Rijkaard Ready to Go Double Dutch?

Apologies for the awful pun, but that’s the sort of thing happens when someone is about to break football’s number one rule: never go back. Word from De Telegraaf is that Frank Rijkaard is on the KNVB’s four man shortlist to replace the departing Marco van Basten as Netherlands coach post-Euro 2008. If your memory’s jogging it’s probably because Rijkaard was already Netherlands coach at Euro 2000, when the co-hosts were only denied an appearance in the final by Francesco Toldo’s superhuman ability to save penalties.

Rijkaard resigned immediately after the game, managed Rotterdam for a while and then went on to win the Champions League with Barcelona. Not a bad resume, and I’m sure the Dutch job appeals to Rijkaard both as a clean getaway from Barca and as a chance to settle some unfinished international business. But I’ve got two words for Rijkaard: Howard Kendall.

Kendall enjoyed a fantastic spell at Everton in the 1980s, winning the FA Cup, the European Cup Winners Cup (RIP) and two league titles, but then left to try his luck in Spain with Bilbao after getting frustrated with English football’s European ban. Bilbao didn’t work out and neither did Man City, so from 1990-93 and again from 1997-8 Kendall made two disastrous attempts to recapture his glory days with the Toffees. Not only did he fail, but in doing so he took some of the shine off of his reputation at Everton.

Graham Taylor has a similarly sad tale at Aston Villa. After leading the club to second place in the English First Division in 1989-90, Taylor left to manage England. That went badly, but we don’t need to talk about that here, or ever. A second spell at Villa in 2002-3 was short lived and again damaged his good standing in the memories of Villa fans.

But while going back doesn’t work out in English club football, there’s a strong tradition of return when it comes to managing the Netherlands. The legend that is Rinus Michels had the job four times I think, including a 1974 World Cup final appearance and winning Euro ‘88, still the Netherlands only trophy. Leo Beenhakker and Dick Advocaat have also done the job more than once.

So maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for Rijkaard to follow in Michel’s footsteps and go back. He’s more experienced now than hwe was in Euro 2000, having coached one of the world’s biggest teams and delivered a major trophy. And though his first spell in charge wasn’t a disaster, it’s not as if he’s got a perfect reputation to ruin as Kendall and Taylor did.

But steady on, there are three other names on the shortlist: Bert van Marwijk, Fred Rutten and Co Adriaanse, none of whom have ever coached the Dutch national team before.