Guided Missile Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 Great interview here... As he said: “People asked me, ‘Why Southampton? Why not a club with a bigger name?’ But I never saw it as coming to a small club. That’s not the way I see Southampton at all. What I wanted was to be part of a club that is forward-thinking and focuses on developing young players; building from that foundation. That’s what I had been used to and had enjoyed in Holland. There is a framework here – the academy is fantastic, the facilities are amazing – and it is good club with a long-term strategy. I enjoy being part of that and find it exciting as a coach. My feeling was that this was my kind of club. “I must say, too, that the people here were very straight in their discussions when I first came in. They said their ambition was to compete for the higher positions in the league and that they would allow me to reinvest the money from the players who were being sold. And they have been good to their word.” Koeman benefited from having mentors who saw the value in his contribution at both ends, and those coaches included two of the all-time greats: Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. Under the former, he helped end the Netherlands’ long wait for a major trophy by triumphing in some style at the 1988 UEFA European Championship in Germany. With Cruyff, meanwhile, he was a key cog in the beloved Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ that also included the likes of Romario, Hristo Stoichkov and Pep Guardiola. Yet there is no debating which of these two legends shaped him more. “Both were fantastic coaches, but Cruyff was undoubtedly the biggest influence on me,” said theSouthampton boss. “I had some great years with Rinus Michels: one at Ajax, the rest with the national team. But Cruyff was the coach in my career. He was someone I spent a lot of great years with – my best years. Being part of that Dream Team at Barcelona was without doubt the highest point of my career and all the successes we had, the football we played, was down to him. It’s the most difficult way to be successful – by playing that kind of beautiful, attacking football – but Cruyff was able to make it possible.” Total legend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian lord Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 Excellent. Hope he stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifeintheslowlane Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 Excellent. Hope he stays. I think from what he says there are few other clubs in The Premier League who could match his ideals...I'm not being over partisan...just can't see anyone else who ticks all those boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 I wonder who Ian Branfoot's biggest influence was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardc Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 I wonder who Ian Branfoot's biggest influence was? Jonny Wilkinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaMarlin Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 When I am asked who is the greatest player I have ever seen, being a little older, I have a longer list to choose from than young whippersnappers. So my list could include the likes of Pele, Maradona, Best (who I saw at The Dell a few times), as well as Ronaldinho, Messi and Ronaldo. I've given a bit of thought to this down the years, and I have come up with Cruyff. Nobody - not even Le Tissier - provided a greater buzz of expectation when they had the ball at their feet than him. You can find your own compilation of his goals on skills on Youtube, go ahead and drool. And he made it all so effortless and elegant. But it turns out that not only was he a great player, he was a far more influential coach than perhaps people realise, certainly at Barcelona, where he is revered and credited for putting in place much of what they have today. And even before he came here, Ronald Koeman was always among my top defenders, along with the likes of Bobby Moore, Franz Beckenbauer, Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi. All were much more than just defenders. The fact we have a coach who was such a great player, and who is influenced by such an iconic figure, can only benefit us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SO5 4BW Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 I've given a bit of thought to this down the years, and I have come up with Cruyff. .... But it turns out that not only was he a great player, he was a far more influential coach than perhaps people realise, certainly at Barcelona, where he is revered and credited for putting in place much of what they have today. Agree totally. Cruyff was the absolute best as a player and repeated that as a manager. I was lucky enough to see that Barca 'dream team' pretty regularly (girlfriend teaching TEFL in Barcelona) including the Champions League win at Wembley (RK winning goal from a long range free-kick in extra time) and a fair number have gone on to be successful coaches, including Michael Laudrup and, of course, Pep Guardiola The thing that set Cruyff apart was intelligence. Even now, when you see him interviewed he talks sense every time. Rare in football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 Agree totally. Cruyff was the absolute best as a player and repeated that as a manager. I was lucky enough to see that Barca 'dream team' pretty regularly (girlfriend teaching TEFL in Barcelona) including the Champions League win at Wembley (RK winning goal from a long range free-kick in extra time) and a fair number have gone on to be successful coaches, including Michael Laudrup and, of course, Pep Guardiola The thing that set Cruyff apart was intelligence. Even now, when you see him interviewed he talks sense every time. Rare in football me too. Watched many Euro games on TV when Ajax were a top side and JK seemed to be on another planet. His timing and a passing were superb - not to mention his goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redslo Posted 7 May, 2015 Share Posted 7 May, 2015 I think from what he says there are few other clubs in The Premier League who could match his ideals...I'm not being over partisan...just can't see anyone else who ticks all those boxes. Swansea probably could. Manchester City could if their expensive new academy works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andoru Posted 8 May, 2015 Share Posted 8 May, 2015 What a shame then that he never had the chance to work with Adam Lallana, "the England midfielder who has reinvented the Cruyff turn" according to this Daily Mail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2647100/Adam-Lallana-worth-30m-Liverpool-pay-Southampton-midfielder.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convict Colony Posted 8 May, 2015 Share Posted 8 May, 2015 Jonny Wilkinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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