RENE MEULENSTEEN - a history.

The player:

Rene played professional football in Holland until the age of 29. Not in the first division, but very much in 'the dutch league'. There is no formal record of exactly where.

Position: midfield. (Where else?!).

The coach:

Rene started his coaching career while still a player. He became a youth coach at struggling NEC under manager Wiel Coerver, whom he followed to Qatar to continue his good work.

Rene coached the national under 17 side and then managed Al-Etehad - where he lifted the Arab Cup! Not content with this taste of glory, he moved to bitter rivals Al Sadd and lifted the Emir Cup.

Man Utd:

His sterling work in the football cauldron of the middle east did not go unnoticed. Sir Alex Ferguson, no less, persuaded him to join Manchester United in the position of youth Skills Coach.

Brondby:

Rene was now a hot item, and FC Brondby swooped in to appt him as team manager!

Unfortunately, the club's customary 1st/2nd place finish didn't look likely to happen under Rene's short reign. He was let go during the winter break, with Brondby 19 points adrift of the Eredivisie leaders.

Man Utd part deux:

Rene was welcomed back to Old Trafford with open arms in 2007.

Within 18 months he had managed to fill the void of Carlos Quieroz as first team coach.

Since his appointment, Rene has helped Sir Alex Ferguson secure:

3 Premier League titles
3 Community Shields
2 League Cups
1 Champions League trophy
1 FIFA Club World Cup.

Let's hear it for Rene.

“It’s called “Foot-Ball” for a reason. You control the ball with your feet. If you can do this very well, you control the game. You can score more and have more possession. Therefore, teaching kids who to own that ball is key. All the other elements – athleticism, vision, mentality – will come after that.”

Rene.

“He cannot make an untalented player an exceptional player, but he can turn regular players and special players into exceptionally talented players.”

“I am not a believer of any given philosophy adapted by a certain country or culture,“ Meulensteen said. “Instead I have looked at and analyzed the best teams at the world stage, extracted their qualities and put them in a format which is easy for every coach to understand.“

it's our very own brenton

rene von brentensteen

He came to New York this summer on some kind of cash-grab. They sold tickets to watch a Euro game with him while he provided analysis (at a pub!) for $20 a pop. I was extended a 'special invitation' to buy my ticket early, and when I passed on that, they offered me a free ticket if I promoted it on my blog. Passed on that too. Not being a top red, but I still had his comments about City bottling it fresh in mind and didn't want to be near him.

edit - here's the info:

http://www.firsttouchonline.com/2012...e-meulensteen/

"There are events in life that you just can’t miss. This is one of them."

No it's not.

He's like Rinus Michels compared to f***ing Phelan.

Originally Posted by Neo

He's like Rinus Michels compared to f***ing Phelan.

Based on...?

Originally Posted by dunk

Based on...?

The accent.

Originally Posted by Neo

The accent.

Fair comment