Middendorp has his say on ‘monster of a club’ Chiefs

‘Coaching is not about following dreams, wishes, or public expectations. It is about working with reality,’ wrote Middendorp.

Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp says a head coach at Amakhosi needs a strong footing in reality and cannot bow to public expectation.

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Middendorp put out a short article on his LinkedIn page entitled ‘Kaizer Chiefs is a MONSTER of a CLUB.’

Former Chiefs coach

The 67-year-old German has just left his post as technical director at Betway Premiership side Durban City. He coached Chiefs in two spells, between 2005 and 2007 and from late 2018 to the end of the 2019/20 season.

In that season, Chiefs came second in the Premiership, only missing out on the title to Mamelodi Sundowns on a dramatic final day. Chiefs, however, still decided to dismiss Middendorp and his assistant coach Shaun Bartlett.

Middendorp was at times accused of playing ‘helicopter football’ or what is more commonly knows a long-ball game. But he also defended this in his post on Wednesday.

“Anyone who wants to coach this team must understand the magnitude of the Naturena environment,” wrote Middendorp.

“The club carries enormous history, a massive supporter base across the country, constant media attention, and permanent pressure for results. Every decision is discussed publicly, every weakness is quickly and totally exposed.

“To operate in such an environment, a coach needs real expertise, emotional resilience, strong leadership, and an unbeatable confidence. He must have the ability to remain calm under pressure, show conviction in his work, and make decisions with authority. A certain stubbornness in a positive sense is evident, the courage to stand by your football ideas when the noise around the team becomes overwhelming.

“One of the key responsibilities of the coach is to identify the real capacity of each player. What can they truly deliver? What are their strengths, limitations, and consistency levels? Only when this assessment is done honestly can the coach build the most suitable structure and tactical set-up for the team.

“This means coaching is not about following dreams, wishes, or public expectations. It is about working with reality. The team structure must come from the individual capacities of the players available, not from theoretical ideas that do not match the squad.

‘Innovative concepts’

“Even innovative concepts can emerge from this process. In certain situations, a “helicopter concept” or other unconventional structures may develop simply because the coach has carefully analysed the players and tries to organise them in a way that maximises their strengths and protects their weaknesses.

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“At a club like Kaizer Chiefs, coaching leadership means clear assessment, courage in decision-making, and building a structure that reflects the real capacity of the squad, not an illusion of what people would like to see.”

Chiefs face Durban City on Sunday on the back of three consecutive Premiership defeats. A dreadul February saw them also knocked out of both the Caf Confederation Cup and the Nedbank Cup.

Over the weekend, Chiefs fans marched on Naturena demanding the removal of current co-head coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef.