Yesterday, I was not a happy soccer fan. Kimanzi got the boot for standing his groun regarding the international FRIENDLY between Harambee Stars and Egypt. One would only suspect that (again) money had something to do with all of it - considering the Egyptian soccer authorities were footing the bill both locally and international.
The stand in coach, could do the job, but Kimanzi, relatively young for a soccer coach, has amazing potential - he's got the potential to become Kenya's best ever local coach. Under him, Kenya's FIFA ranking rose to within the magical 70 required for soccer players to play in the lucrative English Premier League. Never mind that Kenya's ranking plummeted to below 80 the month after without a single game being played.
One wonders whether FKL, KFF (or whoever) really have Kenyan soccer interests at heart. Most of the time, they remind me of Kenyan politicians (those matching Mutahi Ngunyi's apt description).
Let's see if the players will be sufficiently motivated to give that extra effort under Kimanzi, who was able to relate to players extremely well due to his youth.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Thursday, December 4, 2008
DIARY OF A MAD FOOTBALL FAN
Numbers don’t lie, so they say; 65 days is the total number of days that I’ve spent in the doldrums. But then again, what goes around comes around. I’ve finally been forced to make my long overdue return to the staple. Let me explain. I say ‘finally’ because in this era of grand ‘homecomings’, (and shabik being my ‘baby’) I was duty bound to make a comeback at some point. And ‘forced’ because were it not for Redondo’s persistent tongue-lashing, then may be this post would never have seen the light of day. To put it another way, this brother literally fast-tracked my return into the fold.
Can you imagine the guy has been on my case in the past few weeks desperately trying to woe me back? No offence, but at some point I was thinking to myself “… this Redondo guy is now becoming a real pain in the a***” But then when after all his cajoling proved fruitless, he finally put it to me this morning in clear and certain terms. And boy, it was one hell of a dressing-down I took from this jolly good fella. “Am concerned that you’ve not made any attempt to write even a single article for this long”, were his final words in a terse and curt monologue. To say that I was jolted would be an understatement – I was stung beyond words! Folks, am back!
For starters, I believe its quite in order to begin with an apology for my rude manners and lack of courtesy. I should have had the decorum to begin with pleasantries before engaging you in the nitty gritty. Or may be even a ‘While You Were Away’ debrief wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all given my prolonged and unexplained absence. Anyway, I hope you folks are (and have been) well for all that while, just like myself.
Its not like I didn’t miss this platform, but an unfortunate combination of lethargy and lack of inspiration is what accounted for my self-imposed exile. There is this thing called the writers’ block which occasionally inflicts every scribe. For some reason, I get this obnoxious feeling that maybe this is just a classical example of the so called writers’ block. Even now that I’ve finally resolved to put pen to paper, I feel abit rusty as I struggle to choose the right words to construct this paragraph while cobbling together this disjointed piece of an article.
Wait a minute! Did I just say pen to paper? Yap, you got me right. I beg to be forgiven for being too indiscreet as to enclose that lately I’ve been some sort of a journeyman with no permanent residency. For that very reason, accessing modern by-products of technology in the form of PCs and laptops is no an everyday thing for me. So as I sit with a pen and note book in hand scribbling away the piece (which I hope to typeset later on at a nearby cybercafé) am not even sure if at all its going to make an interesting read by the time it gets to the shabik platform (all my troubles not withstanding). But just to give credence to a cheeky remark I overheard from certain jamaa recently, “Mwanaume sio jina – ni vitendo” (I know Redondo gets the joke), I guess I just have to show the vitendo here.
Now that I’ve given a written explanation for my AWOL (Absence Without Leave), I suppose we can catch up on the more important matters – Football! So what’s been cuttin’ in Premiership? Of course after an initial slow start, Man U has slowly crept back into the top three bracket. I hate admitting this, but from the looks of thing, the Red Devils yet again look like the team to beat as far as the
title race is concerned. Meanwhile, Arsenal continues to capitulate alternating some very good football at times with not very impressive displays on other occasions at a frequency that baffles more than annoys. How else then would you explain this a 2-1 loss to Stoke City, followed by a 2-1 win over Man U, then 2-0 and 3-0 losses to Aston Villa and Man City respectively, and then a 2-1 win over Chelsea…? Not a very impressive resume by all standards. And going by the disgraceful manner in which former skipper William Gallas was stripped of the armband, its not very hard to see that the Gunners troubles run deeper than the skin. I’ve said this here before and I’ll repeat it again for the umpteenth time; Arsene Wenger has done a lot for the
Across town, inspite of the wide squad at the disposal of Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Blues still don’t look like a team capable of sustaining the momentum over the long haul. They strike me as a team that will falter badly sooner r
ather later. In as much as their record on the road has been without blemish, their home form (they’ve already lost at home to
Elsewhere in Europe, it looks like the 
but judging from their current form, the la liga is only theirs to lose. What with their strength in depth the Catalans might even do a Manchester United (League & Champions League Double) come May 2009, unless a disaster of catastrophic magnitude hits them. Interesting the way
But the revelation of the European season so far has got to be a certain Hoffeinhem – a virtually unknown village outfit in
Finally, something for the experts of the game to crack their heads over; what happens in a scenario whereby two players finish joint top scorers, say with 30 goals a piece, but with one of the two players having scored an own goal along the way? Does the other player keep the award to himself or do they get to share the honours?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
what kind of soccer fan are you?
Over this weekend I was wondering what it would take to be a Leeds United soccer fan, from their heady days in the nineties, to their current state languishing in the lower leagues. Or what it would take to be a die hard Super League team supporter in the Kenyan league, fighting for survival.
A good number of Arsenal supporters (at least the Kenyan ones) are looking for the nearest cracks in the wall to hide themselves in...
One of the hall marks of a true soccer fan is to be able to support your team, through thick and thin. The true test of support is when things are going bad. A bit of a parallel here with Arsenal's former captain Gallas who when the team needed him most (Birmingham last season) chose to sulk at the centre of the pitch.
Calling all the true Shabik's there .. show your teams support; after all you cannot influence some decisions (e.g. who to buy / not to buy) so as a shabik, one is supposed to support.
A good number of Arsenal supporters (at least the Kenyan ones) are looking for the nearest cracks in the wall to hide themselves in...
One of the hall marks of a true soccer fan is to be able to support your team, through thick and thin. The true test of support is when things are going bad. A bit of a parallel here with Arsenal's former captain Gallas who when the team needed him most (Birmingham last season) chose to sulk at the centre of the pitch.
Calling all the true Shabik's there .. show your teams support; after all you cannot influence some decisions (e.g. who to buy / not to buy) so as a shabik, one is supposed to support.
Friday, November 21, 2008
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FAIL TO GATHER
Soccer is a team sport. Team members have to work together off and on the pitch to achieve success on the pitch. Human nature often makes team work a challenge. Any team must have a leader to champion the team's aspirations and provide direction. The leader has to be a person of exceptional skills both in his trade as well as in his ability to marshal the team members and focus their individual energies to achieve the common goal. Among the players' ranks, the leader should undoubtedly be the captain. Being a player he has a closeness and understanding of other players that the manager may be unable to command. He has the manager's ear as the manager expects him to help translate his ideas on the pitch. Unfortunately sometimes teams have power brokers who are defacto leaders. A player may acquire this defacto status by virtue of his football prowess or years of service to the club or a special endearment to the club leadership or fan-base.
Before I bore you with a lecture on team work I would like to say that the house of Arsene Wenger is on fire and so is Bernard Shuster's. The house mates started the fire and are now frantically trying to distinguish it yet are without a clue on how to. The fire is being fanned by disunity, lethargy and a lack of leadership in these two respective houses. William Galas has just disclosed that a team mate who had issues with other team members has been disrespectful to him. He has particularly taken exception with this player's attitude considering that the said player is six years his junior. This begs one question though, Does Gallas deserve the captaincy (and the respect that goes with it)? Is he a leader? Is he forthright yet calm as a true captain should be? The answers to these questions are subjective but either way he is the chosen leader therefore he deserves respect. Leadership comes with a lot of responsibility that is difficult to assume without the necessary support. He has rightfully taken the flak for a series of poor performances, yet win or loss it's a combined team performance. Beyond this, I see a bigger
problem, a lack of leadership that runs deeper than just the captaincy. If Gallas is a poor leader then Wenger should take the blame for his appointment. Wenger should also have put in place measures to avoid or at least contain dissent from the youthful players. Youth comes with talent & exuberance but often it also comes with inexperience in many forms including lack of team work. Alex Ferguson did not entertain disrespect from some of his most useful and experienced players (read Berckham & RVN). Also, he has always given the captaincy armband to no-nonsense personalities like Roy Keene. Just out of curiosity who might this disrespectful player be? Adebayor? Vanpasse?
Now across the sea to the other house on fire…..While Arsenal is grappling with the challenges of containing a bunch of over exuberant youth, Real's problems are primarily due to lethargy. A common thread though is a clear lack of leadership. Why does a player like Raul wield so much power when it's obvious that he is at the sunset of his career? It's rumoured that he resisted the attempts to sign David Villa fearing that his place in the team would be jeopardized. Real is bemoaning injury problems, but what does one expect when you have a bunch of old overworked horses that should have been shot along time ago. On Schuster's appointment, he promised the fans that they would be seeing a return to the beautiful play that has been the pedigree of the los Merengues. In all honesty Real's play is the worst that I have ever seen. Its sheer agony watching a team with no commitment or even conviction in their ability (or the lack of it). When David Berckham & colleagues were teenagers playing for MAN-U's reserve team they would
liken themselves to Real when they had a successful and beautiful display on the pitch. Oh how the mighty have fallen!
What's the conclusion of the matter? It all boils down to leadership.To Wenger and Schuster all I can say is shape up or ship out but as for me, I wish you all the worst in your endeavours!
Before I bore you with a lecture on team work I would like to say that the house of Arsene Wenger is on fire and so is Bernard Shuster's. The house mates started the fire and are now frantically trying to distinguish it yet are without a clue on how to. The fire is being fanned by disunity, lethargy and a lack of leadership in these two respective houses. William Galas has just disclosed that a team mate who had issues with other team members has been disrespectful to him. He has particularly taken exception with this player's attitude considering that the said player is six years his junior. This begs one question though, Does Gallas deserve the captaincy (and the respect that goes with it)? Is he a leader? Is he forthright yet calm as a true captain should be? The answers to these questions are subjective but either way he is the chosen leader therefore he deserves respect. Leadership comes with a lot of responsibility that is difficult to assume without the necessary support. He has rightfully taken the flak for a series of poor performances, yet win or loss it's a combined team performance. Beyond this, I see a bigger
problem, a lack of leadership that runs deeper than just the captaincy. If Gallas is a poor leader then Wenger should take the blame for his appointment. Wenger should also have put in place measures to avoid or at least contain dissent from the youthful players. Youth comes with talent & exuberance but often it also comes with inexperience in many forms including lack of team work. Alex Ferguson did not entertain disrespect from some of his most useful and experienced players (read Berckham & RVN). Also, he has always given the captaincy armband to no-nonsense personalities like Roy Keene. Just out of curiosity who might this disrespectful player be? Adebayor? Vanpasse?
Now across the sea to the other house on fire…..While Arsenal is grappling with the challenges of containing a bunch of over exuberant youth, Real's problems are primarily due to lethargy. A common thread though is a clear lack of leadership. Why does a player like Raul wield so much power when it's obvious that he is at the sunset of his career? It's rumoured that he resisted the attempts to sign David Villa fearing that his place in the team would be jeopardized. Real is bemoaning injury problems, but what does one expect when you have a bunch of old overworked horses that should have been shot along time ago. On Schuster's appointment, he promised the fans that they would be seeing a return to the beautiful play that has been the pedigree of the los Merengues. In all honesty Real's play is the worst that I have ever seen. Its sheer agony watching a team with no commitment or even conviction in their ability (or the lack of it). When David Berckham & colleagues were teenagers playing for MAN-U's reserve team they would
liken themselves to Real when they had a successful and beautiful display on the pitch. Oh how the mighty have fallen!
What's the conclusion of the matter? It all boils down to leadership.To Wenger and Schuster all I can say is shape up or ship out but as for me, I wish you all the worst in your endeavours!
Monday, November 17, 2008
KPL champions.. EPL.. Name changes
Mathare United are the KPL champions, after a battling draw over the weekend. Good for them; I've always been an admirer of the team and its structures. Let's also wait and see what'll happen with the national head coach situation.
Now apparently we have a new body FKL (Football Kenya Limited), taking over from KFF. Of course Sam Nyamweya and co wouldn't be happy about this change of events, so I suspect that the self-seeking power struggles over who's in charge of Kenyan soccer will continue for sometime.
One cannot help but feel that FIFA could have done much better in this regard. FIFA are not saints themselves anyhow so maybe that's wishful thinking.
There is so much potential, but greed and selfish ambition seems to be (as usual) the order of the
day.
Now abroad:
Chelsea and Liverpool continue with their ominous form. Chelsea for me look the more likely to sustain their march to the title, with Anelka in the form of his life. Liverpool are grinding out the results - an aspect that was largely absent in previous seasons.
ManU finally turned on the style and Stoke city discovered that long throws don't always win games.. and were demolished by a Ronaldo inspired team, missing the likes of Rio and Rooney.
So for Arsenal, 9 points off the top, the fight is not about the title, its about maintaining 'top 4 status', with Aston Villa looking a solid and balanced team. At best this season they can be considered a Cup team, since they lack the consistency to challenge for the title. And by cup - perhaps Carling Cup, now that the kids seem to be better performers..
Oh,
I remember posting this at the end of October.
10 games 20 points
2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return 76 points.
Arsenal has not played any of the traditional top 4 teams, plus the likes of Aston Villa who are top 4 contenders
Arsenal have now played a 'top 4' team and Aston Villa.. The facts:
13 games 23 points
<2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return of <76 points. and a max points possible of 98...
No Arsenal fan surely believes that this is a title winning team...
I suspect Chelsea might just win it. Though I know Liverpool really really want it after sooooo many years.
Whatever happened to Redondo and De'Stefano?
Now apparently we have a new body FKL (Football Kenya Limited), taking over from KFF. Of course Sam Nyamweya and co wouldn't be happy about this change of events, so I suspect that the self-seeking power struggles over who's in charge of Kenyan soccer will continue for sometime.
One cannot help but feel that FIFA could have done much better in this regard. FIFA are not saints themselves anyhow so maybe that's wishful thinking.
There is so much potential, but greed and selfish ambition seems to be (as usual) the order of the
day.
Now abroad:
Chelsea and Liverpool continue with their ominous form. Chelsea for me look the more likely to sustain their march to the title, with Anelka in the form of his life. Liverpool are grinding out the results - an aspect that was largely absent in previous seasons.
ManU finally turned on the style and Stoke city discovered that long throws don't always win games.. and were demolished by a Ronaldo inspired team, missing the likes of Rio and Rooney.
So for Arsenal, 9 points off the top, the fight is not about the title, its about maintaining 'top 4 status', with Aston Villa looking a solid and balanced team. At best this season they can be considered a Cup team, since they lack the consistency to challenge for the title. And by cup - perhaps Carling Cup, now that the kids seem to be better performers..
Oh,
I remember posting this at the end of October.
10 games 20 points
2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return 76 points.
Arsenal has not played any of the traditional top 4 teams, plus the likes of Aston Villa who are top 4 contenders
Arsenal have now played a 'top 4' team and Aston Villa.. The facts:
13 games 23 points
<2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return of <76 points. and a max points possible of 98...
No Arsenal fan surely believes that this is a title winning team...
I suspect Chelsea might just win it. Though I know Liverpool really really want it after sooooo many years.
Whatever happened to Redondo and De'Stefano?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The facts don't lie
10 games 20 points
2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return 76 points.
Arsenal has not played any of the traditional top 4 teams, plus the likes of Aston Villa who are top 4 contenders.
Granted their attack is arguably the most potent in the premiership, if not Europe but, the best teams traditionally have had an astute defense as well. Look at Man U last season in England and Europe and you will see what I mean - best defense in Europe and again a profilic front line.
Arsenal's game with Tottenham might be regarded by some as a freak result - how many games would you just throw away in the last 7 minutes of the game - but the defensive frailties are all too obvious.
I do not think they are ready to challenge this season for the premiership, some may say it's too early, but the numbers do not lie - the points average stats I highlighted at the beginning are pretty clear about that - and one must consider they have not played Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool (who incidentally apart from looking solid have had that streak of fortune that usually precedes a title winning campaign). Arsenal indeed would maybe consider their style of play more suited for Europe, though in Europe we have the likes of Barcelona who look like they might be getting their groove back.
A word on Tottenham - I have always thought they have very good players, just the wrong mix when they play, but then again thats why there exists a Coach. It will be interesting to see how far Mzee Redknapp takes them. I feel for Portsmouth though - maybe there should be a transer window for coaching staff too?
I wonder what my fellow bloggers think.
2 points per game
38 games -> a projected return 76 points.
Arsenal has not played any of the traditional top 4 teams, plus the likes of Aston Villa who are top 4 contenders.
Granted their attack is arguably the most potent in the premiership, if not Europe but, the best teams traditionally have had an astute defense as well. Look at Man U last season in England and Europe and you will see what I mean - best defense in Europe and again a profilic front line.
Arsenal's game with Tottenham might be regarded by some as a freak result - how many games would you just throw away in the last 7 minutes of the game - but the defensive frailties are all too obvious.
I do not think they are ready to challenge this season for the premiership, some may say it's too early, but the numbers do not lie - the points average stats I highlighted at the beginning are pretty clear about that - and one must consider they have not played Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool (who incidentally apart from looking solid have had that streak of fortune that usually precedes a title winning campaign). Arsenal indeed would maybe consider their style of play more suited for Europe, though in Europe we have the likes of Barcelona who look like they might be getting their groove back.
A word on Tottenham - I have always thought they have very good players, just the wrong mix when they play, but then again thats why there exists a Coach. It will be interesting to see how far Mzee Redknapp takes them. I feel for Portsmouth though - maybe there should be a transer window for coaching staff too?
I wonder what my fellow bloggers think.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
2010 Qualifiers
Group B
Mozambique
Nigeria
Kenya
Tunisia
28/03/09 Kenya - Tunisia
06/06/09 Nigeria - Kenya
20/06/09 Kenya - Mozambique
05/09/09 Mozambique - Kenya
10/10/09 Tunisia - Kenya
14/11/09 Kenya - Nigeria
Can Kenya make South Africa ? If we can get 13 points..
Mozambique
Nigeria
Kenya
Tunisia
28/03/09 Kenya - Tunisia
06/06/09 Nigeria - Kenya
20/06/09 Kenya - Mozambique
05/09/09 Mozambique - Kenya
10/10/09 Tunisia - Kenya
14/11/09 Kenya - Nigeria
Can Kenya make South Africa ? If we can get 13 points..
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