ASSISTANT coaches of the Trinidad and Tobago football team Whim Rijsbergen and Theo De Jong are back together again, seeking to repeat the moment in 1974 when they both participated in a FIFA World Cup, as well as winning the Dutch League and UEFA (European) Cup titles with their club Feyenoord.
This time around, the Dutch duo would not be partaking as players, but as coaches, once the national team can secure a spot in the 2006 World Cup finals, ironically, in Germany.
More than three decades ago, Rijsbergen, who played as a defender, and De Jong, who was a midfielder, were part of the Netherlands team that lost 2-1 to West Germany in the final, ranked by many as one of the best ever matches in the history of the World Cup.
The pair was drafted into the technical staff by Leo Beenhakker after his appointment as TT coach last April, with Rijsbergen having a hands-on role during team training sessions while De Jong has been regularly assigned with scouting duties of the team’s forthcoming opponents.
As is the case with their footballing duties, Rijsbergen and De Jong are a contrast off the field, with the 53-year-old Rijsbergen stocky and approachable while the powerfully-built 58-year-old De Jong is soft-spoken and shy.
Rijsbergen has described his stay in Trinidad thus far as "a very nice experience."
"We were surprised by the people, they’re very enthusiastic here," he added.
As a coach working with the national team, Rijsbergen was quick to point out that there is a big gap between the standard of the players who are involved in overseas clubs and those based here in TT.
"That’s why you see that every time we try to get most of the players from abroad because they play on a higher level," he conceded. "And that’s why it should be good if there was more time to get the mixture from the local guys and the professionals from abroad because then you’ll see that the guys from here would be getting better if they have the chance to play in a more frequent way with those guys.
"Because why do we bring those guys from abroad to exchange the experience from Dwight Yorke or Russell Latapy lately to make these local guys like Aurtis Whitley, Densil Theobald, Anton Pierre or David Atiba Charles better," Rijsbergen continued.
He is also concerned about the length of time it takes for the overseas-based pros to integrate with the local players ahead of international matches.
"That’s one of the biggest problems we have," he said. "There’s almost no time to work together.
"You’ve seen in the games we’ve played so far that there’s always a couple of days to work with these guys and that’s a pity because if (we) have more time then I think we would have (a better) chance to qualify.
Rijsbergen has had personal highs and lows of World Cup football, having represented his country in 1974 (in West Germany) and 1978 (in Argentina). But, as was the case in ’74, the Dutch were beaten by the hosts in the final four years later, 3-1 in extra time.
"As a player, I’ve been working with the best coaches in the world," said Rijsbergen. "For example, in Holland, with (Rinus) Michels, and when I was playing (with) New York Cosmos (in late 1970s) with Pele and (Franz) Beckenbauer. "We had some wonderful coaches like Hennes Weismiller from Germany and Professor (Dr Julio) Mazzei from Brazil. When I was playing in Holland together with Theo in Feyenoord we had some wonderful coaches from Yugoslavia.
"I’ve seen some wonderful coaches and when I retired, when I was 36, I started with the youth of Ajax when (Johann) Cruyff was the head coach," Rijsbergen continued. "I started as a youth coach because I think, if you want to become a coach, you have to understand the youth before you can start with the adults.
After working with a number of clubs in his homeland, Rijsbergen moved on to Universidad Catolica in Chile and was also based in Saudi Arabia before joining Beenhakker at Club America in Mexico.
"We had a good relation(ship) so that’s why we ended up working here," said Rijsbergen. "I’ve enjoyed every day so far."
Questioned about his job here with the national team, he replied, "that’s one of the things I like to do, travel and meet other people (who) are wonderful in these islands.
"There is some crime but we’re not involved in that kind of stuff," he affirmed. "The people are very friendly, the social part is nice but the players are willing to learn and it’s always nice to talk with the experienced players and see where we can get a positive result.
"I enjoy it so far and hopefully we can continue because that’s the goal."
De Jong, on the other hand, has described his time here as "okay." But, from a coach’s point of view, he thinks more work should have been done to develop the players in the local leagues so they can measure up to international standard.
"We were willing to train more with the local guys, with the players who have the possibility to play in the national team," he lamented. "We wanted to train once a week but (the clubs) don’t give us that opportunity to do this.
"And that’s why, at the end, with a group of players now we (have) maybe three (or) four on the national team," continued De Jong. "We were willing to try to improve these players in the local competition. We must get the opportunity from everybody."
Is it a give and take situation between the national team’s management and the clubs?
"We are willing, we are here," he avowed.
"We wanted to take this opportunity to give our experience from our level to bring to the players to try to get (them) better so that the gap between the England players and the local players here (can be) closer together. But okay, that’s a pity."
De Jong is contented with his role as the team’s scout and the experience he brings in that department.
"I (took) the job because we are three coaches and one has to do it," he stated.
"When I started to train as coach, I took up scouting and making (analysis) for my team," he continued. "I’m okay with this role. "I try to find the strong points of the opponents and weak points and we are talking this over," De Jong added. "We are trying to make tactics for when we play against those teams. I like it."
Looking back at his time as a coach, De Jong revealed, while he likes attacking football, he uses all the experiences and knowledge that he learnt from the tacticians he played under.
"I try to bring this over to my team and you take (what you learn) in your soccer career (and) experiences from (the coaches)," he said.
"These experiences I bring and I talk it over with Leo and Whim and then we decide what we can do with the team. So we are talking things over and Leo is making the decisions, how to do and what to do."
And De Jong has adapted nicely to the way of life here in Trinidad. "I like it here," he said. "Sometimes it’s too humid but it’s fairly okay."