Did you have any hesitation in leaving Feyenoord to accept the job of national coach?
I certainly hesitated to leave Feyenoord. That stemmed from my deep feelings for and ties with the club. At the time, I was only in the first season of a two-year contract and didn’t have any intention of leaving the club. However, the chance to become coach of the national team and work with the best players in the country is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it was one I couldn’t resist. How straightforward has the transition been from club to national coach? I knew beforehand that there would be a world of difference. The biggest change is that you are not working with the players on a daily basis. Also, as a club coach, there is pressure on you and commitments with the media and so on every week, whereas as a national coach you only have a game every six-to-eight weeks. However, the intensity of all the aspects around a national game, including the media attention and pressure, is about ten times greater. For me, it was a matter of undergoing that first and getting use
