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The 1984 Drama…. Spain at it again!
Comments(139)
The Oranje team that lost away to Spain, 1-0.
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.”
Note by editor: I’m pretty convinced the 12-1 was rigged. But I’m not sure if there’s proof. I do know the Malta goalie got a fat contract at a Spanish club somewhere, but that is all I know… This could become a nice thread with more conspiracy stories 
. Man… Argentina, Spain/Malta, now also Indonesia…. Before you know it some German tabloid will claim that Robben bought the victory over England to make Beckenbauer look bad.
But who needs to buy anything to achieve that ?
Piet Schrijvers is currently 69 years old.
Willy van der Kerkhof (58) owns and runs several businesses in the field of fine wine, relationship-marketing and a golf course.
Peter Houtman (52) is stadium speaker for Feyenoord and sports-journalist for Feyenoord TV.
Gerald Vanenburg (46) would like to get back into a manager’s job.
Ruud Gullit (45) is tv analist.
Erwin Koeman (48) quit as Utrecht manager this season. He is currently taskforce member of FIFA.
Bud Brocken (52) is partner in a real estate agency in Tilburg.
Peter Boeve (52) is manager at First Division club FC Omniworld.
Edo Ophof (50) is the owner and CEO of a iron-factory.
Ben Wijnstekers (55) is Mr Feyenoord and hosts VIPs for the Rotterdam based club and organizes football-camps and -clinics.
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 139 comments.
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Stekelenburg
VdW–Heitinga–Pieters–Schaars
Strootman
Robben–Sneijder/VdV–Afellay
Huntelaar–RvP
Flexible formation? If Strootman is under pressure and has trouble playing forward, Sneijder/VdV can drop alongside him to assist forward play, with RvP filling Sneijder/VdV’s hole. Once they reach an attacking position, Sneijder/VdV returns to the #10 position, and RvP reassumes his position in front of goal. Just a thought.
And yes, I do hold Strootman in very high regard.
@Primo you are probably right, I dont remember he was injured cos I didnt really follow him, thats why i said I only vaguely remember. He looked a little bit confused during that game, but of course it was one of his first games and I didnt mean that he is not suited for oranje, but that first impression was not very impressive to me.
Posted from 
Netherlands
Here’s a collection of Hunters goals this season….Not as pretty as RVP but i love it just as much
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txKbPIJLGms&feature=player_embedded
Thanks for the video link Ed
Those are great goals! – very similar to Ruud van Nistelroy – opportunistic, deceptive bounces, quick deflections, close range shots, etc.
Get the ball to KJH and good things WILL happen.
These kind of strikes require no less talent than the strikes of van Persie, or Robben.
Hope his headache goes away soon!
OJF
Barca is winning 7-1 against Bayern Leverkusen – the team that beat Bayern Munich 2-0 over the weekend. Messi scored 5 goals.
Say whatever you want about Louis Van Gaal but he is definitely better than Jupp Henckeys
Posted from 
United States
As far as I’m concerned, Bayern can lose every game until the end of the season. The Germans will hate eachother by then and Robben has proven that he can shine for us without doing so for Bayern.
1. Nederland 3 3 0 0 9pts
2. Denmark 3 1 1 1 4pts
3. Germany 3 0 2 1 2pts
4. Portugal 3 0 1 2 1pt
That looks about right!
Posted from 
Canada
A little bit of justice: Olympique Lyon just got eliminated by APOEL Nicosia. Lyon were awful. I have no doubt that something went down that night in Zagreb.
Posted from Canada
Justice served in Cyprus. Thank got for football karma
Can anyone tell me if Sol’s man crush MVB’s early yellow card had an effect on the match and how he played the rest of the way? Another well thought out professional foul? lol
huntelaars 10th goal was world class!
Posted from 
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Ed… Thanks so much for uploading the video of Huntelaar’s goals. If people remember what Louis van Gaal once said:
“In the box, he is the best player in the world, bar none.”
From the delivery he gets from our array of stars in Oranje he is the perfect player to be there to put the ball in the back of the net and I’m sure he won’t let us down.
Posted from 
Australia
Obviously I’m speaking about Huntelaar in above comments.
Posted from Australia
@ Vincent
I think your line-up is great against lesser teams , but against teams like Spain , Germany or even France it’s not gonna work .
For me , MVB is a must in big games .
@ Alaa : long time no see , bro 
. Welcome back .
I want to see this back 4:
kuyt, de jong, heitinga, pieters
They can all tackle, and they can all play a bit too. If only we had a truty CD with some real pace… but hey, the quick ones we have are a bit flakey (or brazilian), so if we’re gonna make do, let’s make do in style. Bring in the destroyer of worlds!
This back 4 secures some (currently) ‘dodgy’ positions for us (CB and RB), and most importantly it opens up our attacking options (we can now play ALL our best mids, wingers and strikers, and in their best positions) whilst keeping our hardest working players on the pitch in the places where our team really needs them.
I think out opposition would shit ‘emselves. I’d shit meself facing that lot.
Ta-Da!
Problem solved.
Trophy please.
Thank you and good night.
Disclaimer: I make no concessions for the inevitable penalties/red cards against us (de jong, i’m looking at you!) – but at least it’s in the spirit of Total Football.
Posted from 
United Kingdom
lol Jamie, yeah, I guess this ref didn’t fall for it.
Boom, yellow, in your face.
He was a little absent from time to time in the first half, there were some moments where I expected him to show up (those off-camera moments) and I didn’t even see him close. He picked it up in the 2nd half though, had some really nice moments for which he was praised by some Milan manager or coach, I can’t tell those names apart. Read something on the Milan blog ‘here’.
I’m still puzzled as to why vPersie couldn’t manage to get that ball on the other side of the keeper, where his hand would have had to come over (I think he was leaning on his other hand or something, dunno exactly, all I know I felt the ball had to be on the other side of the keeper).
Interestig game nevertheless, allthough it did somewhat feel like MU – Ajax (1-2) all over again.
Posted from Netherlands
Jopie,that defence line of yours is too short,you got to have at least one taller defensive player. They wouldnt win many air duels.
With DeJong in the back four, we better get used to playing with 3 defenders
Posted from Canada
@ petrovic, haha yeah, but we don’t win that many now so…
@ jason, yep!!! but until then, NOTHING is getting through.
i’d love to see it. just once. 
i’m serious too.
seems silly to me that our good defensive oufield players are attacked for doing their jobs and helping out our dodgy defence. it’s the manager that picks these guys and they are hardly going to say ‘no’.
if they went in defence to start with, and with our many offensive outfield options, imagine where we could go from there.
……….van bommel
van persie, sneijder, robben
…huntelaar, van der vaart
that’s everyone in arguably their best places (wingers can swap at will). any team’s defence would fear that.
and don’t say kuyt and de jong couldn’t do as good a job as the guys we have now (say, mathijsen and boulahrouz) – i simply don’t believe it. as kids, we learned to play in all positions. football’s football. a good player is a good player.
^ and all of this is exactly WHY i’m not the manager – hahahaha!
Posted from United Kingdom
Can you guys please tell me the last time Nigel de Jong got a red card?
@Jopie
I love it !!!
It’ll never happen –
- but on paper that is one awesome idea. (Sign me up I’ll go along with it, lets all tell Bert to try it in a friendly… who knows…)
OJF
Primo – thank you for pointing that out! NDJ gets such a bad rap around this blog because he is tough and mean and nasty and would fuck Tiju’s grandfather if it got his team a win. Soccer is a war sometimes and you need some warriors with the artists!
Orange rules ….my grand father was a boxer he may not fuck dejong….but he will fuck your mom and you…
Whoa whoa whoa….people…let’s leave the grandparents and mothers alone ok… I don’t think this was meant as disrespectful to Tiju, OR could have mentioned anyone of us . It was meant to describe Nigel.
I am not anti Nigel de Jong at all by the way. I really like him a lot. But we don’t need him in our Oranje, is all I say.
I’ve been struggling with the best timing to post after all your comments about it.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday….football constantly.
So sod it! The BIg Raf Interview Comes Now!
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Posted from Australia
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He is not world-class by any means, but he is the best we got so there’s no point in criticizing him too much. Besides, Newcastle was prepared to pay 13 million for him last summer so he can’t be all that bad.