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Graeme Rutjes: we had to win the WC1990!

November 22nd, 2008 | By: Jan | 19 Comments »

Graeme Rutjes (48) played 13 matches for Oranje. The former Excelsior, KV Mechelen and Anderlecht defender is now the general manager of a golf resort in Zeeland. Rutjes tells us about his past, present and future.

“I have no idea how many internationals I played. It could be ten or fifteen… I never counted them. I do know that I have been part of the selection some 25 odd times or so. Belgium football did well and right after the EC win in 1988 I joined the group.”

“The pressure was on. We had a great selection and had just won the EC1988, so everyone expected us to win the 1990 WC. That was a disaster. Everyone was looking at one another. No one took the lead. I was also part of the EC1992 group, but I can’t tell you what was my personal peak moment or something. I mean, being part of it all for some time was a peak in itself.”

“I did score one against Wales, but in all honesty…I couldn’t miss that ball. I just walked into it, you know. The ball came and bam…goal. The game against Russia, my debut, was more special for me. The atmosphere in Eindhoven was tremendous. I think the real Oranje vibe started in that period. I enjoyed that immensely.”

“I quit in 1996, I was 36 years old. Anderlecht was my last club. I played there since 1990 and I actually should have retired one year earlier.”

“I did do some marketing work for Anderlecht later on, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I took the job of general manager of this golf resort and after a while I decided to buy it.”

“I don’t miss the football world. I could have tried for a management or coach job, there were some offers and I have all diploma’s and all. I enjoyed what I did as a player and that’s that. I wasn’t that good or important… Inside, I’m proud and satisfied, but I won’t use it in my current life. I do watch a lot of football, as a fan.”

“I think Oranje at the last EC was one of the best ever. Sar on goal, a great midfield and offensive line up, but to be honest, I don’t think we’ll do much at the WC. I mean, we’re a nation of “almost”, you know? We miss the real winners. Sar was one, but he retired. Other than him and Van Nistelrooy, it is poor on that level. Great players, yes, but no real winners. Keane, Gattuso, Davids, Neeskens, Van Hanegem, Effenberg, Puyol… It’s also the age, I guess. Most players with the top skills are still a tad young… Maybe 2010, maybe… But I don’t think so.”

“We also miss the Frank de Boer or Ronald Koeman type. Up front, we have players enoough, but the team isn’t consistent. I do think Bert van Marwijk is a good manager and I have confidence in him, but Michels showed how he could gel a great team from great players. Can Van Marwijk do that too?”

“I like Sneijder. He is like that little Asterix fella. Small, but tough as nails and overflowing with class. He can show his skill at Madrid, but he’s not the leader there. They have Guti, Ruud, Raul, Casillas, Cannavaro… Will Sneijder be the boss in Oranje? I don’t know… Will everyone accept him as such? You need a firm hierarchy. In my days, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard. Bang. That was it. Accept it and shut up. And the rest played in their service. Even Vanenburg, Schippie and Koeman. I fear there’s too many ego’s in this Oranje. I see Oranje survive the group and than those frickin’ Germans will kick us out again…”

Tags: Guti, Michels, Rutjes. Sneijder. Gullit, Van Marwijk, World Cup 2010

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Comments

By Bart | November 22nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm

stupid Germans They always ruin it for us.

Posted from Canada

By goose | November 22nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Rutjes was the only national team player i know who had his uni degree in business while still a player..a very intelligent and calm defender, didnt see him play much since he spent so much time playing in Belgium

@bart; good way to get back at these germans, when you meet one say : ” excuse me, i think you lost something!”, the german will answer; “what did i lose?” and you say; “2 world wars!” hahaha

Posted from Netherlands

By Michel-Olivier | November 22nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm

steve van der klarijn did it again
twente 6-0 heerenveen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMXfXs1O2Ts

Posted from United States

By Felipe | November 22nd, 2008 at 7:12 pm

“Brilliant Orange” has some good stories about 1990. For example, when Don Leo Beenhakker met Beckenbauer just before the tragic night on San Siro and the Kaiser told him “mark my words: the winner here will also be the WC champion”. After the game, Franz said “now we’ll be the champions. If you had won, you’d be”

Then I ask myself: WHY??? WTH happened on that damned summer on Italy which kept the twenty-two players from the magical atmosphere from two years earlier??? Oranje got Van Breukelen, Ruud, Marco, Frank, Ronald and Erwin, Vaantje, almost the same team… and the inside problems rode again.
Sad…

P.S. about Eredivisie: Football is an incredible sport. Really. I mean who would say that, after doing what he did, Danko Lazovic would be among the lineup and would be one of the MoM on PSV 4-0 triumph?!

And poor De Graafschap!

By Jan | November 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 am

I wrote a good piece – if I may say so – on the 1990 problems some years back. Are there punters out there that are still interested to read about that WC? The theories of where it all went wrong? I’m happy to repost the article for those who missed it…

By goose | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 am

@Jan; please repost; cant get enough of our greatest failure in dutch sports history!! haha

lets just blame the KNVB! (luckely that ^%$% Kessel is soon gone)

Posted from Netherlands

By Brian | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 am

Wasn’t Rutjes born in Australia? (And hence the name Graeme!)

Posted from United Kingdom

By goose | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:32 am

@Brian; true!

Posted from Netherlands

By Felipe | November 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 am

One more PS about Eredivisie (don’t worry, Jan, I’ll use the right blog later): Goose, be prepared. After what happened on De Kuip, Jan will provoke you night and day. He’ll be your worst nightmare. At least, for the next days. And Timmer even tried to help Den Haag!

And Ajax?! These big teams… we can’t trust in them anymore…

By Andrew | November 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 am

Jan, Please repost re: 1990. In addition to the coaching “issue”; i.e. the selection between Cruyff and Beehaaker, and the internal issues, weren’t there injury issues? Gullit was just coming back? And as I recall, that was the same era that MVB and Gullit kept picking up injuries, and Milan and the Dutch nat’l team(—didn’t Gullitt have to come into a qualifier against, I want to say a Scandinavian team and save them late, when it was questionable that he should have played) kept bringing them back maybe a little too soon? I do remember that when the Germans played the Dutch in San Siro that Oranje had seemed to throw off their drab group performances, and, for at least the first part of the game had the Germans on their back foot…lack of speed in defense was the proverbial fatal flaw; especially once Rijkaard went off. 10 men each, more room to run, the speed of Brehme and Klinsi…

Posted from United States

By goose | November 23rd, 2008 at 1:34 pm

dont know what you are talking bout Felipe! haha

ah; (sp)Italia 1990.. those sweet childhood memories

here a very funny vid on WC90 Holland -Germany starts at 3.42

Posted from Netherlands

By goose | November 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 pm

and heres the link!

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=2xnQIb9b3IQ

Posted from Netherlands

By Michel-Olivier | November 23rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm

“The Dutch are extremely arrogant and they have no manners”

Posted from United States

By Carlos | November 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm

Watched the PSV game – Affelay will soon be picked up by someone from EPL or Spain. What a different team from the one last week ?? Thye changed from lone striker to 4-3-3. hmmmmm??

Posted from Singapore

By Jan | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:24 pm

Goose, the YouTube King!

By Jan | November 23rd, 2008 at 6:29 pm

Spitalia 90. Olympic spitting. What a wonderful way with words the English have. Great link Gooseman.

By alaa | November 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm

hey guys, it’s been more than a month for me since i posted anything here. it is my last year of pharmacy school and i am super busy studying, but i still read your articles jan every time i get some break from studying. after i graduate, i wanna spend hours and hours watching my lovely orange.

that 1990 wc was supposed to be ours but how frustrating and bad the orange performance was!!!!!! it looked like a completely different team from what we saw in 1988. (the typical orange conflicts in the team).

man i cant wait till we get close to the wc and and the heat rises again in the blog, and we start disussing who should be in the team and stuff like that:).

By Jan | November 24th, 2008 at 5:33 am

Hi Alaa, good to have you back. Graduating on drugs, eh? Real Dutch spirit

By alaa | November 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

hey jan:), exactly, real dutch spirit:)

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