The magic of the Caretaker

Friday 13 February 2009

At both Feyenoord and PSV a caretaker coach is in charge at the moment.

Is that wise or not at all?

About caretakers and the Korbach-effect.

It was the spring of 1987 and PSV chairman Jacques Ruts knew it for sure.

His club was in bad need of a figure head .

Assistant coach Guus Hiddink was a nice chap, but the former player was considered too light ti help the club back to it's feet again.

PSV approached Rinus Michels.

Manager Kees Ploegsma and Hiddink went to drink a cup of coffee at the General, misses Michels put the cookies on the table and the PSV delegation explained just how urgent the matter was.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Michels said.

PSV would have to go and find someone else to succeed Hans Kraay senior.

Nobody Hiddink finished the season and the rest is history.

Things can go fast with a caretaker manager.

Who knows if the image of Leon Vlemmings will one day be seen on giant billboards in Moscow, or if Dwight Lodeweges will one day be a national hero in South-Korea.

Both Feyenoord and PSV have put their fates in the hands of a coach who will have to step down at the end of the season.

Vlemmings will be succeeded by Mario Been this summer, but Lodeweges has so far followed in the footsteps of Hiddink with three victories in a row.

"I am enjoying this for as long as it lasts," said the former center back of Go Ahead Eagles, after the 6-0 win over ADO Den Haag.

Usually caretakers are quickly forgotten.

Who remembers that Jan van Daal being at the helm at Ajax in the 70's?

And who recalls Rob Baan as temporary coach of Oranje?

Last season Adrie Koster was one of the longest reigning caretakers at Ajax ever, but it seems an eternity ago.

Caretakers - they provide for some remarkable stories.

Fritz Korbach, the king of all caretakers held on for two whole days in 2003 at Sparta Rotterdam.

He was in front of the group for one cold winter morning in shorts, cracked a few jokes and then fell over, literally.

A doctor urged him stop, but Sparta did win the next game, 1-0 against Emmen.

Also curious were the seven days of Leo Beenhakker at Feyenoord, at the end of the 2006/07 season.

"Just call me Adje Interim, (Clive Caretaker)’’ Don Leo said.

After two playoff games against FC Groningen it was over.

The career of Rafael van der Vaart at Ajax was marked by two caretakers.

As a teenager he made his debut under Hans Westerhof away to FC Den Bosch.

The pair of Ruud Krol and Tonny Bruins Slot made Van der Vaart leave the club.

In a time when Van der Vaart was struggling with himself and doubting his future the duo (filling in for Ronald Koeman) left him out of the team for a game against Roda JC.

Not much later a demoralized Van der Vaart signed at HSV Hamburg.

Caretakers can roughly be divided in two groups.

Korbach, Leo Beenhakker or Simon Kistemaker are vivid figures with special social qualities who always achieve a quick effect.

On the other side there are the grey mice: relatively unknown coaches who have to calm things down when a storm has blown over.

Very often it is an assistant coach or a craftsman from the youth academy.

Clubs like to opt for an antipole.

After the barking of Henk ten Cate the quiet Koster was a breath of fresh air at Ajax.

In Rotterdam Vlemmings listens to his players where before Gertjan Verbeek would often blindly follow his own course.

And at PSV the calm and collected Lodeweges is a stark contrast with the embarrassing outbursts of Huub Stevens.

Solidarity is often a sensitive issue for assistant coaches who take over the chair of a former colleague.

Vlemmings and Lodeweges were also responsible for the performances of Feyenoord and PSV for months.

But shortly after Verbeek and Stevens were fired change was all over.

In Rotterdam the training schedule was changed and at PSV Lodeweges changed a lot tactically.

Success offers little guarantee for a caretaker.

Adri van Tiggelen was the man to take Sparta back to the Eredivisie, as a temporary successor to Mike Snoei.

But Van Tiggelen was never appointed as coach.

Henk van Stee qualified Feyenoord for the Champions League, but he was succeeded by Bert van Marwijk the next season.

And Ajax won the league in 1985 with three forgotten caretakers: Tonny Bruins Slot, Spitz Kohn and Cor van der Hart.

Last season Sef Vergoossen proved that a temporary assignment can lead to success.

After Jan Wouters gained nothing but wrinkles after he took over from Ronald Koeman Vergoossen was flown in from Japan.

Vergoossen remained unbeaten for 11 games a club record, and won the league with PSV.

"I believe it's fundamentally different when you come in as a temporary coach," says Vergoossen.

"The advantage is that you have a fresh outlook on the situation. The disadvantage is that you have little preparation time and you are working with a team that has been put together by somebody else."

"A caretaker should always come from the outside," says Fritz Korbach.

"Only then can you achieve the famous shock effect. I once returned to Cambuur and it didn't work out at all. But as the new man at Heerenveen and FC Volendam we did get things going."

He thinks Feyenoord and PSV should have attracted a new man from the outside as well.

"You must be able to step in unprejudiced. And when you come in as a new face people believe you can walk on water. They listen to you and that is what it is all about."