DOUBLE DUTCH
Scotland’s problems are no different from Holland
WHEN Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten were gracing the world stage, Scotland had Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness.
Now the Tartan Army are wondering just when, and from where, our next world-class footballer will emerge.
They’re asking the same questions in Holland.
They failed to qualify for the Euro 2016 Finals in France, and are struggling to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Russia next year.
Last month they lost to Bulgaria and fired boss Danny Blind as a result.
The Dutch are not used to being in crisis. They played in the 1974 and 1978 World Cup Finals. They won the Euros in 1988. They were in the World Cup Final in South Africa just seven years ago, losing to Spain in extra time.
While Scotland haven’t played at a major finals since 1998, Holland have missed only two out of the nine tournaments held in that period.
And on the stage where Cruyff’s Ajax used to dominate, a Dutch club has not reached the final of the Champions League since 1996.
Former Motherwell and Dunfermline defender Michel Doesburg is at the heart of Dutch football.
I’m not expecting Holland to be in a major final in the next 10 years
He is highly- rated in his homeland and is the Director of Scouting and Recruitment at AZ Alkmaar, and was previously the head man at their award-winning academy.
After missing out on last year’s Euros, the Dutch brought out an in- depth blueprint called‘ Winners For Tomorrow’, and Doesburg was a major contributor to it.
He can identify with the challenges Scotland faces in football because it is almost a mirror image in Holland.
Doesburg told the Sunday Post: “We have problems in football at the highest level and we need to sort it out.
“The national team isn’t getting the results it should be getting, and that worries everyone.
“There has been talk of bringing in Louis van Gaal in some sort of senior role at the Dutch Football Association, and I think that would be an excellent move.
“It would be superb for Holland. He has the ability, vision and knowledge to put together a strategy for the way forward. We need him.
“He is capable of pointing the country in the right direction, but we all accept that the situation won’t be corrected overnight. This will take a few years but we also don’t want to wait too long.
“I believe, 100%, that we have very talented footballers at all age levels in our country, but we need to find them and get them tested at the highest level.
“We need to get our next generation of stars involved.
“I hope it happens but I do not expect miracles. I’m not expecting Holland to be in the final of the European Championship or World Cup in the next 10 years.
“I’d just settle for qualification and trying to build from there.
“I suppose this a situation Scotland finds itself in, too.
“It is very frustrating for both countries, I’m sure. But we must never give up. The nation has to work together to make progress.”
The SFA’s recently-appointed Performance Director, Malky Mackay, has demanded that our kids work harder and show more dedication to their chosen sport.
Doesburg agrees, and believes the same problems exist in Holland.
He said: “Life is so much different for children between the ages of 10 to 16 compared to what it was like 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
“There is so much more temptation for them outside of football.
“They have mobile phones, iPads and Playstations.
“Football used to be the only thing to attract the boys but now they have so much competition for their attention.
“Kids need to have a desire and a willingness to be successful. That is something that has to be analysed and addressed.
“At AZ Alkmaar, we try to keep the kids in our sights for long periods every day so that we can control what they do with their time.
“So we have brought their schooling into our Academy and we mix the football
with their studies and education.
“We feel it is important they are influenced by our coaches and our philosophies on a daily basis.
“It is also important that the parents buy into it and believe in what we are doing. It has to be a buy- in from everyone – the coaches, the kids and the parents.
“We tell the kids that if they listen and are willing to learn and work hard, they can become the footballer of their dreams.
“We will give them the best possible opportunity at AZ to do this.
“That’s why we have been voted the best Academy in Holland for the past
Kids need to have a desire and a willingness to be successful. That is something that has to be addressed
two years, and we are on the short-list this to make it three-in-a-row.
“Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord have also been listed.
“If the kids are not willing to work hard, then we will not tolerate it.
“It doesn’t matter if they are most technically-gifted in the group.
“If they do not dedicate themselves, then they are shown the door on a permanent basis. No exceptions.”
Doesburg suspects another part of the reason why the Dutch football has been in a bit of a slump in recent years is because they allow too many loan players into their top league.
He said: “I’m told that Manchester City have 20 players out on loan in Dutch football. I don’t think that’s right.
“That can’t be helping our younger players break through and test themselves in our top domestic environment.
“It’s something the authorities in our country need to look at closely and reassess the rules.
“But it’s just one of a number of things that we need to look at.
“As I say, we will not get it perfect in the next week, month or six months.
“But the starting point for the nation has to be the appointment in some capacity of Louis van Gaal.
“Longer term, I hope to see Holland – and Scotland – back in the major tournaments again.
“Football needs them.”