Next Socceroos coach has to be Dutch
Roar Rookie By Dutchy18, 7 Apr 2010 Dutchy18 is a Roar Rookie
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- Australian Football, football, Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
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Australia's coach Pim Verbeek reacts from the sideline during the friendly match between The Netherlands and Australia at the Philips stadium in Eindhoven, southern Netherlands, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008. AP Photo/Ermindo Armino
In 1606, an assembly of Dutch explorers embarked on an arduous journey in a bid to find land beyond the boundaries of European settlement.
History suggests the Dutch came into contact with the land area we now know as Western Australia, but dismissed its value and left empty handed.
We have more in common with the Dutch than first thought.
And so history then wrote itself an opening chapter, we let the Poms claim ownership. One may ask what Australia would be like if the Dutch decided to explore the beauty of the east, steering clear of the west.
Well, for starters, our nation would be engulfed by Football (round ball variety) and not cricket.
404 years on, the Dutch are back in Australia, but this time they like what they see.
A country enriched by such fortune history in the footballing arena is carrying the unfashionable Socceroos to heights previously unseen.
It was Guus Hiddink who paved the way for the Dutch contingent, incorporating a unique style of football similar to that seen in The Netherlands. After an unconvincing Graham Arnold stint, Dick Advocaat stepped in, but like the settlers in 1606, was quick to leave with nothing to show.
Dutchman Rob Baan, Australian under 23 coach at the time, was allocated a care-taker role until a replacement was acquired.
Enter Pim Verbeek.
With our second successive World Cup awaiting (both under a Dutchman), Pim has pulled the pin after three years of service to our nation. Alas, we arrive at the present, post South Africa, we say goodbye to the father of our footballing lads.
So who’s next?
A name can’t be stated for sure, but the nationality simply has to be Dutch. They are highly regarded as the most tactical coaches, pride themselves on youth players’ progression and bring the 4-4-3 formation into play, which is a beneficiary in itself to the Socceroos.
Marco Van Basten, Louis van Gaal, Johan Neeskens, Leo Beenhakker and Frank Rijkaard, take your pick?
The Crowd Says (15) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Australian Football, football, Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek, Socceroos
April 7th 2010 @ 2:26am
moo cow said | April 7th 2010 @ 2:26am | Report comment
Doesn’t matter if the next coach is dutch, what does matters is that he’s good, wherever he’s from.
April 7th 2010 @ 2:29am
Viscount Crouchback said | April 7th 2010 @ 2:29am | Report comment
Eh? “We” let the Poms claim ownership? There was no “we” until the Poms arrived – other than the indigenous population, of course. But from your name, I’m assuming you aren’t an Aborigine. In fact, the “we” are in large part the descendents of the Poms. Don’t they teach basic history in Australia any more?
April 7th 2010 @ 4:28am
AA said | April 7th 2010 @ 4:28am | Report comment
I’d say that the FFA will go for one more Dutchman, and then review the ‘Dutch’ thing after that.
April 7th 2010 @ 8:34am
Cpaaa said | April 7th 2010 @ 8:34am | Report comment
Portuguese sailor Pedro Ferdandez de Quiros searched for this new land in 1606, and called it Austrialia del es spiritu Santo or ‘Great South Land of the Holy Spirit’….(wikianswer)1606, possibly the first game of football played in Australia as well. I had to throw that in for the Aussie Rules historians.
)
perhaps we could have been portuguese , who ever we get lets just stay away from english coaching.
April 7th 2010 @ 10:24am
Rabbitz said | April 7th 2010 @ 10:24am | Report comment
There is also some evidence that the Portuguese traded with the Aboriginals on the west coast of Cape York even earlier than 1606. The Torrese Strait was a known shortcut about that time. They even led the way for the English, it is said that Lt. Cook carried copied Portuguese charts on the Endeavour.
So even back then the English were being shown how to do things… So why not a coach from Portugal?
April 7th 2010 @ 3:35pm
Rob Gremio said | April 7th 2010 @ 3:35pm | Report comment
Europeans were searching for the “Terra Australis Incognita”, which was a theoretical continent at the time, for a large amount of time. The idea was that this “Great Southern Land” (translation of above Latin) was a gargantuan continent that balanced the known parts of the world so that the world could maintain on its axis. That was, in fact, part of Lieutenant Cook’s remit, after charting the stars at Tahiti. There are “maps” of Terra Australis Incognita that are about 1000 years old, but none of them ever resembled Australia as we know it. As for Lt Cook’s use of Portuguese maps, that is rumour more than fact, as no evidence has been substantially gathered for it. The French, apparently, worked off the same source maps, but again, there is no real evidence for them being Portuguese. It’s more likely they were stolen Dutch maps.
Also, a mate of mine is writing his PhD on this stuff, and he has yet to come up with any evidence that demonstrates that the Portuguese had any contact with the Continent, although it is possible that the Portuguese did trade with Cape York people. However, the Wik people do not have any record of that in their oral history, whereas they do have oral history records of fighting off the Dutch sailors who came to the west coast of Cape York, which has been verified by the Dutch captain (the captain of the Arnhem – hence the name Arnhem Land) of the vessel the Wik fought off.
But anyway, I digress.
A Dutch coach would probably be what the FFA is looking for this time around, but then they will probably review it, as AA said.
April 7th 2010 @ 9:15am
preciouspress said | April 7th 2010 @ 9:15am | Report comment
The wonder of football is that no country or culture dominates forever. In my lifetime, Hungary ruled in the mid fifties, then Germany challenged strongly, Brazil bore the crown longer than most but are no longer supreme. Similarly with managers/coaches, any who claim a Dutch domination either don’t watch or don’t understand world football. Personally I believe it would be positive to have a four year period of a new non-Netherland approach. There are a many coaches who could progress Australia’s tactics and techniques. One who will soon be looking for work is Avrem Grant???
April 7th 2010 @ 9:26am
TheMagnificent11 said | April 7th 2010 @ 9:26am | Report comment
“Marco Van Basten, Louis van Gaal, Johan Neeskens, Leo Beenhakker and Frank Rijkaard, take your pick?”
The FFA can only afford to offer about 2 milliion Australian dollars per year. All these coaches would earn more than that (perhaps not Neeskens because he’s only Rijkaard’s assistant). Yes Pim Verbeek is the 7th highest paid coach at the World Cup (this is a gross figure that doesn’t account for cost of living). However, most of the world’s best coaches are in club football and are priced out of our range.
Neeskens would me my choice of the realistic Dutch candidates. He wanted the gig full-time and was willing to live in Aus after the WC. We stupidly gave the job to Arnie. I can’t see Rijkaard ketting him go and even if Neeskens forgave us for giving him the flick.
On the other hand, the national team coach does not have to be Dutch. The national team doesn’t even have to play 4-3-3. THE DUTCH 4-3-3 SYSTEM IS FOR OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. So all youth teams up to the Olyroos should play that system. The reason that system has been chosen is because it is not rigid like 4-4-2 and allows a lot of positional interchanging. This interchanging forces players to develop skills for multiple positions i.e. it is not enough to be just a penalty box striker you have to also be able to dribble and cross. One would hope that a 24 year old player vying for the senior national team would be pretty close to technically and tactically complete. Therefore, the national team coach should be allowed to play the system that best suits him and the players he has available.
April 7th 2010 @ 3:41pm
Dogz R Barkn said | April 7th 2010 @ 3:41pm | Report comment
WE need players who can dribble and cross?
We’re sunk then.
April 7th 2010 @ 9:42am
Dogz R Barkn said | April 7th 2010 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Three cheers for the next Dutch coach!!
Lang zal hij leven in de Gloria!!
April 7th 2010 @ 9:43am
Dutchy18 said | April 7th 2010 @ 9:43am | Report comment
TheMagnificent11
you are correct in what you say regarded our budget, but from what ive gathered the coaches will see it more as a challenge then a financial investment. Take Guus Hiddink. The man could have had a job at any club around the world, yet he chose our nation to coach, why? because of “The challenge”.
Frank Rijkaard has already expressed interest, Van Basten is currently unemployed, Johan Neeskens, as you said, is assistant manager at Galatasaray and Beenhakker is the technical director at Feyenoord. Louis van Gaal is the less of the more likely being manager at Bayern, but the others are not out of contention.
Rijkaard is under media pressure at Gala, and the Australian soccer chiefs have already targeted him as a priority pick up. Rijkaard is very familiar with two Australians already (Kewell and Neil) which may make his decision easier.
April 7th 2010 @ 11:38am
TheMagnificent11 said | April 7th 2010 @ 11:38am | Report comment
I hope you’re right…Rijkaard would be awesome!
April 7th 2010 @ 9:49pm
dasilva said | April 7th 2010 @ 9:49pm | Report comment
this was the type of thinking that resulted in Australia missing the opportunity to had Fabio Cappello as coach of the Socceroos
He actually contacted FFA and enquired about the job. However FFA were so focus on a dutch candidate that they rejected his advances and chose Dick Advocaat.
Well he ended up shafting FFA and then we had to choose a dutch journey man to coach the socceroos (whether you think Pim Verbeek was a good coach or not. You can’t argued that his CV was mediocre and that he was a second division/bottom half Eredivisie coach in Holland and 2nd division coach in Japan).
Seriously, you really do believe that we should pick coaches based on pre-conceived national stereotypes.
Now Marco Van Basten, Louis van Gaal, Johan Neeskens, Leo Beenhakker and Frank Rijkaard. They all are great managers (although Marco Van Basten is unproven). I wouldn’t mind having any of them coach the socceroos.
However the reason is because they are great managers with good records not because they are dutch.
I can easily just list out Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Alex Fergurson, Giovanni Trappatoni, Pep Guardiola, Fabio Capello. who are also great managers but aren’t dutch as well. Some of these coaches also play attractive football as well.
hey we should reject all of those people because they aren’t dutch and then select a dutch journeyman coach over these world class managers.
Hell even Han Berger our Technical director has said that our next head coach doesn’t have to be dutch.
April 7th 2010 @ 10:00pm
David V. said | April 7th 2010 @ 10:00pm | Report comment
That’s the problem with our whole approach. People buy into generalisations and stereotypes, the men at top fall for it too.
April 7th 2010 @ 11:14pm
Barry said | April 7th 2010 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
Beenhakker was a good coach in his time. Now, however, he’s a little bit washed up. Rijkaard (can never spell the guy’s name right) is unavailable and simple forget about Van Gaal – no chance of us getting him. This leaves perennial assistant coach Johan Neeskens, who is my personal favourite. The guy sang the Aussie National Anthem in the World Cup for Christ’s sake! What a legend.