The axing of Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp this week came as no surprise. In fact, what was most surprising of all is that he held on to his job for so long at a club that expects instant success.
The German was unpopular with the fans almost from day one after employing what was perceived as negative tactics, resulting in his nickname of ”Middendraw”.
He blamed the recent poor run of results — which saw the side lose to KwaZulu-Natal strugglers Golden Arrows and Amazulu, Mamelodi Sundowns and Jomo Cosmos — on a long-term injury to veteran striker Shaun Bartlett, but if Amakhosi are so reliant on one player, then they are in bigger trouble than most realise.
Essentially, I believe, he lost the respect of the players, as early as last season, by playing them out of position, seeming to favour certain individuals and publicly criticising their performances after matches.
South African players are, on the whole, a very different breed from what he would be used to in Germany or, indeed, Ghana, where he spent several years before coming to Chiefs.
In many ways they need to be wrapped in cotton wool and treated with care and have their egos massaged to get the best out of them. The abrasive nature of Middendorp in training and match situations is known to have upset a number of senior players who will be secretly — or not so secretly — delighted at his departure.
Just look at the coaches who have been successful in South African football at international and club level: Clive Barker, Jomo Sono, Gordon Igesund and Ted Dumitru. None are master tacticians, but they all know the local football culture and have learnt what it takes to get the best out of local players. They are essentially great motivators.
Encouragement, a sense of togetherness and giving players the freedom to display their natural raw talent is a mix that has worked well for local coaches in the past. See what Muhsin Ertugral, perhaps the best exponent of these virtues in the country, has done with a bunch of kids at Ajax Cape Town, taking a squad with an average age of 20 or 21 to second in the table.
It is perhaps the reason why so many South African players fail to make the grade overseas, where natural flair is coached out of them and they are expected to fend for themselves and take the dressing-down when it is required.
It isn’t right, and shouldn’t be so, but then we seem to have bred a society in South Africa where success with a minimum of effort is expected, and ”hand-ups” along the ladder to the top are the norm.
Gone are the days when the likes of Lucas Radebe, Sizwe Motaung, David Nyathi, Phil Masinga, Doc Khumalo and Helman Mkhelele would put in extra hours at training or practise on their own to hone their skills.
Today’s young footballers, and I have seen it all too often, want the trappings of success, want to put in the minimum of effort to get there and don’t want to be told how to do it along the way.
It’s for that reason that Middendorp was on a hiding to nothing at Chiefs. He failed to adapt to the ”South African way”, which may not be the best method, but is the one you need to adopt if you are to survive as a coach in this country.
It will be interesting to see how Middendorp’s replacement — until the end of the season at least — fares, because former Orlando Pirates coach Kosta Papic is very much a coach in this mould and an exceptionally popular figure with players and fans alike.
Nick Said is editor: special projects for Kick Off magazine