Gor Mahia Take on Thika United
Gor Mahia are up against Thika United today Wednesday March 19 at the City Stadium at 3pm. Though the match is being played at Gor Mahia’s traditional home ground, Thika are actually the home team. Their usual home ground (Thika Municipal stadium) has been declared derelict and unfit for use by KPL teams.
Gor Mahia have made a bright start to the 2014 Tusker premier league and are eager to put behind them the Africa Champions league debacle. On Sunday they started slowly but once Kevin Omondi, Rama Salim and Patrick Oboya were introduced they took the game to Western who had no answers. Rama is rounding back to the form that saw him form a devastating partnership with Sserunkuma in 2012. The refined Timonah Wanyonyi has been showing a maturity that belies his youth
“We played very well and we showed our character. After a fruitless first half, we showed our resilience in the second period and I was pleased with the kind of spirit the players put up. The never say die attitude, the work rate… I was impressed,” Williamson said.
“Ade” on form
Kevin Omondi has shrugged off his recent injuries and has proven to be a real livewire on the left flank. His marauding run gave Gor Mahia a penalty against Esperance and a free-kick which resulted in Gor Mahia’s best attempt on goal during the Tunis encounter. On Sunday he underlined his superb skills when scored a goal for the ages.
“I was happy for Kevin Omondi, coming off the bench to score a superb goal. Probably I thought he had too much on it but he kept going and scored on the second attempt. He is a very important player for us and his impact from the bench was good.” said coach Williamson
Geoffrey Kizito has ably plugged the glaring hole that was ever present in the middle of the park last year. The overlapping Walusimbi offers solidity at the back and attacking options when he goes forward. Shaban Kenga has fitted in seamlessly and has not disappointed, while Sserunkuma’s scoring touch has picked up where he left off last season.
Gor Mahia fans had been hoping that George Odhiambo Blackberry would return to the sensational form that saw him selected player of the year in 2010. But Blackberry has yet to find his rythm and is still not in sync. But he eventually will. Form is temporary but class is permanent. And Blackberry is a classy player.
Solid Defence
Last year Gor Mahia beat Thika United 2-1 on their way to winning the league. To repeat the same feat on Wednesday, they will have to contain the youthful but dangerous Michael Olunga, as well as David Kingatua. But Gor Mahia will have to do without vice captain David Owino who is out with injury. In his place we might see Israel Emuge. Thika will be buoyed having beaten Bandari last weekend.
In goal, Gor Mahia are likely to field David Juma who has been solid between the posts during the absence of captain Jerim Onyango. The latter has resumed training but is yet to regain match fitness. “We won’t rush him back to competitive action. He had light training on Monday. We are first getting him back to his fitness since he has been out for some weeks. -I don’t think he will play against Thika United (on Wednesday 19 March) since we don’t want to rush him, but hopefully, he will be available against All Stars. We will monitor how he is responding to training then decide” said Idd Salim, the goalkeeper trainer to futaa.com
Gor Mahia have been able to keep clean sheets thanks in large part to Juma between the posts and a solid defence including Haron Shakava who has surpassed expectations so far.
Williamson was also impressed with his defense that went for the third straight game without conceding.
“It was very important to keep that record clean. When you have a defense that does its work well and a striking force that’s efficient then you have ingredients for a title winning side. Also, recovering from Caf Champions League embarrassment was very important.” said Williamson to goal.com
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all the best for Gor, I wish black berry quick return to form, Calabar and Jerry quick recovery
Even though i attend all matches, i still have noticed that there is something fishy going on between Supersport and Gor Mahia. None of our league matches has been beamed live and i believe we have lost some revenue on that front. Many teams have had their games televised three times already. The Topfry game is also off air. Are we banned?
All the best against Thika.
To add to my point above, the double header with Tusker/KCB and Gor/Stima was initially in the Supersport schedule but was called off at the eleventh hour and all the equipment taken to Machakos for the Cats game. EC, please clear the air and also go further and state how much we earn from every game shown live.
The villager@2…history does not favor us when it comes to supersport airing our matches live.They have possibly avoided our matches because of our past records involving hooliganism.
However,i want to believe that we have turned over a new leaf and we are now reforming.I hope the peace and calm remains throughout the season regardless of results on the pitch!!
So it appears the coach was at fault for playing injured Jerim against esperance when we lost 3-2.
Nevertheless, this is all water under the bridge and lets learn to utilize all the players at our disposal, we still have over 40 games in all competitions to play for ! Why put pressure on certain players?
All the best boys…let us win against Thika United.
We are praying to the Almighty God to grant us victory in the mighty name of Jesus Christ…Amen
Calabar injured!!!!!, not a big deal as Emuge will cover well. About Supersport, they have a right to choose which game to air live. They are really missing the best in Kenyan football, as I can see. Gor did nothing wrong to them. If anything, you can see true fans engaging in keeping order amongst the rowdy ones as experienced on Sunday during the stima match. We will fight the hooligans until they reform. The true fans are so many and will wipe out the few hooligans amongst them. This is the ongoing campaign.
We fans should not get worried by Supersport not airing our games. This should motivate us as Kogalo fans to troupe to all the stadiums in large numbers. They will come back begging to have our matches covered.
Alternatively, the Executive should think of have Gor Mahia TV in collaboration with other paid up channels.
Let us support k’ogalo by filling the stadium in all matches that we play. Supersport will just come without us begging them to come air our matches. But if they decide to ignore us completely then we r in a free world & we can invite zuku to cover our matches & ss can go to hell.
You will however still need Supersport despite all the denials I am seeing. The fans don’t need Supersport but the players need them for exposure. Remember, it is Supersport that has woken up KPL due to exposure. These are the same guys brushing aside Tuzo and pretending Gor can compete without a good shirt sponsor. Nooooo. Not at the rate I am seeing those gate collections being halved. One of the greatest benefits of Tuzo is that they always paid salaries directly to the players and therefore there was no chance for Bwanas, Kilos, Ngalas, Faizs etc to meddle. It is the reason you havent heard Gor players and TB go on a go slow because salaries are not paid. You have seen occasions (when Loga was around) when match bonuses were not paid or delayed so you can imagine what will happen when these goons in the name of EC are allowed to take control of the kitty. You can pour as much money on gate collections and saccos and branches but as long as those goons are in charge, the result will be the same. Imagine someone reporting that only 9 million was collected from Gor’s home matches last season!!!!!
Solution!! We must learn to appreciate people who have helped us get where we are even if we have severed ties. Let us find a way of negotiating with Supersport. Let us learn to dialog. This habit of assuming you can survive without someone is being silly. The point is that you are better off with the person than being alone. Let us appreciate Tuzo and find a way of persuading them to work with us instead of doing things the hard way. I am not saying we should sell our souls though
Whatever you see reported as gate collections in the media are actually half of what was collected. A case in point is the Esperance match which I believe netted 5.5m. Even Western Stima match had a near capacity round. At least 2.6m was collected here.
@oswozo which hooliganism are you talking about….? as someone has said they are the ones who are choosing the games to air live so let it be.why is it that if anything negative is happening in gor mahia we always assume that it is hooliganism.This year i have not seen any hooliganism apart from the one of kenya power charity cup that the policemen also catalyzed instead of providing security,Even the afc leopards matches they are showing were they better during charity cup hooliganism…?Even during their match with supersport fc they threw objects in the field is that not hooliganism..?.if they don’t want to show our matches let them go their way in fact i cant even panic of supersport not showing our matches,the only thing that can make me to panic is sponsorship withdrawing from the club.the cash that the supersport is paying for showing the kpl matches in a year cant even sustain the gor mahia squad for three months so let them go and show other matches with ten or twenty people on the terraces.i assure you it will not reach the match for tusker before they are back.otherwise let us troop to the stadium to support our team because that is what is supporting our team most financially but not the petty cash that supersport is paying the teams.if they are paying well why are other teams like sofapaka,city stars,madhare etc etc are always struggling to pay their players,this shows you clearly that we should not stoop so low for these supersport guys let us go to the stadium and pay gate charges, only one home game is more than what supersport is paying teams in one whole year,let them go their way.otherwise let us meet in the stadium to cheer up our team.
omollo you are spot on the cash this guys are paying to the teams for airing our matches is very little and cant even pay gor mahia technical bench and players for two months leave alone three months ,gor mahia budget for a month is 2.8 million.we should only care about sponsorship but not supersport ,why should we beg someone who is getting more from our fan base than what we get from them…?they will just come back running after showing empty terraces in three consecutive matches.gor mahia stronghold is our fan base let us fill the stadium.
Guys, from what I know there is no financial benefit to a club when its matches are aired. SS pays the same amounts to all the clubs plus an equalisation fund for the teams far from nairobi to cater for their travelling snd accommodation. The thing we miss is exposure of the players but again as corporate SS will decide which game to screen. Let us win all our matches and keep the peace and in turn uou will see them changing their schedule. In any case kogalo fans will always be there SS or not. I hope the Emuge/Shakava/Juma combination will keep our clean sheet
Omollo@12….have you just landed from mars???who doesnt know what has been bedeviling this club?really???are you in denial or something?
Admin, where is my posting. I want this article to be posted here please.
THE ANALYSIS OF PLAYERS IS SPOT ON. I WANTED TO ADD MY TWO CENTS WORTH TO THE DISCUSSION.I ONLY WISH THE FANS WOULD GIVE BERRY A LITTLE MORE TIME. HE MAY BE SUFFERING A CONFIDENCE CRISIS THAT HE HAD ALLUDED TO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON.HE ADMITTED BEING APPREHENSIVE WHETHER HE WOULD BE ABLE TO REPLICATE HIS PREVIOUS FORM. THIS IS SOMETHING SCORING A SINGLE GOAL WOULD CURE.BUT IT NEEDS TO COME FAST BECAUSE THE COACH MAY NOT BE THAT PATIENT. CONCERNING KIZITO I ADMIT HE HAS SURPASSED MY EXPECTATIONS. BASED ON HIS FIRST APPEARANCES I HAD DOUBTED HIM AND EVEN CALLED FOR HIM TO BE BENCHED ON THIS BLOG,A COMMENT I HUMBLY WITHDRAW. AS FOR ADE , THE GUY IS LOADS AND LOADS OF TALENT BUT SOMETIMES HE COMES ACROSS AS TOO CASUAL.NEEDS TO WORK ON THAT.ON THE SUPERSPORT ISSUE, I AV ALSO NOTICED THE COLD SHOULDER THEY ARE GIVING US.I THINK THE SOLUTION IS NOT TO DEMONISE THEM BUT PRAY THEY DEVELOP A SHARP BUSINESS ACUMEN.AIRING ONLY ONE GOR MATCH CONSIDERING THE ATTENDANCE AND GOOD FOOTBALL DISPLAYED WOULD DO WONDERS TO THEIR VIEWERSHIP THAN ALL THE OTHER MATCHES THEY AV AIRED COMBINED.IT IS THEIR RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHICH MATCHES TO AIR BUT I THINK THEY ARE LOSING OUT.MY TAKE IS THAT IF THEY AIR US,FINE , IF THEY DON’T WE STILL DOING FINE
No matter how little the Supersport money is, take it and put it to good use. At least it plugs a hole. Pride will take you no where!!! This culture has made us languish in poverty while our other brothers are prospering. They hassle for the money regardless of what others say and they are making it. For us we sit in a corner, so proud to touch other things or to engage with other companies or other perceived political enemies yet dying of hunger, bad roads, floods, poor housing etc and we are proud about it.
So, my advise, negotiate with Supersoport, take the money and put it to good use. You will not lose your dignity by negotiating. I am not just saying this in football terms. You must apply these principles in general life as well because some of us failed to go to Equity because it belongs to some other people and see what Equity has done. Sisi tumebaki pale pale. Some of us feel Tuzo belongs to the other side of divide and therefore they should go, tutabaki pale pale while others are prospering. Wake up!!
Admin, where is my posting? I want this article to be posted here please.
@mawego so you want us to pull or force ss to come and show our matches so that they can pay us…? yes they support us however little it is but we cant force them to come and show our games and dan and others have said they are the ones to decide which game to show, so be it my friend.Dont try to force something in our throat which is not worth,like oluoch has said the gor mahia fans is our stronghold ,gor has been there since 1964 and supersport just came some three years back so they wont deter us from doing our activities as gor mahia community because they are not showing our games,let them continue with showing other matches but what i know they will come back themselves.
There is a Yoruba proverb which says, “if you want to walk fast, walk alone but if you want to walk far, walk together” Most bloggers are seem to have chosen to walk fast
@Pmawego you have summed it all. K’ogalo fans like chest thumping even where it is not applicable at all. NO MATTER THEY SAY..!”UJALUO NI GARAMA ITA TUMALIZA”
@Pmawego I cannot agree with you more.You have articulated it very well. Let us stop this attitude of “wadak makata gionge”. Soon Kogalo will be with no sponsors. The very people who are pouring scorn at SS and Tuzo will now turn their guns to EC’s. Sometime we suffer from warthog syndrome. We are too forgetful or is it a case of selective amnesia. Only a fool will not appreciate what Tuzo has done for Gor thus far. Only a fool will not appreciate the impact SS has had on our players. Let us not just think about ourselves but also the future of our players. We need SS like never before. We need Tuzo. We need sponsors.
For God and my beloved club – Kogallo
@Jakoyo, you cant pull or force them. You can negotiate with them. Find out what the problem is, talk to them about your challenges, hear their concern, come to a middle ground. That way you walk together. Otherwise you will be shunned by everyone. You must learn to develop relationships. There will be ups and downs in every relationship. When there is a breakdown, you must not walk away, you must come together and see how to resurrect it and keep things going. You must stop lying to everyone that you can survive alone. You must always offer yourself to negotiate. Every idea and action must have an element of sustainability. Let us learn to walk far. I agree, GM has a stronghold but you could even be stronger with more partners. Stop aiming at the revenues from gate collections only. Start thinking like Esperance, TP Mazembe, Al Ahly etc. They have not relied on their fans only. They have embraced partners
@Kosero ja-kampala please cool down. This blog is like a market place where you will come across people from all walks of life. Not that they do not understand what @Pmawego is struggling to address, neither are they fools as you imply nor is it “UJALUO NYINGI” as Jabilo puts it. But it is that very characteristics of ego-centric s and self-willed attitude within our fan base.
Let us “walk far with others”, we need coverage from SUPERSPORTS just like yesterday or how else will our diaspora fans feel part and parcel of us. We have guys blogging in this site from all over the world and they need to watch GOR just the same way we yearn for other top leagues like EPL,LA-LIGA or BUNDESLIGA matches.
@Kosero & Jabilo, these principles must be applied in our day to day lives. There needs to be a change in the whole community for us to get to the top. Not just in football but in our day to day lives
By the time oliech ,mariga ,wanyama were called in europe was there supersport in kenya….?as oluoch and omollo has said we value our sponsors and fan base more than ss.DO you know the amount ss is giving the teams …?we can pumper our sponsors but not ss.we can really feel it when the sponsors withdraw but not ss.please give us some space with ss issue…the money they are pumping in the kpl teams can only sustain the team for weeks and the players and the technical bench are being paid all the year round.so who is more important,sponsors or fans or ss.i will value sponsors and fans more than ss.we cannot force them to air our games live and that is it.thank you let us meet at tok komwanda.
Eeeh!
@Titus, you are still being narrow minded here. We are addressing the whole mindset of the fans/bloggers and not just Tuzo and SS. What is the guarantee that kesho you will not say “Tuzo waende na pesa zao, tume survive bila wao since 1964”
Your attitude towards and how you treat your past associates will determine the calibre of will want to work with you. I understand your comment on Oliech, Wanyama etc but remember, if well handles we could have 50 Oliechs, Marigas etc in Europe and other better leagues. Start thinking of days when you will not only count 3 successful players in Europe but a day when they will be uncountable. You should be ashamed that you only counted 3 when other nations in Africa don’t have count of who is where because they are just too many. Again, our ego won’t take us anywhere. Let us swallow our pride and walk together!! Start appreciating the little you get from your friends. Start appreciating the good things your partners have done to you in the past and stop letting one small misunderstanding wipe out the good you have received.
@Pmawego:i concur with ur reasoning too. one of the gor maladies is luo chauvanism. so unfortunate for someone to claim SSPORT is nothing. yes it’s nothing to the hooligans and to what i call the ‘Ambassador hotel’ reasoning, but it’s worth a million to a player. Lupita just recently won an Oscar that is hardly worth ksh 1000/- in value. one wonders then, why would hollywood stars crave for this recognition.
‘ujaluo kweli ni garama’.
SS has exclusive rights to air KPL matches. Remember the AFC/ Zuku TV saga.
@ Kosero, the problem with the EC is corruption nothing else. Lack of strategic planning is another. The office didn’t lay any alternate plan/foundation during the time of plenty (Tuzo sponsorship) and now we are faced or might be faced with difficult or unpredictable times. That’s why guns will forever be aimed at EC until they stop corruption & mismanagement.
There must be a new definition of the word peanuts coz I think clubs are paid in between kshs.500,000-1,000,000 for each game aired live. The firm has also invested heavily in expensive equipment which becomes a target for hooligans.
Otherwise I think @10 PMawego has articulated this issue pretty well.
On the Sacco if its ever to come to fruition let it be a separate entity from EC. Let EC present a budget, let salaries be paid into players accounts etc. Let the Sacco not be an AGULU for EC to draw from.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/article/2000103156/football-a-nice-position-for-kpl-to-be-in-as-they-anticipate-more-sponsorship-money
Fans, I think we are getting it wrong on those that do or do not supports the action Supersport. Firstly we should value fans more than any other sponsors.
Secondly, we do appreciate whatever role(s) all the stakeholders in KPL have played in improving our football standard including Supersport.
But please note that we are in a liberal society and if they do not want to cover Gor Mahia matches, the club should be at liberty to look for alternative TV to perform the business. I do echo the sentiment of @Jack Omollo that we should not stoop too low to beg them to air our games. Football is about business and Supersport should reciprocate this good gesture too in covering big matches with thousands of fans but not less than fifty fans.
We highly appreciate the role Supersport has played in exposing our players to the international scene. However they too have benefited in getting adverts at the same equal strength.
MONOPOLISTIC BEHAVIOUR AND INEFFICIENCY
Monopolistic market status the Supersport is currently exhibiting is not good for the development of football in the country. We need other pay TV to come to the scene too and spread the benefits to all stakeholders. In Europe case, clubs have TV stations and why can’t that not be replicated in Kenya too. Monopoly is not good and will not be good for the development of football in the country.
This situation where only “one” (Greek meaning of mono”) company offers its products or services to the public, thereby creating a monopoly, a sole supplying firm where the consumer has no option or choice but to buy their services or products. When this occurs, and there is no competition, prices will go up to the detriment of the public. Several government agencies keep the formation of monopolies under control, especially in markets like telecommunications, media, and utilities, among others. This should be the case with our football.
Market situation where one producer (or a group of producers acting in concert) controls supply of a good or service, and where the entry of new producers is prevented or highly restricted. Monopolist firms (in their attempt to maximize profits) keep the price high and restrict the output, and show little or no responsiveness to the needs of their customers. Most governments therefore try to control monopolies by (1) imposing price controls, (2) taking over their ownership (called ‘nationalization’), or (3) by breaking them up into two or more competing firms. Sometimes governments facilitate the creation of monopolies for reasons of national security, to realize economies of scale for competing internationally, or where two or more producers would be wasteful or pointless (as in the case of utilities). Although monopolies exist in varying degrees (due to copyrights, patents, access to materials, exclusive technologies, or unfair trade practices) almost no firm has a complete monopoly in the era of globalization.
The other fact is that football is a competitive game where all the stakeholders in football should be ready to face competition in all fronts.
INTERPARTATION OF MONOPOLY
The disadvantage of monopoly brings inefficiency in service or product delivery and this is the reason why Gor Mahia or AFC can even seek for the Pricing and Monopoly Authority to look at supersports dominant control of football coverage. This dominant position should be interpreted by our legal system as well.
The matter can be as well be interpreted in the law courts why clubs can not engage other TV pay channels for good of the development of football.
ALTERNATIVE PAY TV STATIONS
I think there are other reputable TV and broadcasting stations that can be engaged commercially as supersport has breached the contract of not covering or airing our games. The pay TV are:-
1. Zuku
2. Smart TV
3. Cable Television Network
GOOD FOR THE CLUB
We have to look at what is good for our club than engaging in sideshows about hooliganism as the reason why our games are not aired. If Supersport is not interested, we can look for alternative or else go to court to seek redress why they have monopoly role in football coverage. This is a matter that can be challenged in the law court as this attitude of Supersport will deny our players their livelihood and obligation of the club in helping the youth in getting out from bad behavior.
Fans, I think we are getting it wrong on those that do or do not supports the action Supersport. Firstly we should value fans more than any other sponsors.
Secondly, we do appreciate whatever role(s) all the stakeholders in KPL have played in improving our football standard including Supersport.
But please note that we are in a liberal society and if they do not want to cover Gor Mahia matches, the club should be at liberty to look for alternative TV to perform the business. I do echo the sentiment of @Jack Omollo that we should not stoop too low to beg them to air our games. Football is about business and Supersport should reciprocate this good gesture too in covering big matches with thousands of fans but not less than fifty fans.
We highly appreciate the role Supersport has played in exposing our players to the international scene. However they too have benefited in getting adverts at the same equal strength.
PMAWEGO , THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING ABOUT OUR MISPLACED PRIDE.PRIDE CAN BE A GOOD THING AND EACH ONE OF US NEEDS TO HAVE A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF IT.BUT WHEN IT SKEWS OUR REASONING IT BECOMES A BURDEN.HAS THE REASON FOR SUPERSPORT SHUNNING GOR MAHIA MATCHES BEEN ASCERTAINED SO WE COULD ARGUE FROM AN ENLIGHTENED POSITION? ARE WE SEIZED OF ALL THE EFFORTS THE EC HAS PUT INTO ADDRESSING THE ISSUE(IF ANY)? SHORT OF THAT WE WILL BE THROWING BARBS AT EACH OTHER FOR NO REASON.BUT FACT IS WE NEED EVERYONE THAT WILL AID OUR CAUSE EVEN IF THEIR SUPPORT IS ONLY MORAL.MAYBE MOST OF THE GUYS TALKING OF GOR BEING ABLE TO SURVIVE ON GATE COLLECTIONS ARE PART OF THE GROUP THAT BRIBE THEIR WAY INTO THE STADIUM THEN ATTEMPT TO FORCE THEIR WAY INTO THE VIP ,THROWING STONES AND ALL THAT I SAW ON SUNDAY.BUT AM HAPPY THEIR DAYS ARE NUMBERED.YOU TALK TO THEM AND THEY TELL YOU TUZO CAN TAKE A WALK AND THAT GOR HAS BEEN THERE FOR AGES. THEY R SO DELUDED THEY CANT APPRECIATE THE GOR OF 2013 IS MILES
APART FROM THE GOR OF THE 2001s. I ENCOUNTER THIS TYPE A LOT IN THE TERRACES AND CHANGING THEIR MINDSET IS HERCULEAN.WEARING THE GOR MAHIA JERSEY USED TO BE A MATTER OF PRIDE FOR ME.BUT WITH THE IMPUNITY THESE GUYS EQUATE THE GOR BRAND WITH, UNDRESSING WOMEN AT THE STATUE N THE BANGING OF VEHICLES ON JOGOO ROAD IT HAS MADE ME TO BE SELECTIVE WHEN AND WHERE TO PUT IT ON.IN SOME PLACES IT MAKES YOU A TARGET LIKE HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERALLY
Any sound person while discussing about Gor Mahia should not indulge community into football.If he is well ok with his social life that is just his and the issue of begging should be upheld by himself.The issues raised by @10 seems to be correct at one point but @ 17 he seems to be out of order by bringing in a third person who is the community.He should tone down on this because not all the community members are this club’s supporters.
All, please confirm from KPL whether a team gets paid when their matches are aired. All the same we need to really educate our fans