Having clinched his second career title, Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor has baptised the K'Ogalo fanbase as the 'most demanding' he has worked under.
The Ghanaian says defeat is a word that does not exist in the fans' vocabulary, admitting he has had to work extra hard to gratify their demands.
"I think with Gor Mahia it's very demanding...It's positive but it can be seen as crazy. They don't understand defeat and how you are defeated. Sometimes you need to read meanings behind the scenes, why it happened this way," the 48-year-old admitted.
The former Ghana national team player previously won silverware with Asante Kotoko, specifically the NC Special Competition in 2019.
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Akonnor joined K'Ogalo at the start of the season, replacing Zedekiah 'Zico' Otieno who had been sent packing with his entire technical bench after a trophyless season in 2024/25.
Due to the foregoing, it was always going to be a mountain to climb for Akonnor as far as satisfying the vociferous K'Ogalo faithful, starved of glory the season before.
His reign began with a 1-0 loss to Bidco United in September before he came to grips with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League, going on a eight-match unbeaten run.
A subsequent 4-1 thrashing by minnows APS Bomet attracted murmurs of discontent from the fans, many of who pointed out Akonnor's poor game management.
This was further exacerbated by a 1-0 loss to arch-rivals AFC Leopards in their next match, followed by a 1-1 draw to Bandari in Mombasa.
Thankfully, 'Otete' -- as he is fondly referred to by Kenyans -- steadied the ship albeit there were moments when this lovehate relationships with the fans came to the fore.
An FKF Cup elimination at the hands of lower tier side BB Bread further attracted the ire of the fans, some calling for his head.
Akonnor says through the losses, he has acquired lessons to spur the team forward.
"we've also learnt a lot, especially when we lost to Bomet. Our first match that we lost was a wake-up call. But the fact that we lost against Bomet was a way where we can look at our weaknesses and our strengths," he explained.
The former Wolfsburg player thanked K'Ogalo fans for pressuring and pushing them forward, to become better in every game.
As he looks forward to the next season, the gaffer is hoping for more of the same fanatic support.
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"The support here is massive and fans are very passionate about the things they do. So we have managed in a very positive way to do it. But it was not just us alone. A lot of people are involved and we are grateful, we are thankful for the support they gave us. But we look forward to the future and we know the future is very challenging," Akonnor said.
Gor will be returning to the Caf Champions League, with the hope of reaching the group stages for the first time in their history.
If they are to achieve the 'mission impossible', the role of the 12th man -- the fans -- has never been more profound.
