FORMER Rangers boss Dick Advocaat has had an incredible career.
The Dutch coach has threatened to retire at least FIVE times from the game, but at the remarkable age of 77, the Little General, as he is known, has just extended his contract with Curacao to the end of the year.
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Advocaat won two Scottish titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup with Rangers between 1998 and 2001, and his managerial career has since taken him around the world and back again.
He’s managed his national team three times, he’s been in South Korea, Russia and Iraq to name just a few places.
Here we look at his nomadic journey after leaving Rangers where he has had successes and failures.
Netherlands (2002-2004)
After the Netherlands failed to reach the World Cup in 2002 under Louis van Gaal, Advocaat returned to management with his national team.
He would lead Oranje to qualification for Euro 2004 but only after a play-off with Scotland. James McFadden had the Scots dreaming of being at a major tournament after a first-leg win but the Dutch showed their class in the second leg, steamrollering Berti Vogt’s men 6-0.
Despite reaching the semi-finals of the tournament where they were beaten by Portugal, Advocaat was criticised for his tactics and performances, leading to him resigning after their exit.
Borussia Monchengladbach (2004-2005)
It wasn’t long before Advocaat was back in management, taking over from Holger Fach at Gladbach.
He lasted less than six months after just taking 18 points from 18 games, leaving the club one point above of the relegation zone. That’s where they would finish that season.
UAE (2005)
Advocaat had a short stint as the boss of the United Arab Emirates managing just two matches in a friendly tournament.
He signed a one-year deal in July but lasted less than three months after moving to join South Korea.
South Korea (2005-2006)
Advocaat led the country on a 10-game tour to prepare for the 2006 World Cup. He secured the country’s first victory in an overseas match when they beat Togo in their opening game in Germany.
A creditable 1-1 draw against France would follow but they failed to get out the group stages after a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland and finished third.
Advocaat stepped down after the tournament in his final press conference he encouraged the national squad to play world-class teams and build an infrastructure to develop football and young players in the country.
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Zenit 2006-2009
Advocaat’s time at Russian oufit Zenit St Petersburg would prove to be one of his most successful as a manager.
After arriving in the summer of 2006, Zenit finished the season in fourth place and qualified for Europe. They’d been bought by gas giants Gazprom and broke the Russian transfer record twice.
He won the Russian Premier League in 2007, beating second placed Spartak Moscow by two points, and then followed that up with winning the UEFA Cup the following season.
After narrowly getting out of their group and needing away goals to beat Villareal and Marseille in the last 32 and 16, respectively, they turned on the style in the latter stages of the competition, battering Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich to reach the final.
That would be where they would meet his former side Rangers in Manchester, where they eased to a 2-0 win. A certain Andrei Arshavin was man of the match.
In May 2009, Advocaat agreed to become manager of Belgium but that did not go down well with Zenit and, after a poor run of form, he was sacked with the club in seventh.
Belgium/AZ 2009-2010
In December 2009, it was announced that Advocaat would combine the roles of managing the Belgium national team with Dutch outfit AZ.
He took just four games for Belgium, including the remainder of their failed 2010 World Cup qualification campaign before he resigned the following April after he was approached by Russia.
He managed AZ to the end of the 2009-2010 season leading them to a fifth-placed finish.
Russia 2010-2012
Advocaat revealed he accepted the offer from Russia to become manager because they “were at a higher level than Belgium … and that is a level I’m accustomed to working at.”
He had also worked with six of the players at Zenit.
He succeeded Guus Hiddink but, despite a disappointing start after a home defeat to Slovakia, Advocaat led them to qualification for Euro 2012.
They kicked off the tournament in style with a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic but after a 1-1 draw with Poland, they lost 1-0 in their final group match against Greece and failed to get out of the group.
He stepped down after the championships and returned to his homeland to manage PSV, the club where he won the KNVB Cup in 1995-96 season and the league title the following year.
PSV 2012-2013
Finishing second to Ajax in the Eredivisie and runners-up to AZ in the Dutch cup final was enough for Advocaat to announce his retirement from club coaching.
AZ 2013-2014
Advocaat u-turned on his decision to retire to return to AZ in October 2013. He led the club to an eighth-placed finish, reached the semi-finals of the Dutch Cup, and were quarter-finalists in the Europa League.
Serbia (July 2014 – November 2014)
It was a return to national team duties in 2014, this time with Serbia although he didn’t last long. They started off with draws against France and Armenia in qualification for Euro 2016, but their match with Albania was abandoned due to crowd trouble. Albania were eventually awarded a 3-0 win. A 3-1 defeat at home to Denmark in an empty stadium in November proved to be the last game in charge for the Little General.
Advocaat said: “I have never faced such a difficult situation in my entire career.”
Sunderland (March 2015 – August 2015)
Advocaat had no Premier League experience but took over in March from Gus Poyet at Sunderland as they looked on course to be relegated.
He guided Sunderland to Premier League safety with a game to spare after a scoreless draw with Arsenal.
It was a feat that reduced him to tears and endeared him to the Black Cats faithful.
He left the club at the end of the season, announcing the end of his managerial career but he once again reversed that decision to retire and signed a one-year deal.
A poor start to the season saw him resign in October, with the club in 19th place and in the relegation zone.
Fenerbahce 2016-2017
Advocaat returned to management the following year in Turkey with Fenerbahce signing a one-year deal.
Advocaat said on his arrival: “”In recent years Fenerbahçe have been either first or second which means they have a good squad but can do better.
“We need to create a gap between us and Galatasaray and Beşiktaş.”
Ultimately, he was unable to do this. guiding them to a third-placed finish in the Super Lig, finishing 13 points behind champions Besiktas.
Manager CV
Dick Advocaat’s 44-year career
- 1980–1984 DSVP
- 1987 Netherlands Women
- 1987–1989 HFC Haarlem
- 1989–1991 SVV
- 1991–1992 Dordrecht
- 1992–1994 Netherlands
- 1994–1998 PSV
- 1998–2001 Rangers
- 2002–2004 Netherlands
- 2004–2005 Borussia Mönchengladbach
- 2005 United Arab Emirates
- 2005–2006 South Korea
- 2006–2009 Zenit Saint Petersburg
- 2009–2010 Belgium
- 2009–2010 AZ
- 2010–2012 Russia
- 2012–2013 PSV
- 2013–2014 AZ
- 2014 Serbia
- 2015 Sunderland
- 2016–2017 Fenerbahçe
- 2017 Netherlands
- 2017–2018 Sparta Rotterdam
- 2018–2019 Utrecht
- 2019–2021 Feyenoord
- 2021 Iraq
- 2022–2023 ADO Den Haag
- 2024- Curacao
Netherlands (May 2017 – November 2017)
Advocaat left Turkey to take up the role at the Netherlands for the third time.
He replaced the sacked Danny Blind after a disastrous start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.
They beat Luxembourg 5-0 in his first match in charge but in the end he couldn’t lead them to qualification for 2018 tournament in Russia and Advocaat stepped down in November.
Sparta Rotterdam 2017-2018
In December 2017, it was announced that Advocaat would become the manager at Sparta after they parted company with Alex Pastoor following a 7-0 thrashing at Feyenoord.
He took over with the team battling for top flight survival, but he was unable to replicate the success he had at Sunderland in saving them from the drop, as Sparta lost out to Emmen in the play-offs and were relegated.
Utrecht 2018-2019
Advocaat joined Utrecht in September 2018 and led them to a sixth-placed finish and Europe.
Feyenoord 2019-2021
Advocaat replaced Jaap Stam who resigned after fans pelted the Feyenoord bus with fireworks and glasses following a 4-0 defeat to Ajax.
That heavy defeat to their rivals left them in 12th place with 14 points from 11 matches.
Advocaat transformed the team’s fortunes winning 11 of their next 14 league games and guiding them to the Dutch Cup final and were third before the covid pandemic hit.
The success saw him extend his stay and the following season the team finished in fifth, with Advocaat admitting he’d probably taken the team as far as he could.
Iraq (August 2021- November 2021)
In August 2021, he once again came out of retirement but it was a shortlived spell at Iraq, lasting just three months.
He failed to secure a single victory in his six games in charge, overseeing three draws and three defeats.
ADO Den Haag 2022-2023
Advocaat came out of retirement again this time take over ADO Den Haag from former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt.
He took over with the side battling relegation in the Dutch second tier and managed to guide them to safety and a 12th placed finish and it was expected to be Advocaat’s final hurrah in management.
Curacao 2024-PRESENT
Advocaat took over the Dutch colony in the Caribbean in January 2024 with the goal of guiding Curacao to its first ever World Cup appearance.
He announced he would be prolonging his stay until at least the end of the year, saying: “The World Cup mission isn’t finished yet.”
Curacao topped their group to advance to the final stage of the CONCACAF qualifiers. They’ll face Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Bermuda in a bid for a historic World Cup spot later this year.
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