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The 1990 disaster…

November 23rd, 2008 | By: Jan | 18 Comments »

I actually thought I wrote about this earlier, but I can’t find the post anywhere .

So here goes, by popular demand… What happened at (or rather: before) the WC1990.

Well, it all started in 1988 of course. Van Basten & Co stunned the world. With Michels moving up from manager to federation official, former Feyenoord coach Thijs Libregts took the reigns. The ex-Excelsior and Feyenoord player had quite a reputation as a coach. Arrogant and authoritarian, he had a title to his name, but no one thought he actually won it… He was Feyenoord’s coach when Cruyff decided to avenge his departure at Ajax and JC (and Gullit, Houtman, Hoekstra and Jeliazkov) won Feyenoord the title. Libregts was a suave operator, wearing the right suits and hairdo. But he was also a bit crass, with careless slip of the tongues… Like “Gullit is lazy, that’s what you get with those blacks…”.

Gullit, Rijkaard and Van Basten were a force in these days. The Milan trio ruled. But so did one Ronald Koeman, Jan Wouters and Ajax captain John van ‘t Schip. And positivo Hans van Breukelen was a voice to be reckoned with as well. The big guns decided they didn’t want cold Libregts. They wanted to win the title and they pleaded with the KNVB to replace the unpopular Thijs by a coach they respected. Someone like JC for instance.

At some point during qualifying for the WC1990 (which we intended to win) revolted. Gullit led the players to a vote of no confidence and Libregts was told to go. But who would have to lead Oranje to the title? The players got to vote.

KNVB honcho Rinus Michels chose the side of his players and a ballot was made. All players voted and the top three was: on number 3: Aad de Mos. The former Ajax and KV Mechelen coach is a tactical wizard and a kid from the street, who spoke the players’ language. Wim Kieft and Ronald Koeman (having had some negative experiences with Cruyff who made them leave Ajax) picked De Mos. Leo Beenhakker came in at number 2, with a tad more votes than Haagse Aadsje. Leo is well liked by most. He can work on players’ confidence and seemed ideal for a short stint. Although everyone remembered how Beenhakker failed to coach Oranje to a big tournament in the mid 1980s (Mexico WC 1986, with the dreaded late header by George Grun). JC topped the list, of course. The Milan and Ajax clan in particular (Witschge, Winter, Schip, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard (despite Frank’s falling out with JC at Ajax). And JC was game. Or so it seemed.

But Rinus Michels showed his true colors. He looked at the list and thought…hmmm…Johan…Can’t have him winning the WC and putting my EC trophy in the shadows… And Rinus vetoed JC’s appointment, giving the job to Don Leo in the meantime.

Can’t remember what Rinus said to justify this, but it was along the lines of “Leo is more experienced, Johan is an inexperienced coach. He never did the course. And Johan will cause problems with the KNVB, because Johan is expensive and he wants to pick his own staff. It’s not good to pick Johan.”

Later, off the record, he even called Johan Cruyff a psychopath…

The players were livid. The one-time schmooch-fest between Gullit and Michels was over. And before the WC a true trench-guerilla war began. Michels wrote columns in the Telegraaf (Amsterdam-based newspaper) and he leaked inside stuff to the press. Gullit wrote columns in the AD, the Rotterdam based rival of Michel’s on-the-side employer. A war began, resulting in the KNVB forbidding players to write columns.

So, the scene was set. Beenhakker – the fool – accepted the job and should have known he couldn’t win. And then, as they have done many many many times before, the KNVB in all their wisdom came up with their tournament preparation scheme… How they fucked up, again! In 1994 they would highly, dramatically underestimate the weather in the US for the WC (Gullit was adamant that the summer would be too much for a normal prep and – influenced by the Milan scientists – begged for a special approach… When people told him he should stick to kicking footballs, the dreadlocked one decided to withdraw from the Dutch team… We all know the result of that group phase…).

Anyway, the KNVB decided to book a monastery type castle in the middle of nowhere in Yugoslavia…

These top players, who had tough seasons with their clubs, were looking forward to fun and chilling out. To clear the heads for this WC. Some beach volley ball, a nice town nearby for the wives and girlfriends, maybe some golf-resort…. But they got medieval circumstances… Isolation and a full on training scheme…

Something broke in that period. The players were miserable, and some players started to rebel (again), breaking out of their prison and going haywire.

The performances were abysmal in this WC. Gullit and Van Basten weren’t able to deliver. Was it fatigue? Injuries (Van Basten’s right ankle was already in shambles)? Was it the Beenhakker thing? Van ‘t Schip and Wouters were the danger men for Holland, Kieft had a good spell, Rijkaard was solid, but it wasn’t enough. At one point, Leo Beenhakker left the dressing room with what seemed to be a black eye. Rumors started how Van Basten punched him out, but Don Leo said “he’d bumped into to something”… Marco’s fist? Other stories related how Van Basten had thrown an ashtray to Leo’s head. Whatever it was, we’ll never know.

Don Leo sighed that “75% of what happened behind closed doors will never be revealed” but when asked about this much later, he claims he never said it. Players now balk at that quote, saying they can’t imagine what Leo had been smoking…

“We just didn’t have it. It didn’t gel. Gullit, Van Basten, Koeman…they all seemed tired. It’s one of those things…”

The first knock out game against Germany was a classic. Oranje could have won that, there were some good chances (Wouters, Winter, Schip) but the Germans scored twice and we only once. That sums it up. Although Rijkaard scored twice against Rudi Voller of course . But that didn’t result in us winning, it only resulted in both men being sent off.

Rinus shouldn’t have screwed the players over. And maybe the players should have gone on strike.

Maybe, they should have said: look, we’re the 3 from Milan. We won European cups, we won the EC in 1988, we have tremendously skilled players and we’re eager. We only need one thing: a coach we respect. Give us JC! If not, we won’t go.

That never happened. They went with Don Leo and stayed too long isolated from the world in some horrible camp. The spirit was broken. The mind wasn’t fresh. The legs refused to listen.

No gold and glory, only humiliation and mysterious insinuations of mythical proportions…

Tags: Ajax, Beenhakker, Cruyff, Group C, Gullit, Michels, Oranje, Schip, Van Basten, WC1990

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Comments

By Tamim | November 24th, 2008 at 12:38 am

i think u should see this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYWzEFgX4A

By alaa | November 24th, 2008 at 1:26 am

@jan:), you make me angry now for something that happened 18 years ago!

mannnnnn, my love for the orange started 2 years before that disaster when the orange won the hearts of millions and millions of fans all over the world, and then comes this 1990 disaster to shock us!!!! i hate to remember it, and i get very mad when i know the reasons were as usual these conflicts inside the knvb and inside the team itself!

By tiju | November 24th, 2008 at 2:11 am

@jan your article is too nice but i agree with alaa but wat to do.we are all in other circle none of us cannt change the scenario.
JC is great and we would have won wc 90 with out any stress under JC it was blunder mistake by KNVB
1994 blunder by ed de goey
1998 blunder by our penalty heroes and bad luck
2002 luis van gaal
2006 vanbasten and his pet dirk kuyt
2010 who?

Posted from India

By Carlos | November 24th, 2008 at 5:18 am

Tiju you left out a couple of tings 1992 – van Basten missed,1994 Cruyff was asked, almost begged even by van Basten,again he said no to KNVB.1996 -Davids&co, 2000 missed 2 penalties to draw 0-0 ?? 2004 It was Advocaat for a “change”.

1990 if I remember was a dreadful tournament and I believe Holland already printed postage stamps with “World Cup Champions 1990″.

I wonder how much the bet would have been worth to bet that Marco would NOT score any goals in that tournament. Holland were raging favourites with 5 of the top 10 rated world players in their ranks. WE only scored one goal in the first 3 games and were lucky to go thru.

Jan what a super article – I hate to remember but love to read em.

Posted from Singapore

By Jan | November 24th, 2008 at 5:31 am

That’s right Carlos, you have a good memory man! Van Basten actually never scored on a WC, which is a pathetic record for a player that good!

I do have to correct you: Cruyff was offered the job in 1994 but he demanded two things: he wanted the equivalent salary for the two months as he got from Barcelona (this was a big nono for the KNVB) and he wanted stalwart KNVB coach and scout Bert van Lingen out. JC wanted Tonny Bruins Slot on the staff instead. The KNVB couldn’t (didn’t want to) sack Van Lingen (who has been with the KNVB for centuries). JC gave the KNVB the opportunity to say “JC really doesn’t want to do it, that’s why he is demanding ridiculous things.”

As for 1994, it’s too harsh to blame Ed de Goey for the ousting. Advocaat screwed up by letting slow Wouters mark Bebeto. The ref was the biggest dick however: Brazil scored at least one goal in off side and the free kick that resulted in the 3-2 win was not a foul at all! If it was, it should have been a foul against Brazil! I want to clear Ed’s name!!!

And true: in 1992, after having beaten Germany big time, Oranje thought they were in the finals! Marco missed a spot kick vs Schmeichel.

And let’s not even go into the qualifications we screwed up (Spain – Malta 12-1; Holland – Belgium 2-1 GEORGE GRUN!!!; Holland – France, the Krol Van Breukelen disaster on the Platini free kick and Mr Louis “The Best of the World” Van Gaal’s tactical blunders versus Portugal….)

By Van Basten | November 24th, 2008 at 6:19 am

Rinus Michels should have coached the squad and stopped all this squabble. The buck stopped with him. Nice Oranje history!

By ayl | November 24th, 2008 at 8:41 am

Wow, awesome article Jan. Being only 21 I’ve actually never heard the full details surrounding the ‘90 WC. Really interesting read!

By ayl | November 24th, 2008 at 8:42 am

Well, i should say that i hadn’t heard all the details…. however, thanks to this article i now have another campaing to look back on in disgust Haha. Great article.

By goose | November 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am

Well done Jan ; one of your best! i really rather forget about 1990 ..what a waist!

off topic; btw Jan; i tried to get the KNVB put a banner of this blog on its website but they dont want to do it! the basterds ; some guy wrote me that there is a new website coming (onsoranje.nl) and that the plan is that there will be an english version aswell, he couldnt give me any time scedules on that !! where did we hear that before??

@Tiju; you forget;

EC08 ; vBastens blunder to not sent Boula home after the death of his unborn child

Posted from Netherlands

By Andrew | November 24th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

Jan, Great read. (really enjoyed the Rutges read as well.) Please keep them coming. Everything you say about the 1994 quarter is right on the mark. Though, I hope people don’t forget what a great fight back Oranje made in that game. Down 2-0 early in the second half (with the abominable non-call on the first goal, they came at Brazil relentlessly, goals from Bergkamp and Winter. Had Brazil reeling, and then (Branca’s?) free kick. I thought he 1994 team was interesting. Tough start to qualifying (A big year for Norway, Finn), had to come from two goals down to England at Wembley to get a draw, then beat England at home. (Saw the British broadcast; Koeman hit the free kick, and the Brit announcer, quietly said. “Thats genius.”) Then they lost Gullit in training, and played with a team that was little on the older side (Koeman, Wouters), and a little inexperienced, the De Boers, Overmars, even Bergkamp, were just getting their int’l careers started. Made it to the quarters, played Brazil in the best match of that WC. Can’t really complain too much about that team.

Posted from United States

By Felipe | November 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm

An absolutely wonderful piece, Jan.

From what I understood, my impression is that the “who’ll be our coach at Italy?” affair was the origin of all the problems. Am I talking BS?

And let’s not forget Van Breukelen did some bloopers at Italy (remember Ireland goal at the 1-1 match?).

About 1994, I do think Oranje could do better. Gullit vs Advocaat apart, though the 80s generation was reaching its end, the generation whose main guys had started at Ajax (Dennis, Frank and Ronald, Overmars) was already taking the reign. And they were the saviours sometimes. (Remember against Morocco – not against Saudis, when Jonk and Taument did the late work, or Ireland. Against the Irishes… God save Packie Bonner!)

But Oranje faced Brazil. Guys, what an incredible match! First of all, don’t worry you: there are many people here, including me, who know and talk about Romario’s offside on the 2nd Brazilian goal and that Branco fouled first before the 3rd (he hold Overmars’ neck!). And everyone here feared, even after the 3-2, that Oranje could draw again, and even win. But it didn’t got to be. But Holland lacked very few things.

By Jan | November 24th, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Great comments, it seems these images are lasered into our memories eh? Wonderful stuff. I did like that 94 team… The whole nation vomited when the team got back and Advocaat beamed: “well, we did good. We are among the best 16 nations of the world” or something like that… With a mindset like that, you can’t win the title, can you?

I personally hold Michels responsible for the debacle. He first backed the players in sacking Libregts and then he didn’t have the balls to appoint Cruyff. Shakespearean stuff, really…

By Andrew | November 24th, 2008 at 9:40 pm

Felipe, I really get a kick out of your passion. It is nice to hear how much Brazil respects Oranje. I do think the ‘94 team was lacking a bit—a little slow in defense (Koeman and Valcx were the heart, and the story during the entire cup was that Rijkaard was carrying an injury), and Bergkamp could have used a Gullit as a partner up front; on the other hand, the way they came at Brazil after being 2-0 down was impressive, so what do I know? But speaking of Brazil-Netherlands, I heard a story that after the 1998 penalties match in Marseille, a set of fans from both sides converged on the train station to wait for the late trains. The Brazilian fans, noting how down the Dutch fans were began to buy them drinks. The Dutch fans began returning the favor,, and it all led to a huge all night party around the station…don’t know if its a mythical story or not, but I like to think it is true…

Posted from United States

By tiju | November 24th, 2008 at 10:50 pm

@carlos buddy
i delibrately forgot all EC(most of the EC tourys missed by inches disatance by lips).plz dont make me cry

Posted from India

By Carlos | November 24th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

Andrew the Dutch fans are truly party goers too, in fact I believe they are in line to get a Fifa (or UEFA) award for fair play (to KNVB …derrrrr). I have seen Oranje Fans and Irish fans sitting side by side and in pubs together same withe Scots. I wouldn’t be surprised if your story is true. Hooligans (even the English) are a small minority that always get the headlines. Remember no one wants to hear “Boyscout helps little old lady cross the Street” EVERYONE will read “Boyscout pushes little old lady in front of Bus crossing the street”

Posted from Singapore

By Carlos | November 24th, 2008 at 11:09 pm

Jan, you must have some stories about 1994
1. Gullits withdrawal
2. Cruyff’s dilemma

I saw a TV chat between JC and van Basten where van Basten basically said to JC. “Hey if you really want us to win you know you can just walk in and do it money should not be the issue.” Cruyff said it wasn’t as simple as that and he went on with the KNVB problems.Then he finished off with these words to Marco who had been arguing that the problem seems to be money and it shouldn’t be. “So Marco you haven’t played for 16 months and dont look like playing again. Are you still taking your 3million guilders per year from Milan ? – End of debate !

Posted from Singapore

By Andrew | November 25th, 2008 at 12:45 am

Carlos, well, like I said, I hope the story is true. Itold it to a friend of mine, and she said, you should write a screenplay, that is movie stuff. But from how you’ve described your football viewings, doesn’t sound like you take a backseat to anyone with regards to your hospitality.;) Jan; I’m with Carlos, always wondered about why Gullitt withdrew—what was the story?

Posted from United States

By goose | November 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am

@Andrew/Carlos ; im pretty sure Jan wrote that down somewhere ; Gullit knew that playing in the US was a problem cause of the high temperature .. he thought Advocaat didnt take that problem serious … Gullit knew we had no change if we didnt prepare well and so he left the team he got some serious slack for that in Holland btw ; i remember Ajax playing Milan and Gullit had a rough time

Posted from Netherlands

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