PSV wins the Uefa Cup in 1978

A young Willy van der Kuylen on the left…

Somehow, when we talk about European successes of Dutch teams, it’s about Feyenoord (they won the first EC1 for Holland and the most recent UEFA Cup) and Ajax (they won three EC1’s in the 1970s) and bamboozled the world in 1995 with extraordinary football. Sure, PSV won the EC1 in 1988, but it wasn’t a real convincing win, what with all the draws… But the fact that PSV also won the UEFA Cup in 1978 has almost been forgotten.

We’ll take a look at that campaign, with ol’ hands like Willy van der Kuylen, Ernie Brandts and the Van de Kerkhof Brothers. The core of the team was from Brabant (the region where PSV is based). How different than today’s PSV.

Coach Kees Rijvers is also from Brabant. Jan Poortvliet (Zeeland), Jan van Beveren, Huub Stevens (Limburg) and Ernie Brandts are also part of the team. Rijvers was successful at FC Twente and signed at PSV to collect prizes.

In 1972, Kurt Linder is coach in Eindhoven and reaches the eighth spot on the standing. Linder has to go. Willy van der Kuylen: “Linders had a system in his head and wanted the players to execute that. Rijvers based his system on the players he had available. And Rijvers hated the so-called stars. The team was key. I played better under Rijvers. I wasn’t good defensively, but Rijvers would compensate that with other players, resulting in me being even more threatening. Rijvers optimized the team.”

In 1973, Rijvers signs the twin bros Willy and Rene van de Kerkhof, whom he knew for his Twente days. Willy was a consistent and hard-working midfielder, Rene a super-fast winger. Willy: “Rijvers signed us from amateurs MULO to play for Twente. He knew what we could and couldn’t do. He actually wanted to sign Rene alone. Not me. My mum said: you take them both or you get out!”.

“Our dad had died already, but Rijvers sort of took on that role. Wiel Coerver wanted us at Feyenoord and we wanted to go to Rotterdam, but it would be harder for mum to come and watch us so we signed for PSV.”

PSV would win two titles in the mid 1970s, and two national cups. In 1977 PSV finishes second in the standings and qualifies for the UEFA Cup. Rijvers presents a new signing: Ernie Brandts, central defender of De Graafschap. Brandts: “Rijvers wanted a good header centrally at the back. Jan van Beveren was mauled a season before by Nico Jansen of Feyenoord and was getting more and more afraid to leave his goal line. I needed to compensate that.”

Ernie Brandts and Harry Lubse…

Swedish striker Ralf Edstrom left PSV. He scored 112 goals in four seasons. Van der Kuylen: “We didn’t have a replacement for Ralf. Lubse played here and Deijkers played striker, but Gerrie was actually a defender. But Edstrom was static and Deijkers allowed us to play with more variances.”

Glenavon is the first opponent in 1977. The Northen Irelanders are played off the pitch: aggregate 11-2. Willy van de Kerkhof: “Rijvers wanted to play some subs to give them some experience, but we veto-ed that, haha… We all wanted to play those games.”

Gerrie Deijkers developed himself from a defender into a shrewd goal machine. He scores three goals against Glenavon and four times against Widzew Lodz. Rene van de Kerkhof made a huge mistake against the Polish opponent. “I had the ball in our box and wanted to trick a couple of opponents. I lost the ball and they scored: 1-0. Rijvers wanted to take me off immediately. I gave the assist for the equalizer and thought I did well, but Rijvers subbed me anyway.”

PSV wins 5-3 in Poland and 1-0 at home. The next opponent iws Eintracht Braunschweig. PSV wins both matches, 2-0 and 1-2. Ernie Brandts’ opponent is the Yugoslavian player Popivoda. “He played with spikes. It was winter. But horrible things. He stepped on my foot and I was bleeding like a cow… I talked to the ref and he made the guy change his shoes. In those days, they didn’t check the footwear…”

In the quarter finals, PSV draws FC Magdeburg. In East Germany, PSV loses 1-0. In Eindhoven, the fans turn the stadium into a pressure cooker. PSV starts aggressively but Magdeburg scores 0-1. After 38 minutes, Brandts scores the 1-1 and Magdeburg scores an own goal right before the break: 2-1. PSV can’t be contained in the second half. But the East Germans have a good counter-team and Pommerenke scores a scorcher from distance. A huge blunder by Van Beveren. Rene van de Kerkhof: “I never saw Jan make a mistake this huge and it happened in this match.”

Two minutes later, Ernie Brandts heads in the 3-2. “I was always up front with corners and set pieces. It was great. Only 15 minutes to go and the fans erupted. You felt this couldn’t go wrong!”

In the 89th minute, the job is done. Harry Lubse scores the 4-2. Willy van de Kerkhof: “It still gives me goosebumps. We needed two more goals in 20 minutes and we did it.”

Willy van de Kerkhof

Everybody dreams about a finals against Barcelona, with Johan Cruyff. JC isn’t too popular in Eindhoven, since he’s held responsible for the end of the Oranje career of icons Van der Kuylen and Van Beveren. But, PSV draws Barca in the semis. Brandts: “Jan Poortvliet played against JC and with every touch he was booed by the fans. He played a terrible match. Poortvliet buried him.”

Willy van der Kuylen didn’t feel any animosity. “For me it was PSV-Barca and not Van der Kuylen – Cruyff. Barca had Nees as well. They had a good team. But we had confidence. We beat them 3-0 but it could have been much more.”

Barca scored an own goal, Lubse scored the second and sub Postuma scored the third goal.

Four days before the second leg, PSV wins the Dutch title. But in Barcelona, the huge margin is almost given away. It’s 2-0 for Barca after 15 minutes. Brandts: “We were almost out. Cruyff played a phenomenal game. Poortvliet was in tatters. Barca played it tough. Before we came on to the pitch, Migueli gave a knock to one of ours and Deacy was hit with an elbow.” But it’s Nick Deacy who saves PSV. The Welshman scores the 2-1 in the second half. Even if Rexach scores the 3-1, PSV wouldn’t get in trouble anymore and Rijvers’ boys reach the finals.

Bastia is the opponent in the finals, with one Johnny Rep in their midst. During the first leg on Corsica, it rains cats and dogs. PSV expects the game to be suspended but the ref wants to play. Willy van der Kuylen: “The water was up to our ankles. Rijvers told us only to play the ball high through the air.” It was a terrible match, ending in 0-0. Eindhoven prepares for a big party.

Willy van de Kerkhof was convinced: “Bastia wasn’t worthy of the finals. We didn’t even go in trainings camp for this game. I scored the first in the first half, Deijkers and Van der Kuylen scored the second and third after the break.”

Brandts: “We were hailed as heroes again, a month after winning the title. I got used to it. That same week, I was told I was selected for Oranje to go to the WC1978. I was only 21 years old. And I was voted the Best Player of the Tournament. But Willy van der Kuylen was the best man of course. You could always give him the ball. For a young lad like me, it was an honor to play with him.”

PSV is the main supplier of players for Oranje, with Ajax. Lubse, Van Kraay, Brandts, Poortvliet and the Van de Kerkhof bros would reach the finals in Buenos Aires. After that game, things changed.
Everybody felt a superstar and the willingness to sacrifice for the team and work together disappeared. Brandts: “You see that often. We worked towards a goal and then we reached it. The team disintegrated. We won the European Cup and six of us played the finals at the WC. It was too much mentally. We started to think we could all be the playmaker and give that long pass. It took till 1986 until PSV won another prize….”