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Where are they now? Oranje 1983

January 19th, 2008 | By: Jan | 18 Comments »

After the abysmal 1980 EC and the horrible missing out on one of the best WC’s ever (1982 Spain: who can’t remember the Brazilian team, with Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder…or Yugoslavia’s Safet Susic…or Scotland….or that chap Paolo Rossi??) it was time the Dutch changed their course. With old-hack Kees Rijvers as team manager and a number of young talents breaking through at their Dutch clubs, Holland tried to qualify for the France EC of 1984…

To refresh your memories…we didn’t make that EC either…

Erwin Koeman looks back:

“Holland wasn’t doing to good economically and the nation needed success on the football pitch. We were doing allright. The Ireland away match was one of those football-miracles. We were down 2-0 at halftime and Rijvers made three changes: Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit came on and they turned the match around in the second half, we won 2-3. Now we needed to beat Spain at home. I was surprised I was part of the squad, and so were many fans. I made my transfer to PSV from FC Groningen, but while my younger bro Ronald was doing well at Ajax, I returned to FC Groningen after one season. I didn’t play my best football in those days, but Rijvers had faith in me.”

Rijvers also had his faith in some other youngsters. Like FC Groningen winger Bud Brocken, Ajax talent Gerald Vanenburg and Feyenoord up-and-comer Ruud Gullit. Erwin Koeman wasn’t even full professional in those days. “Most players were, in those days. But I still delivered frozen snacks to restaurants in the morning. I started at 7 am and worked till 1 pm. I loved the job. Then I started training at 4 pm.”

In those days, Rijvers also used some old hands like Willy van der Kerkhoff (the vacuum cleaner was his nickname), Ben “Mr Feyenoord” Wijnstekers and goalie Piet Schrijvers. “Ruud Gullit was only 21 years old, but such a personality. That charisma, we were 1-0 up when he just walked onto the pitch.”

Feyenoord striker Peter Houtman scored the 1-0 against Spain, but Spanish legend Santillana equalized before half time. Ruud Gullit scored the 2-1 winner with a distance strike. “The Kuip exploded! What a football temple that is… Magnificent.”

Oranje played with Piet Schrijvers on goal, Ronald Koeman and Edo Ophof as central defenders, Ben Wijnstekers as left-back and Peter Boeve as right back. Vanenburg and Erwin Koeman played on the flanks on midfield with Willy van der Kerkhof as holding midfielder. Bud Brocken was left winger, Ruud Gullit played on the right and Peter Houtman played central striker.

Nobody in Holland hesitated anymore… Oranje was qualified. Both nations had to battle Malta, but Oranje’s goal-scoring balance was much much better than Spain’s,so… Oranje won 5-0 against Malta, with two goals from a young Frank Rijkaard. This meant, Spain had to win with eleven (!) goals difference against Malta.

“We all know the story. Spain missed their first chance, a penalty. Malta even scored in the first half. It was 3-1 at half time, I believe. But in the second half, stuff dreams - or nightmares - are made off happened. It was horrible. In particular for the oldies, like Wijnstekers, Schoenaker and Schrijvers… We sort of came good four years later.”

Piet Schrijvers is currently 67 years old and is keepers-trainer at AS Trentin.

Willy van der Kerkhof (56) owns and runs several businesses in the field of fine wine, relationship-marketing and a golf course.

Peter Houtman (50) is stadium speaker for Feyenoord and sports-journalist for Feyenoord TV.

Gerald Vanenburg (43) was Helmond Sport manager last year and would like to get back into a manager’s job.

Ruud Gullit (45) is manager of LA Galaxy.

Erwin Koeman (46) quit as Feyenoord manager last season and took a year of. He is currently taskforce member of FIFA.

Bud Brocken (50) is partner in a real estate agency in Tilburg.

Peter Boeve (50) is manager at First Division club FC Omniworld.

Edo Ophof (48) is the owner and CEO of a iron-factory.

Ben Wijnstekers (52) is Mr Feyenoord and hosts VIPs for the Rotterdam based club and organizes football-camps and -clinics.

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Comments

By tiju | January 19th, 2008 at 5:14 am

Nice posting jan allways we should follow these kind of things.its interesting.
ok come back to our mission(MISSION EURO 08)
can we?
Bakkal and afaleey played beatifully for PSV anginst FAY rotter .even though i was not happy with psv’s performance against FAYROTTER
wat is this san mark is doing is he is blind?
1983 and 1984 qualification is showing that we can do better with youngsters with some experienced guys like RVN,davids,vandersar,ooiger than the already experimented useless regulars like jaiens,kuyt and so on

By ferenc | January 19th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

nice post,Jan. i remember quite well these games. the early eighties were a bad period for dutch football. at all levels.

Posted from Hungary

By Jan | January 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm

True, although I do feel we did have the players. AZ was doing so well… Players like Pier Tol, Hugo Hovenkamp, Kees Kist, Jan Peters… We had Frans Thijsen and Arnold Muhren in England. Wijnstekers, Houtman, Schoenaker… Some great players at PSV… We should have done so badly. I vividly remember the games against France (was it for the 1982 WC or the 1986 WC??) with Krol “forgetting” to take the post when Platini had a free-kick (and scored).

Or Wim Kieft grabbing a red card in the first minutes against Belgium… Jeez…

Posted from Australia

By FlyingDutch | January 20th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

I’m watching Madrid derby. Ruud scored a very beautiful goal. Real 2-0 Aletico half time.

Posted from United States

By dirk v.d berg | January 20th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Does anyone remember Quincy Owusu-Abeye (sorry if it’s spelled wrong), well he played all 90 minutes for Ghana in today’s Cup of Nations game.

Posted from Canada

By Miguel Rosado | January 20th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

I didn’t know Quincy was from Ghana, it’s a shame he didn’t choose to play for Orange.

By Mario Rosado (Dutch admirer) | January 20th, 2008 at 5:05 pm

Well, they were good players but that period was awful for Dutch football!

By Jan | January 20th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

I think Quincy could’ve played for Oranje if he had been more manageable. The man has sooo much skills, but they sent him away at Ajax and Foppe - who has patience as middle name - was fed up with him too. That says something.

Alax drew, AZ was butchered by Heerenveen, Feyenoord lost to Excelsior…

It’s about time the Dutch professionals understood that skills and talent alone won’t do the job. It’s not strange that those with the right skills and the right mentality do / did well in the big competitions. Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mark van Bommel, Edgar Davids… It took van Persie some time to get his priorities right and so on…

Who wants to win the title this year??? Please let it not be boring PSV

Posted from Australia

By Rami | January 20th, 2008 at 8:43 pm

Van Nistelrooy scored an amazing goal against athletico madrid.. Real won 2-0.. Sneijder played decent.

Posted from Canada

By Caleb | January 21st, 2008 at 9:19 am

I remember Quincy too. A few years back he was an Arsenal (youth) player and was supposed to be one of the rising stars of “dutch” football. I think he did well in a under 21 tournament for Holland too didn’t he? Anyways he let it all go to his head and like Jan said, if Foppe sends him away (and Wenger as well I might add), that’s really saying something. He could have played for the Netherlands, but I think he chose Ghana because he probably knew that he wouldn’t get chosen for the Netherlands because of his attitude.

Posted from Japan

By goose | January 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm

Nice post Jan, esp. since i know very little of this period in dutch football (i lived abroad and was very young), theres even a name there i have never heard before; Brocken…

still think the 12-1 that Spain won that night was a fraud game..same as with the WC78 game Argentina v Peru….terrible when that happens

Quincy was no good, only has speed…if he had only 1% of his speed as a football brain he would be a decent player…im glad we Oranje dont have anything to do with this guy…what a joker (btw; watching IvoryCoast v Negeria; what a crap game!!, hate this african football, it bores me)

anybody got the vanNistelrooy goal?? tube has deleted them all !!

the competion is really getting weird… looks like nobody wants this years title!! Az has some real problems and the worst part of it all (for us) is that the weak spot at the moment is deZeeuw!! he really played obnoxiously bad and was subsituted… bad news

@tjiu; well Babal didnt play that well (yes he scored) and i dont even know if Affelay wants to play for Holland (has he already played in oranje??)
but sure; vanBasten is useless, he wont pick the best team…

btw; Koeman lost again!! hahaha.. looks like he thinks Maduro can save his ass!! still want him to come to Barca ferenc??

grtz

Posted from Netherlands

By Miguel Rosado | January 21st, 2008 at 3:50 pm

@goose: yes, afellay has already played for Orange.

I’ve been watching Babel’s development with Liverpool and I think he’s getting better and better. Benitez has already noticed and he’s playing Babel with more frecuency. He’ll learn a lot in this team and I am very sure he will be a very important player for Orange in the near future.

By goose | January 21st, 2008 at 4:12 pm

@Miquel; agree that Babel is a great talent and he really has developt at Liverpool … the problem with Babel is that he is a difficult player when it comes to his position ..hes not really a winger, not really a striker and not really a shadow striker… he starts on the left but ALWAYS cuts inside to the centre and therefor crowding the striker position while leaving open the whole of the flank .. would you use him as a left wing in the attack with vPersie and vNistelrooy??

Posted from Netherlands

By Lerkot | January 21st, 2008 at 4:21 pm

Yeah I agree Goose… African football sucks, overrated as hell, just like French and Portugese leagues…

By goose | January 21st, 2008 at 4:42 pm

yeh; not a lot of ‘thinking’going on.. strange how so much energy can still be boring to watch

Posted from Netherlands

By Jan | January 21st, 2008 at 10:32 pm

Hi goose, where did you spent your childhood?

Bud Brocken was an Arjen Robben like winger, without the speed :-).

He had a great cross and we were poor on good wingers back then. He came through Willem II and was a tremendous talent when he was young.

Someone, can’t remember who, recently said Ryan Babel could be the next Thierry Henry. Was it Benitez or Arsene Wenger??

Posted from Australia

By goose | January 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 am

@Jan; first in Oman(Arabia) and later in Germany (Bergen - Niedersachsen)…

So Bud did a lot of diving and whining??? hahaha …

Babel will never be a striker like Henry, like i wrote before; the trouble with Babel is that hes neither a real winger nor a real striker but something in between …

Posted from Netherlands

By tales of south carolina » Blog Archive » Where are they now? Oranje 1983 | March 6th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

[...] slackbastard added an interesting post today (Where are they now? Oranje 1983).Here’s a little bit of it:Ben Wijnstekers (52) is Mr Feyenoord and hosts VIPs for the Rotterdam based club and organizes football-camps and -clinics. [...]

Posted from United States

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