Gor Mahia & AFC missing as stars slump
There was not a single Gor Mahia or AFC player who saw action as Kenya lost two crucial home points to Malawi in a 2014 World cup qualifier played at the newly refurbished Kasarani stadium on Saturday. It was a game that left most fans unhappy.
Kevin Ochieng was the only Gor Mahia player in uniform but he remained rooted to the bench as coach Kimanzi preferred a midfield with Victor Wanyama, Kelvin Kimani, Humphrey Mieno and Jamal Mohammed. Meanwhile Gor Mahia’s Rama Salim who has been in sensational form of late was left out in preference for Jamal who has not been playing any club football of late. He clearly lacked match fitness. Furthermore , the four Kenyan midfielders have not played with each other for long and their lack of cohesion showed as they were outclassed by Malawi. As a result, Oliech and Oboya upfront did not get much support. While Malawi were playing friendly matches in Tanzania, Kenya did not play any.
The inclusion of Paul Were and Titus Mulama in the second half brought some impetus to the stars. However Were was being played on the wrong wing and as such was unable to deliver much needed crosses despite outrunning his markers often. As you know, lack of youth development often means virtually no Kenyan player is two footed.
On a bright note, Tusker’s Boniface Oluoch had a good game. He earned man of the match honours and saved Kenya from the ignominy of a home defeat. The goalkeeping position has been problematic for Kenya. Other than Arnold Origi, no Kenyan keeper has shown consistency. But even Origi is so injury prone that he opted to retire from football. The last time Kenya had a reliable custodian was probably Francis Onyiso circa the late 1990s. Fans hope Oluoch can remain consistent.
Also on a bright note, the match was well attended. Perhaps fans were excited at the re-opening of Kasarani stadium and the opportunity to actually sit on chairs.
Looking at the Kogalo line-up now, perhaps Rama is one who definitely deserves a call up. Yusuf Juma who showed excellent form at the 2011 CECAFA cup has inexplicably lost his form. One could also make an argument for Kevin Omondi who has shown flashes of brilliance in some games.
All in all, Malawi were the better side and most Kenyan fans were left despondent coming hot on the heels of the lousy performance of the Kenya U20 team. Also, talent wise, Kenya football is perhaps at the lowest level it has been in years. Perhaps several years of incompetence by Hatimy and others at FKF has taken its toll on football.
Kenya face Namibia next. There is room for improvement and hopefully the players can raise their game and gain some cohesion. Also, Kimanzi will have had some extra time to assess his charges and come up with a better combination.
Kimanzi should just be fired. How do you Jamal that has never played any competitive football anywhere? Rama should have been considered. This coach is busy with Sofapaka players instead of looking wider for players even from nationwide league.
I had posted a comment before that Kimanzi is taking our national team nowhere with these outdated tactics. Nyamweya and FKF are taking Kenyans for a ride and recycling of coaches is not going to improve our football.
Am afan of kenyan football much needs to be done on the whole technical bench we we out played by the flames.
our weakest pint was the midfield. Jamal lost balls too easily, a worrying trend given the fact that he does not even earn playing time at Mathare. I am now avle to understand why Kimanzi never named the line-up at the opportune time. Worrying situations a head indeed unless something drastic is done
Kimanzi,the answer to National team look for Gor en Afc players u wl av ua magic nothing else
Please boys be serius..without patetic words…National team needs complitly remont..fres start..new begening,,, new ideas..i can make better Natioanal team from the players I saw in the Kenyan premier league wich never even come close to National team..but they deserved to be there..but the criteria should not be,, frends relatives..the “football names ” on the past,,, the criteria is WHO CAN DO IT WRIGHT NOW..not who did it yesterday or who will do it tomoroow,,, that is serius job,, coach must have “the balls”..idea..vision..Kenyans are talented players..but they are on the FIFA ranking 127..somebody is not doing their job..Strong independent coach..wich can tell inthe face “you can do it..or you can not do it”..you are material for the National team…or you are not….or you where before…or you will be…MAYBE I should be back from Croatia a bit erlier to tray to fix those problems…but it is not easy.my dear Kenyans..BUT YOU DESERVE MUCH BETTER!
Is it possible to ha national team selelction based on merit for example by involving the sports media personel, premier league coaches, nationwide coaches, all team managers, fans and former inernational, premier players each group to nominate first eleven of their coice to be deliberated upon by the selected few national technicnal team for the final approval by national coach. From the past experierence, each coach seem to lack the bias that was very glaring in in our midfield during the Malawi derby
including gor et afc is not panacea to the troubles with the friendly team. major problems in kenya are;
1a. coaching. kimanzi is a good example of this problem. one do not hire players coz they r buddies. at the end of the day he cannot discipline any of them. thats why oliech plays how he feels like. a good example was the togo match.
1b. techinical abilty. these kenyan coaches have reached their ALL. we need someone from out. not necessarily a white, these zambian et malawi coaches read the game match better. we need coach who know how to approach individual games.
2. kenya football level. i have advocated before about kenya MIA in africa club championships. this is where importantly afc n gor come in. merely including afc gor players in the stars line will add to nothing. but my believe is thse are the two teams that can easily go to these africa club championships. one of the biggest contributors towards this can be the fans. fund these clubs and you will c change. ofcourse the officialdom of these clubs must be GOOD. i have discussed one of the ways on how to achieve this on a diff forum on this site.the other smaller factors that are contributing to kenya soccer problem which are very noticable, i will mention one which is attitude, this is a big destroyer to many kenya players. alot of these guys just think they are REALLY CELEBS. this problem is very conspicious in gor where the FEEL GOOD factor seems to derail the purpose of the football club.such players need a coaches who can LAY DOWN THE LAW, this is something kimanzi does not have and that’s why players like jamal have permanent residence visas in the stars. calling the so called professional players to the national team yet you cannot control them is the recipee for disaster. what happened to senegal is a good example.coaching as i said before is a science and it’s not just about what happens in the field. any body who is skilled in the art of fighting will tell you one thing, THE FIGHT IS WON AND LOST DURING TRAINING.so plz bring all the afc-gor players and i can confidently say that the beating will persist unless we start looking at soccer management(read COACHING) thru’ the eyes of science or art.one hint to the current problem is the numerous clubs contributing to the harambee team. the problems in kenya football are glaring but who has the guts to do something, what the croat did at gor is a good exmaple of how a coach shud be. unfortunatly most of these coaches prefer to play safe, the offiacials control them as joy sticks, a coach wud rather play safe, go to s.africa and get hammered 3-0,2-0,4-0…come home with a safe excuse, at least he will not be fired and life continues. a corrupt officials exists coz an equally corrupt electorate.thats why alot of african countries go for europeans, so as to do away with the demands of corrupt officials who on the contrary prefer SAFE coaches as kimanzi.if you want to tell me that gor players shud be in harambee stars just coz it’s gor mahia yet the team can hardly win matches with conviction, then the problem with kenya soccer is EVEN BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT.build the base first and the only way is thru the clubs, the rest will fall in place. with the dearth of players that currently has, it is most wise to have one or two (WELL SUPPORTED)clubs to supply players to the national team.
NB : i have nothing personal against anybody mentioned.
@Dinga you summarised it long ago when you named it the friendly team.
If I were a coach I would be reluctant to comment on the under-performance of a fellow coach be it directly or indirectly. To me that is unethical. The best I would do is allow fans to voice their concern and only if deemed absolutely necessary offer technical advice to my counterpart holding the mantle of national team coach.
Coach Zdravko Logarusic come back urgently. Western Stima is sharpening a dagger to slaughter us. The Stima coach seems to be obsessed with the idea of beating Gor Mahia on June 23rd and he wont stop talking about it. Let the national team coach fry himself in his own fat and die his own death. There is enough fish in Gor Mahia for you to fry.
Kinnah Phiri the Malawian coach faces the fans wrath for posting a draw against minnows like harambee stars. The country was expecting a comfortable win from the whipping boys in group one. This informs me that Kenya will be the whipping boys in this group and by any chance the draw posted against the flames might be the only point Kenya will collect in group matches. Nothing to write home about NYAMWEYA blue eyed boy except to expect more and more circus at the national team. If you can not handle pressure at home and you are outplayed in entirely 90 minutes without any goal-bound threatening attempt and then you blame it on fresh player after spending one month in residential camp while perfectly gating the press against questioning your preference in formation and tactical approach, the you have no business handling a national outfit which requires consultation and collective approach from all stakeholders. KIMANZI JUST THROW IN THE TOWEL BEFORE IT’S LATE TO REDEED YOUR REPUTATION.
How can one be the technical adviser of a local team in KPL and handle the national team without prejudice? You are in the same condition ZD found himself and as such you must quit or the fourth estate will force you out unceremoniously. The die is cast ! It just a matter of when and not how!
I dnt think thats LOGARUSIC bt an intruder/con.
Kimanzi is not doing a good job. Where did he get jamal from? Someone who is not even playing competitive football. In my opinion, it sucks. If we cant even beat a tem in our own country, our own home ground, our own town, what wonders do you expect this guy to do??? Am just pissed off in so many things and the fact that we put in kimanzi as the coach. His players selection is wanting BIG TIME. In my opinion put in afc players and gor players, pick a few others from other teams and see the magic. The passion comes from there, this not just a game but a world cup qualifier for Crying out loud!!!!! It is not the team that leads the league has the best players!!!! COME KIMANZI, GROW UP.
Believe you me, afc and gor and a few others can do the job better.
@Osaka don’t worry post no4 is not real Logarusic and we all know our coach.
@Logarusic you have said what most local coaches will not say for fear of being ‘marked’ and never being given a chance to coach the national team.
The truth is that for most/some of us Gor fans when it comes to football our passion for Gor far much exceeds that of the Harambee stars. With all the negative issues emanating from the national team and absence of positive results we feel nothing whether they lose or win. But when Gor wins or loses the excitement/disappoitment is just too much. Having said that we look forward to you to bring back that passion and I can assure you that the attendance of GM matches will overshadow those of Harambee stars, after all some/most of the Harambee stars fans are also GM fans. We also pray that the recruitments for the second leg will add value to the team unlike the past.
All the best in the second leg.
Lets be serious, see the comment at number 5 it cant be Logarusic, this is a bad jocker, whoever you are kindly leave our coach out of all these.
On Kimanzi, you all saw it against Malawi on Saturday, a team of buddies and comrades, outplayed and outmarked in all departments; this certainly will not take us anywhere and the sooner Nyamweya and co realize this the better, but its up to them. All Kogalo and AFC players, none of them can make the National team? To avoid all these embarassments, why not withdraw the country altogether from all competitions altogether and build afresh over the next 2 years under foreign aprofessional coach?
NOT A SHOCK REALLY
K’ogalo and Ingwe players conspicuously absent in the national team starting line up during the Saturday world cup qualifier is not a shock at all.
First, it is the prerogative of the coach to select his squad depending on the current form, experience and the like. I expected most Tusker FC players to have made the final cut, unfortunately the coach went for other things.
Collins Okoth, the bad boy of K’Ogalo was widely expected to be in the starting line up but ended up warming the new FIFA.com
branded seats of the newly refurbished Moi International Sports C entre, Kasarani.
If things normalice at SSMB, the two notable absentees will Either meet at the stadium or the traditional, Nyayo stadium.
I am sure the SSMB and the KPL will salivate from the amount of money these two teams will collect way above what they collected on Saturday. Perhaps in the absence of the players from the two teams, Jaro Soja and Isaac Juma represented us well. Congratulations for the two die hard fans!
all is not lost.it is possible to get an away result this weekend that will get us back on track.however,i disagree with the fielding of jamal who has not been playing regularly for his club side hence lacks match fitness as was evident on the pitch.we would all like to know what criteria the coach used in picking him and leaving out fitter and regular club players!!
Fred, the criteria is simple. Be a former or current player of Mathare or Sofapaka and you are in. All the same I wonder why Baraza of Sofapaka was left out, maybe becuase the players of these two teams would have been too many. While Jamal has issues on picking which game to play in Mathare Kevin Kimani has not played any competitive footabsll since November last year (the end of the last KPL season). At times I pity Oliech being matched with all sorts of players in the national team. You end up being lumped together as losers.
Just saw that SS is ready to air our matches for the second leg. I hope that we will be our brothers’ keepers this time. Let the skills of Rama, Kevo, Owino and the rest be seen all over Africa
What has changed so that they (SS)have had a change of heart? Why switch us on/off like some electricity switch?
Barefoot Bandit? What a name!!!!!!! You see we have changed our ways and are now good boys, you change your name brother and be with us on SS show, our boys badly need it for exposure and cheers to SS.
Kenya is bigger than Kimanzi,we deserves better results, we need objective team selection and maturity in team handling… kimanzi change your ways.
@19 Ja Thur GI ji just call him our scriptures nourisher and very wise counsel the one-man Jackowili and you will land at Barefoot Bandit. Consult Arrumtiddi for further evaluation if need be. So I beg to support what has changed? Yes our players needs exposure but SS should by now know that they need GM in equals terms and not on unsubstantiated conditions. GM spends the most to host matches and yet the SS plays SSMB politics!
logarusic where are you? they say you have gone for greener pastures. we are worried, please respond. If you can talk about Harrambee stars problems, what about Kogallo,where a re you? Bwana and Faiz are silent on this also. Kuna nini yawa?
Logarusic I echo your sentiments. We missed the whole point from the midfield. Team selection is still a big problem to so many coaches. Jamal, Clifford, Mieno created a big loophole and made Malawi escape with a point. We now have a mountain to climb of beating Namibia and Nigeria…anyway let’s hope this was a lesson for us and Kimanzi will be more cautious about team selection in future, basing it on current form but not histories. Does it mean GM, Ulinzi & AFC leopards and other clubs did not qualify to be selected? Kimanzi you need to be more serious. By the way this disorganization we saw right from the gate…it was really hard to get inside the stadium even though we had tickets-only two gates were opened. Is this the security Mr. Nyamweya said ‘we’ll witness security we’ve never seen?’. Running football here in Kenya is not very easy because so many people have vested interest!
Ja Thur gi ji? (A man of the people?) What a great name!!!!
Take a look at this: http://www.futaa.com/football/article/logarusic-kenya-needs-a-fresh-start.
@Collins in post 21 please compare it with contents of post 5. Fear not, he will be back soon.
By the way where was the so called Osiako called to bolster the midfield? It is of no use calling a player then you don’t use him at all. All in all, if in our next match Kimanzi uses Wanga, Were, Oliech & Oboya upfront and gives Mugubi free role of running behind strikers then we’ll get the maximum points against Namibia this weekend. In fact with good selection we can still top this group…there is still high hope. The only biggest mountain to climb is Nigeria since history has always favoured them.
On watching Victor Wanyama Play at the Celtics he is a defencive midfielder who can fit in any position at the defense. Osiako is on top form at his club sitting in front of the defenders, but why not use Osiako instead of Jamal.
The bottom line is Nyamweya must go for football to develop in Kenya we need new ideas, leaders who are transparent and really care for the progress of football in Kenya not corrupt individuals.
And on that not Gor needs to establish a strong youth system that’s the secret of every successful club in the world.
KB for GOR MAHIA to establish a strong youth system then the club MUST have its own academy and a club house with GOR MAHIA’s own training ground. We should leave city stadium to KARIOBANGI SHARKS and NAIROBI STIMA. I am advocating for real development. On the issue of HARAMBEE STARS, the midfielders should be fine-tuned. Jamal Mohammed should be replaced by Rama Salim or any other suitable attack minded midfielder. Kevin Kimani should be replaced by Kevin ochieng or any other attack minded midfielder. Humprey Mieno should start delivering balls upfront. If those changes are made then we will win in Namibia. As the famous Chinese philosopher called TSUI TSU wrote in his famous book called The Art Of War, “INVINCIBILITY LIES IN DEFENSE AND POSSIBILITY OF VICTORY LIES IN THE ATTACK”. So when those Kenyans go to Namibia they should ALWAYS defend as a unit and counter attack all of them as a unit as I always watch Chelsea do when they play tough opponents like Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Also we should not go to Namibia to play nice attractive football with no goals!!! On the contrary we should go there to score two goals ONLY, and defend with a very urgly kind of play because at the end of 90 minutes it will be the goals and points that matter. I hope coach Kimanzi Francis has read the book called THE ART OF WAR
THE ART OF WAR
kimanzi’s lineup always is based on friendship or product of mathare utd
I am an afc leopard fan but truely speaking if given the task of national coach then l wouldnt live Rama salim he is in his best form also afc wonder boy victor ochieng will cordimate well in the striking midfield. Wat is kimanzi advertisng sofapaka players behaving lyke mulee while in tusker. Kenya wil loos bcoz poor blending .take koops n logarusic n w wil go somewhere.