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Gor Mahia sacked coach Sinisa Mihic on Monday following a string of poor results but how did it go so wrong for the Croatian tactician?
Gor Mahia are left looking for a coach for the third time this season following the sacking of Croatian Sinisa Mihic on Monday.
Mihic was sent packing after an indifferent run of form that has left Gor Mahia on the brink of losing the FKF Premier League title that looked to be in their sights for a number of times in recent weeks.
The Croat lasted just three-and-a-half months in the K’Ogalo hot seat, having come with much promise in February, as he replaced Brazilian Leonardo Neiva, who was fired for failing to deliver on the pitch and an inability to solve other problems off it.
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So, how did the man nicknamed ‘low budget Klopp’ by some fans end up failing at Gor Mahia?
Sinisa Mihic: 5 Reasons ‘Low Budget Klopp’ Was Doomed at Gor Mahia
Wrangling Within Technical Bench
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Mihic was appointed at the start of February but by April, he was not seeing eye-to-eye with members of his technical bench.
The Croat claimed assistant coaches Zedekiah Zico Otieno and Michael Nam, as well as team manager Victor Nyaoro, were undermining him, leading to a bitter falling out that needed the club’s management to step in and help resolve.
It is reported that the tactician’s instructions were not being followed by his subordinates and on one occasion, he stormed out of Dandora Stadium in protest, having been reported to have issued a tactical advice that was not adhered to.
With the infighting, Mihic, just like his predecessor Neiva, who faced the same problems, was doomed as there was no cohesion among the men who were supposed to plan the team’s success.
Dressing Room Disharmony
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Another issue that Mihic faced, just like Neiva, was a poor relationship with a section of players with camps reported within the squad.
This came to the fore in April when he claimed star midfielder Austin Odhiambo was “sabotaging” him, assertions that the playmaker refuted, terming the issue just a "small misunderstanding.”
It is reported that the disharmony within the technical bench spilled over to the squad with some players defying the tactician’s instructions, making his work difficult.
Gor Mahia’s Indifferent Form
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The aforementioned issues were only going to lead to one thing, poor displays on the pitch and Gor Mahia have laboured to put together a consistent run of positive results since Mihic came in.
Mihic took charge of 13 league matches but managed just six wins, not good enough for a Gor Mahia coach, while what was more frustrating were five draws, some against lesser sides like Bidco United and Murang’a Seal.
However, what put him in a tight spot even further were unlikely defeats to struggling FC Talanta and bottom club Nairobi City Stars.
Gor Mahia would have been cruising to a record-extending 22nd league title had they turned half of the draws into wins or even beaten the two lesser sides but now, Kenya Police are a win away from lifting their maiden crown after the K’Ogalo ‘bottle job.’
Frosty Relationship With Fans
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Sinisa Mihic earned the moniker ‘low budget Klopp’ from his touchline antics and fist pumps after wins, akin to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
While it endeared him to supporters early on, the goodwill quickly disappeared when the results started going south and he became techy on the touchline, threw tantrums when things did not go right while blaming fixture congestion for the team’s woes.
It did not go down well with K’Ogalo fans and in his final match in Murang’a, the supporters gave him a piece of their mind, with some strong words used, which suggested a broken relationship before he was taken out of his misery on Monday.
Poor Transfer Window
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Gor Mahia got into the 2024-25 season not sure about the futures of their two best players in Benson Omala, the league’s top scorer last season, and Austin Odhiambo, the Most Valuable Player.
Both were angling for moves abroad and while Omala got it, Odhiambo did not. The playmaker is still the team’s highest scorer but his impact this season has not been greatly felt like the last two campaigns while he also did not have someone to convert his chances when Omala left.
Midseason, right-back Ronney Onyango was destabilised by transfer rumours to Tanzania, having had a fallout with ex-coach Neiva earlier, and he later left for Norway, further taking quality away from the squad.
Meanwhile, new signings like Gedeon Bendeka and Enock Morrison have not set the stage alight while the supporting cast have dipped in form, leading to a poor goal output as 42 goals in 31 games is not ‘K’Ogaloish’, and even with the return of Omala, whose transfer to Lebanon ran into problems, the weaknesses are still there.
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