Sekaggya optimistic on Cranes’ chances
Oct 07, 2010
THEY say that the city of Nairobi, in which the Uganda Cranes will engage Kenya’s Harambee Stars tomorrow, is best toured on foot. The traffic apparently is an absolute nightmare. Don’t even think about parking, because there is nowhere available.
Fred Kaweesi
in Nairobi
THEY say that the city of Nairobi, in which the Uganda Cranes will engage Kenya’s Harambee Stars tomorrow, is best toured on foot. The traffic apparently is an absolute nightmare. Don’t even think about parking, because there is nowhere available.
If you add hundreds of Ugandan soccer fans to that setting, you get the kind of tense atmosphere that can get to players.
So to hear Cranes captain Ibrahim Sekagya tell the nation that “we are ready,†is reassuring.
“We are ready. We hope there is a good flow of the game. We will try our best and that is win the game to strengthen our position,†Sekagya told New Vision minutes before receiving the national flag from northern youth MP Dennis Obua at a handover ceremony at Sojovalo Hotel yesterday. The team left smartly clad in blaz¬ers, courtesy of FUFA presi¬dent Lawrence Mulindwa.
Attacking dilemma
With just close to 24 hours before the East African derby, Cranes boss Bobby Wil¬liamson finds himself with a selection nightmare. Of course, the Scot knows the skeleton of his first team, but will struggle on who will lead the attack.
The team’s strength in depth has been augmented by the remarkable perform¬ances of upcoming young¬sters in training, particularly in attack where Williamson has to decide who will re¬place injured David Obua.
The coach will also have to decide whether to go with a lone striker in Eugene Ssepu¬uya, or start with a two-man attack, with either Geoffrey Massa or Geoffrey Sserunku¬uma floating just behind him.
If Cranes intend to play a lone front-man, which ideally should be the case in their 4-5-1 formation, no forward does it better than Ssepuuya.
If the Kenyan back-four prove hard to crack, Cranes will then need instinct, a forward that will sniff out chances with a priceless sixth sense. Sserukuuma meets that. The striker has been worth a goal each time he has been brought on.
No excuses
The beauty this time about Uganda’s crunch fixture against Kenya is that the Cranes will have no excuse if they falter against their rivals here.
Of course, poor officiating remains one ‘unpredictable element’ but what better chance of end¬ing such damning statistics will Cranes ever get than this?
Ugandan teams have in the past accused their various hosts of foul play. Just in May this year, Cranes complained before their CHAN second leg qualifier in Nairobi of having been placed in a hotel far from their training ground and the stadium.
However, with the help of an advance party led by FUFA spokesman Rogers Mulindwa, the Cranes party that arrived in Nairobi yester¬day virtually had no hitches settling in at the luxurious Hennessis Hotel.
The newly constructed three-star Hotel that soccer governing body FUFA has booked, is about as private as it gets.
The location of the Hotel was designed to alleviate two problems – stress and boredom. Nyayo is roughly 5km away.
“Our High Commissioner here (Angelina Wapakhab¬ulo) has been of help. The hotel meets all the require¬ments,†Mulindwa stated.
Team in Nairobi:
D. Onyango, S. Masaba, N. Kizito, A. Mwesigwa, I. Sek¬agya, M. Mudde, T. Mawejje, V. Kayizzi, G. Massa,
E. Ssepuuya, S. Bengo, M. Sserumaga, R. Odongkara, J. Owino, G. Walusimbi, O. Kasule, G. Sserunkuuma,
D. Wagaluka.
in Nairobi
THEY say that the city of Nairobi, in which the Uganda Cranes will engage Kenya’s Harambee Stars tomorrow, is best toured on foot. The traffic apparently is an absolute nightmare. Don’t even think about parking, because there is nowhere available.
If you add hundreds of Ugandan soccer fans to that setting, you get the kind of tense atmosphere that can get to players.
So to hear Cranes captain Ibrahim Sekagya tell the nation that “we are ready,†is reassuring.
“We are ready. We hope there is a good flow of the game. We will try our best and that is win the game to strengthen our position,†Sekagya told New Vision minutes before receiving the national flag from northern youth MP Dennis Obua at a handover ceremony at Sojovalo Hotel yesterday. The team left smartly clad in blaz¬ers, courtesy of FUFA presi¬dent Lawrence Mulindwa.
Attacking dilemma
With just close to 24 hours before the East African derby, Cranes boss Bobby Wil¬liamson finds himself with a selection nightmare. Of course, the Scot knows the skeleton of his first team, but will struggle on who will lead the attack.
The team’s strength in depth has been augmented by the remarkable perform¬ances of upcoming young¬sters in training, particularly in attack where Williamson has to decide who will re¬place injured David Obua.
The coach will also have to decide whether to go with a lone striker in Eugene Ssepu¬uya, or start with a two-man attack, with either Geoffrey Massa or Geoffrey Sserunku¬uma floating just behind him.
If Cranes intend to play a lone front-man, which ideally should be the case in their 4-5-1 formation, no forward does it better than Ssepuuya.
If the Kenyan back-four prove hard to crack, Cranes will then need instinct, a forward that will sniff out chances with a priceless sixth sense. Sserukuuma meets that. The striker has been worth a goal each time he has been brought on.
No excuses
The beauty this time about Uganda’s crunch fixture against Kenya is that the Cranes will have no excuse if they falter against their rivals here.
Of course, poor officiating remains one ‘unpredictable element’ but what better chance of end¬ing such damning statistics will Cranes ever get than this?
Ugandan teams have in the past accused their various hosts of foul play. Just in May this year, Cranes complained before their CHAN second leg qualifier in Nairobi of having been placed in a hotel far from their training ground and the stadium.
However, with the help of an advance party led by FUFA spokesman Rogers Mulindwa, the Cranes party that arrived in Nairobi yester¬day virtually had no hitches settling in at the luxurious Hennessis Hotel.
The newly constructed three-star Hotel that soccer governing body FUFA has booked, is about as private as it gets.
The location of the Hotel was designed to alleviate two problems – stress and boredom. Nyayo is roughly 5km away.
“Our High Commissioner here (Angelina Wapakhab¬ulo) has been of help. The hotel meets all the require¬ments,†Mulindwa stated.
Team in Nairobi:
D. Onyango, S. Masaba, N. Kizito, A. Mwesigwa, I. Sek¬agya, M. Mudde, T. Mawejje, V. Kayizzi, G. Massa,
E. Ssepuuya, S. Bengo, M. Sserumaga, R. Odongkara, J. Owino, G. Walusimbi, O. Kasule, G. Sserunkuuma,
D. Wagaluka.