Why Oranje should always play in De Kuip

blog WC2018
by Jan

Looking at some classic games as played in De Kuip, as requested, and giving you five reasons why Oranje needs De Kuip as their home base.

1. History

The Dutch NT hasn’t played more matches in any other venue… They played 118 games in De Kuip in total. The first one, against Belgium (of course) in 1937, which Holland won: 1-0. That game was the second ever played in the Stadium Feyenoord (as it is officially called). The last international played in De Kuip was in 2016 vs Belarus, a 4-1 win. There was a two year gap between that WC qualifier and the friendly vs Ghana in 2014. De Kuip was frequented most often in big finals games as well, such as during the Euro2000 tournament. Three group games, a quarter finals and the finals itself. The Trezeguet golden goal won France the title in 2000, in Rotterdam.

2. Atmosphere

During Oranje’s recent failed EC qualification campaign, there were strong rumours that the players were not happy and at home in the Amsterdam Arena. The players asked the KNVB for more games in De Kuip. Why? The atmosphere in Rotterdam is much better. The stadium oozes nostalgia and a typically “English” football vibe, as opposed to the more business-class character of the Arena. The acoustics in De Kuip are amazing, which means that 55,000 fans sound like 110,000 fans. When host Feyenoord plays at home, the vibe is amazing but also during the cup finals without Feyenoord, De Kuip is the swinging centre of the Dutch football universe. This will affect the players and will result in better performances and results.

3. The Pitch

One of the biggest advantages of De Kuip is the pitch. It’s pitch perfect. Erwin Beltman is the unsung hero in Rotterdam, groundsmaster of Feyenoord. Year after year he wins the prize for best football pitch in The Netherlands, voted by the captains of the Eredivisie clubs. In Amsterdam, you’ll find yellow spots, brown spots, even black spots on the pitch. Never in Rotterdam.

Former Feyenoord star Van Hooijdonk in 2015: “Never ever again in De Arena!”. He said: “It’s about time that the KNVB gives football the priority over commerce, if we’re talking about Oranje home games! You need to create the best circumstances for the players, the coaches. They are the artists. They should be leading in all decision making. And key is: a good ref, a good ball and a good pitch! The pitch in Rotterdam is 100 times better than in Amsterdam. And yes, I get the business reasons…the sponsors, the VIP dinners… If you’d rate the pitch in Amsterdam a 7 and the pitch in Rotterdam an 8, yes… I get the decision, but it’s not like that. De Arena pitch is a 4 and the pitch in De Kuip is a 9. This decision making is a disgrace.”

4. Results

Oranje performs worse in De Arena, compared to De Kuip. Significantly. Since 1990, the Dutch team played 40 times in Rotterdam and only lost two games. They lost against Germany in 1990 in a friendly (0-1) and in 2000 against Portugal at home for the WC qualifications (0-2). The national team lost more in recent years in Amsterdam than in 25 years De Kuip. Is it the vibe, the pitch, the actual location? Who knows. But if we want to achieve something with Oranje, we need start using De Kuip as the home base. In 2000, Yugoslavia was played off the pitch, under Rijkaard’s management. 6-1 at the Euros 2000. Where? In Rotterdam.

5. New beginning

And the final reason, not the least important…we need to make a change, a new beginning. The switch back to Rotterdam as home base would be the first and simplest change we can make. A new home will inspire. The Dutch national team needs to play good football, fresh and attractive football and deserves to this in a good, fresh and attractive venue.

Since the 1980s, De Kuip is the traditional home of the Dutch cup final and apart from the Euro 2000 finals, there were 10 Uefa Cup finals in Rotterdam, with the likes of Spurs, AC Milan, Ajax, Feyenoord, Man United and Barcelona winning their silverware in Rotterdam.

So classic games played in De Kuip… Now that’s tough one. Apart from seeing acts like U2, David Bowie, Springsteen, Bob Dylan, The Stones, Michael Jackson in De Kuip, I’ve seen many a Feyenoord and Oranje match.

One can’t escape the Feyenoord-Ajax classics of course. I vividly remember most of them but was only 2 years old when Feyenoord trashed Ajax 9-4 in 1964. This was Johan Cruyff’s first ever classic.

In 1972, Ajax took revenge. Cruyff was a mature football star and with buddy Piet Keizer, Ajax was too strong for Feyenoord. Both clubs reigned supreme in Europe, with Feyenoord winning the Europa Cup in 1970 and Ajax doing it the season after. This particular game confirmed that Ajax was by far the best team in the world, winning 1-5 in Rotterdam.

The 1988 classic was memorable for two reasons: the local police force was campaigning for better conditions and did so by having a gorgeous female police officer doing a striptease on the pitch before the match. In front of 55,000 football fans, the young lady undressed, probably inspiring a 19 year old Dennis Bergkamp, who’d play a sensational game leading Ajax to victory 1-2.

The 2005 classic again resulted in a dramatic loss for Feyenoord, losing 2-3 in the dying seconds, but it was a gem of a match. And a game which saw a number of future European football stars on the pitch, such as Dirk Kuyt, Salomon Kalou, Maxwell, Wesley Sneijder and Steven Pienaar. Maduro made the winning goal at the death (with Danny Blind winning as coach, over Feyenoord colleague Ruud Gullit).

In 2012, Feyenoord won spectacularly vs Ajax (4-2) with a hattrick for Man City loanie John Guidetti who’d go on to become a Feyenoord legend, in just one season. This lucky shot was followed up by another one: Graziano Pelle was brought back to Rotterdam and he went on to reach the top in England and the Italian national team.

The 1974 Tottenham Hotspur game was my first home game in the stadium. As a 12 year old, I was invited to come by our neighbours and although I vividly remember the match, I think I had my eye on the tremendous violent acts of the Spurs hooligans on the stands above me. Scary stuff, but in the memory forever.

Even further down memory lane, a game I only remember from the TV… But a classic indeed. Feyenoord vs Real Madrid. The great Real Madrid, but also the great Feyenoord… With Willem van Hanegem, Rinus Israel and Coen Moulijn. The most memorable moment of that game, was the team spirit Feyenoord demonstrated when their iconic left winger was attacked by a Madrid butcher. All Feyenoord players decided “enough is enough!” and went after the culprit. Watch it here:

And the Moulijn sequence is here:

We can safely say that ugly scenes on the pitch are not new… The Dutch commentator says: “Oh lads lads… don’t do this, now… please…this is not nice. Not nice at all!”

We mentioned the classic Oranje game at home at the Euros already. The 6-1 win. There were many great home games for Oranje, but sadly I was witness in De Kuip when Oranje failed to beat Belgium and wasn’t able to go to the 1986 Mexico World Cup. Oranje lost 1-0 in Belgium and needed a 2-0 victory. Houtman scored the first one and when Robbie de Wit scored the 2-0, everyone – including me – felt the job was done. I was right on the spot in the stadium in line with the Belgium attack, five minutes before the end, when a cross reached Georges Grun. The defender wasn’t marked and headed home the goal that took Belgium to their impressive World Cup performance.

I remember two things vividly, apart from the tragic away goal Belgium scored: it was terribly cold and we parked so far away, that my dad ruined his knee in the walk up to the stadium, something that would bother him till his death…

The biggest win Oranje had, at home in Rotterdam, was a 9-0 beating of Norway in 1972. A qualification game for the World Cup 1974. I have no video for that game though. Holland started scoring late in the game. It took 31 minutes for Neeskens to find the net and the score at half time was only 1-0. In the last 25 minutes it rained goals, with Cruyff, Keizer and Brokamp joining Neeskens on the score sheet.

The biggest loss we suffered at home in a formal match was versus the former Magical Magyars in 1961, for the 1962 World Cup qualification: losing 0-3.

One of the craziest games we played in Rotterdam was the 5-5 draw in the friendly with Belgium. Kluivert and Davids on fire, and Frank Rijkaard as NT manager.

Another memorable game – or two games – was the double vs England for the 1994 World Cup. The 2-0 win at home with Koeman and Bergkamp scoring for Holland. The away game at Wembley was memorable for the Jan Wouters elbow on Gascoigne and the Peter van Vossen run, foul and penalty kick.

Feyenoord played some amazing home games in the 2002 season when they won the UEFA Cup at home. The finals vs Borussia Dortmund were exhilarating of course. The Freiburg away match is legendary due to Van Hooydonk’s incredible free kick. I was present when Feyenoord beat Glasgow Rangers in a very tight game (two red cards) at home: 3-2. The next match up was the quarter finals against PSV Eindhoven. That would be an epic tie. 1-1 in Eindhoven and Feyenoord on their way out, 1-2 down when in the final seconds of the game PSV didn’t clear a ball out but gave away the ball to Feyenoord. The cross was converted by Van Hooydonk (who else) and Feyenoord won the penalty shoot out. The semis were vs Inter Milan. Feyenoord won away 0-1 and drew 2-2 in Rotterdam to reach and win the finals.

My earliest memory of a Feyenoord game in De Kuip… I was 7 years old and Feyenoord was on its way to win the Europa Cup. Not that we knew that at the time, of course. TV coverage was limited and lots of people enjoyed listening to games on the radio. AC Milan was the opponent and one of the ruling elite in Football Europe. We’re talking the 1/8 final and Feyenoord lost in Milan, 1-0. We needed a 2-0 win and I don’t think I saw the game live. It might not have been televised even, who knows. But I heard it on the radio, and that radio commentary was published as a record (a 45″ single) and became a huge hit! Feyenoord won at home 2-0. A misplaced cross from Wim Jansen sailed into the net and Willem van Hanegem headed home the 2-0. Famously, in the post-match interview (part of the recording I owned and listened to 1000 times…), Willem responded to the question “And Willem, you scored the 2-0!!” in typical De Kromme style: “Ah yes, well, I was going that way anyway, so….”.

I was able to to perform the 3 minute commentary to the game word for word, copying the commentator’s style and entertained my friends and family regularly in that role… Ah, the good ol’ days….

Here is the grainy footage:

The best game in De Kuip EVER!!

This might shock you, but the best game I ever saw live in De Kuip was actually a testimonial, or a tribute game. A game without any real significance in terms of result. It was Willem van Hanegem’s farewell game. The WC1974 Oranje vs Feyenoord. It was unforgettable, and not just because De Kuip farewelled it’s best player ever, but also because during that game – at the end of the 1982-83 season – Johan Cruyff was introduced to the Feyenoord Legion as the successor as playmaker for next season. Cruyff had walked out of the negotiations with Ajax and his Oranje team mate Van Hanegem was working behind the screens to get the legendary #14 to Rotterdam.

In the game, Van Hanegem scored, a header from a JC corner and he was jokingly red-carded when the time was up for him to accept the standing ovation – and Cruyff did as well! A header. Like he did famously in 1971, winning the Europa Cup in Rotterdam for Ajax. It was a real football celebration, a full Kuip and mixed reception for JC.

Not long after the game, the confirmation came that Johan would join Feyenoord for one season. I went to check him out at the first training session with the team. I’m sure I told you about this before, but I’ll do it again. They started with a rondo (piggy in the middle), with the full team. Approx 5 in the middle and the rest in a circle. The first ball that was passed to Johan was too short. Deliberate? It invited a sliding tackle from defender Stafleu, studs forward, directed at Cruyff’s ankles. The Feyenoord fans cheered for the tackle.  The 37 year old simply jumped up, controlled the ball and played it on. The fans cheered even more. Not much later, JC retaliated with a sharp sliding tackle back on Stafleu, who couldn’t avoid the clash and had to limp off to the dressing room. The fans were convinced! Welcome to Feyenoord, Johan Cruyff.

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105 comments

  1. Just letting you know that Justin Kluivert made his debut for Ajax 1 this weekend and I’m extremely excited. Not only is he a cool lad (confidence in spades in his post match interview) but he has class on the pitch.

    Had a couple of runs/dribbles, two through passes (resulting in goals) and a nice shot on goal (just wide).

    I’m excited!!

    1. looks like J/ustin has something in pocket…But he is just 1.7m i think…Since we lack quality in wings…i think he can easily step in if he play week in week out for Ajax..

        2. Agree, van den Berg, agree. Just 17. I’m trying not to get too excited because of that, but its not easy. I’m going to hate myself for saying this, but he looks a little like Overmars. Same low build, always balanced like he can go either way at any time, and the instant acceleration. But for those who have watched him more, how is he on his right foot?

          1. He is perfectly two footed. Can play left and right. I tend to agree with Tiju this time around. Age is not a concern. Messi was 17 when he started to play regularly for Barca. Rashford was 18 last season.

            Youness is not that good. If Kluivert’s body can handle it, let the lad have a go.

            He might look like Overmars in terms of body shape but he’s much more gifted technically. Overmars was a bit limited in the small spaces.

            Agreed, long way to go and unclear how his mentaliity is and will he sacrifice the wordly pleasures for his sports? Who knows….

    2. I watched the game when he came in as a sub till the end!! He is really exciting, he brought back memories of high quality oranje players…..I am excited too, we so much need an attacking player of his qualities, I hope he becomes as good as his dad …

  2. Van Gaal downplayed his retirement. “I said it at an award show, but it’s not 100%. I’ll be taking time off till the summer and if something nice comes my way, who knows….”.

  3. Harry Kane in an interview with AD: “Vincent Janssen is going to make it. I’m sure. He gets a lot of criticism for not scoring but it’s hard for lads coming in from weaker leagues. But I see him train and I know he will make it. He’s got a wonderful mentality and he has talent. We’re rivals, yes, but we have a good bond. We are a real team and I’ll do what I can to help him. People say the Eredivisie is not good enough, but it’s not true. Vertonghen, Dembele, Alderweireld, Eriksen….they all came from the Eredivisie. I’m actually impressed with the Dutch development capabilities. Vincent needs to be patient, work hard and keep confidence.”

  4. Wow Jan, you’ve really put a lot of effort into this story, thank you! I’ll send you some beer money!
    It’s great how you have managed to get hold of the old footage I would have loved to have got the chance to go to a game there but I left in 74. Maybe this year when I go back I’ll catch a game somewhere.
    Also nice of Kane to be positive on Janssen I hope he can make it.

  6. It looks like Depay will join Lyon. L’Equipe report that MU agrees the transfer fee around 16M with Lyon. Depay already agreed personal term with Lyon 2 days ago. What do you guys think about his chance of revitalizing his career in France?

    1. Football is played well when players are really fit and when they show eagerness and availability..to have increase the workrate u need to develop ur stamina….this amount of workrate will cement ur place in team..Any doubters can ask kuyt…
      I was following Depay in Manu and i also had high expcetations for him…
      and i found that he wants ball in his feet and then that monet onwards he is trying do something with that and often he fails in that…then he has poor availability while on passing game..this interrupted the fluid team game..Already he looks double size of George best…So chances are very less for him…May be he reduces weight about 10-15 kg ,then work on his speed and stamina then he has a chance….or else …..i dont see anything..

        1. not totally sure, I don’t really follow Lyon.. yet.
          looks like Valbuena started at LW in their last few matches.. and besides the last 2 has been in really good form with 4 goals and 2 assists in the 2 matches prior to, but he also plays RW and AM

          First match could be Sunday, v Marseille, the only other side from France I follow, thanks to Rekik – who only starts half of their games :/

    3. I’m hopeful. Perhaps there will be a bit less pressure, maybe he will get a bit of a run to show what he is capable of.

      He’s very young still, so he certainly has time on his side.

  7. Hey Jan, Nice article.

    I’ll actually be going to Ned vs Lux on June 9th at De Kuip. Any tips on what to do while I’m in Rotterdam for the day?

    1. It’s fun to go to the center of the city and check out one of the Feyenoord supporters cafes? Take the water taxi to Hotel New York for some kroketten there and the new market building is really amazing to check out.

      If the weather is nice, the Kralingse Plas (Lake of Kralingen) is nice, they have a good Dutch pancake restaurant there.

  9. @Jan,

    Great article. Hope it was half as much fun putting it together, as it was for us to read it. I watched a British broadcast of the ’93 WC qualifier against England. When Koeman hit that soft free kick, the stadium went crazy, and the British announcer quietly said, “Genius.” Watching the clip again, it truly was.

    Many thanks for doing this.

  13. Thanks guys, there is a lot of great history there for us to enjoy. Expect more cool articles on some history, like a piece on Ruud Krol in Naples and a look back at 2010 with Wesley Sneijder!

    1. @Jan, Thank you for the reply and information on Kluivert, above. This is why I ask questions of people who know more than me…

      …and, assuming Sybe’s info. is good, Happy Birthday to you!

  15. looks like Cocu will change tatics this weekend when PSV takes on Hereenveen .Diamond Midfield.Van Ginkel will play behind Luuk and Perriero with Ramseelar, propper Guardado completing the diamond formation.

  16. The Great Trump is taking over Today..The guy just pulled of the world from World war 3…Still Evil doesnt like Him.Obama will leave the office as the worst president in American history ,8 years of darkness will come to an End….
    Once Trump Joins Putin..there would be and end for Syrian issues….
    I hope Americans stand by him and make them Great Nation again.Already left Democrats planning for Civil war though…

      1. Whether u agreed or not.Dutch has not won anything from 2006 with some world class players..Dutch was always 1 player away from victory in those games..

      2. Anyways its JESUS who put him over there or else He would have lost by miles…First time i am seeing a Man winning against Evil people and Evil Media…

          2. thats ur assumption..FYI its ur stupid opinion on a sucessful business man,i did nt say trump is evil turd….Its ur Obunner and Hilary…..they are the evil turds Not trump..

          3. One day u will come to know who is real ignorant,time will too late for you blind boy…its just matter of time…

          4. As I said, I would never support any of those turds.

            Ya, everyone knows Jesus was always backing ‘successful’ businessmen 😂

  17. 90 minutes again for Robben, playing in Bayerns return to action in their come from behind win v Frieberg.
    Nice to see him playing lots of minutes again for them recently, would love it if he could stay fit for ohhhh let’s say about 18 months 😉

  18. @Emmanual, At least don’t use Jesus’s name to back your irrelevant comment , Donald Trump is Narcissist, Pathological Liar, Bigot and very racist.

    It’s also very unpleasant to interrupt soccer blog.

    2. @Jhon…I had to use Jesus name as i never thought trump would never make it vs Evil…Trump might be a sinner and but not an Evil like Obama…I am coming from Hindu country they dont believe in Jesus but they dont get irritated by Jesus Name…If you Get irritated by Jesus Name i am sure that person is Evil possessed..i have seen that irrespective of religion and believe many people get irritated by hearing the Name of Jesus..Why is that?
      Evil hates Jesus that is the only answer..
      You might think that the topic is irrelevant yes i do agree on that,but if you think superficially. To see the inner things you must have an open eye in your heart…..
      As per the world standard,capability,eligibility,luck,quality current dutch team can not win it….Everyone accepts the defeat Vs France as normal thing..we are running to the second spot before the matches started…Yes i do agree on that,based on facts…
      The situation is similar to Trump Vs Hilary…As per the knowledgeable,well thought pundits Hilary was goin to win it..yes she was…Thats were the miracle happend..Trump is not a shit religious man and he had problems with shit pope..But he had some ANOINTED persons to support and off course it Jesus is who put him in there in the midst of enemies..
      Like That if Danny Blind Goes to Jesus with his current works…He will bring us WC am sure about it, with out Jesus he will be just normal then he will be back to home as usual like other mangers..
      My conclusion is that…
      Either you be perfect with your karma(Thats impossible for human being) or You must Go to Christ Jesus..
      Trump Vs Hilary was example of that.

  19. And this concludes the Political and Religious debate on the blog.

    Thanks all!

    JC, the real JC, the only JC, said that he had proof that Jesus and God didn’t interfere in our lives (if they existed) as in Spain both sides would visit chapels and pray for victories before games.

    According to JC (the real one): every match would end up in a draw if Jesus / God existed.

    I have strong opinions about religion, Jesus and Drumpf (and Hitlery too by the way) but I will leave those for elsewhere.

    This blog is about Oranje, Daley and Danny, Memphis, Van Hanegem, Kuyt and Vincent Janssen.

    Our saviour is Johan, and his disciples were called Willem, Johan2, Johnny, Robbie, Wimpie, Wim, Ruud, WimS, Piet, Theo, Jan and Marco.

    So thank you Tiju for the lecture. This little lecture will end it.

    I respect your beliefs. But religion is like a penis.

    It’s cool that you have one. It’s cool that you love and adore it. But you don’t take it out in public and smack it in people’s faces who are not really interested in it!

    1. I think no one here adores Religion including myself..For me its always “”Jesus Vs Religions””.i stand with Jesus in that battle.So that religious word itself can be scrapped..So i dont have a religious penis and dont smack it to people.
      i figured out how Trump won it in supernatural way…
      I never asked anyone to discuss it..All my point was football and how to get a WC by modelling Trump Vs Hilary battle..nothing more…….
      Trump had no political history and with in 2 years he became president of USA so why cannt we win a WC with Danny Blind???thats my question..

      1. 10 turds out of 10 turds for that religious cock stroking comment by tiju:
        💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

        5 / 5 bonus turds for lying and pretending his turd has anything to do with Oranje:
        💩💩💩💩💩

        and he also gets a cherry on top of a turd for embarrassing god, if she really exists:
        🍒
        💩

        plus, bonus high five to everyone else for restraining to comment on such a f*cked up pile of turd
        ✋️

        (EXCLUDING me for making this comment – I get a turd too and sorry everyone hahaha)

  20. ouch, Wijnaldum and Liverpool lose 3-2 at home to Fer and Swansea.. does not look like either had too much influence.

    Nice to see Blind back starting again v Stoke, I was just about to say that I was not impressed by both of Pieters and Martins Indi giving the ball away so easily, then Pieters scores haha – but it was actually a pass across the goal put in by Mata..
    Afellay on Stoke’s bench, no sign of Fosu-Mensah

  21. Shttp://www.football-oranje.com/10-players-make-oranje-debut-2017/aw this.

    Curious what others think about all of the players mentioned; but especially about Zeegelar, Letschert, Weghorst and Luckassen; I’ve seen them, but not enough to really have an opinion.

    2. Zeegelaar was okay in the CL matches I watched him in, even though his team did not do well. He struck me as a player to take up where Willems seems to have left off.. Great on the ball as an offensive LB going forward, but maybe not as lax on the defending as Willems.

      I saw Letschert in a few matches last season with Utrecht. Seemed like a commanding no-nonsense sort of defender, but decent on the ball too.
      I have not seem him with Sassuolo, though he has not played much. Missed lots of the first half with a shoulder injury, and though he started the first 2 matches back after the break, he started on the bench today.

      I’ve not seen much of Weghorst and Luckassen, besides their 2-2 draw with Ajax earlier this season. Weghorst seemed okay, eager to make a nuisance of himself, created a few chances and finished his chances scoring a brace, but Luckassen did not stand out to me.
      Maybe AZ_forever can shed some light for us some time 🙂

  22. Guys, btw… If I may…

    With all these clips in this post and older videos etc, I actually would have expected some more comments from others on their memories of games….?

    Or their opinion of games I missed mentioning?

    It’s always weird for me. I spend two days working on a post, finding clips, checking facts etc and then when I post it, (and yes, I do get acknowledgements, it’s not about that so much) the first comment might be “Good post!” but then someone says something like “the posts in the Amsterdam Arena are good too” and the whole debate goes from the post topic to something random, ending up with comments about the latest match and always ending up with Tiju bringing Memphis in the discussion or Danny/Daley and if that doesn’t work, he brings Jesus.

    Makes me wonder (not Tiju) but in general…. Your comments?

    1. i think people here are frustrated due to lack of winning in NT as we have not qualified for Ec2016,then not doing that great loss to France,Draw with Germany…
      So Everyone are thinking how to improve the team…What we must do to get in to Russia..Obviously Danny is Coach and responsible,so he comes in…then look in to weak spots in team…that we found on left wing both LW,LB…So Memphis and Blind are playing there and we are not doing great in that side…..thats how is develops…

      1. And, to prove Jan’s point, we have Memphis and Danny and Daley all mentioned here.

        Sorry Jan. Your blogs are amazing. The history lessons are pretty fascinating, especially for someone who discovered the Orange at not an early age… (grew up in Canada, parents didn’t know or care about football, obviously no internet or way of knowing)

        Thanks to a German!?! friend, I discovered the Orange at age 18, during France 1998. Bergkamp, Kluivert, and that bespectacled pitiful, Davids. Since then, with every passing year, I go a little deeper into this sometimes painful yet rewarding obsession. Since no Eredivisie matches are shown in Canada, and very few National team matches are televised, I go to my trusty Russian site, and watch the matches when I can.

        And, while not the Lions, I had the chance to bring my children (who have been indoctrinated from a very young age) to see the Lionesses in a practice match against Sweden at York university, as well as see them face off against Canada in Montreal during the Womens world cup two years ago. (fun fact: my 7 year old son was pretty taken by all those blonde Swedes) Pretty cool. Children got some autographs from our ladies, (captain van den Berg, and Anouk Hoogendijk)

        Jan, I really enjoy this blog. I love the thoughtful debate that occurs between most posters.

          1. @Jan, I echo Van Den Berg’s comments. No point in repeating them because he said it so well.

            I should have said this right after your blog because some of the games you mentioned I’d seen (on television), some I’d heard about, and to get more info. (and clips) from those is a treat. Then there are the ones I’d never been aware…it was a great post.

            As for games from De Kuip—I’ve never been there—but the reason I intitially suggested the post is that in watching over the years, there always seemed a different level of intensity there from any other venue in the Netherlands. But the games that I remember the most were:

            —the ’93 England game;especially the howls for DeWolf; the goal by Koeman, and the goal by Bergkamp to seal…there was a camera angle from behind the goal that showed just what an amazingly tight angle he used to get it behind the GK.

            —the UEFA cup win over Dortmund. Yes, Pierre was seemingly unstoppable, but what I also remember is that until he went out for injury, a very young Robin Van Persie played left wing and just tormented the Dortmund defense…and the furious comeback by Dortmund…it seemed inevitable they would tie the score

            —Finally, and this may have been my favorite. In the 2010-2011 season, Feyenoord was very young. Early in the season, PSV destroyed them in Eindhoven. I think it was 10-0. The very last game of the season was the return in Rotterdam. PSV still had a chance at the title going in. But Feyenoord ended that with a 3-1 win. Fer, Wijnaldum, Castaignos were all kids in that squad Wijnaldum played as an attackingmf behind Castaignos, and he was magnificent. So much athleticism in the air and on the ground. You could see how much a win meant to the players and the crowd.

            In any event, thank you again for the article and bringing the games alive through words and clips. My failure to express my full appreciation the first time through was a product of nothing more than my ingraciousness. (Is that a word?) The work you put into this blog is amazing.

    2. I’d also love to see more from some of the blog elders on their memories (NOT tiju)!

      We can always learn something from the past, but as I’m only in my 30s, the matches in my memory have been well documented here already so mostly I just try to bring news (and unfortunately fact checking our 2 wackos haha)..

  24. van Dijk went off with a knock during Southampton’s 3-0 win over Leicester, hope he is okay.
    Clasie was a sub.

    Ake on the bench for Chelsea today for the first time since May 2015.
    Will he add to the 557 minutes in 12 matches which he has played for them since Dec 2012 when he made his debut?

    Missed Ajax’s 0-1 win at Utrecht this morning.. 3 am was too early!

  25. Anyone watched PSV???Heereveen is leading..i missed til 82 minute…i thought like sybe i would look in to statitics and will decide the best player based on stat..

      1. I have always seen that you come with stats..to justfy ur points..i thought this wont be different..i dont look in to stats but i am sure Vanginkel can do better than klassen in NT..

  27. watched PSV v Heerenveen, 4-3 PSV win but what a crazy game.
    So many mistakes by both teams had me shaking my head in disappointment at times but also still entertained by all the goals haha!

    Only really impressed by Reza Ghoochannejhad, but really, maybe he should only have got one.

    PSV still miss tons of chances and could have won easier, and by a better margin, and I also expected better from 4th placed Heerenveen, maybe a tighter performance. But maybe they really miss Schaars in the middle and St Juste’s usual partner van Aken, who was not in the squad today.

  28. Hi All. At the beginning of this blog post, Justin Kluiverts debut was discussed. Here is a post from AjaxDaily’s Lukas Schroder that discusses this subject.

    “You might have missed it, but Justin Kluivert made his debut for Ajax on Sunday. Well, who am I kidding, you didn’t miss it. Even if you couldn’t catch the game, you probably got absolutely bombarded with pieces and videos about our new academy export. And that’s why I want to ask everyone the following: please shut the hell up about Kluivert.

    It’s not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy his performance on Sunday, but we are talking about sixty minutes in an away game against a relegation-battling side. However, he has been praised by Marco van Basten, interviewed by seven TV Networks and included in the Team of The Week by De Telegraaf. You know what that reminds me of?

    Literally every attacker who came through our academy in the last ten years. You don’t have to think long and hard to name a few examples. Aras Özbiliz, Lorenzo Ebecilio, Ricardo Kishna, Anwar El Ghazi: all were hailed as enormous talents after making their debuts. All completely failed to live up to those expectations. And that’s because this initial praise often is the beginning of a cycle.

    After people hail a young talent as great, there often is some sort of honeymoon period. In this period, good games are being received as being fantastic games, while poor games are being overlooked. When this honeymoon period is over, however, and people start expecting more from youngsters like them, their inconsistency starts to show. People are becoming more critical, and the youngsters don’t know how to deal with this, because they were told they were the best player on earth for about six months.

    I actually like Kluivert way more than I did the likes of Kishna and El Ghazi. And I want him to succeed so badly. That’s why I’m asking you this: keep calm. Don’t rant on Twitter when he doesn’t make it into the starting eleven. Don’t ask Danny Blind to call him up for Oranje (although, if Blind’s considering Brandley Kuwas, Kluivert has to be close) and don’t lose your sh*t when he gets “demoted” to Jong Ajax for a while.

    Please, Ajacieden.

    For f*cking once.

    Give a youngster some time. We will benefit in the long run.”

    1. No one here expects Justin kluivert in NT at the age of 17….Point is that We seriously lack quality in wings so his doors and roots are more easy..IF HE PLAYS WEEK IN WEEK OUT..FOR AJAX..

    2. Cool, thanks for sharing.
      While I agree, we have to make sure we keep realistic expectations, I think it is natural in our situation to be impatient for the next youngster(s) to step onto the stage..
      Well put, though
      It highlights well the situation for lots of Oranje fans, as well as the Ajax ones

    1. Haha I almost did the same.
      Did Memphis play? Rekik?

      Instead watched Strootman and Roma try to keep up with Juve, but unfortunately de Vrij and Lazio lost to Juve today 2-0 (Hoedt on the bench and Kishna not in the squad)..
      Strootman making up quite a strong midfield with de Rossi and Nianggolan.

      1. Memphis came on for the last 10 or so minutes. He looked good. Created a yellow for opposition for holding him back, looked to have a decent understanding with the Forward (lacazette?) Decent defensive tackle at the end.

        Rekik no.

        Shame about Krishna. He was the next big thing at Ajax. Fell out with de Boer, no he can’t get a game at Lazio, unless he’s injured?

        1. Kishna has a big attitude problem…certain kind of Ego i would say the evilish ego is there…Or else he would be star now.he is really talented player…if he changes his thoughts and attitude he will come up..or else we can forget him…
          It would better to send him to Nijel Dejong,Jaap stam or kuyt..

  30. Some news from Eerste Divisie, AJAX 11 are now second on the table and could gatecrash others for promotion playoffs should they maintain this rhythm. im still wondering if this will be possible, I mean both Ajax teams in in same competition if it does eventuates.though it will be good for players especially the likes of sierhuis,Nunnely,Eiting,De Jong,Nouri and others but then im thinking they will have to decide which players will remain in the extended squad and in which team as player movement will be restricted especially looking at how bosz has used Kluivert, Nouri,De Ligit,de jong and Van Der Beek as part of extended squad.

    also Tom boere has added other 4 goals to his tally for the new year. 24 goals in 21 appearance. bit hard to call whether he is really a talent given the FC Oss is stuck in bottom half of the table. again it will be interesting to see if team from eredivisie do approach him at the end of the season

  31. Hey everyone, haven’t posted in a while been very busy recently. Jan I just wanted to say that as a Canadian who didn’t start watching soccer until the 2010 world cup I do appreciate these kinds of posts even if I have nothing really to add.

    As for the present day I’m a little frustrated with the state of a lot of Dutch players especially in the PL.
    Janssen doesn’t play, Janmaat doesn’t play, Clasie gets games but is clearly not first choice, Ake doesn’t play. How are these players supposed to grow on the bench?? I think all of these players have futures at their current club and I should be more patient but it is very difficult at times.

    The biggest recent positive in my opinion is the Depay move to Lyon which I have high hopes for. Oh and Canada beat Bermuda today 4-2 🙂

  32. I can definitely remember watching the 6-1 trashing of Yugoslavia (or whatever it was called at the time), but unfortunately, it was only on TV…

    I am of dutch ascent: one grand-father got stranded in Switzerland during WWII, and left … some seeds behind 😉 Unfortunately, he did not leave much more than seeds, and I have actually been to the Netherlands only once, many many moons ago, as a teenager with my (soccer hating) parents, so never got to see a live game there.

    That being said, in the run-up to Euro 2000, Oranje was training close to my home town (Geneva, Switz.), and they had a friendly game against the Geneva’s main team.

    At the time, I was a young PhD student, and simply could not afford to fork out the dough for the game’s tickets. So it took me the whole first half to sweet talk the lady at the gate into letting me in for free (what you could get away with, these days).

    By the time I was in the stadium, the big boys had already scored 4-0, and Rijkard rotated most of them for a dull second half.

    But, anyway, I had then been to an Oranje game, live 😉

  33. Thanks for your stories guys… And it’s not necessary to overload me with kudos and compliments :-)…. I wasn’t fishing for those, just in general always intrigued if people actually read the posts and sometimes – like I said – you write 2 days on, say, Clarence Seedorf and then the first comment is: I liked Clarence. But! Kongolo should be blabalbla 🙂

    But thanks! More memory lane trips coming!!

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