{"id":875,"date":"2026-08-31T07:55:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T07:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/nbcsoka\/no-free-ride-for-big-names-josiah-992.html"},"modified":"2026-08-31T07:55:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T07:55:54","slug":"no-free-ride-for-big-names-josiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/no-free-ride-for-big-names-josiah\/","title":{"rendered":"No free ride for big names \u2013 Josiah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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KIGOMA:<\/span><\/strong> MASHUJAA Head Coach Amani Josiah has warned that reputation alone will not guarantee Jonas Mkude and George Mpole a place in his starting line-up, insisting the two veterans must prove their readiness before being trusted with competitive action.<\/p>\n

Amani said the technical bench is deliberately taking its time with the experienced duo, with physical condition and training performance determining when they will be introduced.<\/p>\n

He made the statement during the team\u2019s training session at Lake Tanganyika Stadium in Kigoma yesterday. The coach said both players remain important members of his squad despite their limited involvement so far. The message, however, was clear: Past achievements will not be enough to secure a shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not a matter of playing them just because they have big names. We watch them in training, and if they have not reached the level where we can use them, we wait,\u201d Amani said.<\/p>\n

Mkude, one of the most recognisable names in Tanzanian football, has yet to establish himself as a regular feature under the new setup. But Amani insists the former Simba star remains valuable to the team, including through his influence away from the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is still an important part of the squad and continues to help the team by giving advice to his teammates,\u201d Amani said.<\/p>\n

The coach said the technical bench wants to ensure Mkude returns to the level expected of a player with his experience before throwing him into competitive matches.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Simba, Yanga out to maintain perfect start<\/a><\/p>\n

The same approach applies to Mpole, who also arrived at Mashujaa with an established reputation. Amani said the club\u2019s responsibility is to create an environment where such players can regain their best physical and competitive condition rather than rushing them onto the pitch simply because of their status.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe players signed by Mashujaa this season are good and have already built a lot of respect for themselves. As a coach, you need to create an environment that will help them continue to be respected by the community due to what they have done well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Mashujaa supporters waiting to see the big-name duo in action, the message is therefore one of patience. Amani wants their return to the spotlight to come when they are ready to deliver, not simply because the fans know their names.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are waiting for the right time for Mkude and George Mpole due to their physical condition and what they can do for the team. We want the time we use them to show what the fans expect from them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

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KIGOMA: MASHUJAA Head Coach Amani Josiah has warned that reputation alone will not guarantee Jonas Mkude and George Mpole a place in his starting line-up, insisting the two veterans must prove their readiness before being trusted with competitive action…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sportsenglish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sokasoga.website\/ltv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}