2008: Mario Been’s PIT-system pays dividends…

Christmas and NYE drinks in Nijmegen have a dubious status since 2004. Two NEC coaches were sacked right before the festivities. Both Johan Neeskens and Cees Lok were told to pack while the rest of the NEC personnel were happily carving up the turkey. With Mario Been, this tradition has been put to rest.

“I’m happy NEC stopped focusing on the results of the first matches,” he said in October 2007, when his contract was renewed. The first six months under Been, NEC didn’t perform at all. In the second half of last season, NEC made a remarkable come back.

When NEC is beaten at home for the national cup by Eerste Divisie club Zwolle, a year or so back, Been confronts his players. If they’re sick and tired of him, he’ll leave was the message. “Luckily, no one said anything. Because, when they do, you’ve gotta go, you know.” Typical Been humor, who did add that he’d make an effort to instill a better mentality into his players.

NEC starts to perform and ten months later Been signs a renewed contract at a moment where he’d also could have made a step up to a bigger club. The name and reputation of the former Feyenoord playmaker have been made.

In 2008, his PIT system comes to the fore: Plezier (Fun, or the related English word “pleasure”), Instelling (Attitude/Mentality) and Team. NEC achieves success after success and as a bonus the former Oranje international writes history by staying in the UEFA Cup. But above all, he knows to reach his players without sparing them. He actually makes them better players.

Despite his contract renewal, it does seem Been – who played for Pisa in Italy – has the ambition to work in Italy as a coach. Although he also knows that management in Italy have less patience than Dutch management. “Winning is definitely more important than talk in Italy…”, he remembers.