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Gor Mahia seem to be shooting themselves in the foot following a series of missteps that are threatening to derail their march to another FKF Premier League title.
Gor Mahia are just four games into the new season but already look to be in a crisis that could have huge implications on their title defence.
K’Ogalo suffered their first league loss of the new campaign when they were defeated 2-1 by 10-man Nairobi City Stars on Monday, a match that saw fans vent their frustrations at the players and technical bench, with coach Leonardo Neiva having to be whisked away to avoid their wrath.
It should not be the time to panic but at Gor Mahia, losses are not tolerated and it gets worse if there was no effort, as witnessed in Machakos on Monday.
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07:07 - 29.10.2024
Why Gor Mahia coach cracked the whip on four players ahead of disappointing City Stars defeat
Gor Mahia coach Leonardo Neiva was forced to rein in on his players yet again when he dropped four from the squad that lost to Nairobi City Stars over a number of issues.
The K’Ogalo fans have been accustomed to winning and when the results are not positive, they respond in the best way they know how.
Captain Philemon Otieno had to calm down the angry supporters after the match but they made sure their voice was heard when they told the players to change their attitude or leave the club.
Indiscipline & unprofessionalism
The fans were also angered by the fact that some of their players did not show commitment to the course by featuring in an amateur game days before the match against City Stars.
It promoted coach Neiva to crack the whip, dropping the four; Enock Morrison, Paul Ochuoga, Musa Masika and Chris Ochieng from the matchday squad, as a way of passing a message to the rest.
Neiva has had to deal with cases of indiscipline and lack of professionalism in his short reign and recently explained how he has given them warnings which seem to fall on deaf ears.
The Brazilian coach had to drop some of his players from their CAF Champions League match against Al Ahly in September over the same issues.
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17:44 - 02.10.2024
Embattled Gor Mahia player Ronney Onyango receives national team call-up despite club situation
The Gor Mahia player has been axed from the squad by Gor head coach Leo Neiva due to a 'lack of commitment'.
“Football is not just about the technical issues, it is also about mental, commitment, behaviour and attitude and that is why we do not like sometimes to put players out but what can we do?” he posed ahead of the match in Cairo.
“Tomorrow [Saturday], some players are just going to be out of the squad. We want commitment and effort.”
Problems with Ronney Onyango
It later emerged that one of the players was utility man Ronney Onyango who fell out with the coach over a tactical decision.
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09:36 - 21.09.2024
Gor Mahia coach to crack the whip on indiscipline within his squad for crucial Al Ahly clash
Gor Mahia coach Leonardo Neiva has promised to rein in on some of his players for lacking discipline and commitment ahead of their crucial Champions League encounter with Al Ahly.
Onyango was reportedly not happy to be played out of position and reacted angrily, failing to turn up for training, with Neiva responding by dropping him from the squad in their two league openers.
It is such cracks that appear to be rocking the Gor Mahia boat when it has just started to sail towards what fans expect to be a third straight league title and 22nd overall.
The K’Ogalo family will need to sort out the issues quickly or risk seeing their season fall apart so early.
Gor Mahia are 10 points behind league leaders KCB after playing four matches but luckily for Neiva and his team, they have three games in hand, giving them an opportunity to right their wrongs and focus on what really matters, winning games.
They can, however, only do that when everyone is pulling in the same direction.
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