No saying holds true for Gor Mahia’s Rwandan midfielder Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza aka Miggy’s renaissance than “form is temporary but class is permanent.”
Written off by the Gor’s “Green Army” at some point in the current Kenyan Premier League campaign due to poor form, Miggy has steadily worked his way back into their hearts.
So what has changed?
Miggy’s arrival from Tanzania’s moneybags Azam early this season was marked by high expectations among the fans.
He scored on his debut against Kariobangi Sharks immediately earning himself the nickname “Jabatiso.”
But that was it as injury came knocking and the bench became his friend even after full recovery.
The man who starred as Azam beat Gor 2-0 to lift the 2015 Cecafa Kagame Cup in Dar es Salaam was now becoming a baggage in the eyes of the fans he once tormented.
“I never lost my form, I was being played off position,” he told Soka25east.
“All my life, even in the national team, I play the traditional number six, but Ze Maria insisted I play as a winger or at times behind strikers, I was never comfortable,”
“I talked to him about it but he ended up denying me play time,” Miggy added.
Ze Maria has since left the club with the former Simba SC coach Dylan Kerr succeeding him.
Under Kerr, Miggy is back to his former self – bossing the midfield and assisting goals. This has seen former Ze Maria’s darling in the position Ernest Wendo finding it hard to break into the starting eleven.
In his seven matches in charge, the Malta-born English manager has started him twice including in yesterday’s 4-0 win over Nzoia Sugar where he assisted Tuyisenge’s second goal.
He has also come on a substitute in a couple of matches notably against AFC Leopards in the Mashemeji Derby.
“Kerr understands me from my days at Azam when he was at Simba. I explained to him my situation at Gor when he came and he trusted me and deployed me in the midfield where I enjoy most playing. He is so far impressed with me,” he concluded.
