Oranje Image at stake

The KNVB hopes Holland will win the match against Rumania tonight, of course, but also that Oranje will be able to improve the public image of the Dutch team. Because despite the results of Oranje in the group, the negativity surrounding Oranje grows.

But, that seems to be normal with Oranje. Thijs Libregts qualified easily with Oranje for the WC 1990. Still, he needed to go, mainly because Gullit and Van Basten didn’t want to work with him. His successor Leo Beenhakker copped buckets full of criticism because Oranje failed to impress on that WC.

Dick Advocaat was never popular and was almost crucified after the EC2004 and the infamous Robben change.

Rijkaard wasn’t popular in the preparation to the EC2000 and Louis van Gaal was almost driven out of the country when he failed to qualify for the WC2002 with one of the best generations in Dutch football.

Hiddink got a lot of kudos for the ‘98 WC but had to face heaps of criticism when the EC96 turned out a failure due to internal strife.

In other words: Dutch team managers need an elephant skin.

Van Basten has to deal with an increasing resistance from fans and media. Right after the Albania match, he was butchered by the analysts and he knew this already when he came on tv for the standard interview. He handles it well, cool and collected, but it definitely hurts him.

The popularity of Oranje took heavy blows with the reign of Van Gaal and Advocaat and the KNVB feels that severely in the sponsor income. So spin doctor Kees Jansma has started a campaign after the Albania match. It was Jansma who came with the statistics (published on the blog some days ago) with the emphasis on the “facts” instead of beliefs and opinions.

But, that story doesn’t work where Oranje is concerned. Everyone has an opinion, everyone is team manager and we all want to see breathtaking football.

And, talking, analysing and criticizing Oranje is also a sort of national pastime. But, it’s all relatively trivial, what with the pretty good results and the fact that Van Nistelrooy and Seedorf are back in the grace of the team manager.

So, why Bouma and not De cler?
Why not Van Bommel but why De Zeeuw?

These are only regional issues.

Also, the discussion about right footed left wingers and left footed right wingers is almost an artificial discussion. Most crosses in international football are given by full backs. The right wingers are more active with passing, dribbling into the center of the pitch and going for goal, instead of the old-fashioned taking on opponents and crossing the ball into the box.

And don’t we all enjoy the free kick from the right that bananas into the goal area? That ball is kicked with the left foot.

More serious are discussions on the system and the question why Van Nistelrooy and Seedorf were neglected.

And the criticism on the lack of attractive football is also legitimate since it was Van Basten himself who promised us dominant and attractive football.

It was a admirable objective, but he did shoot himself in the foot. But, our players aren’t that good. They just can’t play any opponent from the pitch as a team. That was Marco van Basten’s biggest misjudgment.

source: www.ad.nl