The Shabana Post
The dugout15 Nov 2032
Abdelhak Touba says Shabana went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad15 Nov 2032
A falling-out at Shabana
Maxwell Mulili and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom15 Nov 2032
The numbers do not look good at Shabana
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Squad15 Nov 2032
A row about effort at Shabana
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ezekiah Omuri was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market15 Nov 2032
Abdelhak Touba told to find a new club
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Abdelhak Touba has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Shabana.
Squad15 Nov 2032
Patrick Miheso signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Patrick Miheso and Shabana agree another 3 years.
The dugout15 Nov 2032
Nicholas Njeru gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market15 Nov 2032
Biron Otieno linked with a move away
The name of Biron Otieno keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Shabana say nothing, which says plenty.
The dugout15 Nov 2032
Michael Ndidi gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Michael Ndidi is on it.
In brief
- Squad Ibrahim Maiga still has not settled
- The dugout Patrick Miheso knocks on the manager’s door