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Louis van Gaal returns to Ajax as technical director

09 October: The name of Ajax's new technical director does not come as a surprise after several weeks of persistent rumors. Louis van Gaal (52), one of the most succesful head-coaches the Amsterdam club ever had, will return to 'his' Ajax as the successor of Leo Beenhakker, who unexpectedly  announced his resignation on 03 June of this year - and left the club on 01 August. Van Gaal signed a permanent contract at the ArenA today, of which the financial details - as usual - remained undisclosed.


Louis van Gaal. [Photo: ANP] 

Van Gaal's return is the conclusion of two month search for a new technical director, during which the names of several alleged candidates appeared in the media: Frank Arnesen, Ronald Spelbos and - recommended by the always influential Johan Cruijff - Wim Jansen. Van Gaal, who was also named from the start, was the only candidate Ajax actually talked to.

Since Beenhakker's departure the responsibilities of the technical director in Ajax's club structure have slightly changed: whereas Beenhakker (alongside head-coach Ronald Koeman) was responsible for major purchases, Van Gaal will focus more on the development of the youth system, in close co-operation with the youth system director, Danny Blind. Major transfers will, from now on, be dealt with by Ronald Koeman and general director Arie van Eijden. This combination was very succesful this summer, as players such as Julien Escudé, Wesley Sonck, Zdenek Grygera and Tom Soetaers were decisively contracted.

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Arie van Eijden, delighted with Van Gaal's return: "The appointment of Louis van Gaal is a new impetus for the club policy we launched three years ago. It is not a matter of a new policy. Louis van Gaal will continue to refine the Ajax youth system with Danny Blind. Louis will be the link between the Amsterdam ArenA and De Toekomst."

Ajax chairman John Jaakke was a happy man also: "We went very carefully in appointing a new technical director. We have taken much time to flesh out the vacancy of technical director in the best possible way. The choice for Louis van Gaal was made with great unanimity vouches for the continuity of our club's strategy."

Ronald Koeman, head-coach of the first team, worked closely on a daily basis with Leo Beenhakker, but is to have less contact with Van Gaal. The coach was enthusiastic about the arrival of the new 'TD': "The arrival of Van Gaal is a very good thing for the club and myself. I have the firm impression that this is the final stop for Louis van Gaal. He's said goodbye to his career as a coach."

Van Gaal himself confirmed Koeman's thoughts: "Just read some of my old interviews. I've always said I wanted to stop coaching at 55. Well, I did so a little earlier. (...) I have come home. This is my club. I will start working on the sidelines for now. I want to take my time and look around first."

Danny Blind, finally, is the man to be in touch with Van Gaal more intensively than anyone else within the club. "I've had the most succesful period of my career under Louis. I am absolutely thrilled to continue to build on Ajax's future together."


Van Gaal poses with Ajax USA travelers during 2001 trip. [Photo: Ajax USA]

Louis van Gaal Biography

Player
 Louis van Gaal (born Amsterdam, 08 August 1951) was born in the Watergraafsmeer area of Amsterdam-East, a rock's throw from Ajax's old home-ground of De Meer. De Meer was also the name of the local amateur club where he started playing football. He was soon discovered by Ajax scouts and entered the Ajax youth system. He never made it to the first team, but played for Ajax-2 from 1971 to 1973. He moved on to Belgian top side Royal Antwerp FC and subsequently played for Dutch sides Telstar, Sparta and AZ. He played 333 games as a professional footballer in which he scored 34 goals.

Ajax: Youth Coach and Coach-Assistant
Van Gaal's coaching career started in the 1987-1988 season at the club that made him a pro: Ajax. The ultra-ambitious young coach was in charge of Ajax-2 and the Ajax A1 youth team. In his second year at De Meer he moved on to coach the first team alongside Spitz Kohn, after the early dismissal of head-coach Kurt Linder in what is arguably the most dramatic month in Ajax history: September 1988.

The new Ajax head-coach for the 1989-1990 season was (yes, it's a small world...) Leo Beenhakker. Van Gaal served as his assistant for just over one year, in which Ajax surprisingly clinched the Dutch championship of 1990. Beenhakker resigned totally unexpectedly in September of 1991, to coach Real Madrid. Van Gaal was then deemed ready for the job by the Michael van Praag board and was officially presented as Ajax's head-coach on 28 September 1991.

Ajax: Head-Coach
It was the start of the second 'Golden Era' in Ajax history. Teaching his team to play super-offensive and attractive, yet disciplined football, Van Gaal won the UEFA Cup in his first season (1992), after which he saw his star couple (Dennis Bergkamp and Wim Jonk) depart for Inter Milan. Van Gaal built a new team in the 'transitional season' of 1992-1993, which saw the winning of Ajax's first Dutch KNVB Cup since 1987.

Van Gaal's first Dutch championship with Ajax followed in 1993-1994, a season in which the team also won the Dutch Super Cup. It meant access to the lucrative Champions League of 1994-1995, which Ajax ended up winning by beating AC Milan in the final (1-0). Van Gaal's Ajax was literally unbeatable throughout 1995 and 1996, winning the Dutch championships in 1995 and 1996, the Dutch Super Cup in 1996 and the European Super Cup as well as the World Cup in 1995. Moreover, Ajax made it to a second consecutive Champions League final, which was lost to Juventus on penalties, after a 1-1 final score in regulation.


Louis van Gaal with 'The Cup with Big Ears' in 1995. [Photo: Ajax.nl]

Van Gaal announced his departure at the start of the 1996-1997 season. His departure (to FC Barcelona) made headlines on CNN. Van Gaal's last season as Ajax's head-coach (the club's first in the brand-new Amsterdam ArenA) was a disappointing season, with a 4th slot in the Eredivisie as a result. The Netherlands had gotten so much used to Ajax's international glory that Ajax's run all the way to the semi-finals of the Champions League almost went unnoticed. The final of 1997 was the first round in three seasons' time in which Ajax Amsterdam was not playing, a record which still stands as the by far longest run ever established in the history of the Champions League.

Including the 1988 games with Spitz Kohn as his colleague, Louis van Gaal was coach of Ajax-1 for 227 Eredivisie games, 22 domestic cup games and 60 European fixtures.

FC Barcelona - First Period
 Expectations were sky-high as Louis van Gaal arrived to Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium in the summer of 1997, where he hired Ronald Koeman as his assistant. He won the Spanish 'double' plus the European Super Cup with Barça in 1998 and yet another Spanish Liga championship in 1999. Fine achievements, you'd say, but Van Gaal never became a popular figure in Barcelona, where he was hated by the fans and - even more so - the Spanish press, with which he was almost constantly in conflict. He was criticized for signing too many Dutch players and for his failure to make an impact with Barcelona in UEFA competition. His three year-contract was not extended.

Oranje and the KNVB
 After three seasons in Catalonia Van Gaal committed to two tasks at the KNVB: firstly, he was to design a 'Masterplan' for the development of Dutch youth football. Secondly, and most importantly, he became the boss of the Dutch national team. With Oranje he wanted to go for the World Cup of 2002 - and would not settle for less. The KNVB still works with Van Gaal's Masterplan today, but his period as Oranje boss will be remembered as a black page in Dutch football history in general and Van Gaal's career in particular. Holland failed to qualify for the tournament in Japan and South-Korea, after a miserably poor qualifying campaign in which Holland notched only two points from the four most important games against Ireland and Portugal. The fatal stumble took place in Dublin, Ireland, on 01 September 2001: 1-0.

Van Gaal resigned and told the nation goodbye in a dramatic and emotional speech at the KNVB head quarters in Zeist. He said that there was something structurally wrong with the attitude of the players he had been working with. He was scoffed at. Today, in the fall of 2003, his words are frequently repeated in the Dutch media, as Dick Advocaat is also struggling with the Holland team of which Van Gaal's 'Class of '95' forms the backbone. Van Gaal's words about the attitude and determination of the current Oranje stars are taken much more seriously now than they were two years ago.

FC Barcelona - Second Period
 Much to everyone's surprise Van Gaal was subsequently given a second chance at FC Barcelona, a decision the club's president later described as a "mistake". This time Van Gaal had the opposite problem as during his first stay at Nou Camp: he did well in the Champions League, winning ten games straight, but failed miserably in the Primera Division. His relationship with the press deteriorated by the week. It led to his inevitable dismissal, which was announced on 28 January 2003. That day, in retrospective, marks the end of his coaching career.

As a coach Louis van Gaal was famous for his focus on discipline, his offensive strategies and his fanatical approach, but - probably more than anything else - for the way he could preach fire and brimstone to journalists from Holland and Spain. Some of the quotes that made him famous:

"Am I so smart, or are you so stupid?"
(to a Dutch journalist in his Ajax years)

"I will not answer that question. Go home to your country."
(to a Dutch journalist in his Barcelona years)

"Gentlemen of the press: congratulations. I am going."
(to the Spanish press on the day of his Barcelona dismissal)

"Don't take pictures of me when I touch my nose. You always do that, only so you can put a picture in the paper of me touching my nose."
 (to a Dutch photographer during his 'farewell speech' as Holland boss)

After his dismissal at FC Barcelona Van Gaal briefly worked as a football analyst during live matches on Holland's public television network NOS. Thursday 09 October 2003 marks the start of Louis van Gaal's third career in football: after careers as a player and a coach he will now become a director. His third career starts where the previous two also started: in Amsterdam. At his club: Ajax. (MP)

Source: Ajax.nl

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