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Sharks’ ‘Kanu’ under pressure after poor run

Sharks’ ‘Kanu’ under pressure after poor run
Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya.

No sporting job is as insecure as football coaching. It has its upsides and the opposite.

Three losses in an 18-match league spell doom for the holder of the position and no wonder the pressure on the holder of the job is immense. So immense that at the end of the season, the survivors stand out.

In the last two months, Kenyan Premier League coaches have gotten the sack.

Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya is one of those who have had a long spell with a KPL outfight and it is startling that he is still in charge despite the team winning only a single match in 10 outings.

The latest setback by Sharks was a 4-2 loss by Ulinzi Stars in a midweek fixture in Kasarani and assuming the big fish slump further against Wazito on Monday, fans may ask aloud just why Muluya’s head should not be on the chopping board.

Add onto the fact that Sharks received sponsorship from Betway this week and you feel that there are more reasons why the tactician is not sleeping on the job.

Melis Medo or Divaldo Alves have realised what it meant in their job description after being booted out by Wazito and Sofapaka respectively over a string of poor results.

On Thursday, Wazito shocked the football world with the announcement that left all and sundry wondering about the job’s security in the country.

Amongst the two, it was Medo who had the shortest stints as he was sacked by Wazito owner Ricardo Badoer after just four games with the club.

Reciprocate

Having said that, Sharks captain Eric Juma said they are determined to reciprocate the gesture by the betting company with a good performance on the pitch.

‘’I want to state that we have learned our lessons. Obviously, the position we are in the KPL is not of our status but I think there is room for improvement and nobody should write us off,’’ said Juma.

In the meantime, seven matches are on the card this weekend with the focus being the fixture between table-topping Gor Mahia and Bandari at Mbaraki in Mombasa on Sunday.

Both teams are still nursing hangovers of elimination in continental championships but it suffices to say that home ground advantage will be key for Bandari as they seek to haul themselves up from an odd 12th position in the league chart.

But then, the dockers are meeting a Gor side that is oozing a lot of confidence after slaying Kakamega Homeboys 3-0 at Moi Stadium in Kisumu last Thursday ahead of the league’s resumption on Sunday.

Gor’s Ghanaian front-runner Francis Afriyie and overlapping defender Charles Momanyi both looked dangerous on the ball and these are some of the players Bandari defence should strive to mark out if they want to avoid trouble.  

Elsewhere at Kenyatta Stadium in an early kick-off, Posta Rangersn who are placed second in the chart will be seeking for the scalp of Tusker in a match that will bring together two evenly matched teams.

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