Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp has urged the club’s fans to be patient as the likes of Khama Billiat, Leonardo Castro and Siphelele Ntshangase take time to find their feet.

The Glamour Boys have made a number of high-profile signings over the last year, and despite showing glimpses of what they can do, the players have taken a while to settle in and this may have led to some inconsistencies in their performances.

These inconsistencies have proven costly, as the club currently sit in sixth position, eight points behind league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.

The German tactician is not too worried, however, as he believes it will still take some time for the players to hit their top form, just as it did when Billiat and Castro first arrived at former club Sundowns.

‘I found one quote from our valued colleague Pitso [Mosimane], he said it took him three years to find the Khama Billiat, Keagan Dolly [and Leonardo Castro combination],’ Middendorp told KickOff.

‘It’s not only Khama or Leonardo, who came in four or five months earlier; it’s Dax [Andrianarimanana], [Siphelele] Ntshangase, and some other players that have also been lost in the near past.’

‘Let’s take this into consideration a little bit, that everybody in the second year will probably do better and be happier with the pressure – it is like this.

‘If you play a warm-up game, test game or even a game behind closed doors with Kaizer Chiefs, the pressure is high – you have to win each and every game, that’s the mentality that you come into and it takes a little bit of time.

‘In particular for a lot of players that we’re possessing at the moment, guys coming in like Happy Mashiane – he will have his ups and downs and others, like Teenage Hadebe is only 23.

‘We have to accept this, but we understand it’s not about building – I don’t talk this nonsense, we have to gain points, which is important for us, and with a good pre-season and preparation behind closed doors, we will go the right way.’