There is renewed hope at the country’s oldest outfit in elite football where a new phrase ‘make Wanderers’ mighty again’, has been coined.
Indeed the standards have fallen at Mighty Mukuru Wanderers 2021 Limited having last won the TNM Super League championship in 2017.
Last season was hugely disappointing for the Lali Lubani Road outfit following a lack of silverware.
Despite featuring one of the most expensive squads in domestic football including striker Gaddie Chirwa, whose transfer from Blue Eagles to the Nomads set a new record of K7.5 million, Wanderers had to endure a bad ending as they let the 2022 Airtel Top 8 Cup slip away from their hands.
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Painfully, their rivals FCB Nyasa Big Bullets capitalised on this to complete a domestic quadruple.
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However, the last four weeks have brought a new feeling at Wanderers following a series of administrative and technical.
Wanderers President Thom Mpinganjira, using the powers vested in him, has been calling the shots in an effort to exorcise the demons haunting the side.
Following the team’s 2-4 loss to rivals FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on post-match penalties in Castel Challenge Cup semifinal on December 24, a lot has happened at Malawi’s oldest outfit.
First it was the departure of head coach Mark Harrison, who announced his resignation, before he went on to join Mozambican side UD Songo.
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Then Mpinganjira dissolved the entire technical panels for the senior side and junior teams.
Wanderers board was not spared either after it dissolved too before the supporters committee met a similar fate.
The wind of change started blowing among the Nomads clan when Mpinganjira ushered in a new board with counsel Chancy Gondwe, Limbani Magomero, Mervis Mangulenje among the survivors while new blood included former Super League of Malawi president Tiya Somba Banda, Times Group Editor-at-Large Madalitso Musa and Andre Kalinde.
Lawyer David Kanyenda found his way back to his childhood team as he was also named in the board.
As the Nomads faithful and entire football fraternity were debating on who was going to take charge of the team, Mpinganjira yet again unleashed another surprise by giving former Bullets Burundian coach Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan, a second chance to prove his worth almost 22 years after his unsuccessful stint at the club.
The coaching panel is chemistry of different generations but it is bringing together people that know each other well having worked together before.
Ramadhan will be assisted by former Flames coach Meck Mwase, who also played for Wanderers twice before joining Bullets.
The club’s legend and former coach Yasin ‘Tich’ Osman returns as technical director while Stevie Madeira has returned to his home as team manager.
Goalkeeper Trainer Simplex Nthala and Team Doctor Levi Mwale have been maintained.
However, Mpinganjira treaded carefully at lower level by maintaining the panels following tangible achievements.
Bob Mpinganjira, having guided the reserve side to trophies in the just, remains in-charge.
The same is for Assistant Coach Safalao Pompi with Lawrence Majawa as Team Manager and Samuel Matukuta as Team Doctor.
The team’s former defence pillar George Sangala has also been maintained as the youth team head coach and will be assisted by Darlingtone Misereni.
However, the talking point is the coaching panel for the senior side where Ramadhan, who built a strong winning reputation at Bullets, has been given the mantle in a surprising move.
Ramadhan will reunite with Osman, with whom he worked at the Malawi National Football Team in 2000 and 2001 as they were both members of the three-man technical panel together with Young Chimodzi.
Interestingly, Mwase was the captain of the Flames when Osman and Ramadhan were part of the three-member technical panel.
Much as there is a growing sense of confidence across the Nomads fraternity following the changes, there is also a section that doubts the combination of the technical panel.
Former Wanderers full-back Ojukwu Malunga, who was well known for his trademark throw-ins, asked the new coaching panel to be tolerant and to work in unity.
“In my view, both Ramadhan and Meck are now senior coaches and if they cannot tolerate each other then it will be a disaster. Besides that they have the TD [Osman] who is more experienced. The panel can only work if they have a common goal and appreciate each other’s contribution.
“Honestly, I expected the board to name the coach who in turn was supposed to come up with his backroom staff. Unless, they had a talk behind the scenes to check whether they can work jointly, otherwise having senior coaches in one place can be a catalyst for disaster,” Malunga said.
Meanwhile, Mwase told The Daily Times, that the silverware target that the board set for the technical panel is achievable.
The board asked the new panel to win the TNM Super League championship and at least two cups.
Mwase said achieving the set targets was possible.
“With love and unity prevailing in the team, the targets are quite attainable. All we need is the support of all stakeholders in the club.
“Everything will automatically fall into place if we all pull in the same direction. We just need to work together as a family,” he told our sister paper.
