Ernst back as Chiefs swallow their pride

“In my first season I won the Absa Cup and finished third in the league. In my second season I won the Supa8 and it is still possible to get into the Champions League. You ask Irvin Khoza (the Pirates chairman) if he would be happy with this, and I think he would tell you ‘yes’,” he told me, giving the distinct impression he felt the end had come too soon.

“Even the Vodacom Challenge was an achievement because Manchester United were in it. Let’s be honest, sitting here and saying nothing was achieved is a lie.”

Fast forward 11 years and nine months or so, and Middendorp has another shot at the Amakhosi job, re-appointed by Kaizer Motaung on Friday, a speedy replacement after the removal on the same day of Giovanni Solinas.

It was, it is safe to say, hardly surprising that Chiefs chose to part ways with Solinas, who had done little to convince anyone of his suitability for the job in his short time in charge. One could argue that Steve Komphela was given three seasons without winning a trophy, and that the Italian therefore deserved a little longer, but Chiefs, for me, have acted correctly in deciding on a change now, with their season slowly slipping into another abyss.

Whether Middendorp is the correct replacement is a whole different story – the reaction from Chiefs fans was mostly stunned disbelief, and not of a positive nature. If Middendorp did win trophies in his first spell at Chiefs, he never won the Absa Premiership, a disappointment for Amakhosi at that time, coming off the back of consecutive championships under Ted Dumitru.

On top of that, Middendorp has had a fairly nomadic existence ever since. After leaving Chiefs, Middendorp had stints in Germany, China and Cyprus, with little success, before returning to South Africa to take charge of Maritzburg United in 2009. He had three spells at Maritzburg, doing well to save them from relegation in the second half of the 2015/16 season, while he also coached Golden Arrows, Bloemfontein Celtic, Chippa United and Free State Stars.

When Chiefs came calling, Middendorp was coaching in Thailand, at Bangkok United. In short, Middendorp has coached at 10 different clubs since leaving Chiefs in March 2007, with limited success, which makes one wonder how he seems to find gainful employment so consistently, and how he has ended up with arguably the top job in South African club football for the second time.

Still, he is Kaizer Motaung’s choice as head coach, and in a results game, Middendorp will be, and deserves to be judged on exactly how he does in revitalising their season. Chiefs still have plenty to play for – they are in the Caf Confederation Cup, there is the Nedbank Cup to come next year, and are still only six points off the top of the Absa Premiership, albeit that most of the sides around them have played less league games.

Perhaps the vast experience he has had in the South African game will stand him in good stead. It has certainly been enough to earn him South African citizenship, meaning he does not need to wait for a work permit, and will be on the bench for Chiefs’ game against SuperSport tomorrow night. Win that, and it will be the start of earning Chiefs’ supporters trust. But only the start.

Finally, let me to again tell you that Phakaaathi’s Private Fantasy League is still open for entries, and you can join by following the rules in the advert on Page 7.

Good luck!

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