Wim Jansen back in the trenches

Mr Feyenoord in Oranje…

Silent Wim Jansen, or Wimpie, was part of that famous Feyenoord midfield (Van Hanegem – Hasil – Jansen) as he was part of the Oranje 1974 squad (Van Hanegem the creative playmaker with teeth, Johan Neeskens the bull – penetrating, tackling, pressing and smart Wim Jansen, closing the gaps and passing away)…

He was never a big icon, although he did make it to Mr Feyenoord. He rarely spoke off the pitch. He came across as shy and humble. He let his feet do the talking. Two major assets of Wim Jansen: his ability to keep on going for 90 minutes or more and his enormous vision (the latter helped with the first).

If I have to compare him – it’s hard I know – I’d say he fits in the Osvaldo Ardiles, Alain Giresse, Paul Scholes, Xavi category. Not too tall, low weight-point (is that English), great passing, smart positioning… He would hardly ever be the man of the match but he also would hardly ever play poor.

Jansen would play for Feyenoord from 1965 till 1980afterwhich his friend Johan Cruyff lured him to play for the Washington Diplomats. When JC returned to Ajax, he needed a senior player at the back after Ruud Krol leved. He suggested signing Wim Jansen, who would play two season for Feyenoord’s arch-rival. The Feyenoord fans were distraught seeing Mr Feyenoord play in the Ajax-jersey and when Ajax played at the Rotterdam Kuip in winter-time, some idiot “fan” chucked an ice-ball on Jansen’s face when he left the dressingroom. The iceball hit him straight above the eye and Jansen had to forfeit the game.

He’d play two season for Ajax, winning the title in his second season. He went back to the US for another year with the Washington Diplomats before he retired. When back in Holland, he started a successful share-investment career and coached youth teams at Feyenoord. After having assisted at Feyenoord 1 he became the head coach in Rotterdam, winning two national cups in a row. He moved on as technical director and after manager Hans Dorjee got heart-problems Wim Jansen’s old Feyenoord friend Van Hanegem – they were practically neighbours in my old hometown H.I. Ambacht – became Feyenoord’s coach. Van Hanegem won the title in 1993 (Kiprich, De Wolf, Taument, Bosz, Scholten, Heus, De Goey) but the relationship between Wimpie and Willem deteriorated and Jansen left the club. He would assist Leo Beenhakker first, in Saudi Arabia, before becoming head coach for Japanese side Hiroshima. He’d then move on as manager of Celtic Glasgow, where he won the title after a ten year drought in his first season. Two hours after the victory he resigned due to a rift with general manager Jock Brown. His biggest feat for Celtic, apart from winning the competition, was the signing of Feyenoord striker Henke Larsson.

Jansen was lured back to Feyenoord some years ago, after the Mark Wotte / Ruud Gullit debacle. The fans wanted him as technical director but Jansen preferred a consultancy-job in the shade. He advised his friend Peter Bosz – technical manager – and assisted in the re-structuring of the youth system.

When Gert Jan Verbeek was signed from Heerenveen as the new Feyenoord manager and asked for coaching-expert Leon Vlemmings as his assistant (Vlemmings was signed from NAC Breda for 300.000 euros!!), Bosz suggested Jansen would take the second assistant role. “In order to keep the Feyenoord vibe alive.” Jansen said yes, and as off this season, Wim Jansen is officially back in De Kuip.

A smart move for Verbeek, since Jansen knows the club inside out and is definitely no slouch in the coaching area. But it could also prove to be a pitfall. Jansen is best mates with Verbeek’s boss Peter Bosz and therefore, stuff could get political within Feyenoord. Verbeek doesn’t seem to mind, as this photo will testify…

Gert Jan Verbeek and Wim Jansen: “Wim, look at Peter Bosz haircut, hahahahaaaa…”