Oktay deservedly April coach of the month
Gor Mahia coach Hassan Oktay crowned a succesful season when he was named April Fidelity Insurance Coach of the Month Award winner. It marks his second award. He was also named SJAK winner in February. Its a deserved award as Oktay was the first coach to steer a Kenyan tea past the group stages of the Africa cup.
“This feels as a fair reward for a difficult job. I’m happy for what my team accomplished,” the jubilant Oktay exclaimed before launching into the so called big teams for not offering sufficient challenge.
Oktay was able to keep players composed even as other teams played their best matches against Gor Mahia. Every team and every player plays extremely hard against Gor Mahia.
“We have dropped points against teams sitting lower in the table but for the big games there was no competition. We prepared for the big games then they turn out to be walks in the park,” he said to Citizen sport.
Oktay also deserves plaudits for keeping the team calm and focused amid player revolts and other issues that plagued the playing unit this season.
Oktay did an excellent job of rotating players to keep players fresh and injury free in a season that was so physically demanding that sometimes Kogalo played four matches in one week.
And Oktay himself had to stay calm and keep the players believing in his philosophy after a poor start that saw many naysayers say that Gor Mahia would struggle to finish in the top 3. Matters came to a head when Kogalo lost to KCB at Machakos and fans demanded that Oktay be fired.
Kerr Resigns at Black Leopards
Former Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr who left for South Africa at the end of last season, has resigned from Black Leopards, the team he joined.
“Yes, he has sent his resignation letter but as a team, we are closed for the season now but we will sit down and release an official statement on the way forward,” Chairman David Thidiela said to Limsports Zone.
This season Black Leopards, finished in 13th place with 7 wins, 9 draws and 14 losses. They finished two points above the relegation zone. Kerr is said to have been very frustrated with his playing unit at the end of the season.
Black Leopards is one of the best supported teams in South Africa, drawing 11,000 fans to their home games, behind only Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
Congratulations Coach Hassan Oktay for a job well done.
You proved astute, good man management skills, a first line of defence for your players equally, and never hesitated to speak your mind whenever the powers that be forgot that Gor Mahia was representing Kenya on the continental front.
Best wishes as you steer Gor Mahia to greater heights in the CAF Champions League this coming season
Gor Mahia should recruit well and prepare well financially for the CAF club championship. Congratulations Gor Mahia.
Congrats Oktay, Congrats Gor.
Now that we stand to lose Kahata, Jausenge, Shakava and Philemon we need to recruit intelligently. Seen some local players who can actually fill the position of all these players apart from JaUsenge.
From experience the moment we lose one player we get an even better one, we lost BB previously only to get Danny, then Olunga then JaUsenge. I still see a strong team next year so long as we get our admin/financial issues sorted out professionally
Congrats Coach. You deserved it.
Okay am one of your fiercest critic, congratulations to your first ever trophy as a professional football coach.
On a different note, i also give you credit for player management . you are one of the few coaches in the world that does not criticse players in public.it works in kogallo !
Congratulations Coach Oktay. You have done us proud and thank you for the hard work with the team.
Secondly, I am a bit worried when Bandari Coach thinks that Gor did not win the league fairly and squarely. Below is what he said and I quote.
“Bandari coach Bernard Mwalala, however, believes that Gor Mahia were partly helped by the fact that they were not required to play in some venues.
“The conditions were certainly not equal for all the teams. For example, my team was required to travel to all venues and this took a toll on us. Gor Mahia, on the other hand, were not allowed to go to some venues and this gave them some advantage but I am not complaining,” he said. It beats all logic. When Gor was busy with the Continental assignments they were busy winning. As soon as Gor came back into the league full swing and playing matches back to back, why did not they keep winning? who and what is to blame for them dropping points. Incidentally this has been Bandari’s trend and others included. Take off very first from the blocks and then fizzle out midway……. How I wish Mwalala would be talking of the qualifier ahead instead of what we have already kept. “Gini wasekano”
Cry baby mwalala look at Gor Mahias ranking by CAF. We will win again KPL next year. What is Bandari? Direct your bitterness to the other horses. We Gor fans NEVER think about the Bandaris of this world
As for Kerr resigning at Black Leopards, Si afc ingwe wamchukue……
Dylan Kerr spoke a lot of nonsense about Gor Mahia and I thought he had gone for greener pastures. This is a good lesson to coaches and players when they are leaving the club. Leave in peace and you will scale heights. Good riddance for Kerr as Black Leopards he was praising turned against him.
Kerr was a closet racist with white savior mentality…i told him as much on twitter and he blocked me
Congrats coach for the deserved award. Yes it proves ur hard working, positive and result oriented style judging by ua exploits in caf and locally. U have cobbled up a world beating unit, formula and philosophy by sharpening gor’s defence, mid and strikers into a force to reckon with. But its long since gor took a silver ware in the continetal scene. U’ve proved that u have an inate and astonishing ability to establish a strong and resilient team capable of challanging and clinching the continental trophy. Lets move to the next level. God bless oktay, God bless k’ogalo.
Congrats Oktay. We still have alot to do in order to bridge the gap in terms of professionalism between us and the top Africa teams. examples are Zamalek, TP Mazembe, Esperance etc. Hope the next season we do better off the field.
Now that we might lose Kahata, JaUsenge, Shakava, Philemon amongst other players who are we getting to replace them. I know our scouting dept always does a good job (though we dropped the ball abit in the new foreign player) and we always end up getting even better players. My only worry is the striking. Replacing JaUsenge will be a big task, As for Kahata and Shakava we already have Muguna and Lawrence and Momanyi can cover up for Shakava.
Why can’t we go for the Nzoia fullback, Ochieng, Otanga from SONY or even Wadri from Bandari, Kasumba and Averi from Sofapaka.
The Sofa center back, Omari is also very good.
I am sure Oktay has identified some even better players than the ones i have picked up.
In all fairness we should let Kahata and JaUsenge (and any others) go and make money since we cannot pay them what they are being offered out there. It will be our reward for the services they have offered us in the past.
When do we change our constitution and get a LEAN, professional office?
By the way what happened to Jasego?
what plans do we have as gor wil probable play in the second week of august just over a month after afcon.scouts should approach the players to join us before the deadline for submission.coach pls plan for caf glory next season dont go for holiday without adequet plan for caf this time round sir! thanx for not peleka sisi nyasi,i can now dream big.
Wuod Asego Kanyada takes a sabbatical at a time of need. Where are you? When the team is sharpening spears ready for the next battle you have run away. Quite disheartening.
Congrats coach…congrats playing unit…congrats tb…thank you EC. Glory be to God in the highest without whom all this was not possible. We look forward to a better year shead…tougher but the ssame good God will see us through.
Just breaking…Angola club put on the USD 100,000 for Tuyisenge, tanzania club put on the table USD 80,000 for Kahata and zambia club offer USD 40,000 for shakava.
Can kogallo do serious business ?
I thought Tuyisenges offer is $150,000 ama cartels have already shaved off theirs. We can get $200,000 for Tuyisenge if we negotiate well. Take the money for Shakava. If Philemon dares to go to Botswana he will loose his position in Harambee stars. He needs to be careful
Meanwhile. …Philemon will leave for trials in botswana , oliech will be put on pay per play contract whilst the last of the contract rebels…wendo, remains unknown but tusker could offer him a contract.
The best we can do is to give a befitting farewell to the players who will leave. Our success in the field without a corresponding improvent in our financial position was definitely going to affect us either positively or negatively, whichever way you look at it. Ajax Amsterdam is suffering the same fate as Gor but we will come out stronger