By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
FC Johansen, Mighty Blackpool and Central Parade are the only teams in the Sierra Leone Premier League that have failed to register a win this season. This failure has led to more pressure on the coaches in charge of these teams.
Last season some teams in this league sacked up to a dozen coaches. This shows you that this is a league where club executives are known to be impatient. Teams like Bo Rangers, Old Edwardians and Mighty Blackpool fired a total of six coaches - two each.
With four games already gone in the current season, the bell is ringing, and speculations are swelling on who will be the first manager to be axed.
Kaloga out?
Perhaps FC Johansen coach, Abdulai ‘Kaloga’ Bah has more rope than the other two coaches. His executive understands that the team is coming back from the cold after a season away.
They also understand that they have a relatively young squad, most of whom are only playing in the top tier league for the first time. They might also not be worried since the season is still early.
But having said all this, all these excuses might not suffice if the team doesn’t win until 10 games into the season. Bah and few other FC Johansen officials are cracking their heads on how to turn things around.
And they might also be asking themselves: “How long till you admit that your team’s winless streak is a crisis?”
Its still too early in the season, so many might hope Bah and FC Johansen will find their winning formula. If they don’t find it soon, they will be drawn into a very nasty relegation fight. Then, Coach Bah might just be casualty number one.
Currently they are 13th with just two points after 4 games.
Mansaray feeling the heat
How the Mighty has fallen. This Mighty Blackpool side is a shadow of what it really ought to be. The coach, Chernor Mansaray, is struggling to get these boys to take their chances.
As a unit they have shown some signs of brilliance, but they haven’t taken their chances when it matters. After Saturday’s defeat by FC Kallon, Mansaray was a worn-out man. His body language showed anger, frustration and desperation all combined.
Asked whether he was worried about his job, he said: “I am not worried about my job, I am worried about the team and the players who are not taking their chances.”
Last season Blackpool sacked two coaches and ended finishing 5th in the league. Mansaray knows that the axe is hovering over his head and might come down soon.
For all the good work he has done with this team, he knows that it is easier to sack him than to replace the whole team- Football Economics 101.
Blackpool are already 12th in the table after four games. They don’t belong there. They are strangers in that region of the table.
MLK out of his depth
Meet Mohamed Lamin Kamara, the coach of Central Parade. Sources within the club say he joined the team just days before their opening game in the premier league.
Kamara is totally out of his depth here. He is struggling to even know the players and what system the team should play. There have been times this season when Parade seemed lost in their own tactics.
After four games they are yet to register a win; they lost three and drew one.
Sources within the club said the leadership understands the coach’s predicament. For now, he is contending with players who are not good enough for the league, some key players are injured, and hunger and ambition is totally missing.
So, Kamara has some room to operate and probably turn things around. But how far that patient might go is yet to be known. By this time last season, Parade had fired their coach, Bobson Sesay.
This shows that this is a club that has the appetite to pull the trigger when they must.
“Sojas” vow to fight relegation
By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
The coach of Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces Football Club (RSLAF-FC) has said his team is prepared to fight against relegation this season. Tito Cole made the statement following their third defeat of the season against Old Edwardians on Sunday.
“We are not going to relegate. We are going to fight. Just that bringing young boys together, bringing a new team together is not an easy task.” Cole said in the post-match press conference.
RSLAF-FC have three points out of the four matches they’ve played this season. They are currently 11th with just a point separating them from the drop zone.
Last season the team finished 12th out of the 13 teams that participated in the league. Their performance at the beginning of this season so far suggests that they could be in for a very long and messy relegation fight.
But Mr Cole has vowed to improve on the team’s performance.
“We have many more matches to play and we are trying our best to see that we win our next match,” he said.
RSLAF FC will now prepare to face Ports Authority this Sunday.
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