Posta Rangers head coach Stanley Okumbi has delighted at the progress his side made in the 2020/2021 Football Kenya Federation Premier League campaign ever since he took over midway through the season at a time when the club was gridlocked in the bottom half of the table.Back on February 8 2020, Okumbi, who doubles up as the national U23 head coach, was unveiled as the man to replace the then head coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo. At that time, after eleven games played, Posta had collected ten points after picking only one win, a whooping seven draws and tasting defeat three times as they sat only five points above the relegation places.After overseeing twenty one games where he collected six wins, eight draws and seven losses, the former Harambee Stars head coach led Posta to a safe 13th place finish in the league with 36 points, ten above the relegation places. Reflecting on the season that was his first after staying out of club management for over years since resigning at Mathare United for the national team job, Okumbi delighted at turning around the fortunes of the club who looked to be heading in the wrong direction.“Before I came in it was a little bit tricky for them as they were lurking in the relegation places and I did not see any chance of them surviving because I had been watching their games. But after taking over, we tried boosting the morale of the players, their momentum, their energy and belief. It has been a mixed season, but I can say the belief we instilled in the team earlier really helped the team perform the way it did,” he told Mozzart Sport.With the Posta job throwing back the former Wazito tactitian into club management, Okumbi also revealed how the challenge of managing a club on a weekly basis also helped him advance his knowledge as he sought to stay at the top of his game, an opportunity the national team does not accord.”It was a good experience coming back after some time out because now I became more involved in the game as modern football is changing as time goes by. At least now, I work each and every day with more players who I try to improve their levels. Practically, it was also interesting because I have new challenges on a weekly basis to focus on,” he added.
