Eric Viscaal (40) played five times for Oranje. The striker was developed at PSV, where he had to compete with Wim Kieft, Romario and Hans Gillhaus. He played for De Graafschap and a long stint in Belgium at Mechelen and AA Gent. Today, he’s youth coach at Germinal Beerschot in Antwerp. He talks about past, [...]

He started as a winger, in the Ajax youth, but when he came close to the Ajax 1 team, it became clear that he wasn’t good enough. Louis van Gaal told him, frankly. And also told him to go to another club on loan, to train to become a defender… Many players would scoff at [...]

Van Gaal happy… The funny bloke behind him is uber-billionaire Dirk Scheringa
Willem van Hanegem (former AZ player and coach) in the AD:
“This championship of AZ is mainly a championship of patience. I personally feel they deserve it. There’s only one team in the Eredivisie which can claim the title and since the third match day, [...]

We discuss the big names of Dutch football here regularly, but we’ve seen many bit-players wearing the orange jersey. Some only once… In our series, this time it’s former Roda JC and Feyenoord winger Rene Hofman.
It’s December 19, 1982. Oranje plays and EC qualification game against Malta. It’s an away game. But Malta would like [...]

The infamous moment in Portugal, four years ago.
You’re only as good as your last game, record, movie, book, joke…whatever. It applies to all trades. Teachers, stock-brokers, investors, wine-experts and football federations.
When Louis van Gaal, The Louis van Gaal (the best of the world one, the golden boy from Ajax and Barca) failed to qualify for [...]

Goose & Finnster having a laugh…
I wanted to post this many moons ago, already… But I didn’t… Didn’t want to rub it in too much (others are lurking here, you know). And I didn’t want to blow my own trumpet too much…
But…
Fair is Fair…
The Netherlands Blog rules for months already.
I get sent the statistics of [...]

Rensenbrink hits the post in the dying seconds…
It’s easy in our memories to jump from the WC1974 (Rinus Michels, Total football, Johan Cruyff, Clockwork Orange, etc) to jump to the WC1978 (Ernst Happel, Arie Haan, Rob Rensenbrink) but we shouldn’t forget the EC1976 in between. Holland would go and snatch the Cup and get even [...]

Willem van Hanegem and Ove Kindvall vs Celtic in 1970s European Cup final.
Feyenoord celebrates it’s 100rd birthday this year. The AD newspaper publishes regularly on the club and this wonderful blog steals the best articles . This time: Willem van Hanegem, the man who could do it all…
Nowadays, we know De Kromme as the [...]

Johan and Ome Cor…
He never hit a ball. Didn’t wear a football shirt. But still, he was one of Holland’s most influential people in football. Cor Coster died recently. Ome Cor (Uncle Cor) as he was called by most.
Holland’s most famous father-in-law and the first players’ manager.
Recently, Cor Coster drove his Mini Cooper through Amsterdam, [...]

A new series (we also have Wondergoals and Dutch Masters): players who only played one international. This time: AZ icon Berry van Galen. Formerly of Haarlem, Roda JC, NAC Breda and AZ.

Oranje at 17 Bovember 2004. Arjen Robben, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Edwin van der Sar, Philip Cocu, Dirk Kuijt and André Ooijer, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, [...]