Where are they now: John van den Brom

November 23rd, 2009 | by: Jan | Comments(1)

John van den Brom (42 years old) only played twice for Oranje. The current AGOVV Apeldoorn coach did score and got a penalty for Holland. The ex-Vitesse and Ajax libero/midfielder tells us about his past, present and future.

Past

“Bert Jacobs was my coach at Vitesse. We were out in Arnhem, in some pub and he walked in: “I just spoke to Rinus Michels. You’re selected for Oranje. Get the hell out of here and go home!”. He came to look for me, eleven p.m in the city, haha… It was 1990, the time before mobile phones. The second time I was selected, the group was announced in Studio Sport on telly. I remember sitting in front of the tv, totally nervous. I think I regularly just missed being selected. I was always part of the pre-selection, and sometimes part of the last sixteen, but I didn’t get to play much. Making your debut is a dream. My debut jersey was a white one, away against Malta. I replaced Gullit. That was the game in which Marco van Basten scored five goals, one was a bycicle kick. I got fouled in the box and was rewarded a penalty. Marco took that one, obviously. We won 8-0. I remember enjoying myself immensely. Tactically, it didn’t really mattered what we did, it was like a training session.”

“Being an ex-international is quite something. Like being knighted. My best buddy Peter van Vossen always says that we played 33 international games amongst ourselves. I played 2 and he played 31, hahaha…. But I’m still proud on my two games. My second was against San Marino and I started. We played in a full house, my whole family was there and I scored in the third minute. John de Wolf took a free kick and hit the bar, I scored the rebound with my head. That was my last game for Oranje, despite that goal. I may have stayed with Vitesse too long, I don’t know. But I must say we did have quite some players back then. And some coaches didn’t know where to play me… In the youth, I was the shadow striker and playmaker, scoring a lot. Later on, coaches put me on the libero spot, but the competition was fierce with Danny Blind, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard and Frank de Boer… Some say I was too slow for the real top, but no one ever told Willem van Hanegem that, haha….”

PRESENT

“I quit pro football six years back, but in 1992 I realized I wanted to be a coach. I’ve always been a leader. I always handled communication, I saw the game well and I think I was a good coach on the pitch too. In 2007, I reached my license and work for AGOVV now. Coaching is harder than playing. It’s running training sessions, preparing games, doing the talks… When you work for a smaller club, you’re working 20 hours a day. But it’s a good life. I have the same ambition as I had as a player: to reach the top. I want to learn in the Jupiler League and hopefully work my way up. I want to keep on working with Peter van Vossen. We decided to work as a team. He’s the ideal assistant to me. I never have to worry about that aspect, I trust him totally. He may get the jitters and want to become a head coach himself, who knows, but for now he doesn’t have the diplomas.”

FUTURE

“I see all Oranje’s games live. I’ve been to the major tournaments and I will also go to South Africa. I’m an Oranje freak. I mainly watch the creative lads, like Robben, Sneijder and Van Persie. Driven players with a unique individual action in their legs. They can create something from nothing. I can enjoy them as a fan, although I always watch as a coach, even when I’m watching my little nephew play. What needs to change, where are possibilities, stuff like that.”

“Our current Oranje oozes quality. The only thing for Van Marwijk is to manage the ego’s. It won’t be the first time Oranje shoots itself in the foot because of fringe issues. But with De Boer and Cocu there, I don’t think that will happen this time around. They know exactly what you need to do and not do in order to perform. If this becomes one team, I think they can get far. I hope, no…I think we’ll end up in the last four with this lot.”