Ernst Middendorp doing it his way, à la Frank Sinatra

And now, the end is near

And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I'll say it clear

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full

I've travelled each and every highway

And more, much more than this

I did it my way.

Even with nine matches to go, a band of his detractors have been poking Swiss cheese-like holes on the brand of football Kaizer Chiefs have played all season long.

But the victim of the vile vilification is a stubborn personification of dogged determination wrapped like a Swiss roll and dunked in a healthy dose of "to hell with everyone".

Indeed, Ernst Middendorp is unperturbed and least concerned with the crescendo of criticism of his style.

The louder the chorus of disapproval, the more he blocks out the noise. Unflustered, he does things his way as though marching to the lyrics of Frank Sinatra's My Way.

For starters, his selections are his and his alone. Many a coach would frown with a selection poser of who to leave out - Samir Nurkovic or Leonardo Castro?

A case in point is Eric Tinkler.

During his tenure at Orlando Pirates, Tinkler wouldn't play Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro in tandem.

The argument against it was that they were deemed too similar in style.

When confronted with a similar conundrum - of Nurkovic and Castro - Middendorp's way was to devise a plan of play designed to accommodate his twin strikers cut from the same cloth: tall, big and strong effective headers of the ball.

It has worked a charm - the result devastating for opponents who've battled to block the aerial bombardment from which a glut of the duo's goals have come.

He is not everybody's cup of tea, Middendorp. He is an acquired taste. More like green tea.

He would lose a Nedbank Cup final to TS Galaxy, get bliksemed by Baroka, fail to find a key to unlock former club Maritzburg United and come unstuck against SuperSport United.

In those losses, his tactics didn't find tacit approval from the army of Amakhosi fans who love to hate him and hate to love him.

But he has his finger on the pulse of the big games.

Against teams that attack Amakhosi, he gets the nuts and bolts right.

Both Pirates and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns fit that bill. Both were put to the sword as he edges ever closer to deliver the Holy Grail.

The 0-2 win away to Sundowns in November was particularly sweet, what with Brazilians boss Pitso Mosimane taunting about Amakhosi being beneficiaries of referee benevolence.

The 0-1 victory over Orlando Pirates in the Soweto derby, a clash he has never lost in eight encounters - six wins and two draws - was Chiefs' 15th of the season as the German completed a clean sweep over their nemesis in the current campaign.

Last Saturday he was in the mood to shuffle his pack and played a hand which left marauding Bucs befuddled and bemused as the heroics of Daniel Akpeyi won the day.

Play Itumeleng Khune, was the chorus from the crowd.

Akpeyi it would be. Akpeyi it was. Middendorp did it his way.

His way prevailed, with Akpeyi producing a man-of-the-match performance.

It was a smart move on the part of the German to draft Reeve Frosler at left-back to nullify the threat of free-scoring Gabadinho Mhango.

On the right, the defensive resoluteness of Kgotso Moleko was the roadblock that closed the channels Vincent Pule and Innocent Maela like roaming into.

When accusations of a lack of activity in the market were made against the coach at the beginning of the season, he calmly pointed to the long list of players he was confident would come back from the casualty room and contribute to the cause.

True to form, the likes of midfielders Lebogang Manyama, George Maluleka defenders Mulomowandau Mathoho, Happy Mashiane, Frosler, Castro and Khama Billiat have all played their part.

When Kaizer Chiefs come up against teams that sit back and starve them of space and set pieces, they struggle to break them down.

As the road meanders to the finish line of the 30-match marathon, Chiefs' programme for the last nine matches is a pathway littered with lesser lights who are potential banana skins.

First up last night saw the table-toppers take on the table-proppers AmaZulu.

Fellow strugglers against relegation in the form of Polokwane City and Baroka are in the mix.

The danger posed by teams trying to preserve their status and escape the dreaded axe to the lower leagues is not lost to Middendorp.

I believe it's very crucial how you handle these matches against the teams who are not in the chasing pack

—  Ernst Middendorp

"I believe it's very crucial how you handle these matches against the teams who are not in the chasing pack," he said.

"We still have to play them and they're fighting for their lives in terms of staying in the league.

"So it makes it more difficult for us. We have to have the same attitude when we play these teams fighting to avoid relegation."

Throw in Bidvest Wits twice, Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC and Bloemfontein Celtic and you realise there are still some potholes to navigate for Middendorp.

One sure thing, he is certainly looking forward to putting a firm grip on the steering wheel and deal with what lies ahead in the only way he knows how: his way. Because he is set in his ways. To hell with everyone.

For what is a man, what has he got

If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels

And not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows

And did it my way