Anil: Have you ever been here?
Coach: No, very impressed very kind. Very professional in football Federation Office. Have a good feeling.
Anil: Who is Leo Beenhakker?
Coach: I am 62 years old. I have had a long life. 40 years as professional coach. All levels, good career, good teams, good players. Is 62 years don’t feel 62. Look of ambition big job, difficult job.
Anil: Played football before? How got involved?
Coach: Father played football. Too him to see matches. When saw final match of Euro Cup – Real Madrid playing about 15 years old knew one time wanted to coach such a big team.
Anil: What path did you take? Yes you had the dream and goal then, where did that take you? How did you get into it? Were there opportunities back then?
Coach: Yes, we had a good education program, best federation, study very hard to get license to be a professional coach. End of 60 from there I start training professional team and little by little saw reaching the better teams and the big teams.
Anil: Where was your first break into the first division and how did you get that Job? From performance at a younger level or time to give a young coach a chance?
Coach: No sometimes you meet some luck. It was 78 head of the Youths Academy due to circumstances in 79 fired head coach and asked me to take over. So first experience as head coach of big team.
Anil: How old were you at that time?
Coach: It was 790 so help me 42. 79 you tell me?
Anil: Yeah me maths eh so good you know. So you took over Ajax? Now at that time (Name of Football Team) the youth programme in Ajax started to build where it became greatest youth program in the world! Were you overseeing that and what were your impression or why did the Ajax youth development programme become so successful?
Coach: Yeah well, I think during the whole history of Ajax they have a full investigation. They are first of all able to spot all young players from the age of 10 years. An then you have to see that within their philosophy that football is not just a game it is a profession. That means that all this young guy from 10 – 11 years old of course related to their age but they have professional education as a football player. So more or less during the whole it is not my job. So during the whole history of Ajax it’s to plot the Europe who is producing young talent and they do a very good job. Because normally a guy who is or talent every year again until now. You see players who is 17, 18, 19 years old see them make their step to their first team and they are really built up like professional players. They are not longer, they are young but young in age but not young in their education and the way they play football. So I think it is unique what is happening in Amsterdam. Two weeks ago we had two international matches, also for qualification for the World Cup. And the actual national coach (Name of Football Team) was scouting two young Ajax guys from 18, 19 years old. They only got to play about 3- 4 matches in the first team of Ajax. And they called them and they played and they are ready now in a physical way especially also in a mental way. They are mentally very strong and that what in the culture of Ajax and there is no giving up Holland, no giving up Europe who is doing such a good job, with the youth players as Ajax.
Anil: The Development Programme, know that you have not been here long are you just here to get try and get us to the World Cup? Or we going to be able to suck your brain dry and try and get our coaches educated and try to boost the development programmed?
Coach: First and most importantly, my job of course is to try to help to bring the team in Germany. But beside that of course I am always interested, football is my passion and beside that I am always interested in youth football and young talented players so for the moment I am concentrating myself on the National Team of course. But, I am sure when we have little or more time I probably can help in such a program in Trinidad and Tobago.
Anil: I find you very modest! You probably could help you could definitely help!
Coach: No, that’s first you have to know better how exact our situation here of course. I was only here three days. I can tell you that during the three days I have had a lot of meetings and or course a lot of preparation for the coming weeks so first of all is to know that is better securing in this country and from that moment we can try to help us.
Anil: You traveled all over the world playing, coaching football. What is your philosophy of football? If you have one? Or do you adapt to different places that you go?
Coach: Well my philosophy is of course is to after so many years, I told you 7 years with Ajax and 4 years with Real Madrid. That means that your philosophy is playing football first place. That is important, the name of the game is playing football and to play football you need the ball. Cause playing football without a ball is horrible. It is very difficult and besides that I am from culture, a football culture where we always strive to dominate the game always try to be to play in an offensive way. Having the match about 90 minutes and 1 hour hence. Well playing real football and I know at the same time your philosophy in international football special has to be of course to win. To win the game. Sometimes we try to do two things first we have to win the game and you try to do that with good technical, good football and attractive football for the public also. You can’t give a guarantee, we all know that sometimes you play an awful game and you win it and you say well at least you won but within our culture especially in the Western Europe we always try to win but based on good football, real football. Real long touch football with a lot of movement and so on. So you have to look at both sides but of course if you have to make a choice sometime in a match, I think especially in this situation, we are looking for qualification for World Cup. Championship then sometimes we have to make a choice and go more for the result. We try to realize both.
Anil: I love how you put it! Your philosophy is first. You have to play football with the ball. Just telling you in Trinidad and Tobago that is a big problem of ours, especially in the last 3 or 4 years that we tend to give it away. We have skillful players but the movement of the ball and the understanding of the players when to move, how to move, how to support, has been a bit of a problem. Do you think that in the current situation of World Football where we have a lot of professionals who are outside and they only fly in for five days is that going to present you with a problem?
Coach: That’s a big problem. I was spending this afternoon with the next few weeks, the training session and so on I saw that the last three qualifying matches, USA, Guatemala and Costa Rica for instance, the former National Coach was using 22 players. I don’t blame him for that but just that 22 players to be used in three matched and from that 22, 15 players were playing abroad. And that of course is a handicap, because you don’t have much time to prepare the team with them. At the same time you can’t see them every week. If they are in good shape, if they are fit, if they playing, but we have to accept that situation and a little advantage. I have and possibly is that I spend many years in World Cup Western Europe. I know most armature of clubs. So I use this come 2 or 3 weeks to look around in England and Scotland to visit the players, visit the clubs have an interview with managers and so on. So as to just to know situation of every possible international player for our team. But it is a handicap but on the other hand I am not upset with that situation. I think at the same time we will play, we will start the beginning of May with the local players and well I am looking for the best players. We have and if they are playing here in the local league. Or they are playing abroad, I think we don’t have to bring 5 older players who are playing abroad just because they are playing abroad. They also have to demonstrate they are fit, and they are in good shape and so on. So the next coming weeks we are have to work very hard to know everything of everybody and see what we can do.
Anil: also have a lot of experience in Mexico. Looking at altitude and Americas is based in Mexico City 2200 and so on. So you know the effects in my opinion it is sort of an unfair advantage for to play Mexico at the altitude unless you can go up there for 3 weeks in advance and so on. What do you think and how could we cause with 7 games to go if we think we need about twelve points. 12 – 15. We are going to need to win like at least 4 games. Talk to me about the Mexicans. They are looking very good.
Coach: Well I think Mexico is the strongest team in the group. That doesn’t mean the others can’t do well, but they are a strong team but I think the most important part of this we are just at the beginning of this series and perhaps apart from Mexico who is 6 points in front us, but I think we have still the same possibilities as the rest of the teams. Of course there is a difference but near the end. We have 7 matches to go the difference is Costa Rica, Guatemala is only 3 points. An we still have 21 points to play. It is not going to be easy but at least we have the same possibilities. Only solution is to win games. That’s why we are here! And that’s what we are going to try and do. Of course and I am that is going to be the ambition of the players. It is a big dream of every player to participate in one time in a world Championship. It is fantastic to do so. That is what we are going for. About Mexico. I think that the altitude in Mexico is not such a problem. You are right to adapt it you have to go 2 or 3 weeks before on the other end if you have the experience that teams should gain on the last minute arrivals and start playing directly. For example, I did two times I did America from Mexico City.