Những bài viết hay về bóng đá Hà Lan & Thế giới: Bert quits !!

Những bài viết hay về bóng đá Hà Lan & Thế giới: Martin Jol trở lại Amsterdam !!

Lâu rồi box mình cũng chưa có cái chủ đề mới nào, Aja thấy cũng nên có thêm một chủ đề về các bài viết vì chúng ta cũng thường tìm thông tin về Hà Lan cầu thủ và chuyện sân cỏ thế giới bằng tiếng Anh trên Internet. Nếu bác nào thấy đọc đưọc cái gì hay ho thì cứ post lên cho anh em cùng thưởng thức nhé !!

Một ý kiến của Martin Jol, HLV Hà Lan ở Spurs về Robben
Jol: Just How Can You Stop Robben, the New Cruyff?
Byline: MARK ISAACS
MARTIN JOL believes Chelsea''s Arjen Robben is the best player to come out of Holland since the legendary Johan Cruyff.
Tottenham''s Dutch coach, who must come up with a way to halt the 20-yearold winger at White Hart Lane tomorrow, has been a fan since Robben first made his breakthrough five seasons ago.
Jol said: ''Robben has punished me in the past, when he was playing for FC Groningen and I was coach at RKC Waalwijk. He played in the first team when he was just 16.
''We didn''t have any success against him. Even when we were leading 1-0, he would come back and punish us because he was an amazing player.'' It was a frank admission by the Spurs boss, whose current unbeaten run of eight games includes six victories and a draw at Old Trafford.
But any chance of ove rconfidence in his squad - who must fancy their chances against the Premiership leaders - was blown away when Jol revealed he fears how much damage Robben can wreak.
He said: ''There are a few things we can try to do to prevent him being at his best, but we cannot stop Robben.'' He always knew Chelsea were on to a winner when they paid [pounds sterling] 12million to PSV Eindhoven for Robben in the summer, beating Manchester United to his signature.
Jol said: ''I was the only one who knew how good Robben would be when he returned after injury. He is our best since Johan Cruyff.
'' Cruyff is a big phenomenon in Holland. I said three years ago that Robben was a small phenomenon, but will be a big phenomenon. He is that good.
''In Holland we think Robben is the best left winger in Europe. I believe Cruyff was the best ever player, but Robben was just as good when he was 17.
''People said he couldn''t beat five or six players in England, but he is proving that now.
''United were the first club who spotted him and he told everyone he would be signing for them. But Peter Kenyon went to Chelsea and he signed for them instead. It was a very good buy.'' Jol, who believes Robben-Cruyff comparisons are not unreasonable, has fond memories of his countryman and contemporary.
He said: ''I played in Johan''s farewell game and was one of the last players to shake his hand.
''I was with Bayern Munich and we beat Ajax 8-0. I felt very ashamed because I played for the Germans and it was very awkward. He ran off the pitch because he was so disappointed and I could have cried for him at that point.
''He then lost all his money and went to America. He came back to Holland and managed Feyenoord and made them champions. In England people don''t fully appreciate just what we think of Johan Cruyff.
''Recently, I had to sit my son down - he plays rugby - and tell him who he was. So when we say Robben is a phenomenon it is worth something.'' Jol is looking to his homeland for Spurs reinforcements and has been linked with PSV''s Mark van Bommel and Ajax duo Rafael van der Vaart, 21, and Wesley Sneijder, 20.
Van Bommel, 27, is a free agent at the end of the season and Jol said: ''We are enchanted about Van Bommel. He is a complete midfielder who would fit in my team.
''Sneijder is a real football player with both feet and an excellent pass. In a 4-5-1, Van der Vaart, as second striker, and Sneijder would do well, while Van Bommel is versatile.'' One player who looks like staying put is Chelsea midfielder Geremi.
Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren is a confirmed admirer of the Cameroon midfielder, who had a successful loan at the Riverside two years ago, but has been told the player is not for sale.
McClaren will now step up his efforts to land former Leeds midfielder Olivier Dacourt, who is currently with Lazio.
Được aja_bar sửa chữa / chuyển vào 21:23 ngày 10/01/2006

Robben: I Did Terry a Favour.
Byline: NEIL ASHTON
CZECH REPUBLIC .0 HOLLAND . . . . . . .2
ARJEN ROBBEN was about to board the Holland team bus on Saturday afternoon when his mobile phone alerted him to a text message from one of his Chelsea team-mates.
It was John Terry, fresh from England''s narrow victory over Austria, and the request was crystal clear: ''Need a favour.
We''re relying on your boys to get us to the World Cup Finals.'' It should never have been in doubt. Marco van Basten is in the business of creating a new world order and Holland''s impressive victory ensured England''s progress from the qualification minefield as one of the best runners-up.
Robben revealed: ''JT sent me a text before the game urging us to win and I sent him one back telling him not to worry.
''We have done them a great favour with this result. I only saw a few minutes of their game, but I knew the result before we played the Czechs.
''It''s great that we could do something for England, but we had to concentrate on a victory for ourselves because it means we are going to the World Cup Finals.'' Although Edwin van der Sar came to Holland''s rescue with a first-half penalty save, the Dutch were in a different gear.
Goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Barry Opdam ensured qualification, making Holland unbeaten in 15 games under Van Basten.
The Dutch legend replaced Dick Advocaat as the national team manager following their defeat in the Euro 2004 semifinal against Portugal and his ruthless purge has paid off.
Only seven of that squad have survived, most of them replaced by a vibrant young team that has, in the main, been plucked from the Ajax academy.
Van Basten coached midfielders Van der Vaart, 22, Wesley Sneijder, 21, Hedwiges Maduro, 20, and Nigel de Jong, 20, when he was in charge of the reserve team at the Amsterdam ArenA and they have made a remarkable impact at international level.
That quartet kept the likes of Edgar Davids out of the squad for a year and although he has earned a recall, it is clear he is on the periphery.
Davids, once regarded as the finest midfielder in the world, has not played for his country since a 3-1 win over Finland last October and he may not even make the team for the dead-rubber against Macedonia on Wednesday.
Stripped of the captaincy by van Basten, the combative midfielder''s dreams of erasing Holland''s semi-final defeat against Brazil at the 1998 World Cup are slipping away.
The Spurs midfielder said: ''I don''t know what the future holds, but playing in another World Cup is my stimulation.'' Davids spent 90 minutes warming the bench on Saturday and was a reluctant participant in the post-match celebrations.
Robben added: ''To reach the Finals is great, but this is only just the beginning. In Marco van Basten, we have an excellent manager and he is clear about our expectations.'' Right now, that means winning the World Cup.

Are There Any British Coaches out There? ​

Byline: Kevin GARSIDE
SO Rugby League has fallen, too. According to former England coach Alex Murphy, we should be thankful Skippy the bush kangaroo did not apply for the Great Britain job because an Aussie accent is all that''s needed.
David Waite is a respected, proven figure with a fine track record as player and coach. Critically, he is not British.
The fancy for all things foreign is a measure of the desperation for success felt by the ruling bodies in British sport.
But instead of instigating a root-and-branch reorganisation of the way our major sports are run, which in many cases would mean voting themselves out of a job, administrators have gone for the fashionable option.
However, as Frenchman Patrice Hagelauer has found at the Lawn Tennis Association, Graham Henry at the Welsh RU and, initially one suspects, Sven Goran Eriksson with the England football team, it may only prolong the agony.
History teaches us that a coach is only as good as his players. England have never had a better group playing the 15-a-side rugby code.As a result, Clive Woodward is looking as sharp a director of coaching as any in the world, having presided over victories against world champions Australia, the 1995 winners South Africa and Henry-led Wales.
Germany''s Jurgen Grobler has achieved guru status after his involvement with Britain''s elite rowers. Did he make Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent, eight Olympic golds between them, great? Or is the reverse true?
The performer makes the coach, according to boxing trainer Angelo Dundee, who worked with plenty of journeyman sluggers before coinciding with a young Cassius Clay in Miami and really making his name.
Murphy, like most in British Rugby League, is scandalised at Waite''s appointment. He said: "Mal Reilly should have been given the post. He did an excellent job for seven years and has proved his pedigree.
"Waite seems a very pleasant man but this is a slap in the face for British coaches. We should have a Brit in charge of the national side.
"An Aussie accent these days can open any door. I''m surprised Skippy the bush kangaroo hasn''t been offered a job by the Rugby League."
Roger Millward, the ex-Great Britain skipper, says: "I''ve spoken to many former players and they are appalled. It''s scandalous we should consider Waite above Reilly."
Aussie Ian Millward, coach of St Helens, put the other side of the argument. "Waite is very experienced and a good thinker on the game. He can only improve the national team and individual players. Nationality shouldn''t be an issue if he''s the best man for the job."
Aussie Greg McCallum, the director of rugby, said: "I''m only worried about putting the Great back into Britain.
"One of David''s objectives over the next three years will be to provide our game here with the next Great Britain coach. We hope and expect that man will be British-born.
"There has been no development of British-born coaches because the clubs have sacked home-grown coaches and gone for Aussies or New Zealanders.
"If that wasn''t the case, I''m sure we wouldn''t have had to look overseas for a coach." According to Trevor Brooking, chairman of Sport England: "What is happening now is a direct result of 15 to 20 years of under-investing in sport at all levels."
As Brooking says, the real fault behind Britain''s sporting failure lies not with our coaches but with a government that has consistently failed to invest in its children.
With the help of Lottery cash, Britain won 11 gold medals at the Sydney Olympics, the best performance by our athletes for more than 70 years.
Give our kids the means to play and develop, and Skippy could indeed coach our players to international success.
PATRICE HAGELAUER
(Tennis)
THE performance director for the Lawn Tennis Association. The Morocco-born Frenchman, 53, was regarded as the most senior coach in men''s tennis in France when the LTA appointed him in March 1999 with the brief of turning talented young British players into world-class professionals.
DUNCAN FLETCHER
(Cricket)
THE man from Zimbabwe who succeeded David Lloyd as England coach in 1999. The 52-year-old brought considerable success to South African side Western Province before resurrecting English fortunes. The year 2000 saw successive series wins over Zimbabwe, West Indies and Pakistan.
JURGEN GROBLER
(Rowing)
EAST German who as chief coach of the ARA guided Steve Redgrave to a record-breaking fifth Olympic gold in Sydney. The 54-year-old was national rowing coach in his own country for 18 years before joining Leander in 1991 and becoming coach for the British men''s team a year later.
GRAHAM HENRY
(Rugby U)
APPOINTED Wales coach in 1998, 54-year-old Henry will take charge of the British Lions tour to Australia this summer. New Zealander who, despite the recent Six Nations defeat against England, has provided Welsh rugby with some of its finest moments in living memory.
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON
(Football)
Swede who became the first foreign coach of the English national football team last month. The 53-year-old steered Lazio to their first Serie A title since 1974 last season and has also won championships in Portugal and his native Sweden.
OTHER FOREIGN COACHES: FOOTBALL - Arsene Wenger (French) Arsenal; Claudio Ranieri (Italian) Chelsea; David O''Leary (Irish) Leeds; Gerard Houllier (French) Liverpool; Dick Advocaat (Dutch) Rangers; Jean Tigana (French) Fulham.
RUGBY UNION - Phillipe Saint-Andre (French) Gloucester; Francois Piennar (South Africa) Saracens.
OUR LEADER: Sven Goran Eriksson

Football: Marco''''''''s Gone from Carrying Golf Clubs to Carrying the Hopes of an Entire Nation; DUTCH BOSS SUITS VAN BASTEN. ​

Byline: Arthur Numan ( Cựu hậu vệ trái của Oranje )
I was delighted to see my former Holland team-mate Marco van Basten get off to a winning start in his first competitive game in charge of the national side.
Beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in the opening World Cup qualifier was a magnificent result - and even sweeter because my good friend Pierre van Hooijdonk scored both goals.
Van Basten couldn''''''''t have asked for any more from his players but he knows every day won''''''''t be as pleasant. If he has a bad result in the campaign, criticism will follow.
It won''''''''t be the same level as the vilification Dick Advocaat had to endure during Euro 2004 when the Dutch fans and media got personal.
But Marco must realise that he has put himself in the firing line and be prepared for the pressure that comes with it. It will be interesting to see how he reacts when the inevitable barracking follows a poor performance.
Marco is a calm character but even people who are not easily wound up can eventually decide enough is enough and hit back.
I would be surprised if he reacted that way though as he has always impressed me as a professional and as a person.
I first spent time with him when I was 21and had just broken into the Holland team in 1992 four years after our Euro Championships win.
Being in the same squad as superstars such as Marco, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit made me nervous. I was so shy I couldn''''''''t even introduce myself to them.
I''''''''ll never forget one of the first mornings when I was sitting across from van Basten. always have bread with chocolate spread for breakfast but the spread was across the table from me, right beside Marco.
I couldn''''''''t pluck up the courage to disturb him so decided just to put cheese on my bread instead. Yet there was no reason for me to be like that.
It wasn''''''''t as if Marco was aloof and had no time for the younger guys. He was an excellent player and a lovely man. However, was a quiet person at that time and my only aim was to work my socks off in training to earn the respect of the experienced players. Nowadays that mentality is lacking in too many young footballers. Many become millionaires after 10 good games for their clubs.
And they think money gives them the right to an opinion anytime, any place whether it''''''''s talking back to older players or the manager.
That makes life even more difficult for gaffers. There is a lack of respect running through football and it has to be tackled.
It''''''''s also part of the reason why I have no plans to become a boss - the pressure on them is crazy, out of control.
Being a manager must be bad for your heart and take years off your life.
I look at what has happened to Bobby Robson and Paul Sturrock this season and I''''''''m so glad I''''''''m not involved in that cut-throat environment.
I''''''''ve been out of the game since I quit Rangers and hung up my boots 17 months ago and don''''''''t miss it.
If decided to try to find a job I would only think about being an assistant manager or taking a youth team.
But then van Basten said exactly the same when he was forced to retire from playing by a persistent ankle injury.
He disappeared and said he had no intention of working in a football in any capacity ever again.
Marco took up golf and turned out to be excellent at it. He wasn''''''''t a bad bagman either and caddied for the likes of fellow Dutchman Chris van der Velden.
However, the football bug kept on gnawing away at Marco and eventually he just had to get involved again.
When the KNVB (Dutch FA) found out van Basten''''''''s intentions they earmarked him as a future national team manager and fast-tracked him through the Dutch coaching system. He worked for a year with the Ajax youths then made the step up to take over at the helm of the senior national squad from Advocaat two months ago.
Johan Cruyff may have been involved in the decision to offer the job to Marco because he has a big of influence at the KNVB.
Of course, the appointment was well received. Van Basten is still a huge hero in Holland and one of the greatest players my country has ever produced.
But being a successful footballer doesn''''''''t give you the right to be a successful manager. The problem though is that fans expect van Basten to deliver immediately.
It will not be easy for him although he has made a few good decisions already such as keeping van Hooijdonk in the squad.
Pierre is a fantastic professional and great to have about the dressing room for the young lads to talk to.
It''''''''s hard for managers at club and international level to keep a squad of 25-30 players happy so to have a guy like Pierre, with all his experience, is essential.
But no-one will be more important in the months ahead than van Basten.
He will be hailed as a hero if he leads Holland to Germany for the finals.
But guarantee he will be on the receiving end of a deluge of fierce criticism if he fails.
I reckon Marco will take Holland to the World Cup finals and then the real hard work will begin. Make no mistake, our country will expect him to win the tournament.
After winning the European Championships in West Germany as a player it would be a dream double to return to German soil to lift the World Cup.
I remember wearing my Holland scarf, cheering on Marco and the rest of the players to victory that summer 16 years ago. I''''''''d love to be doing the same again in 2006.
Được aja_bar sửa chữa / chuyển vào 06:09 ngày 29/01/2006

Dutch of class is still in demand
Gabriele Marcotti analyses the success of the Netherlands?T football tacticians
Perhaps we should add them to tulips, Philips and liberal mores as Holland?Ts greatest exports. Because it?Ts fair to say that, in terms of producing top quality football coaches and managers, Holland comprehensively wipe the floor with the rest of the footballing world.
Among the 32 national team coaches that will be taking sides to Germany for the World Cup finals in June, no fewer than four hail from Holland, equalling a new record. Leo Beenhakker will lead first-time qualifiers Trinidad and Tobago, while Guus Hiddink will take charge of Australia. Former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat has found himself in charge of South Korea while Holland themselves are led by former AC Milan striker Marco van Basten, in his first serious job.
As the panel opposite shows, a quick comparison with other European countries proves that few can match the strength in depth of the Dutch when it comes to producing top coaches. Only Italy, a far larger country, comes even close, though admirably Scotland punch well above their weight given their size.
As for England, well, the less said about some of the leading lights south of the border, the better. When the most successful active English coaches are Steve McClaren, Alan Curbishley, Sam Allardyce, Stuart Pearce and Paul Jewell ?" a group which, between them, has won just a single League Cup, you know you?Tre in serious trouble.
Holland is a far different story, though. The Dutch are effectively an assembly line of managerial talent with a record which is largely unmatched in Europe, a fact recognised by Europê?Ts top clubs. Hiddink and Beenhakker have both been the manager of Real Madrid in recent times. Louis van Gaal, now working his way back to the summit of the managerial mountain at AZ Alkmaar, is, of course, a former Barcelona boss.
We might also add that the man who restored Schalke 04 to their former glories with their back-to-back German Cup victories in 2000-01 and 2001-02, Huub Stevens, is Dutch. So, indeed, was the man who managed to halt Rangers?T streak of Scottish league titles at nine: Wim Jansen.
Another Dutchman, meanwhile, set no fewer than three records when he led Chelsea to the FA Cup in 1996-97. At the time he was the youngest manager to win a major English trophy, as well as the first foreign and the first black manager to do so. His name, of course, was Ruud Gullit, though his other contribution to the English game ?" the ?o***y football? on offer at Newcastle ?" is perhaps best forgotten.
Speaking of coaches who changed history, the guy who led Barcelona to their solitary European Cup, Johan Cruyff, is, of course, Dutch as well. Hê?Ts also the man who is generally cre***ed for changing Spanish football and putting together the so-called ?oDream Team? of Hristo Stoichkov and Michael Laudrup, Pep Guardiola and Romario. Cruyff?Ts mentor ?" Rinus Michels ?" also happens to be Dutch and all he did was win the European Championships in 1984, invent ?oTotal Football? and change the face of the European game forever.
But that?Ts the past. How about the present? The current Barcelona coach, Frank Rijkaard, is Dutch. So is the guy in charge of FC Porto ?" the European champions two years back lest we forget ?" Co Adriaanse, as well as the man in charge of their arch-rivals and reigning Portuguese champions, Benfica, Ronald Koeman. And while talk of a resurgence is probably premature, it?Ts worth noting that Tottenham Hotspur are doing better under their current Dutch boss (Martin Jol) than they did under their previews coaches who were English, Scottish and Swiss.
Impressed? You should be. Over the past twenty years Dutch football has produced far too many successful managers and coaches for this to be merely a coincidence.
They are the Brazilians of coaching. In fact, they are perhaps even better because within the Dutch sphere there is a variety of styles and tactics which defies stereotype. The likes of van Gaal and Adriaanse favour all-out attack ?" top-heavy sides with genuine wingers which attack in waves. Someone like Hiddink or Beenhakker, on the other hand, is often prepared to adopt a far more conservative approach.
Indeed, Hiddink?Ts sides are as good as any at studying the opponent and neutralising their attacking threat via tactical nous and positioning. Not coincidentally, when Hiddink?Ts PSV Eindhoven won the European Cup in 1987-88, they did so by wearing down opponents and defending in numbers. From the quarter-finals onwards they scored just two goals and did not win a single game in the ninety minutes yet still managed to win the European Cup displaying a mental toughness and a tactical savvy with which their more gifted opponents could simply not come to terms. Indeed, it was the same tactics that took co-hosts South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup.
?oIn Holland you have a range of different visions and styles which I think gives our coaches an excellent base of knowledge,? Rijkaard said recently. ?oIn some ways we are all children of Cruyff and Michels but we have gone in our own directions. Someone like van Gaal interprets it a certain way, someone like Hiddink in another. And maybe for people like me, Marco [van Basten] and Ruud [Gullit] we are influenced by our time in Italy, working with [Arrigo] Sacchi and [Fabio] Capello.?
The tactical diversity in Holland forces managers to think much more about formations and movement. You can go from Ajax?Ts tra***ional 4-3-3 to a wingback system to the 3-3-1-3 Adriaanse favours. Some of the teams employ a tra***ional sweeper, some do not. Each match is a contrast in styles, as much a chess game as a physical confrontation. Contrast this with England where, tra***ionally, everybody played 4-4-2 and the 4-5-1 has only recently been introduced as an alternative.
?oI also think our managers travel well,? adds Rijkaard. ?oWe are not fazed by working abroad, we try to learn as much as possible. And most of us are not wedded to a certain philosophy ?" we know how to be flexible.?
Rijkaard doesn?Tt name names but it?Ts obvious that the ?oinflexiblê? Dutchman he is referring to is van Gaal. More importantly though he is correct that when Dutch managers go abroad, they seem to be able to integrate their own style of football into the local fabric of the game in whatever country. They very quickly cease being foreign and often fit in seamlessly.
Whatever the case, it?Ts pretty clear that from a coaching perspective Dutch football stands on its own, and their presence in numbers at the World Cup is simply a function of this. The key question is whether the Dutch experience can be replicated elsewhere, namely in those countries, like England, where the quality of coaching has hit rock bottom.
20 November 2005
Bài này hay thật 'ấy lâu lắm m>i thấy viết mTt bài t.ng hợp hay phết về Duch coaches mặc dù chỈa 'Ỉợc 'ọc quyfn Duch coaches philosophies !! Nhiều khả nfng Arie Haan sẽ là HLV thứ 5 Oranje góp mặt Y World Cup 2006 vì sắp ký hợp '"ng v>i Iran.
Được aja_bar sửa chữa / chuyển vào 18:09 ngày 04/02/2006

Van Basten just the daddy for Alex ​

( * Marco''s son * )
The Holland coach was the world''s top striker - but don''t tell his son
Sunday May 28, 2006
The Observer
One by one the Pancratius boys emerge. Alex van Basten is the last to leave changing-room 4. Immediately he throws himself into a battle for the ball, more out of playfulness than in a real effort to win the thing. Just as quickly he leaves the fray and gazes around.
His father is a couple of metres away, his face brown from a skiing holiday. Marco has just tied the laces of his son''s boots.
''Are you playing today?'' I ask him.
Marco nods. ''At noon. But I always only play the second half. I get there at half time.''
It''s 9.20 on Saturday morning. We''re walking to pitch two, where the eighth team of Pancratius under-eights face their away match against Vlug & Vaardig''s second team. Marco says this is Alex''s first away match. Until now the boys have played only at their own club, in a tournament called the Champions League. Then Alex van Basten would play for Barcelona and in all his matches put together scored only one goal. The temptation is to compare, but one glance at the seven-year-old during pre-match shooting cautions us not to do so.
Alex, unlike his two elder sisters, is still unaware of his father''s past. Marco doesn''t make a show of it. Quietly he chooses his spot behind the goal of the fat little keeper of Vlug & Vaardig, at some distance from the other fathers and mothers, who are practically on the pitch. He watches the match in silence. Only in the second half is the invisible man noticed. The fat little keeper''s daddy requests an autograph for his son.
It''s a couple of degrees above freezing, but there''s no wind. The last drops of dew will soon melt. The sun is so low that you could almost head it away.
We both experience the Saturday-morning feeling again. Up early to play a football match. The game Marco continues to play is fun, but nothing compared with the football he played when he was Alex''s age. ''It keeps getting harder. I now have to get my happiness from a square pass.'' Marco grins at his own remark.
Driving around near Opmeer sports park in Amsterdam this morning, he recognised some club names. DCG, for instance - he once played against them with Ajax under-18s. He started out at the club of which his uncle was a member, EDO uit Utrecht. Legendary first training session, he says. He had been waiting an hour when it turned out they had forgotten to collect him.
One minute into the match, Pancratius under-eights open the scoring. Alex has yet to touch the ball. He takes up position in the no-man''s land between forwards and defenders. He is the central pivot in the famous ''egg-timer'' formation: 3-1-3.
''Defensive midfielder,'' I comment.
''So it would appear,'' says Marco, who is not about to give his son any instructions.
Alex''s first touch of the ball is a vain attempt to win it. It doesn''t seem to bother him much. A little later, far from the madding crowd, he makes vigorous feints with his arms. We see him talking to himself. It''s not clear to Marco what game he is playing. It has nothing to do with football, but Alex is having an excellent time.
Meanwhile, Pancratius go 4-0 up. They will be taking the three points home to Badhoevedorp, the commuter village outside Amsterdam, but the importance of that seems to elude Alex. Very occasionally he gets the ball. As a footballer he closely resembles PSV Eindhoven''s Andre Ooijer, I think. Ooijer, too, frequently spits on the ground.
At half time Marco calls Alex over. Alex doesn''t hear. ''Come here, Alex.''
Close up, I see that his face, too, looks very like his mother''s. Big eyes, full eyelashes, gap between the teeth.
I''m curious to hear what Marco will say. Should Alex take a better look before he passes? Run into space? Ask for the ball? Come into the box behind the dangerous strikers? Cover the zone better? But Marco just asks: ''Are you going to score a goal for Daddy?''
Father and son press their foreheads together. When they separate again, Alex acts as if he is thinking deeply. Then he says: ''Maybe.'' He skips away.
''He runs quite well, you see,'' says Marco a little later, ''but he''s not flexible. That''s because he watches TV all the time.''
''What does it matter?'' I say. ''My son Charlie''s the same. He has lots of hobbies, but not football. Out of courtesy he sometimes watches a couple of minutes of a match with me. Who cares, man? As long as they''re happy.''
I''m suddenly ashamed of the dreadful cliche. I only wanted to say that as a father you shouldn''t project your dreams on your child, but Marco has got there before me.
''I''ve said to him a couple of times, "Do you enjoy it, Alex? Daddy won''t make you play football." After I said it the first time, he did his best especially. But football means nothing to him. He doesn''t support a club, either. It really doesn''t bother me. It''s just good for him to move a little, to play sport. But he likes K''nex much more - the toys you have to put together. His grandpa, Liesbeth''s father, is handy, too. He must have got it from him. Alex can put together a K''nex fairground in an hour. And yesterday he was doing a puzzle.''
The ball thuds against a team-mate''s arm. Alex is the first to reach the kid. ''Does it hurt?'' he asks sweetly, and briefly touches him.
The ensuing corner disappears behind the goal. Alex hangs on to the goalpost, then dives into the side netting, sticks his head through one of the holes and looks dreamy. Perhaps he is thinking of his puzzle.
A little later we see him pulling funny faces in the middle of the pitch.
Again he disappears within himself. His hands and fingers look like pistols being fired. Meanwhile the game for which he has pulled on his boots continues. It will finish 9-3, a score that passes by Marco''s son like the barges passing his grandpa''s house in Utrecht, unseen.
''I mustn''t interfere,'' says Marco. ''That wouldn''t be nice for him.''
''The way your father drilled you, you mean?'' I remark.
''To me it didn''t feel like that at all. That''s how he experienced it.''
''Does he ever come and watch Alex, or go and see your daughters play hockey or ride?''
''No, never. He always has my mother on the weekends.''
''That''s good. Nice.''
''Well, you see, I don''t know. Because of that he has no social life.''
''But I mean the loyalty. Every day, year after year.''
''You could call it guilt,'' says Marco.
''Do you still see him often?''
''I drop by every two or three weeks.''
The match is over. The player by the name of Van Basten has accounted for none of the nine goals.
''I thought you were going to score a goal for me?'' Alex thinks about it. ''I said maybe.''
He has one more chance. Every match in the under-eights finishes with penalties.
''Oh yes,'' says Alex, who immediately runs off to join his team-mates, doesn''t push in front and joins the back of the queue. I''m curious about his run-up. It doesn''t feature Marco van Basten''s trademark skip. He shoots... It''s a hard shot. It goes straight at the little Schmeichel of Vlug & Vaardig. A save.
''He struck it well,'' notes Marco.
Alex is a blessed child. No inheritance to burden him: he has his father''s surname but his mother''s sporting genes and therefore none of the expectations that saddled someone such as Jordi Cruyff.
Silently they walk side by side towards the dressing room. ''OK, off you go, shower,'' says Marco.

Đùa chứ các bạn Anh đì đụt họ CAM nhà mình hơi bị kinh đấy nhỉ. Chê nhà mình ko có giống tốt mới ghê chứ.

Van Basten the great idealistFriday, 9 June 2006
by Berend Scholten
from Amsterdam

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Marco van Basten never needed to explain what type of player he was. He spoke with his feet, scoring goals for AFC Ajax, AC Milan and the Netherlands. His spectacular, looping strike against the USSR in Munich which fired the Netherlands to the UEFA European Championship title in 1988 was perhaps the defining moment of his playing career. Success has followed Van Basten as coach of the Netherlands, and after leading his side unbeaten through qualifying, he goes to the FIFA World Cup looking to lift another trophy on German soil.
''Spectacular''
His blend of Dutch creativity and the Italian ability to grind out results served him well as a player, and the Netherlands are still enjoying the benefits now he is the coach. "I don''t think I''m typically Dutch or Italian, I just like to win and play well," he said. "It''s important to entertain the people, it''s important they see something spectacular, but it''s also important to play to win. I think the truth lies somewhere in between. If you play good football you also have the right to win, and no one can say it wasn''t fair. You start playing football because you like it. If it''s only about winning, winning, winning, you create a problem.
Maybe I''m still an idealist, and maybe if you work too long in football you lose that a bit, but it''s good to have idealsMarco van Basten
''Idealist''
"I''m not afraid to lose, I like to play well. I''m also sitting on the bench and hope to watch a good game. I like to have the initiative, to play and create. But there''s also the opponent and if they''re strong, you have to decide if it''s wise to attack because you also have to win. Everybody wants to win, but I can accept losing, I have to. It''s part of the game. If you''re afraid to lose, you use your energy in the wrong way. It''s acceptable to lose if a star player like [Thierry] Henry makes the difference. Maybe I''m still an idealist, and maybe if you work too long in football you lose that a bit, but it''s good to have ideals." Those ideals are instilled in Van Basten, a product of the Dutch school of football. "We grew up in Holland with 4-3-3, everyone is used to it and likes the way we play. It''s also an advantage, because abroad they aren''t used to playing against a right and left winger. That can make a difference."
Great coaches
Van Basten took on the Netherlands job two years ago without any prior head-coaching experience. Having played under some of the game''s greats, however, he knows what it takes *****cceed. "I have had a lot of interesting coaches in my career. It wasn''t always easy, but always interesting. [Johan] Cruyff approached the game always thinking about what to do when in possession. [Arrigo] Sacchi was more focused on the opponents when they had the ball, to be well positioned and put pressure on them. He felt that when we were on the ball we already had enough strength to attack effectively. [Fabio] Capello was more realistic. If we felt we were out of form we just waited and won by one or two goals. [Rinus] Michels I only met as national team coach, and he was keen on good organisation."
''Good decision''
Cruyff played an instrumental role in Van Basten''s promotion to the top job in Holland. "I never expected to become national team coach just one year after starting as a trainer. The first year I worked well with the [AFC] Ajax youngsters in their second team and didn''t have any other teams in mind. When the KNVB called me to ask what I thought about the job, it surprised me and I wasn''t really in for it. After ten days however, having spoken with Cruyff, I felt it was a good opportunity and maybe it has turned out to have been a good decision."
Cruyff key
Cruyff has helped ensure Van Bastenâ?Ts appointment was the right one. "As a former major player Cruyff still is very important in Dutch Football. I have had the advantage to have played with him, to have had him as coach and I know him as a friend. So I know him in a lot of different ways and that is a good situation. He is our advisor. He can play a role because of his experience. We give him a call and he gives his perspective on the situation."
Learning curve
Ultimately, though, the responsibility is Van Basten''s in what can at times prove a difficult job. "You only have a few days to work with the players to improve things. But you also are in a better situation when it comes to replacing players in bad form. There is a wider arsenal to choose from then as a club coach. You also have more time to prepare yourself. I am still competitive, if I do something I like to win. But there is a lot to learn also. This is a completely different job with other disciplines, so there is still a long way to go. As national team coach you also have a lot of free time," Van Basten adds with a smile. "I like that as well." In Germany he''ll be hoping there is no rest until after the World Cup final.

New Dutch school selects pragmatism over disputes​

By Simon Kuper
Published: June 15 2006 22:22 | Last updated: June 15 2006 22:22
Marco van Basten, Holland?Ts coach, was asked the other day whether he would impose restrictions for the visit of his players?T girlfriends. He replied with a joke: ?oThe wives are visiting, not the girlfriends. Otherwise it would be much too busy.?
The World Cup is more fun with the Dutch. Of the four Dutch managers here, three won their first game, while Leo Beenhakker?Ts Trinidad and Tobago managed a stunning draw against Sweden. The foreign media are pulling out clichés about ?ototal football? and squabbling ?oDutch Masters?. This ignores the fact that the Dutch school has changed. We are seeing the new pragmatic version.
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If ***ual intercourse began in 1963, as Philip Larkin wrote, then Dutch football began about three years later at Ajax Amsterdam. There Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels invented a style, and at the World Cup in Germany in 1974 Holland showed it to the world. Foreigners dubbed it ?ototal football?. Its elements were attack, thinking players, positional changes, wingers, and the ?oconflictmodel?. This described the notion that quarrels are desirable, as they get people thinking and give them something to prove. It was possibly just a rationale for Cruyff?Ts personality, but squabbles became a Dutch tenet.
Three of the Dutch coaches here ?" Guus Hiddink with Australia, Dick Advocaat with South Korea and Beenhakker ?" were born like Cruyff in the Dutch baby boom of the 1940s. They came of age with total football.
Van Basten, born in 1964, was raised on it. His father didn?Tt tell him bedtime stories but sat on his bed with a blackboard sketching running patterns. As a teenager at Ajax, Van Basten was adopted by his team-mate Cruyff. The boy sometimes left training in tears, but he learned his football there. One lesson, he says, was not to play on intuition. It?Ts a very Dutch view. Cruyff says: ?oFootball is a game you play with your head.?
In the 1980s and 1990s Cruyff and Louis van Gaal were the main bearers of the Dutch idea. They fetishised ?~techniek?T and ?~tactiek?T: if you had those you won, even if your opponents fought harder.
The Dutch idea mostly worked. No small country has done better in football. The Dutch team became central to Dutch nationalism, its biggest games watched on television by three-quarters of the population.
On September 1 2001 came crisis: Holland lost to the Republic of Ireland and failed to qualify for the World Cup. In the month that the Dutch rethought their liberal politics, they also rethought their football. Perhaps, they said, foreigners had a point. A new pragmatic Dutch school evolved.
The Dutch coaches at this World Cup have all learned from working abroad. Hiddink, when coaching South Korea, raved to me about his players?T ?ocommitment?, using the English word because no Dutch one seemed to apply. Advocaat learned abroad that massing around your own goal sometimes pays off. On one point all four coaches agreed: the conflictmodel doesn?Tt work. All had once experienced a divided Holland: Beenhakker as manager and Van Basten as player at the World Cup of 1990, Hiddink at the 1996 European Championship, and Advocaat at Euro 2004. All now preach harmony.
Hiddink and Beenhakker pursue it through their psychological gifts. Hiddink identified Mark Viduka as Australia?Ts only difficult personality, and proceeded to get him on board by naming him captain. The coaches also benefit from their passports. ?oDutch coach? has become a respected brand, and so their players listen to them.
Van Basten is no psychologist, but the Dutch so revere him that no player would dare squabble with him. Just to be safe, he didn?Tt pick the very autonomous Clarence Seedorf.
Foreign media still hunt for Dutch quarrels. When Robin van Persie noted after Holland?Ts victory over Serbia and Montenegro that Arjen Robben might have passed more, the German tabloid Bild trumpeted the ?ofirst breach? in Holland?Ts camp. It wasn?Tt. The only surprising thing about Van Persie?Ts remark is that he possessed enough common sense to state the obvious. Holland?Ts players were selected for their harmony.
On the field the Dutch school has also been modified. These four coaches barely use wingers: Robben is about the last one remaining in captivity. And Van Basten doesn?Tt push his defenders forward, or ask players to change position much.
But many Dutch traits survive. These coaches have gleefully been sending on strikers. Beenhakker did so while playing with 10 men, and Advocaat and Hiddink each finished their first match with four forwards. This doesn?Tt mean that Dutch coaches neglect defence. Their teams generally concede few goals. But the Dutch prefer defending in the opposition?Ts half ?" ?opressing?, they call it. In Cruyff?Ts dictum, ?othe centre-forward must be the first defender?.
He must have enjoyed the kickaround at a recent Dutch practice. Van Basten appointed two keepers as captains, and made them pick players one by one as in street football. The last two men selected were Liverpool?Ts Jan Kromkamp and Ajax?Ts Hedwiges Maduro. The device raised tension, and got players thinking. Van Basten copied it from Cruyff.