Maritzburg United letting go of Ernst Middendorp and opting to hire John Maduka instead was undoubtedly one of the least expected decisions of the off-season, but Farook Kadodia has a sound explanation.

Tired of fighting relegation every season, the Maritzburg boss wants a shift in mentality for the club, and believes they should be able to be among the top eight in the DStv Premiership every season and challenge for trophies.

Top of his mind when he made the unexpected change at the top of the technical team, with Middendorp jettisoned despite saving the club and finishing in what could be seen as a decent 12th place for an under-resourced club, was the type of football the Team of Choice should play.

“We wanted a new lease of life, a positive direction,” explained Kadodia. “The kind of football we played [under Middendorp] was of huge concern, but with Maduka we believe we can play far better, attractive football.”

Indeed, Maduka is credited with transforming Royal AM, from where Kadodia poached him on expiry of his contract, into one of the more watchable sides in the Premiership with their passing game that produces goals. Royal were, as a result, the second-highest scoring team last season (43 goals), behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns with 56.

Kadodia hopes Maduka brings similar resourcefulness to Maritzburg who, despite surviving the chop, have never really been seen as challengers for anything and are always classified as also-rans.

Yet in the past five years, the Team of Choice did show rare glimpses of competitiveness when they reached two cup finals (the 2019 Telkom Knockout and 2018 Nedbank Cup) and twice ended in the top eight. But to illustrate their unpredictability, Eric Tinkler had to come in to rescue their Premiership status via the PSL playoffs, after they had finished 15th in 2018/19.

Such uncertainty is what prompted Kadodia to change strategy and approach the new season with more ambition. “We are not expecting miracles from Maduka, but a top-eight finish and doing well in the Nedbank Cup will make us happy,” he said.

“I trust Maduka because I have followed him since his days at Bloemfontein Celtic. He’s obviously an emerging coach and we have to be patient. He needs to build a team and we have to allow him that space.”

One of the reasons Maritzburg have struggled for consistency is their policy of selling their best players to balance the books. Over the years they have lost stars such as Lebohang Maboe, Richard Ofori, Siphesihle Ndlovu and Fortune Makaringe.

“The income generated from those sales was reinvested back into the team,” Kadodia retorted. “That’s the only way to survive without a sponsor in this league. But I believe we can do that and still be competitive. We always replace the players we lose with similar quality.”