Dick Advocaat: Managing Rangers was the highlight of my career

[Taki]

didn't we almost have it all....

great times, shame he lost the plot in season 3.

There are a few "what ifs?"

• he should have appointed Jimmy calderwood as his "Scottish Assistant"- there was talk of that and it may have curbed some of his excesses and put in place a continuity plan.
• if he had arrived a year earlier he would have signed Larsson and the Celtic revival would never have happened. O'neill was a dinosaur who got lucky with Larsson.
• if Michael mols had never got injured we never would have signed Flo which began the road to financial Armageddon.

Flo was merely the full stop on that period. Murray had gone nuts from 1997 onwards.

Not sure about Larsson. Advocaat himself said he was surprised at how much he'd improved from his Feyenoord days. No means certain we'd have gone for him in 1997 under Advocaat.

 

[MrKatanga]

Flo was merely the full stop on that period. Murray had gone nuts from 1997 onwards.

Not sure about Larsson. Advocaat himself said he was surprised at how much he'd improved from his Feyenoord days. No means certain we'd have gone for him in 1997 under Advocaat.

take the point on Flo but Murray was desperate to spend 12 million. there wasn't a requirement to spend that money if Mols had remained fit. that said he was spending millions on diddy reserve keepers so Murray had lost the plot.

I am sure I read that Advocaat would have signed Laarson. it was possibly an interview with Wim Jansen.

 

[douzpwa]

It is almost as if we have to take even the good times, ponder and prod them until they bruise, reduce everything to rubbish and squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of anything Rangers before some are happy.

We have a cheek to get put out of joint when our detractors are negative.

We played some marvelous football, went toe to toe with some decent European outfits and looked every bit their match.

The little General is a respected man in the footballing world. Kind words from someone with such a high profile should be savored and enjoyed by Rangers fans as they are few and far between. Instead we (some of us anyway) get ripped into those words and pull it all apart.

I will just enjoy the compliment from a well traveled and highly regarded footballing figure. It is nice to see us mentioned in a positive light for a change.

As will I enjoy the compliment and you are spot on about some on here, we played some great football under this great manager!

 

[imager]

It was Carbonnier who was in goals at Ibrox.

You could rightly argue it was never a penalty in Munich however the truth of the matter is we played Bayern off the park in both games but didn't take enough of the numerous chances we had. As was the case in many European ties at that time.

it was Kahn who Mols jumped over in Munich.

 

[Mad John]

not many have a better career after Rangers .

manager or player .

 

[ANB55]

Shame his love for us never made him field a weakened team in Manchester...

 

[JD1872]

It was some summer transfer window when he first joined, we probably matched just about everyone in Europe that summer in terms of spending.

Can you imagine what it would have been like on here

 

[I.M.A.Bear]

It is almost as if we have to take even the good times, ponder and prod them until they bruise, reduce everything to rubbish and squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of anything Rangers before some are happy.

We have a cheek to get put out of joint when our detractors are negative.

We played some marvelous football, went toe to toe with some decent European outfits and looked every bit their match.

The little General is a respected man in the footballing world. Kind words from someone with such a high profile should be savored and enjoyed by Rangers fans as they are few and far between. Instead we (some of us anyway) get ripped into those words and pull it all apart.

I will just enjoy the compliment from a well traveled and highly regarded footballing figure. It is nice to see us mentioned in a positive light for a change.

The best post I've read in a long time.

 

[ontheline]

I find it very hard to criticize a manager who can coach a team score goals like this against one of Europe's finest

Regarding his spending. Walter bottled it for 2 year.
We should have been cashing in on some players when their price was at a premium and replaced.
The pressure for 9 in a row for every single Bear was too great and the nerve of breaking up a winning team, got to everyone. Too many had reached an age of retirement or had to be released.
Walter was also unlucky with Negri and Rosental.
Losing the league, Advocaat had to spend.

 

[JD1872]

I find it very hard to criticize a manager who can coach a team score goals like this against one of Europe's finest

Regarding his spending. Walter bottled it for 2 year.
We should have been cashing in on some players when their price was at a premium and replaced.
The pressure for 9 in a row for every single Bear was too great and the nerve of breaking up a winning team, got to everyone. Too many had reached an age of retirement or had to be released.
Walter was also unlucky with Negri and Rosental.
Losing the league, Advocaat had to spend.

Like watching a Dutch international team of old, patient build up followed by a sudden injection of quick decisive passing and movement

 

[Superrangers]

His team the best football I have seen from a Rangers side , I felt we had a chance against anyone and with some luck could have got to a Euro final under him.

Totally agree. We were robbed home and away against Munich. Dodgy free kick at Ibrox that then took a favourable deflection. Mols injury in Munich hit the woodwork was it three times? Only lost to a penalty.

 

[Mr Aqua]

I'm gutted thinking back, I was too young to appreciate that great team.

 

[portobear]

Haarlem...didn't realise he had a spell in charge of the Globetrotters

 

[Craigie]

I loved Dick......


.....and his style of football. In his first two years he gave us a swagger at home and in Europe. If Mols hadn't been assaulted in Munich I think we may have achieved amazing things.
The year before, after we beat Bayer Leverkusen, I remember Fabio Cappello being interviewed and asked which English team he most feared in the competition. "None of them. Only Glasgow Rangers."

Is this myth still being perpetuated?

 

[GourockBlue50]

spot on, truth be told. Not got much time for either of them

Don't see how you can turn this on DA??????????????/

 

[Popbear]

It is almost as if we have to take even the good times, ponder and prod them until they bruise, reduce everything to rubbish and squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of anything Rangers before some are happy.

We have a cheek to get put out of joint when our detractors are negative.

We played some marvelous football, went toe to toe with some decent European outfits and looked every bit their match.

The little General is a respected man in the footballing world. Kind words from someone with such a high profile should be savored and enjoyed by Rangers fans as they are few and far between. Instead we (some of us anyway) get ripped into those words and pull it all apart.

I will just enjoy the compliment from a well traveled and highly regarded footballing figure. It is nice to see us mentioned in a positive light for a change.

Superb post.
I hate that whenever he is mentioned now, we have to also bring in the negatives.
For me, from a pure footballing experience, it was amazing to watch. the euro nights especially. i actually felt confident every time even though the result did not always go our way.
Advocaat gave us a couple of great teams and many great times.

 

[billyblue7425]

He also gave me some of my days days watching the Rangers, Parma, Eindhoven, Sc*m etc.

 

[HendrixBear]

You can definitely question some of his signings but the football we played in his first two seasons was unreal at times. A welcome compliment from the little General.