.m.
“He (Williamson) has arrived and he is now going to a hotel to meet Gor officials to begin discussions,” a source, who sought anonymity told Goal.
Neither Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier nor the club’s Secretary General were available for a comment.
The source said if all goes well, Williamson will be unveiled on Friday morning as the new Gor Mahia coach.
Williamson, steered Uganda to four Cecafa titles in five years. Other coaches who have shown interest in handling the club are Serbians Damilo Doncic, Momcilo Medic and Zoran Pefic, Irishman Amrore Oghenerwede Zion and Englishman Dave Booth.
Gor Mahia job fell vacant two weeks ago following the sacking of Croatian Zdravko Logarusic, who failed to return back to Kenya from holiday.
In his absence, assistant coach John “Bobby” Ogolla took over on an acting capacity and the ex-international has been in charge of the team over the last three games winning one and drawing two
I think we need to close this issue of the coach and move on. We are in a position we cannot afford to dilly dally with the team performance. Whichever Bobby we choose to move on with no problem as all we need is stability. Let’s hope by Friday the issue will be a thing of the past
Coutesy goal.com
Coach Bobby Williamson offered two year contract as tactician reveals to Goal “it will be a pleasure to handle K’Ogalo’ admitting he met club’s top brass
EXCLUSIVE
By Otieno Otieno
Former Uganda Cranes coach Bobby Williamson has confirmed he met Gor Mahia officials in Nairobi on Thursday to discuss a possible move to handle Kenya’s top club.
The Scot tactician has exclusively confirmed to Goal that ‘it will be a pleasure working with the top club if and when a deal is concluded.’
“It is true I met Gor Mahia officials in Nairobi and we discussed my intended move to the club. It would be a pleasure to work with the club which is one of the biggest in Kenya.
“Gor Mahia is a top club with a massive following and any coach would be interested to be part of that family. I have been following keenly the club’s activities while in Uganda and I know they won a double and were on the verge of winning the league last season.
“I will definitely be looking forward to a new challenge working with a club and not a national team,” Williamson said in reference to his five year stint with Uganda Cranes.
A top Gor Mahia official also confirmed meeting with the Scot but insisted that there was no conclusion to the talks though a two year deal has been offered to the coach to consider.
“We had a closed door meeting with him for a better part of Thursday but did not conclude the talks since there are a few things to be sorted out. During the talks we offered him a two year contract for him to consider.
“We expect to conclude the talks by Saturday,” said the official who asked not to be named since the matter has not been concluded.
Gor Mahia are desperately looking for a replacement for former coach Zradvko Logarusic, who was sacked for allegedly absconding duty.
Williamson lost Uganda Cranes job in April after handling the Cranes for close to five years winning four Cecafa Cup titles and twice missed taking the country to the finals of Africa Nations Cup by a whisker in (2012 and 2013).
If i had a way of going around this coach thing i would let JBO handle the team till end of season at the same terms offered to loga thenafter evaluate his performance for contract renewal or otherwise. Yes guys are in a hurry to win win win the league but even if we don’t win with the foreign coach what happens? The club will continue in existence and playing football with or without winning the league so maybe we could just sober up and be patient. I remember we were promised to beat africa this season before being thrashed 3-0 by ENNPI who were then humbled by st Georges of ethiopia who are considered minows in continental football business. I agree totally with lule. Its the same hurry we had against Siang’a that drove ‘fans’ to hound him out but years later the league have not been. The same coach warned and advised that the team was not yet ripe to win the league but no one could take that then came zico who dismantled the team for the ‘experienced’ lot and we know what followed. Anyway the sec gen has stated here above that the ‘fans want a foreign coach’. But to me they (coaches) are all the same except one.
Williams is a good Coach lets just give him time.. Logas time came and went and that is the nature of football coaching. He had his strengths and weaknesses but all that does not count any more…. i would urge Rachier to take leadership of Gor and lead us to taking trophies…. let the team not be left for people like Bwana who have shown open favoritism that obviously has no benefits…. We want good results and that’s all…
I watched cranes last year.This just what the Dr.has prescribdd for Kogalo.His philosophy fits ours.Free,flowin n attack minded.
What a move, welcom Bobby. Bobby+Bobby-Lugarusic=Gor Mahia. I trust u willy