The Netherlands reinvented the game in the 1970’s with their brand of ‘total football’. A philosophy which guided them to two consecutive World Cup Finals and inspired plenty of other nations to adopt a programme aimed at one day replicating the likes of Johan Cruyff and his teammates, who narrowly missed out on the sport’s greatest prize in 1974 and 1978.
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Unfortunately, total football – and the exponents of it – have arguably struggled to make an impact on the English game (and the Premier League in particular), with only six managers having previously coached in the country’s top flight since 1992.
Dick Advocaat’s temporary appointment at Sunderland makes him only the seventh Dutch manager to come to these shores. And while the nine game reign will give him little time to cement a legacy in the north-east, he will be looking to do a lot better than some of the other names that have come before him.
Here is how the others got on:
Ruud Gullit (Chelsea and Newcastle)
Ruud Gullit enjoyed an illustrious playing career, guiding the Netherlands to the Euro 88 crown with an updated version of the style that brought success in the 1970’s. He began his managerial career whilst still a player with Chelsea, and led them to their first major trophy for over a quarter of a century when they won the FA Cup in 1997.
But he was sacked the following season, despite the Blues sitting second in the Premier League, and in the latter stages of two cup competitions. His next move was to Newcastle, but he enjoyed an unhappy time at St James Park, and resigned shortly after a home defeat to Sunderland.
Martin Jol (Tottenham and Fulham)
The former West Brom player became Spurs’ manager after a very brief spell as the club’s assistant in 2004. He spent three years at White Hart Lane, guiding them into Europe and narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification after an outbreak of food poisoning on the final day of the 2005/06 season severely depleted their squad for a trip to West Ham – allowing Arsenal to sneak in ahead. He was sacked after a difficult start to the 2007/08 campaign, and was replaced by Juande Ramos.
His time at Fulham is probably not remembered so fondly, as despite finishing in mid-table for the two full seasons he spent at Craven Cottage, he was sacked with the club struggling near the relegation zone.
Guus Hiddink (Chelsea)
Guus Hiddink was chosen to pick up the pieces following a poor reign by World Cup winning coach Luis Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge. He managed the club from February 2009 until the end of the season, where he would return to managing Russia on a full-time basis. While they missed out on the league title, the Blues lost only once under his stewardship and clinched the FA Cup. He was also only denied a spot in the Champions League final, after an awful refereeing display in the last four allowed Barcelona to go through.
Rene Meulensteen (Fulham)
Rene Meulensteen had previously been a coach under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United prior to his arrival at Fulham to assist Martin Jol. However, his presence at Craven Cottage led to speculation that the club were looking to replace Jol with his countryman, so it was certainly no surprise when that came to pass less than three weeks after Meulensteen’s appointment.
He had a tough time at the helm of the sinking ship however, and was sacked himself later that season as one last desperate attempt was made to keep the side up. He was replaced by Felix Magath who failed to do any better and was relegated for the first time in his career.
Ronald Koeman (Southampton)
It was a surprise to see the European Cup winner turn up at Southampton, with the club supposedly in disarray as a number of first-team players left last summer. But Koeman created a new squad that has arguably surpassed the success of last year’s class, and is still just about in contention for Champions League qualification next season.
The revival he has led at the Saints has resulted in his name being linked with the post at his former club Barcelona, as the writing appeared to be on the wall for Luis Enrique. When Enrique does leave, it would not be a surprise at all to see Koeman back at the Nou Camp.
Louis van Gaal (Manchester United)
Louis van Gaal came to England with many anticipating he would resurrect Manchester United. His Netherlands side finished third in last year’s World Cup – demolishing Spain and Brazil along the way. However, the legendary manager has struggled at United, and the style of play has been far from attractive at Old Trafford this season.