Stick with Middendorp or Hunt for a new coach? – Who will lead Kaizer Chiefs next season?

Kaizer Chiefs Absa Premiership choke is still the talk of the town after Ernst Middendorp’s Amakhosi could only draw with Baroka FC on a dramatic Saturday afternoon, allowing Mamelodi Sundowns to charge through the back door and take the title with a 3-0 win over Black Leopards.

READ MORE: Five reasons why Kaizer Chiefs failed to win the title.

Even while Chiefs looked certain to win the title, there were doubts raised over Middendorp’s future, with concerns about the style his side played with, or rather didn’t play with, although for a long time the substance seemed set to hand them a first league title in five years.

That didn’t materialise, however, and with the trophy cabinet still barren, the likelihood only increases that Chiefs will move to replace Middendorp for the 2020/21 season. Then again, Chiefs owner Kaizer Motaung is usually a patient man – after all, he gave Steve Komphela three trophy-less seasons at the helm.

Phakaaathi takes a look at Middendorp’s pros and cons right here, as well as three candidates that could replace him at Naturena.

Ernst Middendorp

Ernst Middendorp, coach of Kaizer Chiefs. Pic: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Pros: As much as many fans want to see Middendorp sent packing, especially after Saturday’s debacle, the simple fact is that in the experienced German head coach’s first full season in charge at Amakhosi, Chiefs were major players in the chase for the title for the first time since Stuart Baxter was at the helm and Amakhosi were crowned champions in 2014/15. In three full seasons Komphela didn’t manage to get as many points as Middendorp earned in the 2019/20 campaign. Furthermore, while Sundowns were closing the gap even before the COVID-19 pandemic intervened, there is a decent argument that Chiefs would have won the league, had the season not been postponed for almost five months. They would certainly not have lost one of their best midfielders, with George Maluleka’s move to Sundowns on July 1 forcing Middendorp to change the balance of his team, and no doubt contributing to their dismal efforts in the bio-bubble.

Cons: The style of football that Chiefs played under Middendorp was stultifying to watch at times, making it unsurprising that many Amakhosi fans were not impressed, even while their side was on top. Samir Nurkovic proved an excellent signing in attack, but too often Chiefs resorted to hoofing the ball in his direction and hoping for the best. When that didn’t work, there was little sign of a Plan B, as witnessed in the late stages against Baroka on Saturday. Middendorp has done well to save the likes of Maritzburg United from relegation in his time as a head coach in the top flight, meanwhile, but he has no winning pedigree when it comes to league titles. He can also be abrasive, and appears to rub some maverick players up the wrong way. He was inappropriately critical of Siphelele Ntshangase earlier in the season, and appeared to also be at odds with Chiefs’ star man Khama Billiat, who only really showed his class in the last couple of games of the campaign.

Gavin Hunt

Gavin Hunt is available after his time at Bidvest Wits came to an end. ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

Pros: If Chiefs want a proven title-winner in their ranks, they need look no further than Gavin Hunt, a free agent after his time as head coach of Bidvest Wits has come to an end with the sale of the club’s franchise to TTM. Hunt has proven in three league titles at SuperSport United, and one with Wits, that he can already do it at club’s with less prestige than a Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or Mamelodi Sundowns, and would no doubt relish the chance to make an impact at Amakhosi. If Chiefs want to upset Pitso Mosimane’s dominance with Sundowns, Hunt is one of the main men in the last few years who has been able to challenge Masandawana, even with a budget that is nowhere near that of the Choorklop outfit.

Cons: Hunt will no doubt come at a premium, and will have every right to demand a higher salary than Middendorp given his pedigree. So will Chiefs be able to afford him? The former Black Leopards, Moroka Swallows and SuperSport United head coach will no doubt be in demand, with even Orlando Pirates recently linked to his signing. Amakhosi will probably not want to get involved in a bidding war for his services. If Chiefs fans want style in their football, meanwhile, over results, Hunt is probably not their man. His sides have been effective in winning trophies, but have never exactly played the beautiful game.

Benni McCarthy

Benni McCarthy (Photo by Carl Fourie/Gallo Images)

Pros: Could Benni McCarthy return to South Africa to coach Kaizer Chiefs? The former Bafana Bafana, FC Porto and Orlando Pirates striker had a relatively successful stint as Cape Town City head coach, until this season that is. A Buccaneers fan, it remains to be seen if McCarthy would cross Soweto, even if the option were offered to him, but he has yet to find a coaching opportunity in Europe, and would no doubt be open to the chance to come back to the PSL, if the right deal was available. He has also been linked with a move to Ajax Cape Town, but if they fail to get promotion, maybe Amakhosi will come knocking. McCarthy’s City did play some great football to watch, winning the 2018 MTN8 and even competing\ in the Absa Premiership race for much of the 2018/19 campaign.

Cons: McCarthy’s rather abrasive methods as a coach, in terms of the way he openly criticised players after poor performances, is unlikely to go down too well among the star names at Chiefs, while his affiliations with Pirates make it likely his appointment would be treated with some trepidation by Chiefs fans. A young coach, a post like the one at Kaizer Chiefs could also be a little early for McCarthy, who actually may be better suited to a job at his hometown Ajax.

Patrice Carteron

Patrice Carteron EPA/STR

Pros: Kaizer Motaung is known to have a penchant for coaches from overseas, with the likes of Muhsin Ertugral, Kosta Papic, Stuart Baxter and most lately Middendorp all leading Amakhosi at some stage, with varying degrees of success. Carteron is certainly a vastly experienced coach, having previously led the Mali national team, DR Congo giants TP Mazembe, Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca, and though he recently signed a new contract at Egyptian giants Zamalek, jobs at Cairo football clubs are not exactly stable, and if matters were to take a turn for the worse for the Frenchman at the White Knights, perhaps Carteron could be tempted by a move to South Africa. He did also claim before Middendorp was appointed in 2018 that he was approached by Chiefs, though this was denied by the club.

Cons: Carteron would certainly not come cheap, in fact he would probably command an even higher salary than Gavin Hunt. He also has no experience of coaching in South Africa, and would certainly be more of a risk than Hunt at his premium.

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