Boss Kaizer is not counting his chickens yet
Kaizer Chiefs are on the right track, but that doesn’t mean it is time for their supporters to start planning for the victory parade, club boss, Kaizer Motaung Snr cautioned last week.
Motaung, who rarely speaks on team matters as he gives the technical team – which includes his son, football manager Bobby Motaung – full reign, told the media last week that getting carried away is not a good idea.
“We are happy but it is still early days,” was Motaung could say on his club’s impressive take-off this season. He did however also applaud coach Ernst Middendorp (right) for the sterling job he has done with the team.
The German mentor has turned Amakhosi into a mean points collecting machine that leaves a hail of unhappiness in other teams in their wake. His side are not too concerned about the display as they sometimes deliver an uninspiring performance. It is more about the result – and they get it whether by hook or, as Orlando Pirates coach Rulani Mokwena suggested after the recent Soweto derby, by crook.
Middendorp has also cautioned about the team getting ahead of themselves, saying they are far from being the welloiled machine they would want to be. He also dismissed all talk of titles, saying he will only appreciate silverware once it is in their hands.
And the Telkom Knockout is the first trophy that Middendorp can guide Amakhosi to on his second spell at Naturena.
The Glamour Boys are in the semifinals where they meet Maritzburg United at Mbombela Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
He said he would use the Fifa break to make arrangements to have the team ready as they have a few players out – either with injury or through suspension.
“It’s something we know, the next game against Maritzburg Daniel Akpeyi can’t play. We won’t have Erick Mathoho available, so we have now time to look into it,” Middendorp said.
“That’s definitely something after some days rest that we’ll go into before playing Maritzburg, looking into what their strong side is in terms of the setup and elements, then we’ll try to prepare ourselves to be successful in that game,” he added.