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Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-12-06 05:51:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Winner
  • ISBN：0747553106
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Summary

"Brilliant Orange" is a book about Dutch soccer that's not really about Dutch soccer。 It's more about an enigmatic way of thinking peculiar to a people whose landscape is unrelentingly flat， mostly below sea level， and who owe their salvation to a boy who plugged a fractured dike with his little finger。 If any one thing， "Brilliant Orange" is about Dutch space and a people whose unique conception of it has led to some of the most enduring art， the weirdest architecture， and a bizarrely cerebral form of soccer--Total Football--that led in 1974 to a World Cup finals match with arch-rival Germany and more recently to a devastating loss against Spain in 2010。 With its intricacy and oddity， it continues to mystify and delight observers around the world。 As David Winner wryly observes， it is an expression of the Dutch psyche that has a shared ancestry with the Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie，" Rembrandt's "The Night Watch"， maybe even with Gouda cheese。
Finally here in paperback， "Brilliant Orange" reaches out to the reader from an unexpected place and never lets go。

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Reviews

Alex Still ，

An original and thought-provoking history of modern Dutch football that links its development to the country’s culture， politics， society， architecture and geography。 Grounded in the concept of Total Football and Holland’s defeat in the 1974 World Cup final， it also looks at the emergence of Ajax as a force in European club football and the quintessentially Dutch tendency for self-implosion despite having outrageously talented players at their disposal。 The picture interval and the （shirt） chapt An original and thought-provoking history of modern Dutch football that links its development to the country’s culture， politics， society， architecture and geography。 Grounded in the concept of Total Football and Holland’s defeat in the 1974 World Cup final， it also looks at the emergence of Ajax as a force in European club football and the quintessentially Dutch tendency for self-implosion despite having outrageously talented players at their disposal。 The picture interval and the （shirt） chapter on players of Surinamese heritage were particular highlights for me。 。。。more

Austen Barden ，

Really promising start to the book with outrageous connections between Dutch football and architecture， art， and politics。 However， the author seems to lose focus on the tactics and theory; this leads to more individual chapters with a focus around a particular event。 The later chapters do connect somewhat to the supposed over-arching theme， but feel a lot less relevant and exhausted add-ons。 Time also seemed to move much slower towards the ends， he lost his witty voice and footballing IQ to mor Really promising start to the book with outrageous connections between Dutch football and architecture， art， and politics。 However， the author seems to lose focus on the tactics and theory; this leads to more individual chapters with a focus around a particular event。 The later chapters do connect somewhat to the supposed over-arching theme， but feel a lot less relevant and exhausted add-ons。 Time also seemed to move much slower towards the ends， he lost his witty voice and footballing IQ to more “ooh and then this happened in 2000， here’s a 3 page quote that says what happened with much less insight than previous pages would’ve given。”Great read though， made me fall in love with Dutch Football Culture even more so， it conjured a great desire to watch through more of the Golden Age Dutch matches。 。。。more

Jalean ，

this book ir absolutely addictive

Waleed ，

3。5*

Raul Bazan ，

Was pretty fun to read， had some nice pictures。 Every book should have some pictures。

Borek Slangen ，

Erg vermakelijk， erg 2000。

Ian ，

Each chapter offers a short essay blending the story of Dutch football—its character and history and heroes—into the larger tapestry of the Dutch themselves， their national character。 Clever and more often than not， convincing。 For fans of football but also for fans of learning about foreign cultures， this was almost a travel writing piece in that respect。 One need not love “soccer” to enjoy Winner’s book。

Juan Pablo ，

The seventies are now a long time ago。

Bert van der Vaart ，

First written in 2000， this book is still being printed。 Why？ It is not just a book about soccer--and in particular not just a book about soccer as played and taught by Johan Cruyff （"total football"）。 The book does that， and very well if you are a soccer nut--but more than that， it seeks to relate the art of Dutch football circa 1973-2000 to both the inherent characteristics of the Netherlands--spatially， historically and culturally。 It also touches on whether characteristics such as "how you p First written in 2000， this book is still being printed。 Why？ It is not just a book about soccer--and in particular not just a book about soccer as played and taught by Johan Cruyff （"total football"）。 The book does that， and very well if you are a soccer nut--but more than that， it seeks to relate the art of Dutch football circa 1973-2000 to both the inherent characteristics of the Netherlands--spatially， historically and culturally。 It also touches on whether characteristics such as "how you play the game" is more important than "winning"。 In those vectors， the book does brilliantly。On relating "total football" to the Dutch character and history， Winner （a Brit not a Dutchman）， does a good job relating the severe awareness of land and how you use it to a nation that is among the most crowded country in the world。 The fluidity of the Dutch midfielders and even defense--switching players so as to exploit open field， and crowding the other team away from the Dutch goal through the defensive offside trap--are two of the core principles making Dutch soccer/voetbal of this age so spectacular。Written in 2000， with a revised forward in 2008， the book asks: are all good things destined to end？ For Total Voetbal， the key threats seem to be money/television， as well as the trend to muscle/brawn away from what the book would say is finesse and intelligence。First， money。 As television/cable expanded the money available to premier league， Spanish or even German soccer leagues， Dutch players left Ajax--Amsterdam's key professional side--to make more money。 Even coming back to play for their countries， the influence of young players being paid enormous amounts of money mean that they took more care of themselves and gave less notice to others--least of all perhaps their coaches。 According to Winner， "total voetbal" took teamwork and humility--teamwork in a way that did not lead to the achievement of the metrics for which a player was able to get the top dollars。 Secondly， it required harder work and practice than the sheer athletic speed and muscle more associated with the game today。 As Ajax began losing--first to teams in the Dutch league like PSV which emphasized winning at all cost， and then to the other teams in the Europa Cup annual contests， the "magic" began to flow out。 Instead of playing "beautifully" or "creatively"， coaches and players were rewarded for winning。Winner records the arguments made by journalists， older football players and voices around the world--should the Dutch stay true to the genius of Cruyff and his teammates--who arguably performed at the apex of modern football playing a 4-3-3？ Or should we bow down to the inevitable victory assured to the teams with the greatest brute strength and athleticism characterized by the 4-4-2 configuration？ Is there a hope that the glorious near misses should be celebrated as much as the ugly victories？Winner writes well， while packing a lot in his sentences。 One example regarding a brilliant exhibition of football by Dennis Bergkamp against Argentina in 1998: "'Very good by Dennis Bergkamp，' says van Gelder， rather like an art critic describing the Sistine Chapel as 'nice'。"Intriguingly， Winner compares Holland's largest airport--Schiphol--with Total Voetbal。 Recounting the brilliant use of space and flexibility in terms of modular changes to the airport， he bewails the fact that gradually the airport began to prioritize shopping and other revenue generating activities: "In an airport you want the best flows， the most obvious route from one point to another。 In a shopping centre you want people to get lost。。。So you have to combine that in the airport where it is changing from a machine for traffic into a machine to generate money。"Can Schiphol be the best of both？ Can Dutch voetbal be the best of both a game dedicated to beauty and innovation， as well as consistently victorious？Winner's expert analysis on this theme makes this book more than a dated chronology of Dutch soccer and instead a vivid image of one of the key themes against which we all should be aware of our choices: should we seek to soar brilliantly in an endeavour with teammates and community， even if with a greater degree of risk， or should we muscle our way into a result that is in the first instance "profit maximizing" for ourselves？ A great question for any of us to consider。 。。。more

Mark Sullivan ，

Cruyff’s teams of the 70s thrilled me and were a major influence on my love for the game。 I found this a fun recollection and interesting on how the Netherlands was changing at the same time

Andrew Samworth ，

I first bought this book as a holiday read in the early\mid 2000's but lost it in transit。 So it was nice to pick up again these years later。 Nothing Life changing but an enjoyable sift over all。 For me there is always something romantic about dutch football （any old football really） so enjoyed the general gist and anecdotes this book offered。 Final chapter is （I guess） an an update into the 2010 world cup final in South Africa， writing style seems more concise and frankly better written。 I first bought this book as a holiday read in the early\mid 2000's but lost it in transit。 So it was nice to pick up again these years later。 Nothing Life changing but an enjoyable sift over all。 For me there is always something romantic about dutch football （any old football really） so enjoyed the general gist and anecdotes this book offered。 Final chapter is （I guess） an an update into the 2010 world cup final in South Africa， writing style seems more concise and frankly better written。 。。。more

Graziano Pagliarulo ，

That is an essay on Dutch culture。 Winner draws an hyperbolic link between every Dutch aspects and football。 Most of the time it seems plausible。 A lot of experts have been questioned， none has been abused。

Roger Marc Bond Choquette ，

Absolutely lovely， nothing more。

Murat ，

Hollanda Milli takımının 3 Dünya Kupası Finali kaybetmesinin Hollandalıların hayata bakışı ve karakterleriyle analizini de içeren ve Hollanda futboluna sosyolojik bir bakış açısıyla bakan çok hoş bir kitap

Bhargav Joglekar ，

Really interesting comparisons here and a great insight into learning how the Dutch view their football。 Must-read for every Oranje fan！

Kyle Worrell ，

Excellent read， that explains every bit as much about Dutch culture， architecture and politics， than it does about Dutch football and that is to the book's benefit。 By taking the well worn "Boys of Summer" approach to the topic， the passage links to the wider scope are able to flow naturally from the conversations with the Dutch greats from the magical 1970-1974 era of "Total Football"。 I had known before reading this， that 1978 team was quite a bit different from the 1974 team but now I know ju Excellent read， that explains every bit as much about Dutch culture， architecture and politics， than it does about Dutch football and that is to the book's benefit。 By taking the well worn "Boys of Summer" approach to the topic， the passage links to the wider scope are able to flow naturally from the conversations with the Dutch greats from the magical 1970-1974 era of "Total Football"。 I had known before reading this， that 1978 team was quite a bit different from the 1974 team but now I know just how much different。 In truth， this book explains not only the 1974 Dutch squad， but every Dutch side I have ever seen。 Recommend， even to those with only a passing interest in the Beautiful Game。 Warning， expect to spend quite a bit of time on YouTube， watching the events described in the book。 。。。more

Silvia ，

I feared this book might be outdated by now and I was right。 The "update" really just is an added chapter at the end， the rest is unchanged and ends at the Euro 2000。 In the final chapter， the author already mentions some changes himself， but it left me doubting to which extent the rest still is true。 I know the football-related parts have changed a lot and I also know that some of the other things have changed （as he mentions）， but I can't know how much and what changed exactly。 There are inter I feared this book might be outdated by now and I was right。 The "update" really just is an added chapter at the end， the rest is unchanged and ends at the Euro 2000。 In the final chapter， the author already mentions some changes himself， but it left me doubting to which extent the rest still is true。 I know the football-related parts have changed a lot and I also know that some of the other things have changed （as he mentions）， but I can't know how much and what changed exactly。 There are interesting things in this book， but not throughout it。 Needless to say that even the update is more than ten years old by now。 。。。more

Horatio ，

A book about the history of Dutch football， with a particular emphasis on the world-beating Total Football teams of the 1980s。 Winner explores the evolution of Dutch football history and culture by also extrapolating from other aspects of Dutch culture and life such as architecture and socially-accepted behaviours。 While the links felt tenuous at times， I appreciated how he tried to provide an explanation for how the free-flowing Dutch form of football came to be in the form of very interesting A book about the history of Dutch football， with a particular emphasis on the world-beating Total Football teams of the 1980s。 Winner explores the evolution of Dutch football history and culture by also extrapolating from other aspects of Dutch culture and life such as architecture and socially-accepted behaviours。 While the links felt tenuous at times， I appreciated how he tried to provide an explanation for how the free-flowing Dutch form of football came to be in the form of very interesting hypotheses。 I also found it interesting how he discusses the "modernisation" of Dutch football by juxtaposing their beautiful football from the 1970s and 1980s with the 2010 World Cup Final performance （Nigel De Jong Kungfu kick on Xabi Alonso， anyone？）， lamenting the death of playing the "proper way" but also grudgingly acknowledging that the national consensus among the younger generation was that winning was more important （something something national pride and excuse to get together to party）。。。On a whole， this was a book I found a little draggy， but interesting read nonetheless！ 。。。more

Ryan ，

I like to read about things I know next to nothing about。 Before， all I knew about Dutch football was they wore orange， their major team shares its name with a brand of bleach， and their players have names like Ruud Gullit。 （‘Rude Hurl-it。’）This isn’t really about Dutch football as the idea of it - how they play， and why。 The best chapter is ‘dutch space is different’ which links geographical influence and spatial awareness to playing style:‘The Italians welcome and lull you and seduce you into I like to read about things I know next to nothing about。 Before， all I knew about Dutch football was they wore orange， their major team shares its name with a brand of bleach， and their players have names like Ruud Gullit。 （‘Rude Hurl-it。’）This isn’t really about Dutch football as the idea of it - how they play， and why。 The best chapter is ‘dutch space is different’ which links geographical influence and spatial awareness to playing style:‘The Italians welcome and lull you and seduce you into their soft embrace， and score a goal like the thrust of a dagger。 The Dutch make their geometric patterns。 In a Vermeer， the pearl twinkles。 You can say， in fact， that the twinkling of the pearl is the whole point of Vermeer。 The whole painting is leading to this moment， the way the whole of football leads to the overhead goal of Van Basten。’Sometimes the tactic feels a bad fit， more so as the book goes on - the ‘football is war’ chapter almost falls apart entirely。 Few sensible men， you’d hope， would seriously compare suicide to losing a cup final - and yes， I am writing this the day the England team plays in one for the first time since 1966。This is going to be the first in a series of sports-related book reviews。 Dependent on which arrive first， the next should be about legendary manager Brian Clough （the Mrs is a Derby County die-hard）。 。。。more

Wilte ，

Good read on how Dutch football exemplifies Dutch culture and the cross references between them。 Winner is definitely a fan， and he makes some nice observations （being Dutch myself， I can’t objectively judge them; some made me feel proud， others slightly embaressed）。 He mainly covers end of 19-sixties upto the European Championship in 2000。 Great mix of sport， history and sociology。 Fairly high brow for a football book; certainly worth a read。

d a miller ，

Total FootballReally enjoyed the analogy between Football & the Dutch Lifestyle， quite enlightening。 Cruyff remembered comes across as a little spiky。

Ross Hammersley ，

this was truly a fantastic read for a soccer nerd like me; hits all the highlights of what makes Dutch football what it is today， with a lot of interviews and commentary from those who have helped shape it that way。 David Winner's writing is both conversational and very descriptive， as well as being a bit off the wall where it needs to be; I'm not sure the subject matter is of a very wide level of interest， but for me this was a great book。 this was truly a fantastic read for a soccer nerd like me; hits all the highlights of what makes Dutch football what it is today， with a lot of interviews and commentary from those who have helped shape it that way。 David Winner's writing is both conversational and very descriptive， as well as being a bit off the wall where it needs to be; I'm not sure the subject matter is of a very wide level of interest， but for me this was a great book。 。。。more

James ，

Winner had talked to a lot of key figures in Dutch football and wider society， and had some original things to say about Dutch culture。 I just found a lot of it thoroughly uninteresting or intellectualised to a silly extent。This wasn't so much about Dutch football as about The Netherlands and football， although the author was upfront about this。 This could have been fine， but this resulted in lots of unwarranted parallels between Dutch society and the particular aspect of football he was talking Winner had talked to a lot of key figures in Dutch football and wider society， and had some original things to say about Dutch culture。 I just found a lot of it thoroughly uninteresting or intellectualised to a silly extent。This wasn't so much about Dutch football as about The Netherlands and football， although the author was upfront about this。 This could have been fine， but this resulted in lots of unwarranted parallels between Dutch society and the particular aspect of football he was talking about。 Schiphol and 90's Ajax， Volendam and their players， Dutch art and Dutch football were all subjected to this， and it was a bit tenuous。Winner was also open about his affection for Holland， but I never understood why。 He was fair in his assessments of Dutch culture and popular belief， especially during WWII， but even though he wasn't overly biased it wasn't clear what the appeal of the country was。 Their football is often considered some of the most skilful with some justification， but nor did I feel chapters built on one another。 One Dutchman gave his opinion on football， another gave his， another moaned about the commercialisation of the game （is there any generation that doesn't consider this a problem？）。 They were big players in Dutch football history， but didn't have much to reveal。This was what I often imagine The Blizzard to be， an overly studied piece of writing that I find quite dull and too removed from the action。 Simon Kuper was better writing about the Germany-Holland match of Euro 88， and I think I would much rather read him talking about Dutch football。 Winner wasn't lazy and got to speak to some pretty impressive names， but I didn't find it that informative and nor did I enjoy it。 。。。more

Jared ，

A book that I frequently return to given my own obsessions with the mythos surrounding Dutch football。 The author's own love of Dutch football really shines through the book making it all the more readable as it sweeps through the origins of Dutch football， to the magic of 'Totaalvoetbal'， to the ugliness of that World Cup Final in 2010。 More than that， this book is about that 'idea' of what Dutch football is， and what it should be - this book is a treat for anyone who loves football really。 A book that I frequently return to given my own obsessions with the mythos surrounding Dutch football。 The author's own love of Dutch football really shines through the book making it all the more readable as it sweeps through the origins of Dutch football， to the magic of 'Totaalvoetbal'， to the ugliness of that World Cup Final in 2010。 More than that， this book is about that 'idea' of what Dutch football is， and what it should be - this book is a treat for anyone who loves football really。 。。。more

Daniele Aprile ，

Un ottimo spaccato della società olandese partendo dal calcio ma andando ovunque！！

Jon ，

Some really interesting information scattered throughout the book but the themes reappear and lack of a coherent structure。 This meant that the books feels a lot longer than it is。

Erik ，

Brilliant and insightful connections made between those classic 70’s Netherlands teams and the quickly shifting social scene at the time。 As someone who has always been fascinated by the oranje teams of late （00’s and 10’s） and Dutch design （Crouwel and Experimental Jetset） it would be interesting to see what Winner would think of more recent teams and players。 I’d recommend this book to anyone！

Agung Wicaksono ，

Buku ini tentang perjalanan sepak bola di Belanda dari tahun 1950-an sampai 2000。 Di sana， terkenal dengan permainan yang dijuluki Total Football dan salah satu pemain hebat di masanya， Johan Cruyff。 Selain itu， diceritakan juga tentang betapa permainan sepak bola di Belanda seperti ketika mereka membangun gedung atau rumah， yaitu sangat rapi dan teratur。 Meskipun demikian， di Piala Dunia 1974 dan 1978， Timnas Belanda dianggap kurang beruntung karena tidak menjuarai kompetisi tersebut， padahal m Buku ini tentang perjalanan sepak bola di Belanda dari tahun 1950-an sampai 2000。 Di sana， terkenal dengan permainan yang dijuluki Total Football dan salah satu pemain hebat di masanya， Johan Cruyff。 Selain itu， diceritakan juga tentang betapa permainan sepak bola di Belanda seperti ketika mereka membangun gedung atau rumah， yaitu sangat rapi dan teratur。 Meskipun demikian， di Piala Dunia 1974 dan 1978， Timnas Belanda dianggap kurang beruntung karena tidak menjuarai kompetisi tersebut， padahal mereka sudah masuk final dan memiliki pemain-pemain terbaik serta memainkan sepak bola indah。 Lebih lanjut， meskipun buku ini dicetak pada 2000， di cetakan terbaru （2012）， penulis menambahkan peristiwa Final Piala Dunia 2010 ketika Belanda melawan Spanyol。 Di final tersebut， Belanda malah memainkan sepak bola yang kasar dan tidak seperti para pendahulunya， sehingga banyak kritikan tertuju pada mereka setelah pertandingan selesai; yang mana mereka kalah 1-0。 。。。more

Sea Wolf ，

<<Η τέχνη του να είσαι Ολλανδός είναι να μετατρέπεις τα τρωτά σου σημεία，σε ηθική υπεροχή。Είμαστε μικροί και μας λείπει η δύναμη，αλλά πιστεύουμε ότι όλος ο κόσμος θα μας αποδεχθεί ως πρότυπο διαφωτισμού。Έχουμε τόσο έντονο το αίσθημα της ανωτερότητας ，που δεν είναι και τόσο σημαντικό για μας αν νικήσουμε ή χάσουμε。Είναι σαν την αυτονομιμοποίηση μιας μικρής χώρας，να λέει ότι δεν είναι ντροπή να χάνεις ενάντια σε μια ανώτερη στρατιωτική δύναμη，όταν αυτή υπερέχει αριθμητικά。Όταν χάνουμε，είναι πάντα <<Η τέχνη του να είσαι Ολλανδός είναι να μετατρέπεις τα τρωτά σου σημεία，σε ηθική υπεροχή。Είμαστε μικροί και μας λείπει η δύναμη，αλλά πιστεύουμε ότι όλος ο κόσμος θα μας αποδεχθεί ως πρότυπο διαφωτισμού。Έχουμε τόσο έντονο το αίσθημα της ανωτερότητας ，που δεν είναι και τόσο σημαντικό για μας αν νικήσουμε ή χάσουμε。Είναι σαν την αυτονομιμοποίηση μιας μικρής χώρας，να λέει ότι δεν είναι ντροπή να χάνεις ενάντια σε μια ανώτερη στρατιωτική δύναμη，όταν αυτή υπερέχει αριθμητικά。Όταν χάνουμε，είναι πάντα δια της βίας，είναι εξαιτίας ενός ''πολύ σκληρού παιχνιδιού''。Ποτέ δεν πιστεύουμε ότι χάσαμε λόγω της ποιότητας ή της δημιουργικότητας μιας άλλης ομάδας。Χάσαμε επειδή αυτοί κατέφυγαν στην βία，το οποίο απλώς είναι άσχετο με εμάς，γιατί εμείς παίζουμε διαφορετικό，καλύτερο，ανώτερο παιχνίδι，το οποίο τυχαίνει να μην καταλαβαίνει ούτε ο διαιτητής。Δέν θα ρίξουμε τους εαυτούς μας στο επίπεδό σας，αλλά αν εσείς νιώθετε καλά να καταστρέψετε την ανωτερότητά μας，παρακαλώ。。。。περάστε！>>Αυτή η κυνική διατύπωση για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο βλέπουν οι Ολλανδοί τον εαυτό τους αλλά και την γενικότερη αντίληψη για το τι είναι ηθικό τόσο στην ήττα όσο και στην νίκη，αντικατοπτρίζει την ψυχοσύνθεση αυτού του λαού που ζεί με την αυταρέσκεια να μαθαίνει στον υπόλοιπο κόσμο το πώς πρέπει να παίζεται η ''μπάλα''，αλλά είναι αμαρτία να κερδίζει。Ο τρόπος που αντιλαμβάνονται το ποδόσφαιρο φαίνεται και στις συνεντεύξεις-δηλώσεις των ποδοσφαιριστών και προπονητών，όπου ενώ μιλάνε για μπάλα ταυτόχρονα αναφέρονται σε όλα θέματα με την ίδια προσέγγιση。Εννοείται 5/5 。。。more

Casper ，

Interesting book with outside in perspectives on Dutch football （and society）。 That I （a Feyenoord fan） enjoyed reading it despite its （heavy） Ajax focus says enough。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0