Every sportsperson knows how important it is to set the pace and have the momentum at crucial periods of play. Prior to Match Week 1 of The Ndejje League, The Cartels sought to set the pace for the rest of the league and thank the footballing gods that this is exactly what happened Much as this increases pressure, the mood from the camp suggests that this is a welcome inconvenience.
Match Week 1 had everything The Cartels could hope for; goals (plenty of them), wins, food, ladies and of course beer. On the pitch, the Cartels managed to get emphatic wins against The Knights and The Cadets (5-1 and 4-0) respectively. In this they lead the Ndejje League table on goal difference. The ever shirtless midfield wizard Sheldon Turyamureeba also currently leads the goal scoring charts with 4 goals and we can assure you there is more to come from him. We also had goal contributions from the ever reliable Bizman Derrick, Ssebunya Allan Floki, Bukenya Ian Nsamba and Team Manager Kayinja Jacob. Dr. Ssemambo Godfrey’s assists cannot go without mention as he was the man pulling the strings in the middle of the pack.
Surely, this performance was inspired by the presence of the ladies in camp. As mentioned by The incharge ladies in our last issue, she promised that they would show up and sure they did. We hope the numbers will keep growing and in no time we shall have a full house.
However, the success on the pitch does not begin from there. A lot of work is done off the pitch to ensure that the results are in our favor and the man spearheading that effort is our team coach Mr. Kimuli Brandon. Brandon joined Ndejje SS in 2005 and left in 2008. He is a man of many hats as he is also an actor, salesman, comedian and many other things. He is your plug for each and anything in this dusty city of ours. He is what you’d call a modern day “muyiriibi”.
It is for that reason that we will be talking to him this week to find out more about his plans for the rest of the season and what it means for his team to set the pace.
CARTELS: The boys must be raring to go after a near perfect Game Week 1 with your team scoring 9 goals and conceding only 1. How is the mood in camp?
KB-The mood in the camp is at an all time high. The constant preparations have yielded which was something we put out to achieve.
CARTELS: Last season we saw your team have a decent start but failed to capitalize on slip ups by other teams by dropping points to what some would consider weaker teams like Angxo, is this a real worry for you this season?
KB– I am not worried. As long as we have everyone available it’s the league that should be very worried. That was us not even at 60% so you can imagine what will come when we finally put all the puzzles in place.
CARTELS: Some of your critics say that much as your team scores so many goals; it concedes a lot too which was seen last season by missing out on the Top 4 on goal difference. How do you intend to address this?
KB- One goal, where we switched off something that won’t happen as often. The type of football we are playing necessitates us to play as a whole. We are working on getting this right so conceding won’t be as usual. The other team has to have something extra to get past us.
CARTELS: You are blessed and some may say it is a curse; with squad depth with as many as 30 players at your disposal at any given day. Last season some of your players were dissatisfied with their playing time. How do you intend to keep all the players happy while also producing results?
KB: The players know what their roles are and how each one fits in the squad so that is not a problem. We will have match days where not everyone will be available but the idea is already drilled into everyone so we are good to go.
CARTELS: Complacency is a real fear for any coach more so given the start you have had. How do you intend to keep the boys grounded while also letting them enjoy the win?
KB: We have goals and we have a point to make. We only opened the first page of a whole book. It’s those goals that will keep us going till the trophy is home.
CARTELS: Do you think the presence of the ladies in camp helped with your team performance? And the season being a long and drawn out affair, how do you think your team will cope on Match Days where the ladies will fail to show up?
KB: Yes the ladies did help alot, as they have since day one and I don’t believe we will have a day when they will fail to show up. In the event they do, our camp is boosted by any ladies that show up on the day whether Cartels or not. We actually welcomed a couple on Twitter.
CARTELS: What are your targets this season and how would you want to be remembered after your second season in charge?
KB: I guess there is the major target of winning the league but we also want to break any records that we can from most goals scored, top scorer, best Goal Keeper, most assists but we will do all this while enjoying our football.
CARTELS: What are some of the games you are looking forward to most this season? Do you play simulations in your head on how you would approach them?
KB: Tuzze FC wants a dose and we will deliver in boxes. But I prefer to look at the season as a whole. Each game day is one to look out for. Yes. We do have a different plan for every team we are going to face, let me look for the match details of game week one and share so you can see.
CARTELS: To many you are a jack of many trades but who is Kimuli Brandon the person? How can someone contact you for business?
KB: Kimuli Brandon is a marketeer and helps get anyone anything they need save for an aeroplane. My numbers are 0700151620, @Brandonkimuli on Twitter and Kimuli Brandon on Facebook. Incase you need anything I’m the guy to help or even if your are stuck and want anything delivered to you, Nze guy Oyo.
CARTELS: Finally, thank you again for your time. Any last words to the fans and critics of THE CARTELS?
KB: To the fans, we thank you for making time and being part of us. You are the gas in our engine and we can only promise you happier days.
Do we have critics or those are fans waiting to change? Their message is we are a welcoming side and they can join anytime they want.
The treasurer is still receiving contributions towards the welfare of the team and contributions can be sent to Buyinza Joel on 0778116666/0705265000. We thank you for your support and best believe the team will bleed for the crest. #WeAreTheCartels.
