NOT YET CHAMPIONS

NOT YET CHAMPIONS

It is still early to start popping champagne bottles for championship. To borrow from the doyen of opposition politics, the late Oginga Odinga, it is not yet Uhuru fans of Gor Mahia. Gor fans should be aware of these words and play the guarded game. If their memories are still clear then 2012 season can be used as a reminder against naming a child before it is born.

There is no denying that currently Gor Mahia holds an advantage over other contenders to the throne. Sofapaka and Tusker look like they have a stomach to take the fight till the end whereas Ulinzi and Chemelil are just pretenders, but they need to take it one step at a time.

Looking at the remaining fixtures for the three contenders there is a cause for concern. Gor Mahia seems to have the hardest run in. They have to face Bandari, City Stars, Mathare United, Sofapaka, Muhoroni Youth and KRA. City Stars, Mathare and Sofapaka will be hard nuts to crack going by the recent results against those teams. The other teams will be looking to avoid relegation fight.

Tusker has Ulinzi, Mathare, Muhoroni Youth, KRA, Thika and Sofapaka. This may seem hard on paper but with the tactical ingenuity of Francis Kimanzi, nothing can be ruled out. He knows Kenya Premier League better than Frank Nuttal and knows how each team should be approached. He is good at motivating his players and squeezing every ounce of energy from them. Tusker also seems to have a complete squad with no areas to point for weakness.

Sofapaka on the other hand has Sony Sugar, KRA, Gor, AFC Leopards and Tusker to navigate. These are big teams but going by recent results, Sofapaka are high on confidence and they seem to grind out results every time they play. It will be hard for them but they only have five matches to play and enjoy an advantage of a big squad.

Gor has a point lead on Sofapaka and a game at hand but this does not carry much until it is played. There is cause for optimism but it should be treated with the caution it deserves lest some fans die from heart attack.

Gor’s achilles heel lies in attack. Without Sserunkuma, Gor suffers against its opponents. If a team marks the talisman then most of the time Gor manages at best a draw.  The defense is also a point of concern. Musa Mohammed and Jerim Onyango are like time bombs waiting to explode. You never know when Musa will cause a penalty or when Jerim will make a blunder that robs the team all three points or two points.

This is the time to support the team and lift their spirits to unprecedented heights. We also need to delay title talk so that pressure does not creep into the team. It will be a tight run in that any team will need to guard against premature celebrations.

We have the title in hand, but we should focus to the tape lest it drops on the way.