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Memories of 1974….
Comments(70)
(Posted here before…sometime in 2008…part of the “Best of Netherlands World Cup Blog” 
)
Nees was always polite when people accidentally bumped into him…
Here we go for 1974 then… I do surrender my age with this one .
But, most of us will remember prolific scoring Johnny Rep, snake-man Rensenbrink, Neeskens and the blood on his shirt against the Butchers from Brazil (sorry Felipe ), the awesome Cruyff goals, the swimming pool incident and the finals against West Germany. We lost. In case you forgot.
But not a lot of people remember the run up to the WC. In fact, Holland shouldn’t have qualified. Belgium was in our qualifications group and they needed a win against Oranje to oust us. And the match ended 0-0. Holland qualified. But…Belgium scored a goal and that goal was disallowed. Although no one knew why. The ref ruled off side, but the replays showed he was wrong… Close call, that one…
JC enjoyed the classical music playing loud in the stadiums…
In the prep for the WC, Frantisec Fardronc (?) was Oranje’s manager with Jan Zwartkruis as his assistant. In those days, Oranje wasn’t the hot. We never achieved anything before 1974 but with Feyenoord and Ajax ruling Europe and the world (Feyenoord won the European Cup and the World Cup in 1970, Ajax repeated that European feat thrice (71, 72, 73) so the players figured we might have a bit of a chance on that WC.
Looking back, the likes of Van Hanegem and Krol admitted never to have thought we would be contenders for the title. The KNVB feared Fardronc wouldn’t able to lead the team to success and they quickly signed Barca coach Rinus Michels as a supervisor (that was the term). He quickly realized Oranje was in trouble defensively. Killers Rinus Israel and Theo “The Tank” Laseroms were both injured, and so was Ajax defender Hulshoff. Michels tried out different things in the warm ups but wasn’t happy with the results.
Note: Israel and Laseroms were credited with the innovative “drifting” of center striker Johan Cruyff. The two Feyenoord defenders were tough as nails and mean as alley cats. Whenever JC played Feyenoord (with Ajax and later Barca) he didn’t have the guts to play upfront and stayed away from the two fearless defenders, leaving space for others (Nees, Rep) to move in to the center striker position. That worked so well, that JC promoted this tactics to standard MO.
In those days, Ajax and Feyenoord ruled Oranje. PSV cracks Jan van Beveren (Holland’s best goalie ever (debatable, I know)) and playmaker Willy van der Kuylen for instance, had trouble getting into the hierarchy at Oranje and pulled out. Feyenoord midfielders Van Hanegem and Jansen – both very smart players – recognized JC’s sublime genius and were happy to play second fiddle to Jopie.
She was there in 1974. And she hasn’t changed a bit… Good girl…
With the PSV contingent out, Michels still had his defensive issues to take care of. After several experiments, apparently Cruyff whispered in Michels’ ear: try Arie Haan as central defender. Haan, a young Ajax midfielder, was a great passer and more importantly, had wonderful lungs. He was teamed up with young and ruthless Feyenoord defender Rijsbergen. Cruyff wasn’t stupid. By attempting to dominate the game, he knew that using Haan as center back would result in an extra midfielder when in possession, allowing Neeskens to make his penetration runs into the box. With Suurbier on the overlap on the right, Rep could afford to leave the right wing to come to the center up front and thus Rep became the goal scorer, with Cruyff in a free role….anywhere on the pitch.
But, the space between defense and the goalie would be huge and any deep ball over our defense would prove to be dangerous. No problems. Michels selected burgeoning FC Amsterdam goalie Jan Jongbloed. Jongbloed was a spectacular goalie with great reflexes but more importantly, Jan was fast and was a good passer. In this way, Michels added an extra sweeper to the team, Jongbloed would rule the space behind Haan.
All this was not so much strategy, it was born out of necessity and by coincidence.
The rest is history. Arie Haan would develop to become The Dutch Player with most Prizes ™ until one Seedorf started to collect cups. Wim Rijsbergen moved from Feyenoord to New York Cosmos where he’d play with Garrincha, Pele and Beckenbauer. Rob Rensenbrink was one of Holland’s first players to football himself to financial independence and John Rep became a rock star. Sort of.
Clockwork Orange was born. JC would grow into the Best Player Ever (most Brazilians or Argentinians don’t think so, by the way) and Rinus Michels felt it necessary to call his pupil Cruyff an amateur coach and psychopath in later days. But that’s another story…
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 70 comments.
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the octopus is fun, no one thinks he actually predicts anything! cmon jan lighten up
Posted from 
United States
Jan: i like your article and what you think about johan cruijff. believe me – it’s pretentious to say,but – if there’s one person on this blog who finds himself in a way in a similar situation as him,it’s me,and you know exactly why. it’s like you have a first child,and after you have a second,and you have to make a choice… don’t worry,after the world cup,we’ll be here for longtime,this blog is an integrant part of my life,i don’t go to other football blogs (only to hungarian blogs),for me it’s more than football.
for me johan cruijff is and will remain the number one and oranje 74 the greatest team ever. (btw,there are some news about the rossel-cruijff story).
Posted from 
Hungary
the octopus story is just bullshit. good for the medias,but that’s all.
Posted from Hungary
Just had to say it again to keep the streak going:
Hup Holland Hup!!!
me too i find the octopus hilarious, does it know about counter attacking, fore checking, offside, the form of van Persie, nobody knows about the form of van Persie lol
Lets not forget we only need one goal to unravel the spainiiards team and start eroding their self build confidance. They are the euro champions, the pressure is on them, they dont play so well and they know it.
@Futbolinho – what made JC great in a way that was completely different than Pele and Maradona was how JC could come into a team and cause the whole team to play better. He had fantastic footballing insight and tactical awareness, which Pele and Maradona did not have. Pele and Maradona were pure athletes, able to do amazing things with the futbol at their feet, but ask them to analyze the opposing team and figure out the best way to play against them and they are completely lost. JC had (still has) that ability as well as being a fantastic athlete – he was half coach on the field. This is why JC was able to go on and become a very successful coach, where as Pele and Maradona are complete failures.
About the nominees for Golden Ball, no way Messi and Gyan played better than vBommel over the course of this tournament. Apparently Golden Ball is as biased and inaccurate as the Ballon d’Or and the Castrol rankings.
I hope our guys prove Fifa, Castrol and the world wrong on Sunday. If you check out the top 10 players for this WC on the Catrol site you can see how ridiculously in favor of the Spanish they are. Ramos, Puyol, Pique and Capdevilla are ranked 1 through 4, ridiculous, they hardly done anything impressive all tournament. Spain got barely passed opponents with dodgy referee calls, only really pressured by Chile and got a lucky brake in that game with the offside goal. Germany hardly pressured their defence, let alone Castillas, who I still think is error prone and the main reason Real Madrid always has a crappy defence according to the media/fans, yet they refuse to blame Castillas for the many goals Real Madrid has to conceed during a season and the important games in particular (the ones where their opponent actually has the guts to attack them).
Posted from 
Netherlands
I’ve got nothing to say today so i’ll follow Finn:
HUP HOLLAND HUP!!!
Posted from United States
If you look at the video of Paul making his pick you can see that the pick was not made in an unbiased fashion. The container marked with the Spanish flag was lowered into the tank closer to him than the one with the Netherlands flag. So what would any intelligent octopus do??
Posted from 
Canada
lol at JC being the greatest.
Pelé
RECORDS
#100 meters in 11 seconds
#69 Championships Won
#1281 Official Goals Scored
#1363 Official Matches Played
#8 Goals in 1 Match
#98 Hattricks
#589 Unofficial Goals Scored
#605 Unofficial Matches Played
#TOTAL = 1870 Goals Scored in 1968 Matches
#Played in 4 World Cups and Won 3 World Cups
#12 goals in one world cup
#129 goals in 1959 in Brazil’s Championship
#Scored Brazil’s 100th Goal in World Cup Competitions
#Won His First World Cup at the age of 17
#Athlete of the XXth Century by The International Olympic Committee
#Football Player of the Century by FIFA
#Leading World Record of 69 Championships Won
#Highest football offer – up to US$ 30 milion by Milan in the 60’s
(1.5 Billion $ today)
#Played in a Time When Football Had No Rules (No YELLOW or RED CARDS, so he had to score after he bleeded or got passed 4-6 players by passing the ball through their legs)
RESPECT
##Title of “Sir”,Honorary Knight of the British
awarded by the Queen Elizabeth II 1997
#Never Consumed Drugs#
#Athlete of the Century
announced by the International Olympic Committee
#Athlete of the Century
awarded by Reuters News Agency 1999
#Athlete of the Century
by DuPont Group world-wide survey 1996
#Athlete of the Century
French daily L’Equipe – world wide journalist
#Professional Who Transformed Football
by Sports Illustrated magazine 1999
#Top Footballer of the Century
UNICEF, in Viena, Austria 1999
#Football Sword of Honour
by the English Football Almanac 1966
#Cavalier of the French Legion of Honour
given by the French government 1963
#The Red Medal of Paris
by the Municipality of the French capital 1971
#Diploma of Merit as Citizen of the World
awarded by ONU 1999
#Honorary Citizen of Los Angeles
New York, New Jersey, Santos, Guadalajara
#Statue in India
inaugurated in Durgapur, Bengal State (1983)
#Order of the Cross of the Republic of Hungary
the highest Hungarian honour 1994
#Member of the Hall of Fame
city of Oneonta, New York
#Human Rights Medal – awarded by the Jewish B’nai
for his work against racial discrimination 1995
#Pele Day
officially instituated by the Municipality of San
#Football Player of the Century
FIFA 1999
#King Pele Stadium
inaugurated in Maceio, Alagoas 1970
#King Pele Stadiumin Tres Coracoes, presence or
King from Sweden, Chile e Mexico embassors
#Medal of the Order of Champions
Catholic Youth Organisation, in New York 1978
—
Posted from Canada
Don’t worry about Paul’s predictions. It can go either way *grin*
The Dutch will be crowned champions on Sunday, and that’s not a prediction
Posted from United States
I found this somewhere;
Cruyff
Player
Ajax
Eredivisie: 8 championships
1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1983
KNVB Cup: 5
1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1983
European Cup: 3
1971, 1972, 1973
Intercontinental Cup: 1
1972
UEFA Super Cup: 2
1972, 1973
UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1
1968 Group A2
Barcelona
La Liga: 1
1974
Copa del Rey: 1
1978
Feyenoord
Eredivisie: 1
1984
KNVB Cup: 1
1984
[edit] Manager
Ajax
KNVB Cup: 2
1986, 1987
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1
1987
Barcelona
Copa del Rey: 1
1990
La Liga: 4
1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
Supercopa de España: 3
1991, 1992, 1994
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1
1989
European Cup: 1
1992
UEFA Super Cup: 1
1992
[edit] Individual
European Footballer of the Year: 3
1971, 1973, 1974
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1
1974
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1
1974
Don Balón Award for Foreign Player of the Year in La Liga: 2
1977, 1978
Dutch Golden Shoe: 1
1984
World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year: 1
1987
Don Balón Award for Coach of the Year in La Liga: 2
1991, 1992
Onze d’Or for Coach of the Year: 2
1992, 1994
European Player of the Century XX IFFHS: 1
Golden Player of the Netherlands: 1
strangely it not mentions the double he got feyenoord…
Honors
In 1996, the Dutch Supercup was named Johan Cruijff-schaal.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA’s Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of the Netherlands by the KNVB as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.[27]
On 22 May 2006, Cruyff was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to football by Laureus in their annual World Sports Awards.[28]
Cruyff received a lifetime achievement award from the KNVB in August 2006.[29][30]
On 18 April 2007, Ajax decided to retire the number 14 shirt in honour of Johan Cruyff and in celebration of his birthday.[31]
To put an end to the debate, JC was one of the greatest players to play the game. He didn’t win the WC, but neither did Di Stefano and Puskas.
Pele and Maradona won the WC, but couldn’t coach for shit. JC could and can. The man changed football, Pele and Mardona never did. They made their team better, but didn’t leave anything behind for the future of the game.
So you distraught latinos who can’t cope with reality, pants around your ankles, stop living in the past, time to STFU and watch Oranje hoist the cup on Sunday!!!
JC has the same initials as a certain son of the Good Lord, that’s why we will win on Sunday. Amen.
I’m so disappointed in Cruyff and his pronouncements in favour of a Spain win. It’s no problem ‘predicting’ it, but he seems to want it to happen 
“It is Spain’s game to lose but I will take intense joy if they win it.” Johann Cruyff.
Sorry Johann, that’s out of order. I’m not Dutch, so I don’t know how that will play for his image in Holland, but if, say, Kevin Keegan was shouting for Germany against England, ‘because they play better football’, I’d lose all respect for him.
I don’t want to offend anyone here, but Cruyff seems to be someone who won’t put his money where his mouth is. Someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but he HAS been offered the bondscoach job with Holland at least once? He had the chance to make the Oranje play how he wanted, but didn’t take it. He just seems to sit and pontificate, and it seems with a little jealousy – that these guys could win the trophy he didn’t.
And yet he could’ve won that trophy in 78, but again, he chose to stay away. He doesn’t show the 100% committment to his country I have seen in Arjen Robben, for example. He was a wonderful footballer – before my time, but I’ve seen the videos – but sadly, IMO, a less than wonderful ex-footballer. If he had anything about him, he should be putting on Orange and supporting and inspiring the guys for all he’s worth like van Breukelen and others are doing. How must Robben and Sneijder feel to read that someone they presumably look up to would ‘rejoice’ in their defeat in the biggest game of their lives? I know how *I’d* feel.
I’m no fan of Maradona, but I don’t think he would EVER publicly support another country over his own, whatever style of football they were playing.
@CityDoves: Look, JC is very much a Dutch master. So was Van Gogh. He cut his own ear off. Don’t read too much into his comments, JC is a legend and will always be one. He can say what ever he wants, sleep with my girlfriend (as long as he leaves his autograph) etc. Kevin Keegan was never a legend and will never be one (and I am a Liverpool supporter). Do not compare the two.
JC has his opinions, he is entitled to those and so are you and I.
In fact, it is not so different from “club vs Country” in the EPL. Many people didn’t give a monkeys fart about England as long as their fav club players did well (Drogba in the beginning, Pantsil, Torres, Fabregas, De Jong, Heitinga, Kuyt etc.)
@finnster01 – maybe Keegan was a bad example. I just thought of him because he played in Germany and might prefer Germany’s style of play to England’s. But even if he thought it I wouldn’t want him to say it, at least not before the match.
It’s difficult for a non-Dutch person to fully understand the status JC has in Holland – there’s certainly no footballer alive in England who would have such status. But it’s because of this, I’m worried that his comments might have a negative effect on players who presumably idolise him – to hear their idol praising the opposing team before the biggest day of their lives really can’t be good for confidence.
I think that’s why I think he should, perhaps, have made more anodyne comments than taking ‘joy’ in any Spanish win.
On the Pele honour roll his rather unsuccessful time as Brazil’s sports minister is missing. Also, his rather dubious money management as well as his famous advertising for Viagra.
In respect to advertising JC deserves the big prize. His non-smoking campaign after recovering from an heart attack because of chain-smoking was just fabulous.
Posted from 
Germany
I gotta agree with citydoves.
I love(ed) cruyff, I even own an original 74 shirt with his number on it.
But all this talk about him being a purist is just gabage. If he is really a purist then he wouldn’t even watch the world cup, as no world cup team can excel and play in top form as a club can in their best days. I don’t need to go into details as to why…
I’m feeling he is jealous, that players he feels are lesser than he was can take the title home.
And all this rooting for spain is so dumb anyway. They have played terrible all this world cup. Losing to the swiss, almost losing to paraguay, and barely creating chances in any game.
I’m thinking of burning that shirt once this game is over. Its time holland follow new rolemodels.
I wish I’m wrong and if I am please correct me.
Posted from United States
Forgot to mention the reason he should support netherlands is because no matter how much this man has contributed to football. His country has done more him than anything he has done. No matter which way you see it.
Posted from United States
Well I have heard Sneijder gave his laptop to his girlfriend cos he was getting fed up with comments not on the team but on his girlfriend haha. So they are not even getting the news. I dont even think they know about what cruyff is saying and for sure nobody in the selection cares about the outside world for the momnent.
Strangely JC is more appreciated in Barca than in Ajax although he singlehandedly made Ajax a european topclub. The same with Holland, he put Holland on the map and without his flair and philosphy Holland would still be a mediocre football country. But he never got the status he has at Barca, and his relationship with the KNVB has always been tedious.
@Futbolinho:
I don’t agree. Pele didn’t invent samba football did he? He simply was an outstanding individual player and a true athlete. I said that. A charismatic and sympathetic bloke too.
I adore Pele.
But Cruyff had more substance. So he didn’t win a cup, too bad. Says something about silverware collected, not about his contribution to football or his skill.
Andreas Brehme won a World Cup. JC didn’t. Is Brehme better than JC?
For all those still doubting the cruyff legend I recommend this video;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-k-Ots3iY&feature=related
Johan Cruyff dribbling compliation.
It is not about winning cups. It is about the vision and superb technical skills.
I am late to this thread and was particularly interested in “winning the cup” as a barometer of how great a player is (was).
Pele vs Maradona vs JC aside, I’m just going to put something below that will show that “winning the cup” is not all that:
* Frank de Boer (I’m only using it because he’s my fav. Oranje): NEVER won any World/EURO Cup
* Marco Materazzi / Fabio Grosso: won in 2006 with Italy
One can’t really say cheat Grosso and punk Materazzi were better player/defender than Frank, yes?
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@Jimn I share your concerns about the shirts I hope they play in white. But I see we are officially playing at home so it will probabbly be orange shirt black trousers… at least we wont play in full orange , thank god cos that looked pretty ugly to me.
I love most the white shirt with orange trousers and white socks,like in 78.
@Jan you right of course but still that day against haarlem was unforgettable.
ANd lately i saw he scored lots of beauties for feyenoord! That he made them champion the first year year is another proof of his extraordinary class.
Great blog btw and thank you for the interesting articles every day, no other blog like this on the internet! It is heartwarming to see so many people abroad support us and share their thoughts about holland and their coach van Marwijk!