Who’s to blame for the unhappiness in Chiefs camp?
It is a pity that the coach is always the first to get blamed when things don’t work out the way the supporters wish.
Ernst Middendorp, coach of Kaizer Chiefs with Bobby Motaung (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)
There is a general dissatisfaction from the Kaizer Chiefs supporters about coach Ernst Middendorp and some of the reasons for that were revealed in the same column last week. Just a quick recap, some supporters are still unhappy about how his first stay at the club put an end to the late Asanda “Scara” Ngobese’s time at the club. Scara was a fan favourite, a crowd pleaser who could hardly put a foot wrong in the eyes of the supporters.
But a clash of ideologies between him and Middendorp meant one had to leave Naturena and the German mentor had the backing of management at the time. Middendorp is still paying for those “crimes of the past” and ia also being accused of not liking current crowd pullers in Khama Billiat and Siphelele Ntshangase.
If what the grapevine is whispering is anything to go by, the duo are seeking moves away from Amakhosi for reasons related to the style of play being unsuitable for them.
But truly speaking, Middendorp is not to blame here. I put it squarely on the club’s management who hired him. They know that he is German and likes simple precision in the way his team play. No time for the flashy stuff.
He prefers endurance and a businessman like approach. Management should have considered the kind of players they had in their team before they brought him on. A player like Billiat and Ntshangase enjoy playing under a coach who believes in them and gives them freedom to drive the team with their skill. They excel in a team who are built around them.
Bu to some extent Billiat can also accommodate Middendorp’s style if he wants to because he is quicker while Ntshangase is naturally slower and enjoys having the ball at his feet a little longer with the team playing a much slower pace. That is the kind of player he is.
But unfortunately, Middendorp cannot change his style for just one or two players when the rest are comfortable with how he wants them to play. It is a pity that the coach is always the first to get blamed when things don’t work out the way the supporters wish.
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