Coach Akonnor backs Gor Mahia to finish on top despite recent dip

Gor Mahia's Charles Akonnor, left, after claiming his third Coach of the Month award. (Photo: Gor Mahia/Facebook)

Gor Mahia coach Charles Akonnor remains convinced his side will finish on top of the FKF Premier League despite a recent dip in form that has seen the champions lose to KCB and draw their following match to Nairobi United.

Akonnor believes the setbacks are part of the demands of a long title race and insists Gor have enough belief and character to recover and maintain their challenge for another league crown.

“The belief is that on the final day, when the league comes to an end, we’ll be on top,” Akonnor said.

Gor had enjoyed a perfect October, winning all four of their matches, a run that earned Akonnor the Coach of the Month award.

The Ghanaian coach says the winning streak was the result of work done to rebuild the players mentally after a difficult period following their CECAFA and Champions League campaigns.

“We arranged for a psychologist to talk to the boys to have a different feel of what it is to be a footballer and also to have a different voice,” Akonnor said.

The intervention helped Gor regain their focus and was followed by four straight victories, giving the team the momentum that had been missing.

Akonnor, however, knows maintaining that run throughout an entire season is unrealistic, particularly as rival teams study the champions and develop ways of containing them.

“As we go along, other teams are watching us, and they also find a strategy to outsmart us,” he said.

The coach has urged Gor supporters to remain patient, arguing that even the biggest teams experience difficult periods.

He cited Brazil, Barcelona and Manchester City as examples of teams that have also suffered defeats despite their quality.

For Akonnor, the important issue is how Gor respond when results do not go their way.

The defeat to KCB, he said, exposed areas that required improvement, while the subsequent draw showed another side of the team after Gor fought back for an equaliser.

“We lost against KCB for certain reasons, and that reason allowed us to work hard, to improve in those areas,” he said.

He was particularly pleased with the response against Nairobi United, whom he described as having consistently caused problems for Gor.

“They’ve always been a thorn in our flesh,” Akonnor said.

Gor’s ability to recover and find an equaliser, he added, showed that the players still possess the belief required to compete for the title.

“If you have a team like that that can come from nowhere to equalise, it’s a very good sign,” he said.

The coach also believes the team’s progress is being reflected in the individual development of its players.

He pointed to Alpha Onyango, who returned to the Harambee Stars after previously being dropped from the national team.

Akonnor revealed that he had held difficult conversations with the midfielder, but said Onyango accepted the criticism, worked hard and earned his way back.

“Some of them were dirty. But I think he has accepted that in good faith. He’s worked very, very well to get there,” Akonnor said.

The coach said the recognition of his players at international level was important to the club, while praising the entire squad for maintaining a strong team spirit through difficult moments.

He said players had sometimes disagreed with the technical team but continued to work and perform, describing their attitude both on and off the pitch as positive.

Akonnor’s own recognition as Coach of the Month was therefore less important to him than the work done by the squad.

He said the award was emotional because of how much Gor had gone through before their October revival, adding that he would not have received it without the players’ performances.

The award was his third since the monthly coaching awards were reintroduced, putting him at the top of the standings for most wins during that period.

Akonnor used the occasion to praise coaches across the league, including the KCB technical bench for the way they managed to beat Gor and other coaches who have improved their teams.

He said the increasing competitiveness was a sign that Kenyan football was improving, but called for greater support from the government, private sector and football authorities.

“Kenyan football is on a different level. They are improving,” he said.

With the international break providing time to assess the team’s recent performances, Akonnor believes the lessons from the KCB defeat and the subsequent comeback will help Gor improve when league action resumes.

The journey, he admits, is far from over. “So far, it’s been OK, but it’s not done yet. The journey is too long,” he said.

And while Gor’s recent results have provided their rivals with encouragement, Akonnor remains confident that the champions will have the final say when the title race reaches its conclusion.