Polack concerned about the departure of several key players
Coach Steve Polack, who usually exudes confidence even under difficult circumstances, is now expressing concern about the departure of several players.
Additional reporting from goal.com
The mass exodus at K’Ogalo leaves the British coach scratching his head as he prepares team for the upcoming season
Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has remained in shock after the club let go of some of his key players whom he wanted to use in the coming season.
The British coach has admitted the financial situation at the club has forced him to start a rebuilding process after losing key players Joash Onyango, Charles Momanyi, Boniface Omondi, Peter Odhiambo, and Kenneth Muguna – and conceded it might affect the team’s performance next season.
“That is not a good question to ask me, because you know from the word go, my intentions were to keep my best players for the new season,” Polack told Goal when asked why the league champions were losing key players this transfer window.
“I think you know why [the players are leaving] and why I am mad, all the players that are leaving they are quality players and I will be a selfish coach to say now I want to say I will want to keep them because you know the financial situation at the club.
“First of all, they have made their decisions to leave because of the circumstances the club finds itself in [in terms of finances], it is the big reason why they have left, I would have loved them to stay, but players come and go but the club will still be there.”
Polack continued: “It is a very big issue when you lose your quality players, it is a blow to any team be it at Barcelona, Arsenal or Real Madrid, it is not good to lose your quality players, but the problems we are facing now [financial issues] have even made the situation worse.”
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On what he will do the fill the void left by the departing players, Polack said: “I don’t know, I don’t know what plans the club have, I have convened a meeting with the officials and I hope it will give us the direction now that the window is open.
“I have a number of players I want to sign but it can only happen with finances on the table, I am waiting for the office to give me direction, we might sign more players, I don’t know if we will, but I am waiting.”
K’Ogalo have only managed to sign keeper Levis Opiyo from Nairobi City Stars so far.
Coach Polack’s worry should worry all the lovers of Gor Mahia. The team as usual tradition will recruit new players but without financial strength there will be teamwork apathy and this will affect their performance.
The situation the club has found itself is something that would have avoided the officials sat together and thought deeply how to generate funds for the club.
You can generate funds very well but if you are also creative in bloating your expenses, e.g building a stadium or apartments not to forget an oversized squad and TB, then you will forever be in the situation GMFC is in now.
The stage is being set for GMFC to be perpetually broke.
Gor Mahia never been unable to raise funds e.g
1) Gate collections used to generate approx. Kes.1m per home game upto 2012/3 before corruption, goons etc issues killed that revenue stream,
2) Sponsorship Tuzo and especially Sportpesa were adequate but by bloating the payroll EC creatively made sure that they could sell the fib the sponsorship was only enough for salaries.
3) CAF group stage prize money awards are a sure bet of generating funds but first you must have players & TB with enough quality to progress otherwise being eliminated in the preliminary rounds, like we will be at this rate, is such a huge cost to the club that it is better not to participate at all.
500 members voted in GMFC elections but the club needs those who didn’t vote even more e.g Raila, Governors, MPs, Senators and many more fans whose names were missing from the voters list but are known to support the club financially.
The new office has a brobdingnagian task to motivate these silent supporters to return.
One sure way is a good CAF outing then good management structures i.e transparent and accountable operations.
When a coach begins talking sense in Gor Mahia, then he is signing his firing orders. I support what you are saying coach, but you are on the way out sooner. I hate to say that
Probably right.
Priority is players.
Pollack may soon be exited but the likes of T.M Jolawi, whose silence is deafening, will remain.
Can the officials provide a road map out of this stinking mess?
The CAF CL may be a disaster waiting to happen.
Btw @ SA Safaricom can never appoint a non professional as it’s finance director and the CEO as you rightly state need not be a finance expert so you’ve managed to be very right and very wrong at the same time.
Can GMAF do something for the players.
Why are they hording the contributions for players?
That is my fear. Polack has put up with a lot of madness. But this may be the last straw. He is a very good coach who has worked under difficult circumstances including non-payment of his salary
What if we still had : akumu, aucho, calabar, kizito, kagere, kahata, tuyisenge na kadhalika, we would have conquered Africa by Now, but our consciousness with premier league championship is our main undoing. This time around even KPL will be tough for us to defend considering our free transfers to rivals. Anyway K’ogalo will still stay but the rebuilding process will derail our CAF conquest. God bless
The new EXCOM must now put its act together. I trust Sam Ocholla will inject the professionalism required to see how best Gor can be managed in business sense. I have no problems driving from my base in Arusha, TZ, to watch K’Ogalo play in Nairobi. I have done it over and over! I have no problems contributing to a solid idea or a solid fund that will assist leverage the club.
What I feel sad about (soon getting to the level of frustration) is seeing the Kagere’s, Kahata’s and (now Joash and Mapigano) bringing so much joy to the Simba fans (and AZAM FC) in TZ. They were a bunch of committed players who left not on their own volition (they could have) – but because of our very own inability to manage things better.
The Simbas’ the Petro Athleticos’ and the Nkanas’ etc are not necessarily stronger teams/ K’Ogalo has beaten them before and can beat them on any given day. BUT the Simbas’ Nkanas’ et al of the continent…. have better semblance of management.
I hope new management would undertake the following practical steps (in addition to building the stadia):
1) Go for aggressive Membership drive. Contributors on this space keep reminding us over and over again, that it is possible to raise 100M or more annually if we are organized from membership subscription and sponsorship.
2) Professionalize the club, now that we have seemingly brought on the right caliber of officials.
3) Pay players all outstanding dues – how else can they perform if they have financial woes and worries?
4) Work towards retention of players. We must now discard the “players come, players go” mentality. It is outdated.
5) Listen to the views and advise of the myriad of genuine diehard Gor fans, supporters and sieve what is progressive and worth pursuit. They love their club – they are ready to assist, die for it.
Flash back when Tuyusenge and Kagere were signed but couldn’t be used at continental level? That’s the position today. We will send a depleted squad and sign later when the sponsors have released money. Why did the officials agree to take posts if they don’t have money?
And I may ask people. Kindly and humbly, just my two pence thought. Kidero spent a lot to fund our rivals at his prime,Agwambo dipped deep in his pockets all the time , recently despite out financial hardship, Owallo went deep in his pockets again for AFC. Ni pesa yao, they can do as they desire. For Gor nobody on the other side is lending a hand. Tafakari.