Gor Mahia on the threshold of historic achievement
History beckons Scot Frank Nuttall and Gor Mahia as the club aims to add another feather in its decorated hat on Sunday afternoon they tackle Ulinzi Stars in Nakuru.
Victory for the team will see the club crowned the league champions with four matches to spare for a record extending 15th time, while for Nuttall, 47, a place in the club’s folklore is at stake.
Born in Hamilton, Scotland on May 4, 1968, Nuttall has raised the bar way beyond K’Ogalo’s title rivals in the Kenyan Premier League this season.
From a beautiful brand of free-flowing football to enterprising and dynamic displays, Gor Mahia has been awesome with a 24-match unbeaten run to show for it.
That aside, should Gor disarm the soldiers, Nuttall will go on record as only the second foreign tactician to guide the league giants to back-to-back league titles.
The only coach to have achieved the feat is the late Briton and former Arsenal player (1959-1960) Len Julians, who won the gong for three successive years (1983, 1984 and 1985). Julians was also the club’s second foreign coach after Ugandan David Otti.
Julians is also remembered for revolutionizing the club by signing new young players in his first year following the strike of July 1982 by senior players.
Gor Mahia’ players at the time went on strike while in camp at Lenana High School as they prepared for a continental match against Dynamo of Madagascar.
GREAT COACHES
Their gripe was that they deserved better than sleeping on double beds like high school students and bathing using cold water in the biting cold July weather ahead of the important fixture.
Now standing on the cusp of history, Nuttall will be keen to scoop the title to add onto the one he won last term.
Should he succeed in his mission, he will surpass his compatriot and predecessor Bobby Williamson who helped Gor claim the title in 2013 for the 13th time.
An interesting statistic about the club is that, other than Cameroonian national Anaba Awono, all the other six foreign coaches who have handled K’Ogalo in the past have gone on to win a silverware with the club.
Otti (Ugandan), Julians (British), Jack Jackson (Denmark), Zdravko Logarusic (Croatian), Williamson and Nuttall (both Scottish) are the distinguished gentlemen in this roll of honour.
Significantly, Jackson was the man in charge when Gor Mahia won the Africa Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup) which has since been renamed the Caf Confederation Cup.
In the event that Gor Mahia go the entire season without suffering defeat, they will emulate the 1976 squad that went unbeaten thanks to the exploits of playmaker Allan Thigo who at the time was player-coach.
In Thigo’s roster were other great players such as Festus Nyakota, James Ogolla, new recruits Jerry Imbo and the legendary Maurice ‘Sonyi’ Ochieng who holds the league’s top scorer’s record of 26 goals to date.
