All About Ruud

By: Laurie | November 9th, 2007

I’m still in info-gathering mode and not ready to jump to conclusions yet. But I’ll offer up some of the interesting things I’ve come across in my research:

First off, we have a “Damn. Wish I’d gotten to this first” post from Dan Loney, who is hereby banning the following headlines:

Galaxy Goes Dutch; Galaxy Experience Ruud Awakening; Galaxy In For Dutch Treat; Galaxy Will Dread Nought; Galaxy Choice a “Lock”

Got that, soccer writers/bloggers? Okay. Let’s move on. The LA Times has a piece that is mostly career retrospective but includes these interesting thoughts:

His most recent coaching role was back with his old club, Feyenoord, in 2004-05. Since then he has worked primarily in television in England and the Netherlands, once having Beckham and his wife, Victoria, on his talk show as guests.

Accustomed to playing alongside or coaching players of a much higher pedigree, the challenge for Gullit, who has shown a short fuse as coach, will be to accept that and also to accept the constraints imposed by MLS. That includes the inability to simply go out and improve the team by throwing money around as top European clubs do.

Next, Andrea Canales at Sideline Views has an e-mail from someone who calls Gullit a “larger than life character” (because we need more of those) and says:

Gullit was outstanding at Chelsea but was ultimately sacked for bringing in too many Black players. At one point up to seven of his starting line-up was Black. The official line was that he had a falling out with the chairman over his contract demands. But Gullit denied that.

There’s no way to vouch for the source, but it’s an interesting thought, no? And finally, Greg Lalas devotes part of an article on Goal.com to our new boy Ruud, including this:

Ruud Gullit is “interesting.” Since the news broke on Wednesday night that Gullit was taking over the Los Angeles Galaxy, the reaction among my cabal of soccer freaks has been universal: interesting. None of the usual negative stuff about foreign coaches in MLS, such as “Oh, he doesn’t understand the American player … he doesn’t know the MLS system of salary caps and college drafts … he’s going to fail … he’s going to be disappointed …” The fact that people aren’t saying that means something. Not everything, but something.

I’m thinking that the fireworks in the upcoming year will make me glad I’m still here as The Offside’s Galaxy blogger.

Some Related Galaxy Posts:

Category: Preparing for 2008, Team News

« Back from Vancouver and We Have a New Coach | Home | Cobi Jones is Galaxy’s New Assistant Coach! »

Kaka

Yeah, finally we might just get a taste of european football in our soil...cant wait for te season to start!
Diane

JustJ, thank you SO much for the interview link. I'm a Gullit fan -- can you send the vidoes too when you're done? Hmm, smart men in sports...
Diane

Terry Byrne is 100% sports related.

It was a huge bruha when Beckham left his sports management company, SFX, to go to 19 Entertainment, but in a bizarre fun big-business gossip twist (I can't remember names and dates now, but can find for you later if you want) the two companies have SOMEHOW ended up under the same umbrella. Business-wise, Byrne however, goes wherever Beckham goes to do the sports thing. People talk about how Beckham can separate the pitch from the "brand." Having that one steady sports person he trusts over at the office, making sure that doesn't get overshadowed, is probably a big priority.

Simon Fuller comes in handy in doing things like putting the commercial package together for Gullit that made him financially happy enough to go to the Galaxy.
Laurie

Diane, you just crystallized my thoughts. Yes to everything you say, expecially the desire for more fundamentals and more coach-management fireworks. I'm looking forward to this!

Although I'm a little troubled that Beckham's management company helped with the search. Are we talking Simon Fuller, or was this sports related?
Diane

A few thoughts:

1) You don't have to look as far as a talk show encounter to connect Gullit to Beckham. AEG asked Beckham's management company to help with coach search; Beckham's friend and personal manager, Terry Byrne, was the physio for Chelsea (as well as the England NT) when Gullit played and coached there. It may be true that Beckham wasn't personally involved in the search, but he trusts Terry Byrne with all things sports related. (Byrne also spent a couple of years at Watford as GM, should we connect him to Yallop who was born there? No? I guess not ;-) ).

2) It annoyed me hugely when Lalas said they were looking for a sexy (rather than, say, competent for example) coach on Monday, but it should have been a big clue as the term sexy football was popularized re Gullit. Of course everything Lalas says annoys me.

3) As a manager Gullit's problems have largely centered around his clashes with management. Aren't we DIEING for someone to clash with management? Never knew what the Chelsea clash was about exactly, so thanks to Andrea for that fascinating scoop. One of the reasons I remember Gullit is because it was a bit controversial that he was public about opposition to apartheid.
I'd be interested to know if he had power struggles (or the alleged "short fuse") with teammates and the players he coached or just those in authority over him. Again, if it turns out he can also coach, the latter would make him lots of fun.

4) Football: if he grew up in the "Dutch School" and coaches from that book, he might be able to help bring out a bit more hidden fundamentals-potential (or at least sharpness)in existing players, since he's not getting a buying spree in January. I was watching an interview with Chris Klein who said that one of the most important thing Beckham brings to the team is his work ethic. Gullit, along with all those brilliant Dutchmen, is known for that as well. Don't know if that will have any impact on pre-season, and therefore beyond...its a hope I guess.

5) And once again to Alexi: if you are going to pull in the klieg lights, fireworks, and world press, shouldn't you worry a little more about what you're pointing them at FIRST!!!? You are not ALWAYS ready for your close-up (twit).

Since I'm completely naive and optimistic (when not conjuring complicated conspiracy theories), I'm hoping the coach-player thing works well, and the coach-management thing kicks ass -- upwards of course.
Melissa

Can't think of a more appropriate way to bring back THE BIGGEST RIVALRY IN MLS EVER
JustJack

Thanks, Melissa for that Canales article link! I have the boxes up from the garage and am combing through them (my VCR is old and tired). This closer in Andrea's piece grabbed me: "As such, the Dutchman has already beaten some long odds. If he can bring to MLS some of the "total football" approach that his own coach, Michels, once championed, then Gullit will truly be a pioneer." Yeah baby, if we got to see real futbol instead of the 'Merkan knock-around crap, I will need to wear a diaper.
Laurie

Also, I’ll be practicing my limerick writing skills over the off-season.

Are you saying I'm a role model?

Whoa. That's a scary thought.
JustJack

Yootoob has a nifty interview with Ruud on the sacking of the Special One from September 24, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... And there's a bazillion clips of his antics when he was a player with AC Milan.
(Laurie, do HTML tags work in these comment thingies?)

As I was wandering around in a WGA strike related funk, muttering Ruud Gullit over and over again... trying to conjure up why the name sounded familiar but for the life of me, I just couldn't think of who he was, er is, I was chastised bitterly by Ms. Jack who pointed out that down in the garage there are a bazillion VHS tapes of 1990's Chelsea, where he was a player-manager. "He's the guy that got us Gianfranco Zola, ya' dolt!" OH! THAT guy!

If my crusty, crumbly memory now in the process of re-animation serves, I had the same reaction in '98 (I think?) when he was sacked as when The Special One got sacked by Rich Boy. I was traumatized. SO now he comes to LA.... totally awesome. I hope he gets La-la-boy in lots of trouble, humiliates him to no end in the press, gets him fired from AEG. I hope he benches Lando (who's probly moving to San-ho anyway) into becoming a consistent fwd and gets him on some OCD meds. I doubt he'll bench Becks, but I am confident he won't damage him as this "season's" management did. There's no end to the damage Ruud will do to the obstacles (players, management) that stand in the path of LA glory. I'm quietly hoping this will be the very best thing for us. And if he regrows the dreads... and we retain Cobi at his side, we'll look positively smashing at the very least.
Melissa

Re: Landycackes

On that - here's a thought. Can the guy just take a pay cut? You know, Cobi did this past season. Or how about Donovan takes a pay cut and The Galaxy pays off his mortgage or something like that. See? It all works out for EVERYBODY (including San Ho).
Ronny

Wow..Im starting to think LALAs is making us look more like a glamour team than he is a Contender. How LALAs still retained his job boggles my mind, i just hope Ruud can light the fuse in LANOD's and Becks behind... Because these two playing a whole season together could be really scary.(off course when we find a way to keep LANDO, And i hope we do).
Melissa

I beat him to it - that article about Landycakes having lunch with Yallop was the last straw.

Also, I'll be practicing my limerick writing skills over the off-season.
Laurie

Melissa, Congrats on the new blogging gig. I told Bob he should contact you about it. Did he, or did you beat him to it?
Melissa

(Hey, its australia.worldcupblog.org melissa... my new login is a preview of whats to come but I'm in some sort of internet limbo in the meantime)

Andrea Canales also wrote a great story about Gullit and why foreign coaches typically have problems with MLS teams. Namely, she points out, this dude could be the kick in the pants to motivate the Gals... whoever finally winds up on the roster next year.

Either way, from the fans up north - ITS ON!