Brilliant Orange

"1974 was actually very painful to us all," says Dutch psychoanalyst Anna Enquist. "We can't admit to ourselves that something can be so important. But it matters very much. There is still a deep, unresolved trauma about 1974. It's a very living pain, like an unresolved crime."

En Vincent zag het koren
En Einstein het getal
En Zeppelin de Zeppelin
En Johan zag de bal

(And Vincent saw the corn
And Einstein the number
And Zeppelin the Zeppelin
And Johan saw the ball)
--Dutch cabaret song

The intellectualisation of football has always foundered on a simple problem--the players. Doing all your most rewarding thinking with your feet seems to dull the philosophical impulse. Unless, of course, you are Dutch. According to legend, Europeans played a moronic, muscular version of the world's game, until Holland proclaimed its vision of total football in the 1974 World Cup, and enlightenment dawned.

In Brilliant Orange--the neurotic genius of Dutch football, journalist David Winner explores his personal fascination with the land that gave the world Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Johan Cruyff--searching for reasons why such a tiny country has produced some of football's most intelligent, enigmatic and unfulfilled teams.

Winter talks with the players, past and present--including Johnny Rep and Ruud Krol from the losing World Cup Final sides of 1974 and 1978--uncovering their personal experience of the public triumphs and disasters. But it is the breadth of his enquiry into what it may mean to be Dutch--reconciling a colonial past with a multi-cultural present; living with the memories of wartime occupation and collaboration; the tensions between a fiercely individualistic, libertarian spirit and the principles of communality--that makes this such an extraordinary and wonderful book. --Alex Hankin

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For sure! - Rated
I liked this book.

I was expecting, and hoping for, a training manual on 'total football' and an insight into how Dutch football is planned and structured. Although it didn't really meet my expectations, it did give a fascinating view on the history and resulting style of their beautiful game. With a little more depth on coaching philosphies and styles this book would have been perfect.

The idea behind Hollands inability to fulfill the hype and win trophies and their inevitable ability to choke at the crucial moment is nothing more than fascinating. The country as a whole seems to acknowledge this and almost expects failure, something I can only wish England fans could grasp.

I can't say I agree with all the comparisons between the Dutch way of life and the Dutch style of football; more clutching at straws than ground breaking. Can you really compare the productive use of space on a football pitch to the way a nation farms it's land?

Anyway, I really would recommend this book for any student of football and anyone wishing for an insight into Dutch life.

Much more than just a football book! - Rated
If the originality of the cover of this book is what attracted you to David Winner's excellent football book, then that is just a taste of what to expect. Surprisingly original and at times very abstract, Winner has managed to craft a book of spectacular inventiveness, combining examninations of Dutch architecture and insightful looks at Dutch football, Winner has created not only a dazzling look at Dutch football, but Dutch society aswell by using football as a looking-glass. I can't rate this book highly enough. An essential purchase.

Simply Brilliant - Rated
Solely by looking at the title of this book, 'Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football', you notice that this book simply could not have been written by Dutchman. The Dutch are often too polite to give themselves compliments, let alone write a whole book about how 'neurotically genius' and beautiful their own football is. That is why I'm so thankful that David Winner, the author of this book, admires Dutch football as much as I do and has dared to write a book about it.

Much of the beginning of the book consists of why Dutch football might be the way it is. Winner tries to find parallels between Dutch society, and the way they play football. Dutch football is based around the principle of collectivism and totality; everybody is expected to perform little tasks, and if they don't then they let down the whole team. If a left-back for example decides to join the attack, a midfielder is expected to momentarily take his place in the defense. If he doesn't, he leaves the defense vulnerable to attack, hence letting down the whole team.

Winner argues that this type of collectivistic attitude in football can be traced back to when the Dutch first started reclaiming land and building dikes. These were massive ordeals that could only progress smoothly when everyone flawlessly worked together. If one person didn't carry out his/her task properly, a large part of the country would be at risk of being flooded. Hence it required intense concentration and collaboration, characteristics which can both be seen in Dutch football.

Secondly, Dutch invented 'Total Football' is also based around the concept of manipulating space to your advantage. When in possession, you want to make the spaces as big as possible by playing to your wingers and standing far apart. This makes it extra hard for the opposition to defend. When not in possession, you want to make spaces as small as possible by standing very close together making it difficult for the opposition to penetrate. Winner argues that this concept derives from the fact that the Dutch live in such a small geographical area with so many people they always had to make the most efficient use of their space.

Towards the end of the book, Winner tries to investigate why the Dutch have always been 'underperformers' in football. Judged solely on the quality of their players, Winner argues that they should have won at least four World Cups (namely in 1974,1978, 1990, and 1998). However, Winner argues that they simply don't have the 'winning' mentality and they believe that playing attacking and attractive football is actually more important than winning. The Dutch team has also often been plagued by internal conflicts. Since the Dutch team is based so much on the collectivistic nature as explained before, internal conflicts can be fatal. They are also a quite common occurrence as Dutch players (or Dutch people in general) find it very hard to take orders from an authoritarian figure (coach). These often spark conflicts and cause the Dutch team to disintegrate.

Arrogance also plays a factor in their underperformance. Winner argues that before the Dutch even start a football game, they believe that they deserve to win because their footballing style is so much superior to that of the rest of the world. When they are leading a football game, such as in the World Cup final in 1974 against Germany, they make the mistake of believing to have already won it. Instead of pressing for another goal, they started mocking the Germans by outplaying them with their superior 'technical' skills, but failed to press for another goal. This aggravated the Germans, and forced them back into the game, eventually winning with 2-1.

Futhermore the book also explains the origins of the intense rivalry between the Dutch and the Germans. It also gives a brief overview of the most important international games played by the Dutch team. It sincerely deserves 5 stars, and is a suggested read for any football fan.

Brilliant Orange - Is Brilliant - Rated
Brilliant Orange - The neurotic genius of dutch football.

This fascinating book goes way beyond football. The main aim seems to be to explain Holland's fantastic footballing skills and how they still fail to deliver on the big stage.

David Winner takes the reader from the first developments in dutch football through to explaining or at least trying to explain the idea of total football, the great tensions between Holland and Germany and the in fighting of most dutch teams. All this is intertwined by deep discussions relating to Holland's place in the world, its art, economy and politics.

The book does touch on complex and debatable issues but that is what makes it. This is certainly not recommended for information on tactics or statistics; it really is a book about Holland and the Dutch. Well recommended, most people I'm sure will learn a great deal from the stories told here!

Graeme Parker

Insight into the heart of all Dutch fans - Rated
For years my friends have wondered why I was so obsessed about the Dutch and their football (I'm a Malaysian living in England!). I struggled to make them understand but this book explains why so brilliantly. The Dutch play football so breathtakingly (when things are going well) but have so little success to show for it. Strangely, it is this frustrating underachievement that makes them so fascinating. In many ways, their well-documented self-destruction is very much a reflection of their culture (not just the footballing one). There are sections in the book where Dutch football legends would say "if only the Dutch had this , if only they had that...on top of their skill...they would be perfect footballers". But that would take away their Dutchness...

One thing's for sure though...the day they finally win the World Cup, it won't be just the Dutch fans who would be cheering....it would mark the fulfilment of one of the greatest footballing phenomenons.