Watch out! Bandari is on fire this season

Bandari remains one of the four unbeaten teams in the Kenyan Premier League this season for many reasons.

Having played seven games so far and sitting second behind league leaders Mathare United - albeit having played a game more than Western Stima – they are yet to lose a game and this, dear reader, begs an explanation.

The doubting Thomases are but waiting for their ‘usual slip’. But this oft-prophesised seasonal debacle is stretching positively game after game to the chagrin of their distractors. So what has changed? I have watched Bandari play for a number of years but last season and the current one has given us something different from the cheap stereotypes usually hurled against coastal sides – that of poor attitude and lack of self-discipline among the lads.

The misrepresentation is of course misleading and opens debate for another day but the experienced Bernard Mwalala must have known this and for sure, one of his first assignments was to diplomatically curb the influence of egotistical players while weeding out those beyond redemption.

I have witnessed a camaraderie amongst the players, the officials and their deep pocketed sponsor Kenya Ports Authority that has never been experienced at the Mbaraki Stadium.

There is evidence too that the sponsor wants success in the form of their first ever trophy and the budget has doubled, courtesy of KPA CEO Daniel Manduku who is a football fan.

These days, players sing and dance together in the team bus, portraying a monolithic outfit that, after many years of heartache and relegation battles that see-sawed between promise and despair, is now getting stronger.

Fans, now ever more jingoistic, are acknowledging the ‘Manduku Effect’, and there is some truth to it.

For example, last season when Manduku hosted the team for a sumptuous lunch at their Mbaraki backyard to celebrate their best ever season in the league after finishing runners-up to Gor Mahia, the first word

Manduku uttered was “You’ll go to Zanzibar for your pre-season training” which worth all three points.

The near-instantaneous reaction from the players painted a picture of a group whose hard work was finally being recognised.

In addition, Mwalala, a youthful manager, did away with a lazy approach to training and put in place a ‘military training regime.’

During the team’s pre-season training session in Zanzibar, the players’ programme oscillated between early morning training sessions, afternoon bare-foot runs and friendly matches against established Tanzanian league sides. All this with the aim of strengthening the minds of the players.

I saw it all and if the random comments by die-hard Zanzibari football fans is anything to go by, Bandari is the team to watch this season!

So when coach Hassan Oktay of Gor Mahia said “we should have scored five goal against Bandari” after K’Ogalo’s 2-1 loss to Bandari in the team’s season opener, he missed the point. Watch out this season. Bandari is on fire!