Coaches salute 'The General'

By Mark Chaplin

Few coaches inspired as much respect as Rinus Michels. Johan Cruyff said that, in his brilliant career, he learned more about football as a player and coach from the legendary Dutchman than anyone else.

Solemn celebration
The UEFA coaching community, led by technical director Andy Roxburgh and the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), have made use of this week's UEFA coach education course in Noordwijk, near Amsterdam, to pay tribute to Michels, one of the most innovative coaches in football history, who died in March at the age of 77.

Career highs
A moving film was shown which took in the entire spectrum of Michels' life in football, first as a lethal striker and then as an outstanding coach whose legacy to the game was the 'total football' phenomenon of the 1970s, as well as the superb Dutch side which took the UEFA European Championship title in 1988.

'Thinking player'
Michels scored 121 goals in 269 matches in his playing career with AFC Ajax, and displayed the intelligence as a footballer that he was to carry on into his coaching. "He was a thinking player, and that type of player with deep thoughts on the game often makes a top coach," said Roxburgh.

Futuristic football
Michels first came to international prominence in the late 1960s. By 1971, the brilliant Ajax team he created around Cruyff were practising a flowing, revolutionary style of play that would eventually bring the Amsterdam club three successive European Champion Clubs' Cups. "He worked on speed and movement and his teams played in a fluid style," Roxburgh explained. "His teams were like a beacon into the future, and people have been trying to repeat it ever since with great difficulty."

World Cup wonders
He moved on to FC Barcelona and claimed a Spanish title in 1974, and the same year led the Netherlands through a swashbuckling FIFA World Cup campaign in West Germany which ended in defeat against the hosts in the final in Munich. "When you look back at football, you think of Hungary in the 1950s and the Netherlands in the 1970s, and you struggle to think of anything that is more romantic," said Roxburgh. "Neither of the teams won a [World Cup], but they were in everybody's hearts because of the way that they played."

European trophy
Michels may have been unlucky in 1974, but he had returned to the 'Oranje' helm in time for EURO '88 where his gifted side defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final to clinch the European title. Four years later, he was called back to the front again, and the Netherlands reached the EURO '92 semi-finals in Sweden. He also worked for the KNVB as a technical director, and was a vital influence in promoting the education of young Dutch players.

Important contribution
KNVB president and UEFA treasurer Mathieu Sprengers took the opportunity to remind delegates about Michels' commitment to young players, saying: "He always believed that youngsters should enjoy the game and have as much contact with the ball as possible. The fans called him 'The General', because he believed in discipline, but he was also a very warm and humorous person. His contribution to the game was immense.

Lasting inspiration
"He was someone of great wisdom and passion - he was courageous and could deal with superstars," Roxburgh concluded. "The word 'legend' is often misused in football. In Rinus Michels' case, it is appropriate. He was a guru and will remain an inspiration to coaches and the coaching profession throughout the world."