Ssimbwa chases Express' ‘lost causes’

Kakungulu Cup winners
1971 Coffee
1972-75 Not held
1976 Gangama
1977 Simba
1978 Nsambya
1979 KCC
1980 KCC
1981 Coffee
1982 KCC
1983 Villa
1984 KCC
1985 Express
1986 Villa
1987 KCC
1988 Villa
1989 Villa
1990 KCC
1991 Express
1992 Express
1993 KCC
1994 Express
1995 Express
1996 Umeme
1997 Express
1998 Villa
1999 Mbale Heroes
2000 Villa
2001 Express
2002 Villa
2003 Express
2004 KCC
2005 URA
2006 Express
2007 Express

By Joseph Opio

SAM Ssimbwa and lost causes are as separable as Siamese twins.
At least, that’s the instant verdict a cursory glance at the 40-year old’s well-travelled resume would attract.
From KCC to Health; from Mbale Heroes to Masaka; from TOP TV to Express — Ssimbwa has pursued and rescued more lost causes than the most nomadic missionary.

His quest for lost causes has even transcended international boundaries — dragging Ssimbwa to Kigali where he took unheralded Atraco FC from obscurity through the apex of Rwandese football to continental glory.
Fans nicknamed him José Mourinho for his troubles.

“I don’t look at them as lost causes,” Ssimbwa philosophises. “I look at them as professional challenges. I don’t think there’s a better way to build someone’s CV. As you can see, every time I take on a challenge and succeed, my CV just gets stronger.”

Were Ssimbwa to take on more ‘challenges’ like his most recent at Express, his CV will bear all the tensile strength of steel by the time he’s through.
Ssimbwa’s decision to take over the reputation-shredding reins at Wankulukuku was littered with professional hazards.

Express minefield
On-pitch, Express was an absolute wreck — cast amidst the flotsam and jetsam of relegation certainties after an indifferent league season.
Off-pitch, Ssimbwa was treading on eggshells — courtesy of his KCC ties.

Having spent his entire career at Lugogo, the ex-right winger knew his mission was as much about guiding Express through a relegation minefield as converting a mob of demanding fans who had greeted him with ferocious jeers and ill-concealed hostility on his past visits.

“It was very risky, of course. Express fans had never liked me. I had played for their cross-city rivals KCC, all my life. You could say I represented everything they hated. I knew that they doubted my loyalty and would question every decision I made unless things went well.”

In fact, Express fans didn’t intend to just ‘question’ Ssimbwa’s every decision.
They intended to scrutinise his every breath with forensic interest.
Mercifully, Ssimbwa never gave them a chance.
Express — under his inspired stewardship — threaded together a 12-match unbeaten streak that took them from the brink of relegation to the giddy heights of a Kakungulu Cup triumph.

Ssimbwa the hero
Needless to say, the youthful tactician is, these days, viewed through rose-tinted, messianic lenses by all Wankulukuku faithful!

It’s the same effect that Ssimbwa had on fans at his past professional stop-over with Mbale Heroes.

The Germany-trained tactician was still taking his first, tentative steps into a managerial career at Health, when Heroes’ pounced for his services.

Heroes had indulged in a season-long courtship dance, repeatedly casting amorous glances in Ssimbwa’s direction before gathering the courage to lure him to Mbale in 1999.

“Mbale was struggling when I took charge. They had been stuck in the drop zone and I was supposed to lead them into the mid-table. It was a tough task for a number of reasons.”
First, Ssimbwa had to desert his family and relocate to Mbale.

Then, despite their team’s deficiencies, Heroes’ fans expected, not Ssimbwa the coach, but his miracle-working alter-ego.
He obliged them!
Ssimbwa led the club to fourth place behind the three Kampala giants before shepherding them to an unlikely Kakungulu Cup.

His stay though was typically brief. “My wife wasn’t happy with the long stretches of time I spent in Mbale. I had to resign and return to Kampala.”

But his missus, Samali Namayanja, was left bewildered when Ssimbwa again took up an upcountry post.

In a gesture of marital compromise though, the professional nomad only signed a short-term contract with Masaka LC.
Within seven months, he was through with his mission — having catapulted Masaka to the top-flight for the first time since 1982.

Further adventures
Ssimbwa moved to Military FC thereafter; resigned due to interference in team selection by his employers — before running to KCC’s rescue.

“KCC was misfiring and I was brought in with eight matches to go. I won six, drew one and lost one — to Villa. KCC signed up Jan Frey the next season so I moved on to TOP TV.”
And instant notoriety!
Ssimbwa found TOP TV in quite a quagmire; having acquired a paltry two points in all but two of their first round matches.

Notoriety at TOP TV
He battled with relegation for the entire second round; and confronted a title-chasing Express on the final day.
Cue a moment of ‘criminal’ genius.

“Express needed 8 goals to win the title. TOP TV was above Iganga [their relegation rivals] on goal-difference and we had to concede less than three goals to stay up.”

Ssimbwa’s well-laid plans were wrecked when Express raced into a 2-0 lead within 17 minutes.
Staring relegation in the face, the crafty Ssimbwa came up with a most devious scheme.

“I instructed my players to abort the game. According to the rules, such an act attracted a penalty of three points and two goals. So, we lost three points, as we would have anyway, but lost by a mere two goals which was sufficient to avoid relegation.”

Exile and heroic return
The general public demonised Ssimbwa as scandalised Express fans hunted him down with naked vengeance in mind.
Our hero fled to Rwanda, where he coached Atraco FC whilst he waited for the storm to blow over.

It proved just another in a series of well-executed nomadic sojourns!