Nairobi City Stars

Tag: Sanjin Alagic

  • City Stars matches rare milestone with Homeboyz win

    City Stars matches rare milestone with Homeboyz win

    For only the fourth time in their premiership history, Nairobi City Stars were able to string four straight wins after seeing off a tough Kakamega Homeboyz 1-0 on Saturday 19 June 2021 in Ruaraka.

    In the round 21 game, Nicholas Kipkirui’s 63rd-minute goal, his first for Simba wa Nairobi in the premier league, was the difference that added on to three recent second leg wins over Sofapaka (3-0), Kariobangi Sharks, and Western Stima (both ended 2-1).

    In their previous 12 straight seasons in the premier league between 2004 and 2016, City Stars only managed to clock four contiguous wins on just three occasions.

    Robert Matano was the first Coach to achieve the streak of four wins in a row back in 2006 when he led City Stars, then known as World Hope, to wins over Mathare Youth (3-0), Tusker (1-0), Homegrown (1-0) and Coast Stars (2-1) in match days 3 to 6.

    The second such streak was in the 2008 season under coach John Bobby Ogola when the team, in their final season under the name World Hope, won games against Chemelil Sugar (1-0), Tusker (2-0), Mathare United (1-0) and Mathare Youth (1-0) in match days 15-18.

    Coach Gideon Ochieng matched Bobby’s streak in the 2012 season with wins over AFC Leopards (3-0), Western Stima (1-0), Thika United (3-2, then 1-0) in match days 13-16.

    Sanjin Alagic now becomes the fourth coach, and the first foreigner, to achieve the rare fete by Matano, Ogola, and Ochieng.

    Prior to the latest four triumphs, Sanjin had masterminded three straight wins in February and March after seeing off Zoo FC (2-1), Western Stima, and Mathare United with identical 2-0 wins.

    “We were learning the ropes in the first leg, we took in hard lessons, identified the weak areas that we have since fixed, and we are now glad to see the team rise to the point of matching some old rare records.” said club CEO Patrick Korir

    Sanjin now has his work cut out, to seek an unprecedented fifth premier league win in a row, when City Stars takes on Nzoia Sugar in the next game on Thur 24 June in Sudi.

  • Head to head: Nairobi City Stars (H) vs Homeboyz (A)

    Head to head: Nairobi City Stars (H) vs Homeboyz (A)

    The last time Nairobi City Stars hosted Kakamega Homeboyz in the Premier League, they got relegated. 

    A 3-1 beating by Homeboyz at Kasarani on 30 October 2016 in the third last game in the 2016 season left City Stars a broken lot, as they were stripped of their 12-year premier league status.

    That happened to be the second, and last time, that City Stars hosted Homeboyz.

    During the first ever Nairobi encounter, back in May 2013, City Stars won it 1-0 at Hope Centre. Club legend Justus Basweti scored the lone goal.

    The Saturday game, at a whole new venue – Ruaraka, City Stars will be host Homeboyz for only the third time.

    Heading to the game, City Stars sits eighth in the 17-team standings with 26 points from 19 games, and only ahead of ninth placed Homeboyz with a +1 goal difference.

    There are no coahcing changes on either end ahead of the encounter as Nichlolas Muyoti who masterminded a 2-0 first leg win in Buhungu in early February, is still in charge of Abana Beingo.

    Bosnian Sanjin Alagic will be up against Muyoti once again, this time to turn the tables and replicate, if not better the 2013 results.

    In City Stars squad for the Saturday game are three players who were on the pitch on the day of relegation in 2016; Ezekiel Odera, Oliver Maloba, and Calvin Masawa.

    The skipper on relegation day – John Amboko, as well as his co-stopper Arthur Museve, are part of the current City Stars technical bench in the capacities of coach and trainer, respectively.

    Summary 

    KPL home Games vs Homeboyz: Total (2); Wins (1), Draws (0), Loses (1)

    25-May-13: City Stars vs Homeboyz, 1-0 (W)
    30-Oct-16: City Stars vs Homeboyz, 1-3 (L)
    19-Jun-21: City Stars vs Homeboyz, ?

  • Sanjin talks up Betway Cup experience

    Sanjin talks up Betway Cup experience

    On Thursday 10 June 2021, Nairobi City Stars journey in the Betway Cup came to a crashing end after a 1-0 defeat at fellow promotion partners Bidco United at Ruaraka grounds.

    A lone goal in the 21st minute by David Orem, off a through ball by Stephen Waruru, is what made the difference.

    In the loss, City Stars three-game winning streak in the Cup competition that started with a 4-1 win over Mutomo Tigers in Kitui, in mid-February during the round of 64, came to an end.

    A 1-0 win over Fortune Sacco in Kianyaga, then a 2-0 win over Ulinzi Stars in rounds of 32 and 16 then followed, respectively.

    The wins over Fortune Sacco and Ulizi Stars came at the back of league triumphs over Sofapaka (3-0) and Kariobangi Sharks (2-1).

    Speaking after the exit on Thursday, Sanjin took stock of the immediate past game.

    “First I need to congratulate my team for a good run in making it to the quarterfinal of the Cup,”

    “We represented City Stars well. They were good and exciting matches, great experience,”

    “We missed a little to be in semis but unfortunately we didn’t succeed though, in my opinion, we were the better team (against Bidco) with some of the best opportunities (to score and win),”

    “I wish to congratulate the Bidco team and I wish them all the best in upcoming matches,”

    Sanjin, in his maiden Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season, picked out the pros and cons of taking part in the competition.

    “I will look at this from two perspectives, one positive and one negative; positive is that we are in really good shape and after two wins in the league we continued the run in the Cup with great performance,”

    “The negative is that we have played many games every 3-4 days in the last few weeks and the players are exhausted. We now have just four days before we play the next league match,”

    “The schedule is too tight for matches and this will continue for the next 2 or so months. I believe players will suffer from tiredness, injuries and it will be very hard to keep a good level of performance.”

    Because of the tight schedule, Sanjin believes it’s not only City Stars that will suffer from fatigue, but many more teams;

    “You’ll see many surprise results in upcoming Championship matches.” he summed

    Sanjin’s most immediate tasks are back-to-back home league games against Western Stima and Kakamega Homeboyz on Tuesday 15 and Saturday 19 June, all at Ruaraka starting 3pm.

  • Top honors for City Stars cast after round 18

    Top honors for City Stars cast after round 18

    Following Monday’s clinical 3-0 rout of 2009 Premier League champions Sofapaka at Ruaraka, Simba wa Nairobi took home three awards following voting from fans.

    Coach Sanjin Alagic was voted the coach of the week beating three other coaches to the gong. He received 47.4% of the votes cast.

    On Monday, Sanjin led Simba wa Nairobi to the most comprehensive win of the season, ending a streak of three winless games.

    Stopper Salim Shitu Abdalla, who scored his first premiership goal in City Stars colors, and the third on the day, was voted as player of the week after receiving 47.9% of the votes to see off three other contestants.

    Separately, after the game, Salim had been picked out as the Most Valuable Player.

    Beyond the two individual awards, City Stars as an outfit was voted as the team of Week 18.

    Further, three players; namely Salim Abdalla, skipper Anthony Kimani and left-back Bolton Omwenga who had two important assists, were named to the team of the week.

    Three City Stars players; Salim Abdalla, Captain Anthony Kimani and left-back Bolton Omwenga from City Stars in team of the Week

    “The recent result against Sofapaka shows that we can compete when we come out with the right approach. The win was well planned and executed to perfection by the coach and the players,” said team coordinator Samson Otieno

    “Seeing Sanjin being named best coach and Salim as the best player and the team as the best in the ended round of games spurs us all and we now look forward to similar performances in upcoming games,”

    “We had been missing from this bracket of awards in the recent round of games but we are glad that now we are back in it,” added Otieno

    City Stars will be up against Kariobangi Sharks in their next game at the Utalii grounds on Saturday 29 May 2021 starting 1 pm.

  • Sanjin: City Stars has a great future

    Sanjin: City Stars has a great future

    Days after falling off 1-0 to champions Gor Mahia, Nairobi City Stars head coach Sanjin Alagic reckons the team has all it takes to be a great team in the near future.

    This he considers is brought about by the team’s gradual stride into the premier league years after sitting out the top league.

    Thus far, the team has picked 17 points from as many games and currently sits twelfth in the 17-team standings.

    Tracing back to the immediate past game against Gor Mahia, this is what the coach had to say;

    “I need to congratulate my players for a great performance. We definitely deserved more because we were the better team in that match,”

    “Even with a player less, NCS attacked and made pressure on Gor and we had an amazing chance in last minute when Kip (kirui) and Rodgers (Okumu) were alone in front of goal,”

    He roped in Tusker into the conversation, a team City Stars drew with 2-2 prior to facing Gor Mahia, after letting go a 2-0 half time lead.

    He talked of how conceded goals cost City Stars in those two games;

    “It’s disturbing when you see the how unlucky we conceded goals against Gor and Tusker,”

    “City Stars has played really good football this season and we deserve to have more points. But the fact is that this team is still growing up through this Premier league matches,”

    “I’m sure this team has a great future.” concluded Sanjin

    With the first leg of the league over and out, Sanjin can now prepare the team for the second leg starting off with a home game against Sofapaka on Monday 24 May 2021 at Ruaraka.

→←