Month: December 2016

“With Cruyff we lost our intuition”

The Netherlands are celebrating their first christmas without Cruyff. The start of the post-Cruyff era. Our biggest football player ever, our national icon. It might be a coincidence, but without him controversy and division has been bigger than ever in our football nation. Without any directions, opinions fly around like blanks (or Tiju comments).

Cruyff admirer, ex-Oranje striker and ex-team mate and currently author and football analyst Jan Mulder thinks the nerve system of Cruyff worked exactly opposite to that of other mortal beings. In his farewell story, Mulder wrote that “with Cruyffie, the feet were in charges of the brain and not the other way around”. He was the first man on Earth (and yes Messi is one of his disciples) who first thought with his feet, and a nano second later, the brain followed.

Football was a game of intuitive flashes and ideas, for the legendary Number 14. He basically was the heir of Spinoza (1632-1677) the philosopher who believed intuition was the highest form of knolwedge. The player trusted his instincts totally, both on and off the pitch.

JC Golf

“Before I make a mistake, I recognise I’m making a mistake, so I won’t make the mistake,” said Cruyff famously. Cruyff didn’t think rationally, but more instinctive. He trusted his feeling and as a result was hardly ever in doubt.

And here is the national identity crisis of Dutch football explained and magnified in the last months, the era post-Cruyff, the founder and guardian of our national football identity. The unfathomable cacophony of opinions about the future of Dutch football. All the arguments and counter arguments. All the scepsis and cynicism. The debilitating debates about every comma, with lots of yelling and not a lot of listening.

Mind you, Cruyff didn’t listen well either. But he did lead. He was the navigator, the captain who said: follow me. Trust me. I know and have seen what lies beyond. And he was one who, even when he did lead us on a road to nowhere, he still didn’t doubt himself. And sure thing: the faithful followers boarded his ship, leaving the sceptics on the quay.

Did we have less discussion and less shenanigans without him? No, certainly not. His trust in intuition also led to controversy, in particular if his intuition clashed with the ratio of others.

The Velvet Revolution at Ajax. A more intense tribal war will never be fought in our football world. The victims and enemies of El Salvador won’t say it out loud, but some will think: nice and quiet now at Christmas time… The power he wielded, the influence he had, sometimes it work paralysing. It sometimes brought complete institutions  – Ajax, KNVB, Barcelona even – in a spastic cramp.

jC D Bergkamp -4

But, he did act as a beacon. He led from the front even if he didn’t want to. Because his disciples would simply lift him up and use him as a shield. If it concerned friends, however, Johan could find conflict between his intuition and loyalty. Loyalty, in his network, was everything. Former Ajax left winger and mentor to Cruyff said: “With Johan, loyalty was more important that pure quality.”

Cruyff’s best buddy, Rolf Grootenboer, explains how he and Jopie (Johan’s pet name as a kid) were ball boys at the Europe Cup Finals in 1962, between Real Madrid and Benfica. After the finals, Cruyff would sneak into the dressing room and mingle amongst the world’s top players to have a conversation. About football of course. Using his hands and feet and his best English. Grootenboer felt that anecdote describes Cruyff’s boldness best.

The word “bold” is the best word to summarize what Cruyff taught us. He dared us to be bold, to be adventurous and to believe in yourself. Don’t worry about opponents, they’re irrelevant. Follow your intuition and dribble till the cows come home.

The only player we have today with that kind of mentality is Arjen Robben. He is the only one who has that boldness and maybe the only one with the quality to do it. The church of Cruyff today is more based on coaches preaching attractive and dominant play, like Peter Bosz of Ajax.

JC WC 74 pingel

It’s the older generation of coaches – like Wim Jansen – who still use those old foundation cornerstones in their approach. For them, football hasn’t changed in 50 years.

Louis van Gaal doesn’t work at the moment. He is analysing games on tv and makes big trips with his partner Truus. Cruyff’s most illustrious rival will not have a lot of contribution in the current debates. Ronald Koeman is one of the few Cruyff disciples left, working on European top level. He was a beloved friend and protege but their football vision does differ. Koeman is not an idealist and not a free-flowing football coach. He is a pragmatic man, focused on winning. Frank Rijkaard retired. Marco van Basten has become a desk-jockey. Van ‘t Schip is active in the Australian competition.

JC Marco

We need more physical and mental development, they say. No! We need to work on football skills. We need to play on small pitches. No we don’t, we need to teach them to work with space. Hans van Breukelen’s mission is to connect and unite but his work is only making the division bigger. This club wants this, the other club wants that. And the KNVB is deciding whether they’re the UN or the US in all this mayhem, while being targeted from all angles themselves.

So where are our leaders? Danny Blind leads the Oranje squad and has his hands full. Marco is leading within a corporate institution. Ruud Gullit does what Ruud Gullit wants. Guus Hiddink is a good people manager but not a visionary. Co Adriaanse is semi retired and talks on telly about football. Bert van Marwijk – also not a great innovator – is raking up dollars in a country where human rights don’t exist.

Frank de Boer might have been the prodigal son but his Internazionale adventure will have damaged him.

Oh sure, there a report…written by a number of big names in Dutch football, but some of these names are quickly distancing from that report.

Without Cruyff, every opinion feels like a blank. Winners of yesterday, losers of tomorrow or the other way around. Cruyff never took a role to structurally change our football.But at least he served as the guardian of our spontaneity, trust your instincts, be bold, believe in yourself.With Cruyff’s passing in 2016, we may have lost our intuition…

JC Kormme

The only living legend amongst us is Willem van Hanegem. Partner in crime of Cruyff in the Oranje 1974 team. The only player who could think and feel as quick and similar to JC. And typically for De Kromme, not really Johan’s friend off the pitch. Unmeasurable respect for one another. And a bond for life. But where Johan was ruthless, Willem was soft. Always on the look out for the underdog.

But when Johan had just died, every Dutch player, ex-player or coach fought their way on to tv to tell Cruyff anecdotes. Not Willem. Suspiciously absent with his comments. Only weeks later, when he finally appeared on tv in a sports program, he couldn’t avoid the question: “Willem, you didn’t come on tv to talk about Johan’s passing? Why not?” And when Willem stuttered “It was too hard for me to talk about it”, the rough and robust midfielder broke down and cried for minutes on live television.

Such was their bond. Willem never followed Johan. He didn’t have to. They shared the same football DNA.

He is the last of the Mohicans and we should cherish him while we can…

barca fey

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Oranje 2016 in six stories….

March 2016: Oranje built on quicksand

This was supposed to be the year of Oranje’s renovation. France was the first opponent. The media was devastating after the 3-2 loss in the friendly against the Euro’s hosts: “In the first half, team manager Blind opted for the 5-3-2 and everything that could go wrong went wrong. Whenever Oranje lost possession the spaces between the lines were so huge that pressure on the ball was failing all the time. In the turn around, Oranje was constantly second best, while in possession Oranje seemed clueless. In the break, Blind returned to 4-3-3 and got Oranje some honour back and we even created a couple of decent attacks.”

This inconsistency in tactics resulted in the conclusion that Oranje was devoid of ideas even after 6 international games under Danny Blind. “This international week was supposed to be the symbol of a new phase of hope and opportunity, but this game versus France demonstrated our weaknesses to the max. The framework is gone, mediocrity rules and we will be confronted with this for weeks if not months to come.”
Typerend beeld voor de oefenwedstrijd van het Nederlands elftal tegen Frankrijk.

Typical shot from the France friendly

The final conclusion was that Oranje hadn’t learned a thing from the friendly vs France. And the media asked questions. “In the recent months, the 5-3-2 system was declared holy for the future. Is that still the case if the players aren’t able to execute it? Are we playing with 4 or 5 at the back? No player can answer it and clearly the team manager doesn’t know either. Cruyff’s motto – stick to what you know and improve on your own identity – offers some handles for the future. If not, than using terms as building is a courageous and ambitious thing, but know you are building on quicksand.”

On the day the media presented this analysis, Blind decided to forget the 5-3-2. In a 4-3-3 Oranje got a strong victory over England on Wembley, which gave new hope. Striker Vincent Janssen became the new symbol. As Van Persie was still absent, the AZ striker became the new leader of the line.

May 2016: ‘I will never say no to Oranje’

At the end of the season, Oranje continues the new look with three friendlies against Euro participants. A draw away against Ireland (1-1), a win in Poland (1-2) and a win in Austria (0-2) are the result and Klaas Jan Huntelaar watches the game from his sofa in the living room. The 33 year old Schalke striker gives an interview. One of the topics: his refusal to come on as a sub against England. “I always want to play and I don’t mind coming on as a sub, but I couldn’t do it for two minutes. I was sitting on the bench all the time and hadn’t had a warm up. Other lads were doing their warm up. Danny needed a player to help out in the last minutes and disturb England’s flow. The risk was simply too big for me to come on cold. I’m 33 years old now, I’m not 21 anymore. I couldn’t take the risk for myself and for Schalke. So I said: “Use one of them. It’s fun for them, so they can add a cap to their name.”

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar traint met Oranje op Wembley. Tot een invalbeurt in het legendarische stadion komt het niet, op zijn eigen verzoek.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar training on Wembley. He won’t play that night. At his own request.

People feared Huntelaar had enough of his cameo role and might even close the door on Oranje. “Ha! People who say this don’t know me. I will never close the door. Sure, I had my tough time in Orange but I’d never walk away. I am not bigger than the National Team. No player is. It’s always a joy to be there. The feel, the national anthem, the fans, that is what drives me. My sharpness is a result of this. I am really touched, every time I play for Oranje.”

But those three friendlies in May/June were too much for Huntelaar. “We are now sparring partner for nations that did make it to the Euros. No player enjoys those games. You are not the focal point. You are not playing for anything. That is tough. It’s an open wound for me, not qualifying. I’ll watch some of it, sure, but I’ll be happy when the Euros are over.”

July 2016:  Dick Advocaat supports Danny Blind 

Oranje’s good results in May and June coincide with Dick Advocaat’s role as new assistant. The veteran coach will take the role of Ruud van Nistelrooy for the WC campaign. “Danny called me and it didn’t take a lot for me to say yes!”.

Advocaat speaks highly of Blind: “His approach, his tactical talks, the way he informs the players about the opponent, that is truly professional. He’s strong verbally and has a natural dominance of the team. As an assistant, you always hear what players think or feel about the coach or the vibe in the team and the players didn’t complain or had anything negative to say. It’s a motivated group, ready for a new start. I played with Blind (at Sparta) but never experienced him as a coach. Some people are really negative about him… I don’t get that at all.”

Wil de échte bondscoach opstaan? Dick Advocaat neemt de coaching op zich in de oefenwedstrijd tegen Ierland.

Assistant coach Advocaat the most animated. Friendly vs Ireland

But the alert reader knew this might not be for the long haul. “I do have a clause in my contract. I want to help Oranje, but if a dream club comes I want to be able to go. If a club wants to sign me, I can go just like that. There’s always offers from Russia, Belgium could be an option.”

In September, Dick got a call and decided on the spot. Fenerbahce called and he packed his bags. Additional mayhem for Oranje, as Marco van Basten left for a cushion job at FIFA.

July 2016: ‘One of our best is ridiculed as a clown” 

The continuing troubles re: Oranje’s technical staff results in a lot of criticism for the new technical director Hans van Breukelen. Former PSV and Oranje goalie Ronald Waterreus gets more and more agitated and supports De Breuk in an article: “I read that Advocaat has a clause in his contract, allowing him to jump a passing train, should this happen. That is something Hans would never do. He commets, with passion, and wants to do his job. And I am convinced he will.”
Hans van Breukelen krijgt veel kritiek als technisch directeur van de KNVB, maar VI-columnist Ronald Waterreus vindt dat onterecht.

Waterreus is angry about a column by satire writer Dijkshoorn, who ridiculed Van Breukelen. “Criticism is fine, but focus on someone’s plans or actions or results. But no, Dijkshoorn tries to make a fool of one our greatest goalies ever. Without any foundation. Turning him into some clown. Dijkshoorn probably never even met Hans. He usually speaks in his columns about scared deers, but I think he is one himself. He is able to be really funny and critical sitting behind his typewriter (sic), but whenever he is on TV in the studio, he is always showering people with compliments. I have 1000 times more respect for Van Breukelen. If he doesn’t let the people around him get under his skin, Hans will lead us to the World Cup.”

 September 2016: ‘Oranje is your annoying friend’

The Dutch team starts the new season with a friendly against Greece. Another nation that didn’t make it to the Euros. And loses at home 1-2. The media: “I think we all had a friend like this. One who would tell you that they hadn’t even start studying yet, the day before the exams. Or who would tell you after the exam that they failed miserable, only to have scored straight As. And you actually didn’t do well at all, because you actually started studying too late. That is exactly what Oranje is doing now. I feel it. It has to be. Holland is the annoying friend. Because how else can a nation who finished third of the world in 2014 suddenly be number 26?? We don’t make it to the Euros and then we lose against Fucking Greece!! It has to be this.”

Griekenland juicht, het Nederlands elftal treurt.

Greece celebrates, Holland in despair

“So, at the start of this WC campaign, we are the Loser Nation of the Football World. And that is the plan, the whole set up. Sweden and France already book tickets for Russia and relax. And they will pay for it.”

But the flying WC campaign start doesn’t happen. Holland is stuck on a draw (1-1) in Sweden. We do win 4-1 versus Belarus but France is again too strong in Amsterdam (0-1). These results mean we’ll have to focus on becoming second in the group.

November 2016: ‘I would have gone crazy’

The year of re-emergence of Dutch football ended with a 1-1 draw vs Belgium and a 3-1 win over Luxembourg. This last win was not a really smooth one. Pierre van Hooijdonk: “It was quite clear what kind of circumstances we’d face, but somehow Danny Blind took the toughest road to victory.”

The way Bas Dost, the Oranje striker, was used annoyed Van Hooijdonk to the hilt. “Dost has had one decent ball to his head. One! From Bruma, in the second half. As a striker, I would explode with anger. With this tactic, Blind could have put Ramselaar in the striker role or any other player who can pass and move.”

Tot ergernis van Pierre van Hooijdonk werd Bas Dost tegen Luxemburg nauwelijks op maat bediend.

Bas Dost vs Luxembourg, never a decent cross

The conclusion of the former Uefa Cup winner was that Oranje is still getting used to this new reality. “The 1-1 in Sweden was unnecessary. Unlucky. But upfront, a draw would have been logical. And to lose against France, based on the differences of quality was also not a surprise. I have gotten used to the fact we are currently not world class. The number of top players is getting lower and lower but also the quality depth is going down fast. Despite that, we’re still in it. We’re second in the goup after a period of injuries (Robben, Strootman, Vlaar, Van Persie, De Vrij) and changes in the staff. If they are able to remain second in the group, it would actually be a top result.”

 

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Happy Summer Solstice from Australia

Hi all, merry xmas and all that. I’m not into this sort of thing. Sure, I like the food and love the Boxing Day games in the EPL but I’m not religious and do not have a lot of time for the whole hypocrisy around the whole peace on Earth and baby Jesus thing.

Let’s not get into it! December 25 is Winter Solstice in Northern Hemisphere and Summer Solstice on the Southern… We will enjoy the day half naked, chasing kangaroos, downing cold beers and eating prawns while swimming in the bay with dolphins.

I will get back with some “end of year” posts soon.

For now, I’ll leave you with the news that the KNVB is open to starting Boxing Day games in the Eredivisie as well!

I wish you a nice time and will bring you a nice insight into life post Johan Cruyff in Dutch football. The man got a raving tribute from Frank Rijkaard at the Dutch Sports Gala and I hereby pick him as the Dutch Sportsman, woman AND team of the year.

His legacy is dominating the headlines in the Dutch media’s look back on 2016.

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Ronald Koeman tribute to Johan Cruyff

It is that time of the year. Reviews, tributes, overviews… The main event in 2016 for Dutch fans was not Oranje’s Euro victory in France. It was the passing of our biggest football legend (and all around phenomenon) and inspiration: Johan Cruyff. He was the messiah and the “Legendary #14” when he was alive still, so you can imagine that he’ll become St Cruyff now he crossed over.

We always took time for JC on this blog, quotes, analyses, videos, opinions… Now we’ll allow one of his proteges and students (and friends) to share memories. Ronald Koeman, played against Cruyff, worked at Ajax under Cruyff, brought to Barcelona by Cruyff, lived next door to Cruyff and under the influence of the maestro for ever.

VI Online kicked off with this article, which I gladly use for your entertainment and learning.

It’s impossible to have a structured conversation in restaurant Steak of the Art in Southampton. Ronald Koeman’s anecdotes and memories fly over the table, when he gives a last salute to his friend and the man who formed Koeman as the coach he is. “Johan was so instrumental in my life, I can never say enough…”

JC coach Barca

Koeman was on a holiday in the South of France when he heard it. “I was actually enjoying a drink on a terrace in Nice, when my phone rang. Johan died… It seemed impossible.”

Cruyff was a tough taskmaster and even in death he made Koeman work. “I really wanted to go to the ceremony in Barcelona. It was not debatable. But I was in Nice, without a formal suit. I flew from Nice to Amsterdam. Had two hours delay to get to Southampton. I literally had 20 minutes in Southampton to grab a suit and and such and flew back to Amsterdam and then I traveled to Barcelona with Sjaak Swart. And I was so happy to be there. It was incredible. The respect, the love for Johan. Everything was right. And when you see all that, you actually realise how much he meant for us all and what he was about. For me, he was, is and always will be the greatest of them all!”

JOHAN – THE PLAYER
‘If he would have played in today’s game, he still would be the best’

Koeman: “A few days after his passing, I posted an old pic on Twitter. I did it daily as a tribute, but this pic is special. Johan is on the ball for Ajax and I’m the young FC Groningen player who will take the ball of him on that moment. We set up an attack and we got a penalty, which I scored. I scored two goals that day and as a thank you from Soren Lerby, I saw it as a compliment, he elbowed me in the face. I went knock-out. It was my first encounter with Johan. And ever since he became my mentor. Funnily enough, Johan made his debut in Groningen for Ajax and was man marked that day by my dad.”

“Johan was all about intuition. When he came to training in the morning, he had nothing prepared, he had no plan what to do. It just came to him.”

Koeman smiles: “When I was kid, I was bonkers over Johan Secundo: Neeskens. He was the player I had posters of on my wall. Everything was about Cruyff of course, in those days, but I loved the working class playing style of Nees. A lot of people felt Cruyff is synonymous with Ajax. For me it’s more Oranje. And that is all because of 1974. I saw the Holland – Argentina 4-0 game live with my dad and brother Erwin, in Gelsenkirchen. I will never forget that. I know this tournament and campaign so well, every little detail. The game vs Brazil, the semis. The blond midfielder, the kicking and challenges, those butchers at the back. Cruyff was unbelievable in that game. I was 11 years old. Oranje 1974, that was Johan for me.”

Johan Cruijff uit tegen GVAV in het midden van de jaren zestig, met links Martin Koeman.
Cruyff’s debut vs Martin Koeman (left)

Koeman is confident: “If Johan was a player now, he’d still be the best. I know him, he would have lived and trained different. He would have been fitter now, he’d make sure. Football was different back then. Yes, he smoked but you’d be surprised to hear how many players smoke. But his talent. The way he views the game. The game has changed in pace but seeing the game and being able to execute what you see, that was all Cruyff.”

‘At a certain point, his criticism you drive you mad. You’d grab him by the throat almost, you know?’

“In my view, if you had vision in the 1970s you’d still have that now. Seeing the pass, seeing the weakness of the opponent, you’d see it now too. So you need to adapt to the times and make sure you move quicker. The biggest difference for me is not the change of pace. It’s the lack of communication! In the days of Cruyff, but also when I played with Gullit, Wouters and even the generation of Frank de Boer, we would coach constantly on the pitch. Constantly talking to each other. And off the pitch, we’d debate for hours. Nowadays, players are really all individuals. They have their headphones on, or stare at their iPads. And their connection is less, so their communication is less. I need to motivate and entice them to talk and coach. We play a 6 forwards vs 4 defenders game at practice. I need the defenders to talk. I need them to go “left! right! step in!” that sort of commands. But they don’t. They are silent and are chasing the ball like headless chooks. That is strange, eh? They don’t get the ball… It’s a concern. When I played with Lerby and Cruyff and Schoenaker they were constantly in my ear. The pace might have been lower back then but the team bond and responsibility was at a higher level. Now, there is less time, so you need better help. I am working on this every day.”

JOHAN – THE INTRODUCTION  ‘Everything was bad’

johan wijst

Koeman keeps on talking: “I was already at Ajax for two seasons when Johan came. That was my first introduction to him as a coach and football guru and everything changed. Nothing was good enough. And not just with me. Vanenburg, Van Basten, Rijkaard, he was critical on everyone. I was a libero playing in front of the defence. But Johan felt I didn’t do that well enough. My timing, of when to come in and when to drop back was a continuous debate. At a certain point he drove me crazy. I had times when I thought, fuck it, I’m going back to Groningen. Johan shrugged his shoulders and said: “You should start worrying when I ignore you. I’m trying to make you see it…. ” He was trying to make me a better and more aware player. He made me use my brain. I left, but that was not because of Johan. Ajax had this rigid salary structure, no bonusses for results. Johan was dead against this system and he was all about the bonusses. He felt players should make money if they perform. Ajax was difficult to me in the negotiations and thought I would never leave. PSV offered a good deal and got me for 1,5 million. Johan was ok with it. Three years later he got me to sign for Barca and paid 13 times that amount.”

JOHAN – RUTHLESS – “He would make a fool of you in front of everyone”

‘Cruijff was ruthless. He was a friendly man, but he was not soft. He could be stone cold. He said something horrible about Vanenburg when he was at PSV. Said that a player with a voice (high pitch) like Gerald would never be a leader. I don’t think you can say something like that, but Johan didn’t think it was odd. It was his truth. And he hurt me too. We played this match once, God I forgot against who, and Johan was not happy with me. In the break, he didn’t say a word. Talked tactics for the second half. We all went out for the second half and 30 seconds in, he announces a change. The sign with my number went up. Just to teach me a lesson. 1 Minute in the second half! And that Tuesday, Van ‘t Schip and I were put in the B-team and we had to play Feyenoord in the rain. I’ll never forget that. That was Johan. Telling you in this way that he saw everything and that he was not to be played with. He was the boss.”

 

De piepjonge Ronald Koeman tegenover de ouwe rot Johan Cruijff tijdens FC Groningen-Ajax op 28 maart 1982.
A young Ronald Koeman vs veteran Cruyff in 1982 

‘At Barcelona, Johan decided who was room mate with whom. Johan put me with Pep Guardiola. Pep was an incredible player and a lovely guy. No frills, no ego. He came to practice in a little Volkswagen Polo. And he was crazy about Dutch football, about Ajax. And he was a sponge. Always learning, studying and asking questions. But, he was part of this group with Alexanco, Begiristain, Salinas and a few others. And they had a couple of businesses and project. Started a restaurant, organised the Forca Barca tv show. And at some stage, Pep wasn’t playing too well. We were in the hotel, in our room, one Saturday night. We played away at Logrones, I remember it well. We were in bed, watching some tv. Someone knocked on the door, Pep hands me the remote and opens the door. There’s Johan. And he was ranting and raving. “You! 21 years old! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Television? Restaurants? You are a football player. Focus on football!! Take an example of this guy in the bed right there.” Boy he could go off. I was laughing my ass off under the sheets. Guardiola was white as a ghost. I said “Pep, don’t worry. You’ll be fine. He means well.” Johan would be livid if he felt young players were not taking their work serious. He wanted to know everything about a player and he did know everything.”

More memories… “With Barca, we’d do the pre-season sessions in Holland. And we’d play almost every day against amateurs and youth teams of the pro clubs. And as a Dutch player, I had to play all these games, but we all played one half. At one stage, I was on the bench and I was supposed to come on in the second half. After ten minutes, however, the amateurs had had 3 open chances. The team was playing really bad. Cruyff looked at one of his assistants, Vilda, and says “get them all ready in 10 minutes!”. Vilda said: “Who?”. Cruyff said “All of them”. So the second half team was doing a warm up and 20 minutes into the game, Cruyff orders a substitution. He had 10 players standing on the side line waiting to come on, to replace 10 field players. Only Zubi, the goalie, remained. You could see Alexanco, the captain, look totally confused. But he took them all off, including Michael Laudrup. Cruyff didn’t care. He would humiliate them all.”

Op een training bij Barcelona in het seizoen 1994/95, met links Igor Korneev. ‘Johan gooide nieuwe aankopen gewoon meteen in het diepe. Billen bloot.’
Barca Season 1994/95, with left Igor Korneev. ‘

“Johan has always been ruthless. Take that recent Ajax thing, the revolution. I don’t think that was good for him. It was his intention to do good, it was all about the football. Football people on key positions. It makes sense. But the problem was: Johan couldn’t be there himself. If you lead a revolution, you need to be there. He needed to monitor and manage that process but he couldn’t do it anymore. Johan was incredibly loyal. He’d never hang you out to dry if you needed him.”

JOHAN – FC BARCELONA ‘Happy New Year. Come to Barcelona!’

Koeman about his move to Barca. “After the EC 1988 and the PSV Europa Cup victory, I could go anywhere. AC Milan, Juve, they all called. But Spain was my country of choice. We always went to Spain on holidays. Leo Beenhakker was at Real Madrid and they came to talk but it didn’t feel right. I had no resonance with them. Barcelona was always my club. The vice chair called me after the Euros but they didn’t know who the new coach would be so I decided to wait. And on the 31st of December I get a call from Johan. He was in trainings camp as they played Atletico the next day. “Happy new year,” he said and “I want you here for next season”. I said OK and told PSV. Within weeks it was arranged.”

cruyff wembley

Big smile on the Everton coach’ face: “Barcelona was amazing. The quality of the football, but don’t think Johan had an actual plan. He did everything on intuition. He would come to practice not having prepared anything. He always worked on something he felt we should do better. Tonny Bruins Slot was meticulous though. He prepared the normal practice sessions. Johan would simply take his key players, eight usually, and work with them, while Tonny would take the rest of the group. He always said “Tonny, you take the group, I want to work with them for 15 minutes.” But the 15 minutes would become 30 minutes and even longer as he simply enjoyed it himself. There were times where Tonny would be done with the group and waiting for Johan to resurface. And Tonny was just looking at Johan, thinking “come on man!” hahaha….”

“The level we played at was tremendous. And whenever new players would come in, he would let them feel that. He would play 4 against 4 with two free players, who could be used by both teams. Usually, Johan and Charly Rexach would be those two free players. You’d play from corner flag to box in that square. You could only touch the ball twice. And Johan would put the new players together against four of our team. And these new boys would be standing there for 20 minutes, confused, never touching the ball. This was Johan saying: Welcome to Barcelona. We would probably help new lads, make them comfortable, settle them in. Not Johan. He’s throw you in the deep end. I recently discussed it with Richard Witschge. Johan was still in great shape and would play with us. He would always hit the ball too hard on Richard’s right foot. Richard was staunch left and only used his right leg for running and walking. Witschge would always get in trouble in those practices. “Back to the center Rich!” is what Johan would say. And if you were in the middle, you simply wouldn’t get out anymore.”

Buren in Barcelona. ‘Als er iets te vieren was, deden we dat samen. We kwamen altijd bij elkaar over de vloer.’
Neighbours in Barcelona: “whenever we had something to celebrate, we’d do it together. Our families were always together’

‘Frank Rijkaard has done ever so well and Pep has perfected the game played in Barcelona. But Johan laid the foundation. When we won the EC1 in 1992, man… That was a big thing. Barca lost the finals in Sevilla in 1986 against Boekarest. That crazy goalie stopping a couple of penalties. That was a trauma. And on paper, we were much better than Sampdoria, but we knew it would be a tight game. That ghost of Sevilla was over our head. When we did win it, at Wembley, it wasn’t only the biggest moment of my career, it was also a turnaround for the club. Barca needed a big win. And that’s when it all started, really.”

JOHAN – THE NEIGHBOUR ‘When you needed him, he was there’

‘We became neighbours in Barcelona. They paid 18,000 guilders rent per month in 1989. A huge sum. So we were neighbours and whenever Bartina (Ronald’s wife) and I had gone into to town for dinner and came home late, I told her not to flush the toilet because Johan would hear I’d still be awake, hahahaha. Cor Coster, Johan’s father in law and manager, would visit. He loved a whisky, but his daughter wouldn’t allow it before a certain time of the day. So Cor came and visited “the Koemans to say hi to the kids” hahaha. And he’d have a whisky at our place. Johan was a typical neighbour, coming by to borrow some sugar, you know, that kinda thing? Danny, his wife, was tremendous for Bartina. Helping her getting to know the area. We had a strong bond. We did all these birthdays celebrations, christmas, that sort of thing. It was odd at times. He was my neighbour, my friend, but also my coach and boss. Sometimes not easy.”

“Romario came to Barca. Laudrup, Stoichkov and I were the three key foreigners and Johan couldn’t play four. The Spanish media loved it. The key question was constantly, which player will get the benchwarming role. Every day big stories, polls, surveys and opinions. And it was never my name in the media. Everyone thought one of the forwards would start on the bench. Tonny Bruins Slot told me later that Johan didn’t know what to do either. He suddenly, an hour before the match, say “Koeman” to Bruins Slot. And Rexach would say “No, not Koeman, we need him!” But Johan would say: “I will explain it to him, I’ll give it a whirl.”

‘Natuurlijk heeft Johan mij beïnvloed. Wat je eist van spelers, hoe je ze uitdaagt, hoe je kwaliteit bewaakt.'

“Johan was a major influence on me. How to deal with players, how to squeeze the best out of them”

‘So we walk in for the tactical team talk and I see the line up on the white board with the magnets and they had numbers. And number 4, my number, is right midfielder! “Fuck!” I thought, “he surely would not bench me?” But yes. I was livid! “Why didn’t you just tell me, dammit!” I called out to Johan. There was a rule which said that any new signing would not play the first game. But Johan shrugged his shoulders and said “don’t get your panty in a knot!” After the game, in the press conference, he said “Koeman will play in games where I need him. The key games. I decided to bench the player with the strongest mentality. That’s Ronald. He knows how to deal with this.” He was so smart. You may not play, but he’ll shower you with compliments. And then when we went home, he calls me up: “Hey, lets go out for some dinner with the wives”. As if nothing happened. And obviously, we went out for dinner.”

“Johan was always more a friend than a coach. He really was there for you. Bartina was expecting our second, Tim. She was supposed to give birth on a Sunday. But you know how that goes. That Saturday, we played against Sociedad, 800 km from Barcelona. The match started at 10 pm and you’re basically done at midnight. And in those days, we didn’t have private jets bringing us home after a game, but we had a hotel there and we’d return the next day. I was pretty nervous because I might miss the delivery! But right after the game, Johan said: “Ronald, get your bag we are leaving now!”. He had someone drive his car to Basque and he drove me straight back after the game! And Johan drove us for seven hours, on the treacherous mountain roads there, taking all bends and curves full throttle, as he played and coached and lived. I was back in time for the delivery. But that’s remarkable isn’t it? That your coach does this for you, without you even asking for it? Can you imagine Mourinho or Van Gaal doing that for a player? That is typically Johan!”

JOHAN – THE GURU ‘At home they called him Johanna’

Johan Cruyff smoking on the touchline - 06 Dec 2006

‘Bartina and Danny would discuss their own ladies’ stuff. Fashion, schools, cooking, or even vacuum cleaning or whatever and Johan would join and tell them about those things, as if he was the expert. So they’d say “Ah, here is Johanna as well!”. And he did that with everything. If you were playing pool in the Ajax’ players home, he would come and tell you how to make the perfect shot. He knew everything. Or at least, that is what he though. He was always explaining everything.  He was good in settling in people from other countries in Spain. He introduced us to Spanish food. I was sold straightaway, but Richard Witschge took a bit longer. Whenever we had lunch, Richard would love for ham and melon or a schnitzel. And he kept on doing this for months. It was Danny actually, who at some stage said “Come on Richard, you gotta adapt to live in Spain!”. This was how they took care of us.”

“Johan is a major influence on me. But I’m sure he did this to Pep, Marco, Frank. What you demand of players, how you manage quality, group dynamics, how you challenge them. Or the way we train. When I was with Feyenoord, I’d join into the positioning games, just to show that their coach can still play. It’s just that Johan was phenomenal in that. He would be coaching on the side of the pitch, gesticulating, yelling and trying to control everything. If a ball came his way, without even looking, he’d play an inch perfect pass with his outside left to the free man, without stopping his instructions. And he was right footed eh? He had solutions of which we would say “how does he see that?”. Exceptional. Still, as a coach, I am a bit less adventurous. I think Johan took a lot of risk. But you develop your own ideas at the end of the day.”

JOHAN – THE FUTURE – “I miss him terribly”

“When I heard Johan wasn’t well, I called him. And I have to say, I felt he aged a lot.  Johan typically understated it all. You know, it wasn’t as bad, I have the best doctors, I’m actually 2-0 ahead… but it was worse than we knew. He typically tricked us until his dying breath. I am missing him enormously and so will the whole of Dutch football. Our icon is gone, our criticaster, the best we ever had. Now it will all be different….”

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Breaking news! KNVB taken over by cult!!

My friends, I’m sorry I had to push the Van Persie top story aside so quickly. Hope you still enjoy reading that if you haven’t already. But this is too hot to ignore. The title of the post might assume an April’s Fool angle or an exaggeration? Well, it’s not April 1, and yes, it might be exaggerated but it is an astonishing development.

All you will read here has been uncovered by investigative journalists of De Telegraaf. One of the best and most influential (and largest) newspapers in the country (in particular in sports). Their main competitor (Algemeen Dagblad) is the official spokes daily for the KNVB, so this news will not really appear in that medium. Chris van Neijnatten was the sports chief editor of the AD and he is currently head press relations at the KNVB, so there you go.

Anyway… what is the story?

You know that Hans van Breukelen was appointed Technical Director of the KNVB and the boss of Danny Blind and all KNVB’s football related activities.

In the same time frame he came in, chaos happened. The Board of Directors resigned collectively (bar one), general manager Van Oostveen was side lined and his successor will not be appointed until April 2017. This leaves the KNVB in the hands of the part time (interim) manager, who is in charge of commercial / business matters.

There were dramas with team manager Hans Jorritsma and two assistants to Blind resigned. Advocaat, to chase more cash and glamour with Fener and Van Basten went after his dreamjob at FIFA, although the appointment of Van Breukelen may well have had an impact. Replacement assistant Ruud Gullit firmly declined to deal with Van Breukelen after he told Ruud some fibs.

oostveen goes

Bert van Oostveen, report author Jelle Goes, KNVB Chair Michael van Praag

You all know this.

What you don’t know (and what was uncovered this weekend) is that Hans (or De Breuk, as he is called) has been part of a Dutch sports consultancy company (BTSW – Buro for Applied Sciences) for 15 years. And the people who work there as “mental coaches” and “peak performance consultants” and “team building mentors” and “psychologists” have all seem to have found their way into the KNVB in some form or other. All on the payroll and/or consultancy roles at different levels. The Technical Manager Jelle Goes, Youth Academy manager, the coaching development manager, all sorts of jobs at the KNVB filled by people 1) no one heard of before in football and 2) all partners/working for this company. All colleagues of De Breuk, for years.

Jelle Goes is the author of the much maligned report “Winners of Tomorrow”.

Joost Leenders, mental coach of Memphis Depay, amongst others, is now the new coach of the Under 18s and is BTWS ambassador.

Frans de Kat is youth coordinator – also of BTWS) and has worked for Arsenal and claims to have firmed up an agreement with Arsenal for youth development activities.

What you also don’t know is that the website of BTSW (now taken down, apparently) boasts relationships with all sorts of artists, musicians, clubs which clearly are all made up. The likes of FC Groningen, Arsenal, rapper Ali B and other big names in entertainment and sports are used to boost the profile of this company, but all of these have now been taken down. Arsenal even published a press release saying they’re outraged their name was used. None of these people/organisations seem to want a public relationship with these pseudo psychologists (or psychos!).

stout

Rini Stoutjesdijk

It goes even further: the founder of BTSW (Mr Stoutjesdijk, I believe) is an intense and dominant leader. An NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming) expert who operates like a sort of svengali and gets into people’s heads without them wanting this. A number of people have now come forward and claim this guy is 1) manipulative, 2) overpowering, 3) dangerous even…

Stoutjesdijk himself is the newly appointed mental coach for the Dutch women’s team….

What also came out, is that many athletes who have been “managed” by the psychos have suffered severe trauma and issues as a result of these people. And they wanted to come out. So a certain female author wrote a book about this and she actually called the company a “cult” with Stoutjesdijk as their cult leader. The victims, however, asked for their names and all the names of the people to be withheld and replaced by pseudonyms, for fear of retribution.

As a result, the book became a bit of a blank shot. Powerless. It read like fiction. And it never really made a mark. Until De Telegraaf uncovered all the real fact. The book was published (yes, was!) by a highly reputable publishing house but was taken off the market when the author was personally threatened by unknowns, with vicious threats. So the book is no longer available.

People who dealt with these psychos literally used the term brainwashing and are convinced Hans van Breukelen is actually a victim of this himself, being used by that company to get into a position of power in the KNVB to get control over sports talents in the Netherlands.

Blange

New PIM: Peter Blange

The newly appointed Performance and Innovation Manager (former Gold medallist volleyball star Peter Blange) also is linked to this BTSW group.

For people reading this and not being able to believe all this, here are some things about Hans van Breukelen you might not know:

  • Yes, he was an above average goal keeper, whose mental strength as often named as one of his strengths
  • Yes, Hans van Breukelen is considered a good man, with a good heart
  • Hans van Breukelen suffered severe depressions in his playing days
  • After losing a key game (vs Feyenoord) as a result of a major blunder by De Breuk, he self-confessed to have contemplated committing suicide
  • It’s also a fact – corroborated by ex team mates – that after a bad performance, Hans would decide himself to remove himself from group training for months, spending time alone (with a keeper trainer) as he couldn’t face working with other people out of shame
  • Hans did not do too much in football after his career but went into NLP and co-wrote two books about mental strength with….you guessed it….the CEO of that psycho company…
  • And Hans made his post-career money going around the country doing motivational speeches on leadership, most likely using it to bring clients to the consultancy firm

It might well be Hans is under the spell and firmly believes to be doing the right thing.

polletje

The infamous “polletje” incident vs Feyenoord

At a football talk show last weekend, Hans was the guest explaining to the analysts there (incl Pierre van Hooijdonk and Co Adriaanse) how he saw the future re: football development. Claiming that clubs have approached him with the question: “How can we determine if a player has the winning mentality?”. All analysts present fell off their chairs, claiming that 1) no club would ask this and 2) any youth coach not being able to see this for himself, would not be worthy of his job.

The talk show host cut De Breuk short all the time as he started rambling long stories about “assessment” and “mental guidance” and “structure” and “foundations”, asking De Breuk what was actually going to happen in terms of football development….

Where Wim Jansen (and people like Cruyff, Van Hanegem, Gullit and Van Basten) fully focus(ed) on football skills development, Van Breukelen’s only goal seems to be to push BTSW through the door!

Today, the KNVB board (the ones left) will discuss this new drama with Van Breukelen. The media in Holland are claiming there is only one option: sack Van Breukelen and kick out all the people linked to this weird company.

The company’s website was taken down yesterday.

Coming Friday, the author of De Telegraaf article will be on tv in Voetbal Inside with KNVB chairman Michael van Praag.

How interesting though, the man who is promoting the winning mindset within the KNVB might well be forced to throw the towel, as it seems that everything he touches fails and his commercial links with WTSB seems to hard to overcome, as he is clearly bringing his business buddies into the KNVB where ever he can….

I will keep you posted!

breuk accordeon

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Robin van Persie is back!

We’re smack in the middle of one of those generation gaps. It happens with smaller football nations. Belgium’s gaps are longer than their peaks. Denmark had a trough but seems to be coming back. Hungary is been missing in action for 50 years. We have had them before. Right after the 1970s golden years was the biggest one of course. NT coach Danny Blind did not pick an easy road. After two World Cup top 4 spots and the Golden Four entering their autumn (Robben, Sneijder, Van Persie) and winter stages (Van der Vaart),

We discuss our current top players (a utility player of Liverpool, a box to box player at Swansea, a make shift center back at Watford, a bench warmer at Man United, an inconsistent right back at Feyenoord) and even throw some players in the mix who hardly played a handful of top flight games for their Euro sub top club (Nouri, Diks).

Robben and Sneijder are the two old hands who help Blind carry the load. Robin van Persie should be the third world class player to return to the fold, in my honest opinion. He’s been in the cold for a couple of seasons now, but Robin is back. Fighting fit and motivated. His story…

robin smiles

Currently, Robin van Persie (33)is in his best period in years, as the Fenerbahce striker. Blind still doesn’t give him a look in at Oranje. Robin’s views… “The team manager makes the decisions. Not me. It’s that simple. But, the team is in transition and why wouldn’t I be able to help?”

His wide open mouth, the near insane look in his eyes. These images are still everywhere in Istanbul. On the front pages, posters and Turkish tv. Even in commercials. Robin van Persie, wild with joy, scoring against arch rival Galatasaray (2-0).

Even now, weeks later, this is still the topic that matters. “Oh man! The joy I felt. It was a serious explosion. Everything tried to get out. Literally, everything. I needed that!”

_92572886_vanpersie1epa

Robin van Persie clenches his fist when he says this, in the relax room of the Fener training complex, in the Asian part of town. Historical black and white pics on the wall. “A few days before the match I visited a Turkish friend, and he told me: as long as you haven’t scored against Gala, you are not really a Fener player.” And he meant it. All supporters think like this. You can play well, you can score a lot, all well and good, but what really counts here is being the decider of the derby.”

And we see it a day later in the Sukru stadium, when Van Persie plays versus Besiktas (0-0). His difficult first season at the club, it hasn’t had any negative influence on his popularity with the Blue-Yellow fans. He is the first player they cheer and call to the fan-zone behind the goal for a crazy cheering ritual. An ear deafening roar comes into the stadium. Dick Advocaat: “Robin is the most popular player here. But, that already was the case before the Gala match.”

robin fey

Advocaat has said it before. His striker is top fit, fresh in his head and pretty darn good. Against his old club Feyenoord, Van Persie didn’t shine but he played a solid role in service of the team. And in mid week games, his coach tends to rest the old fox. He’s not 22 anymore but he is the number one striker for Fenerbahce. His statistics are clear in the months October and November. The player starts to look more and more like his old self.

“Fun, just pure fun! Fun in playing, the matches, the practices. Carefully prepared passing and finishing practices. Sharp games. Even a good warming up is something to cherish. When expectations are high, I can perform at my best. I missed that drive, to be honest with you. Last season was no fun. My last season at Man United wasn’t great either. It was a struggle in many ways. And you only notice this when the joy is back. That gives you a mental boost. It’s liberating and I think it also affects your physical strength and fitness.”

You were presented as a super signing, but you couldn’t deliver on that promise. At all.

“I know what you mean. Things didn’t go the way I wanted it. There were several factors at play. I personally think the “he is not fit” element wasn’t even that big a thing. The media and the outside world made that more important. There were other things too. I am not the kind to look back in anger and say nasty things about people, but lets just say that things turned around very positively when Dick Advocaat came. However, I did score 22 goals last season, so it wasn’t that big a drama I don’t think.”

2015-2016 HASAN DOGAN SEZONU FENERBAHCE-BURSASPOR 5.HAFTA 20.09.2015 MUSTAFA NACAR
“Crisis? What Crisis??”

How was Advocaat turning things around?

“He makes the difference, with Cor Pot and Mario Been. The way we train, the way we play, the discipline in and off the pitch, the clarity in the vision. We had a good meeting, when Dick came in and he was honest, sharp and critical. He said “I have high expectations of you. I want you to carry the team, to lead”. I enjoy that Dutch directness. That is what we need.”

You did have a personal trainer working with you for months. He even lived with the family. Did that work?

“For sure! I needed to do more in that period. I felt that, but I couldn’t fit it into the usual practice sessions. I have now ended those personal sessions but it has strengthened my foundation, that is what it is. The last percentages of progress I booked through playing matches.”

When Dick Advocaat came in August, he was sceptical about the striker. Again, Robin was injured. The former Zenit and Sunderland coach wanted to see what Robin could do. Advocaat: “I had my doubts yes. No team can carry a player who can’t reach a certain level anymore. Not in the big games. But, when you saw his fitness return, you could easily see what an incredible player he still is.”

Dick RVP

Still, a return to Oranje is not happening. When Vincent Janssen and Luuk de Jong demonstrated to lack form and rhythm, against Belgium and Luxembourg, Blind still didn’t make that call. Dick Advocaat decides to pass on this topic. “It’s sensitive in any situation for a coach to make a comment about that, but I assisted Danny for a spell so it’s not appropriate for me to comment. But, I am happy that I don’t need to make those decisions.”

Van Persie takes a breath and moves around a bit when the subject is broached. “I want to pick my words properly but I don’t want to beat around the bush. But, for starters, it’s the coach’ decision. That is how it works. But, I think I have earned the right to say something about it, based on my history with Oranje? And why wouldn’t I be able to give my viewpoint?”

And how do you see it?

“When I see Vincent Janssen play, I can see he is a good striker. For real. He’s got the intuition, the work ethics, he has courage and confidence. But, I can also see little things in his game that can improve. It’s details, I know, but I am sure I can help him. This is how Ruud van Nistelrooy worked with me. Obviously, Vincent needs to be open to it, but I’ve played eleven seasons in the EPL and scored a couple of goals for Oranje so I think I can help in this process. Obviously, it’s weird to be saying this knowing that Luuk de Jong and Bas Dost will not be too happy with me talking myself into the squad… I do respect them as players as well.”

RVN RVP

Could you live with a role as second striker?

“I probably couldn’t four years ago, haha, but when things are made clear and there is communication and the first striker is the man in form and better than, why not? And you can make decisions based on the game at hand. I can play in four roles upfront. Here at Fener I play the #10 role as well at times. If there is a will, we can find a way. And I’m no fool! I know the generation Sneijder/Robben/Van Persie/Van der Vaart is phasing out. That is only natural. The Dutch NT is in a transformation stage and Janssen might well be the striker for the next ten years. But that will not happen within a day or week or month. Why wouldn’t I be able to support that process?”

It seems that Blind doesn’t recognise this role in you?

“It’s quite possible we don’t have a click personally. And that’s ok. But I do hope the professional will win against the personal. It’s not about him or me. It’s about Oranje. That is the main thing.”

Things happened between you and Memphis on the training pitch, among other things. Could the past play a role?

“I don’t know. I can be quite direct, I know. But in some case it is needed. It’s part of top sports. If you want to be top and perform to the max, you need to be able to tell each other your truth. And a clash, sharp, head to head, it’s ok. It’s not always a bad thing. And then you need to be able to let it go. I actually saw Memphis at Man United some time back and asked him: Memphis, you still pissed off at me. And he said no. So that’s it. Done. And I have always put a lot of energy in young players. I love that. Talking, helping, feel free to ask them.”

RVP Memphis

Can you imagine Blind might think: Van Persie in a secondary role, that’s not going to work?

“No idea. He might think that. But, it’s a matter of management, isn’t it? That is important in being a coach, apart from coaching. It’s managing the personalities in a team. I scored twice against Gala, but for the next game against Zorya, three days later, Advocaat told me: you won’t play. And I said: What? I feel great. I want to play! But Advocaat said he felt the next competition game was more important. End of story. And that’s cool. It’s clear and open and honest. I’m now 33 years old. I’m starting to wisen up a bit.”

But in all seriousness, the last couple of years, the coaches of Oranje would not have a lot of reason to select you. You didn’t play great and you weren’t fit

“I hear what you say. I sort of lost the fun in the game. And I have to blame myself for this. But not every period is the same. People will say I am biased, but I did have some good periods as well.”

Like right before this last international break, for the Luxembourg and Belgium games?

“Yes exactly. And I do get Oranje is in a process and Blind is looking for consistency and all that. You want to grow and develop towards the World Cup. That is the way to do it, but at the same time, football is also today. Now. You need to get results now as well.”

RVP oranje

Did Blind ever call you or ask you about this other role in the squad?

“No he didn’t and to be honest, that puzzles me a bit. I mean, if he doesn’t want to select me, fine. That is his prerogative. He is the coach. But Danny worked with me in his time as assistant of Van Gaal and I think we worked well together. We’ve known each other for years. Why wouldn’t you just pick up the phone and talk about it? You don’t have to go with my ideas, but why not talk about it? I can be a reasonable guy, hahaha.”

And if Blind calls tomorrow, would you come? Or would you want a firm meeting before deciding?

“I always maintained, that playing for your country is a true and huge honour. I don’t have any reason to view that differently now. That talk will come anyway. But I will never say no to Oranje. It’s too valuable for me.”

Van Persie played 101 caps for Holland. When a player reaches 100 games, he usually is presented with a beautiful scale. The KNVB decided to simply mail the thing out in October, using regular post, to Instanbul. No one at the KNVB took the trouble to visit him, take him out to dinner… Or invite him as guest to an Oranje game. Van Persie had himself and wife Bouchra photographed with the thing, sitting on his sofa, with a grin on his face. And what a contrast with the welcome he received at Old Trafford or in De Kuip last Thursday. He was subbed in the 75th minute and received a tremendous applause. In Manchester, he even got a standing ovation when he scored against Man United. “Those were goosebumps moments. Really, the warmth and respect in England. The moment I got off the plane in Manchester I felt it. It was great. We lived there quite a while and I feel good in England.”

VP 100 club

But the pics on Twitter of you with that KNVB scale? That was a subtle statement? We are not that good in Holland in honouring our top athletes.

“But I do feel the respect and acknowledgement from the Dutch fans. Of course, receiving this in a stadium, with fans in the stands is much more fun and valuable, but that chance might come one day. I am proud anyway.”

In Turkey, the adoration goes beyond what we believe to be normal. Have you gotten used to that?

“We really enjoy life here. The people, the city, life in general. We feel at home and the kids too. I think I’ve become a bit of a Turk myself. I love Tavla, a sort of Turkish backgammon game. Amazing game. And I bought a special table for it, hahaha. My Turkish team mates love it too. But I can win against them now, so they don’t enjoy it too much anymore.”

And do you feel safe here? A lot has happened recently, with even a political coup?

“True, and people do talk about this. We do feel connected to the nation and we try to follow the news. We talk to people about it. Bouchra is always busy helping asylum kids from Syria, with other players wives. A lot is going on in the world, not just here. It’s frightening at times. Sure. And we do see security as a big theme. We will take that into account when we take our next step.”

robin bouchra dinner

Do you feel safe here?

“Yes I do. The last months are quiet. Istanbul is not unstable but listen, we are privileged. 99% of the other people have bigger worries than we. I’m a well payed player, I live in a beautiful home in a secure compound. I don’t think we would be the first to complain about feeling unsafe.”

(Note JR: and just this morning the news broke of a bomb exploding at Istanbul train station 🙁 )

Life was different last August. You weren’t happy with coach Pereira, there was the coup, I’m sure you must have considered leaving?

“We discussed all options, yes. And there were opportunities to consider and good offers. And we weighed everything, the football, family, security, etc. In that stage, only Wesley was here in Istanbul, as a Dutchman. But within weeks, we saw Nigel de Jong at Gala, Jan Olde Riekerink was here of course. Van der Wiel came to Fener, then Hoek as keeper trainer at Gala. Dick came here with Cor and Mario and then Lens showed up to play here. Really incredible. It all happened so quick and fell into place.”

So if Advocaat wouldn’t have come, would you be playing elsewhere?

“Hard to say, but it was a big factor in my decision. And pretty soon it all clicked. And I started to feel good and settled. I think I was fortunate that it all went as it went.

 

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WC2002: Oranje’s biggest fail….

When things aren’t going your way, visualising success and a turn-around helps. What also helps, is to look at situations that are or were even worse! To give you a pick-me-up.

On special request, an analysis (14 years after the fact) of the biggest Oranje Fail in history (arguably).

So, we failed miserably at the WC1990 (with Gullit, Van Basten, Koeman, Rijkaard, Wouters) but at least we were there! We failed at the Euros2012 but it could have been different if we took our chances vs Denmark. And again: at least we were there! And yes, the Euro2016 qualifications were a shamble, but at least we had the excuse of a generation gap and absentees (Robben!).

In 2000, however, we came out of a Euro2000 tournament we could have won and in which we played some (not all) good football. In 1998, at the WC in France, we actually could have won the whole bloody thing (made it to the semis of course).

oranje port line up

So when “inexperienced” Rijkaard resigned after the devastating freak loss vs Italy in 2000, the Dutch Federation decided to give Louis van Gaal his due. The former Ajax and Barca coach was considered the top man for the job in Holland. He was seen as the new football messiah after Cruyff. And more to the point: Louis van Gaal made it clear that HE wanted the job. Now, the problem with Louis is this: yes, he is a very good coach. And yes, he demonstrated he works well with young players (he gets into their head like a real Svengali). But…he also is a narcissistic and dominant bully. And typically for ego-driven people, he wanted the job for him. Not to further Oranje. To be of service to Dutch football. But purely for his resume. The cool thing with people like him (Donald Trump is another example): they are very open about their motivations. “I want this on my resume!”. This is also what he proclaimed when going for the Man United job. “I want to have a title in England on my resume!”. It is all about Louis.

If I was a club or federation director, for me that would be the key reason not to hire him. Coz wherever Louis goes: you might get trophies, but you’ll definitely invite trouble.

Nistel2002

Louis stepped into the job thinking he was going for gold. For starters: he really thinks he is the best coach. Secondly, he would be reunited with his Class of 1995 of Ajax success. Thirdly, he figured as an NT coach you have so much time on your hand, someone like him must be able to forge a winning team.

But as usual, he didn’t assess the situation properly. Narcissistic personalities think they can manipulate reality in to something they envision. “Make it so!”.

So, in hindsight, it is clear that: 1) he might be the best club coach but he didn’t “get” what it takes to be an NT manager. It’s a different role altogether! 2) he might have liked the reunion with his former posse but the players were done with him. Most of them had progressed in their football career, with experiences under other coaches. And most of them if not all, did not like to be treated as if they were still 21 years old. Cocu, the De Boers, Van Hooijdonk, Van der Sar, Stam, Witschge… all pushing 30 by now. Mature players. They had all seen Louis’ act by now and they knew all the lines of the script. And 3)…Louis used the time as NT manager to accept a second job at the KNVB: he also acted as the Technical Director. As a result, he developed a masterplan for the KNVB (not unlike Hans van Breukelen is doing now) with a manifest of how amateur coaches needed to work and be trained to do so. A plan that was marvelous as a PhD thesis but unpractical to execute. He spent weeks in lobbying, presenting, debating, clashing with others to push his straightjacket vision onto the pro clubs and amateurs alike. The KNVB would invest in hiring dozens of “Van Gaal clones” to push his vision.

stam 2000

Nothing ever came of that. Icons like Cruyff, Van Hanegem and Wim Jansen torpedoed the plan and most of the clubs felt Van Gaal should focus nicely on qualifying with the NT.

As a club coach, Louis would work as much as he could with the players. Not doing tactics only, but perfecting their skills, working on their mentality, their world vision, the way to behave, think, eat, drink, probably also how to have sex.

As an NT coach, you need to make an environment in which players enjoy themselves. A break from the club. And make sure they stay fit, but don’t work them. Don’t make them work on skills. Don’t try and push their fitness levels. You simply do not have the time to do it. Work on mentality, confidence, tactics. That’s all.

Interestingly enough, in 2001 Van Gaal did state in a press conference that he was ready to abandon the Oranje 4-3-3 and use a two striker system: “I used to select on availability and form of players and the confidence I have in certain players. But with the lack of world class wingers and an overflow of central strikers (Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Van Hooijdonk, Hasselbaink) I might be tempted to abandon the Dutch style of play.”

nl port 2001

Van Gaal overdid it. And after this abysmal qualifications, the Van Gaal proteges of yore, the De Boer’s, Reiziger, Davids et al said they got sick and tired of his antics. Annoyed and agitated with his dominant nature and his treatment.

Anther example of amateurism at the KNVB, as any sane football expert could have told you: Louis is not NT material (yet). He needed this fuck up to perform well in 2014 (again, with younger players he could mould and some older players he simply left alone).

And yes, I have heard the excuses: “it was a tough group”… well…it wasn’t. Republic of Ireland? Yes, always difficult, but we should have beaten them twice in the group stages. The home game, we trailed 0-2 until late in the game and got back to 2-2 thanks to a wonder strike by Gio van Bronckhorst, not unlike his WC2010 semi finals goal. I’ll try and find footage of it (never was able to actually…).

And Portugal, well…they were good. They had an amazing squad, with Figo, Rui Costa, Pauleta, Jao Pinto, Nuno Gomes… But hey…., did you see who we had? Kluivert. Van Nistelrooy. Makaay. De Boer. De Boer. Seedorf. Davids. Stam. Van Bommel. Sar. Overmars.

bommel keane

Another excuse: “we had so many injuries and absentees”… True. De Boer and Davids were unjustly accused of using doping. Stam and Numan had injuries. It always happens. But with this squad, Van Gaal should have found solutions.

In the home game vs Portugal, we did have some bad luck though, although still…something that could have been avoided.

The first goal Portugal scored was a fluke. Some idiot in the stands blew on his whistle. Oranje was pressing but thought the ref stopped the game. Half the Dutch team came to a still stand. Portugal didn’t. They took the ball and went on to score.

Portugal scored their second as Reiziger made a mistake. He was put on as left back. When in possession he decided to go back to his right foot and play the ball back, but it never got to De Boer, who wasn’t able to stop the turn around and Portugal pounced and scored.

I will leave the conclusion of all this to you.

So we drew at home vs Rep of Ireland and Portugal.

jason-mcateer-ian-harte-republic-of-ireland-netherlands-holland-2001-world-cup-qualifier_3349361

We needed a big result away against both. We outplayed Portugal away. 0-2 up with 15 minutes to go. No problem whatsoever. But Van Gaal wanted more than a win. He wanted sweet revenge. So he put two more strikers on. Hoping to humiliate Portugal, but all went south. A red card for Davids. A last minute soft penalty for Figo. End result 2-2.

Still in it, Holland needed a win away vs Rep of Ireland. In the run up, we played a friendly versus England and Kluivert scored two goals on Anfield to boost morale. But the Ireland game was a drama. We had good chances in the first 10 minutes, Kluivert even hit the post and the team felt we could cruise to a win. But the Irish fighting spirit got the better of us. Playing on a bad pitch and with a rugby mentality in the team, it was McAteer who famously scored the only goal of the match and blocked Holland from making it to the World Cup.

In summary (my personal conclusion): some top players were at an age where they lost their desire. Going to the Oranje camp to play and train under Van Gaal felt like a chore for them. The fun was gone. And Van Gaal’s attitude didn’t help. He was unable to refresh the squad and bring young fresh players when required. Van Gaal overdid it in practice and seemed to think qualifying was not a big drama. A necessary evil for him to shine at the World Cup.

1 September 2001; Kevin Kilbane, Republic of Ireland, in action against Holland's Mario Melchiot. Republic of Ireland v Holland, World Cup Qualifier, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Soccer. Picture credit; Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
1 September 2001; Kevin Kilbane, Republic of Ireland, in action against Holland’s Mario Melchiot. Republic of Ireland v Holland, World Cup Qualifier, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Soccer. Picture credit; Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

In typical Van Gaal style, his press conferences and media presentations were as bad as ever. Not unlike his antics as Man United coach. The media were the enemy. Everyone wanted to attack him.

His press conferences went from: “I have changed. I won’t be insulting journalists anymore. I understand exactly what the KNVB needs and I can do it.”…

To: “SO YOU’RE ALL HAPPY I HOPE? WE DIDN’T QUALIFY??? SO YOU CAN WRITE WHAT A DUMBASS I AM? IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!”

And he was the only one to “get” it. Sometimes, he used this to have his team rise up in defence and bond over all the drama. This time around, the players had a gut full of him and basically never stepped up to the occasion…

louis boos

Interestingly enough, Van Gaal claimed in his final presser that the Federation were happy for him to stay on. But after he spoke with a number of key players, he decided against it. “I didn’t ask them outright if they wanted me out. But I did talk about the way they liked to be managed and guided. Their wishes went against my beliefs. I rule out coincidences. I don’t like a “loose” style of management. So, it was not possible for me to go on.”

Van Gaal did want to stay on as Technical Director to implement his master plan. Luckily, the KNVB decided against it. General Manager Kesler: “Even though I know Louis would not govern in his grave, as the expression goes, I don’t think it would be healthy to have a team manager coming in, while Louis van Gaal – his predecessor – becomes his boss. That is not healthy. The Master Plan is excellent but we’ll need to execute this without Louis van Gaal.”

Holland – Rep of Ireland 2-2

The home game versus Portugal:

And the away game versus Portugal:

And for masochists, the away game vs Rep of Ireland…

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Wim Jansen: revolutionise Dutch football – pt 2

This is part 2 of the Wim Jansen story on the KNVB strategy “Winners of Tomorrow”.

A big number of football “experts” were engaged in this big think tank platform for the KNVB, but funnily enough, a number of them have asked to have their names removed from the report. Dutch football wants to go back to the top of the world, but Wim Jansen thinks we’re taking the wrong exit on our way.

Wim Jansen was also invited to join in on the broader debate for a new model for the Eredivisie. Wim asked if the number of clubs was on the table, as a discussion point. He was told “No”. The number of clubs – 18 – was fixed. For Jansen, having debates about a new format were useless if the KNVB wasn’t open to debate that. Wim Jansen doesn’t take prisoners. He might have been the quiet one on the pitch, off te pitch he only lives his own truth and is happy to tell people about it. Jansen: “I have no personal ego or agenda in the game. I want to do what’s best for football in Holland. But if I share my thoughts with the a bigger group of people, with vested interests, it will become chaos. If you really want to improve the quality, the first decision needs to be: no more artifical surfaces! Real grass. It seems Holland is the only “major” football nation allowing artificial pitches. You don’t see it in England or Spain. And we have around 4 clubs in the Eredivisie with those artificial pitches and they’ll need to either redo them or leave the competition.”

Jansen celtic

Success at Celtic but Jansen left the club due to difference of opinion on future

But that’s not all. “I also want to propose a 10 club competition and I would like to see clubs play each other four times instead of two. Four Feyenoord – Ajax classics, four PSV – AZ Alkmaar fixtures, etc. This means every week you play a tough game and every week players need to step up.” He realises this plan is seen as a bomb by the general assembly. “Of course! The boards of Roda and Excelsior and Go Ahead Eagles will be devastated. I get that. But if you want to reach for the top, you need to start creating resistance at domestic level. All other solutions are compromises. People doing their best to please other people. That is not what a top league needs.”

With an eye out for the new top leagues the European top clubs are contemplating, Holland needs to prepare for this new future. The Oranje midfielder goes on: “It’s alarming that the best youth of the country in the under 13s and under 16s are not in the same competition! It’s ridiculous. In particular in our little country. Now, PSV doesn’t meet Ajax and Feyenoord! No wonder they win their regional competitions all the time. The D pupils and B juniors (first years) of Ajax and Feyenoord also don’t compete against each other. All three top clubs are in separate competitions. Sometimes the coaches organise something amongst themselves on a Wednesday afternoon. Not good enough! The biggest talents of the country need to compete amongst each other! Then there is the national cup competition. The winner of that competition plays Europa League football. Why do we allow amateur clubs in that? Now, the pro clubs need to play three rounds against – potentially that is – amateurs. How does that make them better players?”

jansen iran 78

The KNVB amateur division has a strong power base in the federation. And Jansen knows that the amateur wishes count for something. “I get that, but the result is that these shenanigans will be hurdles on our way to the top.”

Former national team manager Bert van Marwijk and former Ajax and Chelsea coach Henk ten Cate already publically withdrawn their support for the KNVB plan, while football legend Clarence Seedorf and physio Raymond Verheijen have had their names removed. At Feyenoord, they were quite surprised to see the name of under 13 coordinator Gerard Rutjes in the report, in the “revolution in youth football” chapter.

Rutjes did participate in the meetings but he was strongly opposed to the new Twin Game approach. The report claims Rutjes was a supporter of the plan. Wim Jansen: “Rutjes had the loudest voice against this plan!”

At those Twin Games on small pitches, you see results like 55-3 and 1-39! And they play without refs, so the bigger lads will win the games. In matches where the fittest wins, football talent is not longer focus.

Jansen gets worked up now. “I am so baffled about the fact that the KNVB doesn’t want to disclose who is behind all this? Someone came up with this revolution and must have used scientific research? But the KNVB doesn’t wanna tell… Where is the proof?”

jansen snowbal

Jansen hit in the eye with iceball when returning to De Kuip in an Ajax jersey

The first thing new Technical Director Hans van Breukelen wanted to do, when appointed, was appoint a so-called Performance and Innovation Manager (PIM). But in the golden seventies, when Oranje reached two world cup finals, this role didn’t exist. Same in the late 80s when Holland won the Euros and there was no PIM to be found in 2010 and 2014 when Holland won silver and bronze.

All the successes were reached without some innovation manager. And in a period of complete chaos – no more board of directors, no management team, two assistants left, a team coordinator has to leave – Hans van Breukelen is pushing for this new and vague role.

Wim Jansen feels the KNVB should first focus on getting their own stuff together. but instead of structural improvements and organisational clarity, Van Breukelen is focusing on football technical matters, together with director amateur football Van der Zee.

Jansen: “Dutch football is now being flooded with psycho-babble. They’re talking about re-thinking. Quotes like “with a draw, both teams have won”… They want to create a winning mindset amongst youngsters and visualising victories and all that. But I try to stay closer to the game, with these kids. The best way to innovate football is to develop good players. Football was never improved by scientists, therapists and even coaches. It’s the players. You know who was football’s biggest innovator in recent decades? Johan Cruyff. He changed the game as a player. He made Ajax and Barca into what they are. Then he went to evangelise in the US. When he was 34 years old, he returned and won two titles with Ajax again. Then he moved to Feyenoord and won the double. Ben Wijnstekers was already in his early 30s when he played with Johan and he told me: I learned more in that one season with Cruyff than in the 12 seasons before him.”

Dips 80 Road Askew, Cruyff, wearing 79 Unis

Jansen and Cruyff as team mates for Washington Dips in 1979

Cruyff became a legendary coach as well and he kept on teaching his players how to see the game, develop their vision and see the spaces. Football is a simple game, but playing simple football is complicated, was his motto. In one of Jansen’s recent discussion with JC, before the #14 died, was about how the pro clubs develop talent. Not the federations, not the amateur clubs. “The number of pro players in the different competitions developed at big clubs is stunning. There’s approx 40 players in the Dutch competition who started at Ajax. Probably around 30 from Feyenoord. Same with Man City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich. We need to empower the big clubs to keep on investing, instead of using the recreational bodies – like the national federations – to see if they can create talent wholesale. It won’t be possible.”

Jansen about Van Breukelen’s plan: “Hans wants to focus on youth football with mental concepts. No! Let’s focus on football. On skills. On developing your weaker leg. And once we get there, focus on other aspects. Van Breukelen was a goalie, he wasn’t a midfielder or forward. He had an amazing mentality. He also wrote two books, about winning. Psychology stuff. But paper has patience. However, you win matches on the pitch. Not on paper. It’s decided on the pitch.”

The KNVB is considering opening up a whole new department focused on winning mentality. “The KNVB thinks you can create top players by working on their mentality. It’s the world turned upside down! Talent needs to be developed. How do we teach them the details. How can coaches improve in that, is a factor as well. You cannot focus on 300,000 young amateur players, which is what Van Breukelen wants to do. The Federation is going to educate and train 41,000 youth coaches for recreational football. But for Oranje, you’ll only have approximately 50 players who will reach top level. If you want to play top with Oranje, you need to focus on the top talents. Instead, they’re paying lipservice to the broader community.”

jansen jc 74

Hail to the Chief in 1974

“They recently added the second and third division to the two pro leagues. Why? Will that improve the quality at the top? Of course not. It’s just shifting with boxes instead of improving the quality.”

The big sponsor of the KNVB – the ING Bank – is also involved. They will go past amateur clubs with a whole circus of buses to make young players physically stronger. Doing push ups, more long distance running… Jansen: “This won’t make better players… Sigh… This is a sponsor campaign. The ING Bank is focused on the masses. Good on them and I don’t want to stop them. I’d love to see these initiatives for recreational football and as far as I’m concerned they do get more coaches and more different games and practices. Fine. But we need the disctintion between top level and recreational level.”

This distinction is not made by the suits of the KNVB. According to Jansen, most people at Federation level are not equipped for top sports. Amateur football director Van der Zee for instance, recently said “Jansen didn’t have a lot of understanding of youth football” until he realised who he was talking about. Jansen couldn’t care less.

“I’ve said it years ago, the FIFA, the UEFA, the KNVB, they lack vision. They’re an old boys network with the key focus on keeping their job and their perks. These suits are there for themselves. And you wanna know the big irony? The KNVB wants to create a winning mentality, but their chairman – Michael van Praag – …he lost everything in the last two years. He wanted the Euros in The Netherlands? The bid failed. He wanted to become a head honcho at FIFA and UEFA, he didn’t get elected. Then he went on to clean up the KNVB? Well, the board of directors is gone, the management is gone, we are missing two assistant coaches for Oranje and our team coordinator is asked to leave! His main focus was to get 40 countries to the World Cup, instead of improving the quality of football. And that focus of his, was purely focused on getting votes to become a top man at FIFA.”

jc kromme

Two Dutch football warriors, Cruyff giving his opinion with gesture. Willem only needs a look

Jansen keeps on going: “The KNVB has the monopoly on coaching licenses. There is no other avenue for anyone to get a license for The Netherlands elsewhere. So if that is their core business, they should focus on improving those courses. Instead of thinking they can develop talent. We need top coaches at all levels. Now, in this new plan, they want to bring players from under 15 till under 19 to Zeist for more training sessions. So they take the players away from the club, but it has always been at club level that talent was developed. The Federation should facilitate. They need to provide strong coaching courses and strong competitions. That’s it. One thing I can see, is that there’s always players at amateur level who develop late. We have seen many examples. The current Sparta striker is one of them. He’s 29 years old and only played at amateur level. Last year he was the top scorer in the Jupiler League. That bridging role I can see for the KNVB.”

Feyenoord winning the UEFA Cup in 1974, with Wim Jansen as skipper, over two legs vs Tottenham Hotspur.

 

 

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