Should SC Villa's Morley Byekwaso go or stay?

·   SC Villa manager Morley Byekwaso is on the hot seat

·  SC Villa are seventh in the UPL, with seven points from five games

·  Byekwaso has won four points than Dusan Stojanovic at same stage last year

·  Villa have dropped five points from winning positions

·  Villa take on Maroons, UPDF, Express, Wakiso and Nec in next five league fixtures

It sounds crazy but with only five rounds of the 2024/2025 Uganda Premier League season played, three coaches have already been fired.

After SC Villa blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Bright Stars in the Uganda Premier League last week, Morley Byekwaso could join the list of casualties next. If some of Villa’s Ultras had their way, Byekwaso would be history already.

A section of hardcore Villa fans stayed behind after the encounter with Bright Stars and directed mouthfuls of displeasure with Byekwaso towards the dressing room. Byekwaso had to be driven out of Wankulukuku Stadium through a private gate.

The Villa fanbase, rejuvenated by last season’s league title, is not known for its patience. The losses to Mbale Heroes and Vipers were frustrating because the first was against a promoted side and actually remains their only win of the campaign, while the second was against a side in managerial turmoil. But in Byekwaso’s defence, both were on the road, and there are no easy away games in the UPL.

But the stalemate with Bright Stars was particularly galling for Villa fans because not only was the game at home but especially because Villa blew a 2-0 lead. In fact, in the end, the Jogoos were hanging on for a point.

For starters, Bright Stars conceded the opener from a harsh penalty and had had two goals ruled out for offside, one of which was especially tight. That was when they were on the hunt for an equaliser. And they went ahead and got it.

Villa’s second-half capitulation summed up the Jogoos’ early-season struggles and pushed the Ultras over the edge.

The case for Byekwaso

But is Byekwaso entirely to blame for Villa’s mess?

For starters, the coach is on a six-month interim contract, the only manager on such terms among UPL contenders.

Granted, employment status ultimately makes little difference to job security for football coaches, but the fact that the Villa executive were reluctant to put him in charge on a full-time basis suggests doubts about Byekwaso’s abilities.

In truth, Byekwaso is on probation, but such an arrangement makes a manager focus on short-term results, yet for a club with a plethora of young players, development should be as vital as winning.

Byekwaso has a reputation for working well with young players, cultivated during Uganda’s run to the Afcon U20 Final in 2021. And that reputation would have played a part in his promotion from assistant to Villa head coach after the sudden departure of Dusan Stojanovic at the beginning of this campaign. But for any interim coach, a win-now mentality will naturally hold sway. 

Secondly, Byekwaso does not have a worthy assistant to help him carry the load like Stojanovic had in Byekwaso. Momcillo Medic, who was added to the coaching unit at the start of the season as a statistician, is ostensibly head of Byekwaso’s backroom staff. Medic has been working on his badges at the Njeru Technical Centre and may go on to become a good coach, but a title-defending Villa needs a more proven assistant.

Byekwaso has been consistently criticised for his substitutions, as well as the decision to stick with out-of-form goalkeeper Braddy Wokorach. Although the scathing criticism of Wokorach, who was one of Villa’s key contributors last season, comes with the territory, it would help Byekwaso to have a trusted sounding board for matters arising in the course of the campaign.

Could it be that Wokorach’s struggles partly stem from having a much weaker backline in front of him this season?

Are the Jogoos strong enough?

The departures of Kenneth Ssemakula and Gavin Kizito have seen Villa turn to Edward Masembe and David Owori in defence, with inconsistent results thus far. Villa also allowed Umar Lutalo to join Kitara, a decision informed by factors other than the player’s ability. Still, the replacements for the departed talents are yet to hit the mark.

Forward Francis Onekalit, signed from Ndejje University, is yet to get off the mark, while Geoffrey Lubangakene, acquired from Mbale Heroes with rave reviews, remains not so much out of Byekwaso’s starting line-up as his entire plans.

Lubangakene’s absence from a Villa side that has conceded in every game this season has stood out like a sore thumb and prompted club leaders to ask why the former Mbale captain was signed in the first place.

The case against Byekwaso

“There is not a single game Molly has played as coach and we have not conceded,” a source at the club told New Vision Sports.

Byekwaso is very much a coach in the making, a tactician whose true identity is still in the process of being formed. Perhaps what Byekwaso needs is time to figure things out at Villa.

“At Villa, there is no time,” said the source told New Vision. “Villa is built to win.”

What is fascinating is that Byekwaso has taken three more points from his first five games than Stojanovic managed. The benefit of doubt, however, is less forthcoming because Byekwaso is perceived as having been a major failure during his tumultuous tenure at KCCA. And football coaches always live on the cusp of oblivion; one bad spell and you could be written off.  

“We don’t have a coach at Villa,” said the irate source.

“The truth is football progressive. If Molly was asked what was the problem with Villa when we won the trophy (what would he say?)... because a bad Villa won the trophy but it cannot be very bad now that it cannot compete... because we are not competing. We were bad last year... but we won a trophy and were playing some interesting football. And you know football is entertainment. The entertainment is not there now and the results are not coming. The fans must have one thing – the either get the entertainment and the belief that they will win the next game or get the result in a bad way. And we are not getting any.”

Front-running jitters

Villa have dropped five points from winning positions, with the loss to Vipers and draw with Bright Stars coming after the Jogoos had their noses in front. Byekwaso’s Villa have conceded eight goals this season; seven of them in the second half. That includes the 85th-minute dagger from Cosia Waiswa that sent off jubilations in Mbale City and palpitations through Villa hearts.

“Every time we score, we take the foot of the pedal,” the source complained. “We don’t evolve. The same way we approach one game is the same way we approach the next one. I don’t think we study our opponents. I don’t think we learn from our games. We always start well in the first half, but when we come back in the second, we struggle.”

Added the source: “We are a group of guys who go carry our bags and go for training in the morning, but I don’t think we learn anything”.

Bags will be carried through the exit door for good if Villa’s performances and Byekwaso’s stock continue to plumate.