Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has urged Kenyan fans and the media to exercise patience as he strives to forge a potent personnel for the upcoming Africa Nations Championship that begins in August.
The weight of a nation's hopes is bearing down on McCarthy, the alchemist tasked with transforming the Harambee Stars into a continental contender.
The South African gaffer has found himself in the eye of the storm after going for three matches without a win.
He guided the Stars to a three-all draw against Gambia before crashing 2-1 to Gabon in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers earlier in the year.
His latest assignment was a drab, barren draw against Chad in an international friendly staged at the Marraketch Stadium in Morocco on Saturday.
The matches haven't yielded the glittering gold Kenyans crave, resulting in a chorus of impatient voices.
But McCarthy, with the wisdom of a seasoned campaigner, reminds us that good things take time to build.
In an interview, McCarthy berated Kenyan fans for being impatient and expecting him to perform miracles on Harambee Stars despite only being in the country for a short time.
The former Manchester United assistant coach reckons Kenyans are expecting too much too early, adding that he is not wielding a magic wand, but rather the painstaking tools of a craftsman to meticulously shape raw talent into a cohesive unit.
"Everyone, including the fans and the media, must understand that Rome wasn't built in one day. I can't just come to Kenya and pull off some magic. I don't have the magic wand," McCarthy said.
He spoke of the transition from local leagues to the international stage, a leap that requires a shift in mentality, a deeper understanding of the game’s complexities.
" I have to be given time to know the players, see their quality and know what they can do at the international level. They are not playing for AFC Leopards or Gor Mahia. They are now playing for the national team, and it's a different ball game," he added.
McCarthy said he is determined to build a potent squad capable of garnishing the country's trophy cabinet with major continental silverware.
The immediate objective is the Chan tournament, but the real reward is a legacy built through perseverance, hard work, and a steadfast faith in his players' abilities.
The alchemy is underway; the results may not be instant, but he reckons the process is undeniably productive.
"I'm trying to build the squad for Chan. The preparation phase includes friendly matches that will help us observe players and select the ones we can for the tournament.
"I want to win, of course. But if you don't know players and they've not been together for long enough to gel, then you can't expect them to win by a big margin. It doesn't work like that. But I want to give everyone a chance and build the best team for Chan.
"I must be given time to develop these players whom we have picked. I need to see them more; otherwise, if I were selfish and wanted instant results, I might just as well have called up all foreign-based players.
"But then, my immediate task is to guide the players we have and show them how they can put aside the mentality of playing in the local league and embrace the international stage," he said.
