Customer Reviews

Brillant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will tell you right off that I've been waiting for this book for 26 years. I, like the author, fell for the "total football" of Ajax Amsterdam (a Dutch soccer club which won three consecutive European Cups-'71,'72,'73) and the Dutch national soccer team, which impressed the world during the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. Being an American, I was starved for information about this generation of players who brought a revolution in tactical thinking to world soccer. I'm sure a lot was written about them at the time (some still is), but most of it was not in English or not easily availble in the States. I was convinced at the time that the progressive thinking of these teams must be, in some part, a function of the Dutch mentality. This book is an attempt to show that connection. The chapters essentially alternate between factual information and interviews with some former players and coaches and factual information and interviews with people unrelated to soccer but involved in other creative areas, i.e. architecture, art, etc. The book is not all about the positive side, either. The Dutch national soccer team has had a history of self-destructing at important tournaments and this too is linked with certain aspects of Dutch thinking.

The book also covers some of the more recent vintages of Ajax and the Dutch national team in the same way. This shows not only a continuity of cultural thought, but also helps to deal with situations that occurred after the early '70's, such as the influx of other ethnicities into the soccer teams, and the accompanying problems this brought.

"Brilliant Orange" is essential reading for all those who love Dutch soccer. But it will also be entertaining and insightful for anyone interested in the way cultural thought manifests itself in specific areas of life.

Pele famously called soccer "the beautiful game" and at last here is a book that does justice to that thought. It charts the Dutch soccer renaissance that flowered from the late 60s, how Dutch culture shaped it and the way that historical events in soccer have themselves influenced Dutch culture and recent history. It's a touching, intelligent and insightful masterpiece.

Just as the Beatles and the Swinging 60s marked a turning point in Britain, so the new spirit in soccer marked a cultural watershed in the Netherlands. A key figure of those heady days was the prodigiously gifted and outspoken Johann Cruyff, cited by the author as probably the most important and best-known Dutch person alive. Here was a player of such intelligence and physical skill that even ballet superstar Rudolph Nureyev watched him in fascination.

David Winner has doggedly researched his subject, meeting and interviewing many of the key figures. They speak with a distinctive voice and overall the writing evokes a strong sense of place, people and events - not least the (self) defeat of the Dutch in the 1974 World Cup final against Germany. "How come you understand our country so well?" a Dutchman asked me after I shared some of the book's insights with him.

This is an outstanding read for anyone interested in soccer, anyone who has Dutch friends or has ever been to the Netherlands or ever intends to go there. Not to mention anyone who is interested in the importance of sport in the life of societies and nations.

This is not just a book for football (soccer) fanatics, although it helps. As Mr. Winner explains, it's his attempt to get to the bottom of Dutch football, albeit in a multidisciplinary sort of way. The creation of space on offense and the destruction of space on defense both have historical and geographical roots; likewise, the Dutch refusal to win the big one can be traced to socio-cultural factors. You can read it again and again -- the beauty of its organization (squad numbers, not chapters) makes it ideal for idle flipping, for lunch-time readings, for chapter-hopping and quick dips. A sheer joy -- you learn a lot, you'll press it on friends, you'd lend it out more if it weren't so good.

this was the best book i have read about soccer. the only books i can usually find about soccer have to do with coaching and drills. if you are interested in soccer beyond this level, this is the book for you. i have always compared playing soccer to "playing" life. and this book connects the too. but in a brilliant dutch way.
as a young soccer coach, this book gave me ideas about how to teach my players and make them understand the beauty of soccer.
i have travelled to the netherlands and even have a dutch girlfriend. this book explains there behavior just the way they explain it to the rest of the world. and when i am there i can see how they value space and take advantage of all that they have in an organized and effecient manner. this is then translated to the soccer field in a totalfootball explosion.

Not only does this book take you in to the mind of Dutch soccer geniuses like Cruyff, Michels, etc. it gets into the mindset of the Dutch themselves. I also loved the stuff on the 1978 World Cup Dutch team which is probably my fave, even more than 1974., for making it to the Final without Cruyff, Krol and other top stars who boycotted the tourny.

For anyone who wants to understand what makes the Dutch tick on and off the soccer field.

Bought this book expecting a simple linear explanation of how Dutch soccer went from "there" to "here" and was blown away by how much more the book contains. First, it is anything but linear with even the chapter designations bearing no resemblance to chronology. Further, it often times reminds you of a James Burke "Connections" episode as the author ties in aspects of the social upheaval, changes in the artistic and architectural expression going on in mid-century Holland to how their approach to soccer developed.

It is a fascinating book even for those who may not be that interested in soccer.

A great book on so many levels. More than just a book about soccer, but the whole philosophy behind the culture around it in the Netherlands. Could be interesting to those not so passionate about soccer, but without my interest in the game I would never have looked into it. A super book for any fan. I read Hornby's Fever Pitch immediately after Brilliant Orange. Talk about different philosophies! Highly recommended.

Simply the best book i have read about football. This gives massive insight into the culture of the dutch people and of their football. The connections are simple and intriguing. This book does not warrant a long review. In simple terms... Buy it, if you don't you are missing out.

First a list of all the things this book is not about

This won't give you all the records and statistics of Dutch football.

Doesn't have a chronological history of the game in the country. Doesn't talk in detail about all their great players, great matches or great clubs. To sum it up, this book isn't the best preparatory material for a quiz on Dutch football. You might even end up in last place.

In that sense, it is quite unlike most of the books written about a country or a club's football history and culture. In fact, the writer often goes on for pages without even talking about football, forget Dutch football. And yet, it is in my humble opinion ( as well as that of most people who write reviews on Amazon.com and [...]) quite easily the best book on Dutch football.

Because David Winner's book deals with something much more profound and goes much deeper in its investigation.

It talks about the mental makeup of the Dutch nation - why they are what they are?

It does a very good job of explaining a lot of other Dutch peculiarities - and I use that word because the Dutch are the antithesis of a conformist regular normal world. And in doing so it answers the questions about Dutch football. Why and how the Dutch came up with Total Football? Why the Dutch lose all the important matches? Why the players always get into fights? Why it is wrong to call the Netherlands the Brazil of Europe? The Dutch concept of nationalism and patriotism? And the Dutch definition of a good footballer?

If Dutch football was a living person then this book makes it very clear that the head is the most important organ; more valuable than the feet. And then it does what Freud would have tried to do - study the person's head.

And that ways, the book is very aptly named. And David Winner has written a book unlike any other.

Two of the fascinating concepts that this book deals with are individualism and space - and explains that both are as much a part of the national fabric as of their approach to football. Individualism is not the freedom to do whatever he feels like but to retain a strong sense of the self while still keeping the collective in mind. And space is to create space where there is none - something the country below sea level does on an ongoing basis.

A special mention must be made of a very fine introduction by Franklin Foer who makes a very interesting analogy that the richness of football is like a cultural Galapagos.

This book is like a fine meal. You need to eat slowly and savour every morsel. It might bore the casual fan as he looks to read about the feats of the all conquering Ajax side of the early seventies. The least he is expecting is a chapter on the three consecutive European triumphs. But all he gets is bits and pieces, here and there.

But if he can soldier on, he will have the pleasure of reading one of finest books written on football. He will see the Dutch in a new light and might just become an Oranje supporter for life (The Dutch have been one of my favourite teams but after this book, I got an Orange jersey to wear during the World Cup)

You will not win the quiz but you will surely win the paper writing competition on Dutch football.

Rating - Five out of Five all the way.

Not only about the sport of soccer, but provides great insight into the culture of the Dutch!