Foreign influence keeps Gor’s title count ticking

Akonnor also became the first non-European foreign coach to win the Kenyan championship with K’Ogalo.

Out of Gor Mahia’s 15 title-winning coaches, nine have been Europeans, who have guided the club to 14 league crowns.

Five local coaches have delivered seven titles. Interestingly, four of these coaches are former K’Ogalo players, including Tobias “Jua Kali” Ochola, who remains the last homegrown coach to win a league title with Gor Mahia. He won it way back in 1993 as a player-coach after taking over mid-season from Bob Oyugi.

Paul Odhiambo won Gor Mahia’s first league title in 1968, the year the club was founded. He never played for the club

In 1974, Gor Mahia ended a six-year league trophy drought with player-coach Allan Thigo at the helm. Thigo, who died on May 9, also led the club to league triumphs in 1976 with an unbeaten run and in 1979, making him the joint-most successful Gor Mahia in league history.

Englishman Len Julians, a former Arsenal and Nottingham Forest forward, also won three league titles at Gor Mahia.

His success in delivering the club’s fifth and sixth league titles in 1983 and 1984, respectively, laid the blueprint for Gor Mahia’s dominance. Julians was the first foreign coach to lead the club to a league title.

Even though Julians left the club in mid-season in 1985, his contribution is remembered.

“While Maurice 'Sonyi' Ochieng’ was the coach when the club lifted the title in 1985, Julians had already done most of the groundwork,” a Gor Mahia historian who prefers to be identified as K’Ogalo Pundit, his username on X, tells Nation Sport.

Ochieng’ was also Gor Mahia’s coach in 1987 when they won a treble -- the league, the Moi Golden Cup, and the Mandela Cup.

Yet, the prominent role of Denmark’s Jack Johnson as technical advisor overshadowed Ochieng’s wins.

“In European football, some clubs have head coaches who work under a manager. As such, in the event of success, the manager takes credit. The same applies to the case of Johnson and Ochieng’. It was well known that Johnson had more influence on coaching and team selection,” K’Ogalo Pundit says.

Gor’s next league win game in 1990 via player-coach Austin Oduor. Oduor was also the captain of Gor Mahia’s 1987 treble-winning team.

Julians would then return to lead Gor Mahia to another league title in 1991.

Ochola, serving as player-coach, led Gor Mahia to their 11th league title in 1993 after taking over mid-season from Bob Oyugi.

“Jua Kali” Ochola remains the last Kenyan coach to lead the club to a league title as the years that followed saw the club banking heavily on foreign coaches to attain success.

Montenegrin Vojo Gardasevic, who later coached Harambee Stars, was at the helm of Gor Mahia in 1995 when they won their 12th league title. The 13th title took 18 years to arrive via Scotsman Bobby Williamson in 2013 after taking over from Croatian Zdravko Logarusic.

Another Scottish coach, Frank Nutall, ensured a Gor Mahia three-peat from 2014 and 2015.

Englishman Dylan Kerr became the fourth coach to win multiple league titles with Gor Mahia, following successes in 2017 and 2018.

Kerr’s replacement, Turk Hasan Oktay, ensured a title defence in the 2018-19 season.

Another Englishman, Steven Pollack, also celebrated a league title win with Gor Mahia in the 2019-20 season, which was ended after 23 rounds due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Johnathan McKinstry, the globe-trotting Northern Irishman, padded his CV with two league titles with a transfer-embargoed youthful Gor Mahia in 2023 and 2024.

No wonder many Gor Mahia followers say only a foreign coach can handle their beloved club.

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