Tag Archives: Board

MALAYSIA WANT CLUB BRUGGE PLAYER COOLS

Malaysia are interested in Belgian-Malaysian defender Dion ‘Johana’ Cools, according to reports.


The 21-year old was named by his parents after former football greats Dion Dublin and Johan Cruyff. The national coach NeloVingada has offered the player the opportunity to play for their national side.

Cools features currently for Club Brugge KV where he lines as a defender for the Belgian multiple time league winners. He has a mature profile at Club Brugge where he featured in 30 games last term. He has Champions League experience as well as Malaysia want him.

However, Cools has featured in various youth levels for Belgium. He was in the Under 22 Belgium Young Players’ Team of the Season last term.

Vngada said he has contacted the player and hoping he agrees to the request. The coach says he and his team have been investigating players that are eligible for Malaysian passport in a bid to boost the player pool for the national team. Continue reading →

Dick Advocaat is going to be in charge of the Dutch national soccer

Dick Advocaat is going to be in charge of the Dutch national soccer squad for the rest of their World Cup qualifying campaign.


The qualifying chances of the Dutch are hanging by a thin thread at the moment as they are far away from the first two spots in the points table of Group A.

It’s only if they are at no. 1 or no. 2 in the standings at the completion of the first round, they will have any chance of going to Russia, otherwise, they will have to suffer the embarrassment of not featuring in another big competition.

They had failed to secure their spot in the Euro Cup as well which had taken place the previous year.

The qualifying scenario for World Cup is such that if Netherlands manage to end up being the no. 1 in their group, they will qualify straightaway and won’t have to play any further games in that situation.

A no. 2 finish will send them to the playoffs where they will have to compete with the no. 2s of other groups. Continue reading →

IS BARCELONA THE MOST DRAINING SIDE TO MANAGE?

Spanish giant Barcelona have been very dominant in European club for many decades.


The legacies of the club speak for it. Managing the club comes with such high expectations that cold claim a life. Is the managerial role of Blaugrana the most draining in football?

After three years in charge, a successful Luis Enrique is set to leave the club. He leaves the side like every other manager: severely drained. During the 5-0 rout of Celta Vigo, the fans chanted: ‘Lucho, we love you, please stay’ but it was more of a farewell message as it had been established that he was leaving.

While it seems the club’s ideologies are waning, the part that the coaching role drains you to the last holds still. Only two managers have stayed at the club more than four years since the 1950s. Johan Cruyff – who changed football at the club – did eight years but he did not live long after. Frank Rijkaard spent five years and he is yet to recover.

The fans own the Spanish club – they decide who stays on as coach, who becomes the president and the extent they want to reach each term. Continue reading →

MESSI DONATES BOOT TO JORDI CRUYFF

The Barcelona forward has given his new footwear to the former Netherlands international, who played at Camp Nou in the 1990s.


The 29-year old has given new shoes for the son of the former Netherlands legend Johan Cruyff.

December is usually the time for gift giving and helping out those in need. So to keep up with tradition, Lionel Messi has donated his new boots to former Barcelona forward Jordi Cruyff.

Cruyff, who is now the sports director at Maccabi Tel Aviv, spent three seasons at Barcelona and four at Manchester United, but never quote lived up to his billing as the son of legendary Netherlands international Johan Cruyff.

The attacker scored just eight goals during his time at Old Trafford, failing to find the net during the 1997/1998 season, and later had spells in Ukraine and Malta despite a strong start to his playing career.

Conversely, Messi has scored over 500 goals for club and country, winning five Ballon d’Or trophies, and is rated as one of the best players of all time. Messi has made the former player a special present which he shared on Twitter with his followers. Continue reading →

Carragher: Guardiola Can Revolutionise City like Cruyff at Barcelona

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reckons that Manchester City have done a Barcelona by appointing Pep Guardiola, as he believes that this appointment is similar to the decision taken by Barcelona with Johan Cruyff in 1988.


The Dutchman is widely credited for changing the entire face of the club. He brought about the total football concept to Catalonia. While the younger generation lauds the team under Guardiola, it would not have been possible without the presence ofCruyff. The Dutchman groomed players like Guardiola when they were coming through the youth teams.

Carragher says that City have the ability to go on and have a similar period with Guardiola at the helm. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager moved to City after resisting offers from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. Widely seen as one of the best managers in the world, Guardiola will be transforming everything at the club from the youth system. Since he wants his youth teams to be playing in a similar way to the senior team, the transformation made by the manager will be evident in the next decade or more according to Carragher. A product of the Liverpool system, Carragher enjoyed a remarkably successful career and made about 700 appearances for the Merseyside club before retiring a few years ago.
Continue reading →

Cryuff Remains A Mentor For Many

Players become mentors for future players as well as coaches. This instance is carried out well by Johan Cruyff.


He has become an inspiration for Pep Guardiola, the coach for Manchester City. The new coach credits Johan to be his mentor. He states that Johan has been his inspiration for a long time. The former boss of Bayern Munich and Barcelona credits Johan to be his mentor and for the inspiration he has on him. The new job has come to Premier League team and it involves a contract for three years. In Barca he has helped two Champions Leagues to be won as well as three titles from La Liga. There are three titles from Bundesliga that he is credited with. He states, however, that Cruyff provided advice that has helped him to put together teams that have won these matches. The influence that Johan has had on him is incredible. He feels that Johan has influenced other coaches in a similar way.
Continue reading →

Cryuff Represented A Different Kind Of Football

We are here to talk about Johan Cruyff, who had a great impact on the football team of the Netherlands as well as in European football.

It is pertinent to talk about him in this context, especially at a time when the European league is underway and every country showcase their current skills as well as build on what they have achieved over the years. With Johan passing away the football world is in disbelief and it is also hard to believe that the Netherlands has been unable to clear their way into the European championships this time.

It is time to reminisce how the Dutch side was in the seventies. There was the concept of playing total football that is an alien concept today as well as Johan Cruyff, who leaves behind a legendary profile and a rich history of contributions to the world of football. The football acts that were enacted at that time were unique. Continue reading →

DAVID GINOLA: JOHAN CRUYFF TRIED TO SIGN ME

David Ginola in a tribute to the late Dutchman said Johan Cruyff tried signing him. Ginola ended up in Newcastle even though he was approached by Johan Cruyff and Sir Bobby Robson to sign for Barcelona. The winger played for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in face off against the Spanish giant in the 1994/1995 season. He was approached after the two-legged European as he impressed then Barcelona manager, Johan Cruyff. The Dutch legend tried the subsequent season to sign David Ginola but David couldn’t move to Nou Camp as the Catalan giant had too many foreign players.

Since the move couldn’t happen, David Ginola moved to Newcastle after being approached by the Magpies boss, Kevin Keegan.

David Ginola told TalkSport: ‘The last year I spent in Paris we played Barcelona in the qualifying round of the Champions and I played against (Albert) Ferrer, who (later) played for Chelsea, and I was fantastic (in) both games. We had a golf game and he (Cruyff) said: ‘I will sign you; you are my priority for next season.’ So I said, ‘OK’, and then we played this golf tournament and had a meeting in his house in Barcelona.’

David explained the extent the Late Barcelona boss went to sign him.

‘He said that the problem is because it wasn’t Bosman rules that they already had six foreigners in the team (at Barcelona) – and he said I need to get rid of two before I can ask the chairmen to sign you. Back in July (1995), right after that, they couldn’t find clubs for (Hristo) Stoichkov and (Gheorghe) Hagi. He (Cruyff) called me on July 14, how strange is that – it’s Independence Day in France. And he said: ‘Well David, I couldn’t get rid of the two players. I can’t sign you.’ So I had a phone call from Keegan and Terry McDermott after and so I signed at Newcastle.’ Continue reading →

Johan Cruyff is not sure if Barcelona actually needs Pogba

Paul Pogba is one of the most attracted summer targets in the world of football as all the top clubs have shown interest in signing the French star of Juventus and Barcelona has reportedly launched an offer of around £56 million in order to lure him to Camp Nou but Johan Cruyff is not sure if Barcelona actually has a real need to sign the 22 year old player.

The top European leagues have already kicked off in full force and the summer transfer window is still open, this gives the chance for clubs to continue on spending cash in reinforcing their respective squads and make last minute signings.

Barcelona has the task of not only defending the Spanish League trophy but also to protect their Champions League title and it order to accomplish this monumental feat, Rudi Garcia is still searching around the transfer market for another potential arrival and one of these players is Paul Pogba.

Former star of Barcelona, Johan Cruyff said: ‘In my opinion he is a great player. ‘But if you are a coach, you sign a player to make the other players and the team better.Now, we must see if Pogba is the player who Barcelona needs, or not’

Johan Cruyff continued on voicing his thoughts about the current situation of Barcelona as the Dutchman added on: ‘Barcelona has a great reputation in the world of football. However, the club has seven open legal trials It is damaging the image and the reputation of the club and in my opinion this is unacceptablea’ Continue reading →

Johan Cruyff labels Real Madrid as ‘Ridiculous’

The former star of Barcelona, Johan Cruyff has emerged from the shadows and the Dutch retired player turned Real Madrid into his main talking point as he called the Spanish club to be: ‘unacceptable and ridiculous’.

 

Since May of 2010, Real Madrid has had 3 different managers taking charge of the club. In 2010 it was Jose Mourinho but the Portuguese manager was sacked after only managing to lift La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercup titles in 3 years.

Carlo Ancelotti replaced Mourinho and the Italian coach did significantly better as he was able to push the team to a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Copa del Rey and FIFA Club World Cup pieces of silverware all of which were snatched during his debut season in charge of the Spanish club.

Ancelotti was unable to replicate his success in his 2nd managerial career at the Santiago Bernabeu and was sacked and replaced by Rafael Benitez.

All of these changes within the managerial staff of Real Madrid has caused the team to not find their rhythm and Johan Cruyff took his chance to bash the Spanish club who have not managed to win La Liga since the 2011-12 season. Continue reading →