Bert van Marwijk Puts Pen to Paper to Replace Marco van Basten

The Dutch players will now go into Euro 2008 knowing exactly who their next boss will be. Marco van Basten is stepping down after the tournament and taking over at Ajax, so Bert van Marwijk has now inked a two year deal that takes him through World Cup 2010 qualifying and (he hopes) to the tournament itself.

Van Marwijk had one successful spell at Feyenoord from 2000-04 (where he won the UEFA Cup) and one unsuccessful spell with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga from 2004-06 (where he won nothing.) He’s been back at Feyenoord this season and the team currently sit fourth in the Eredivisie. Opinion of Dutch fans seems divided on how good an appointment Van Marwijk is.

But one man this has to be good news for is Mark Van Bommel. The Bayern midfielder has fallen out with Van Basten and almost definitely won’t be going to Euro 2008 for that reason. But van Marwijk is Van Bommel’s father-in-law, so that has to count for something when the post-Euro 2008 squads are selected, right?