Wim Jansen: Ex Hoops Boss Passes Away Aged 75
Football fans were left in mourning this morning after the tragic news of the passing of former Celtic and Feyenoord manager, Wim Jansen after his battle with dementia.
Jansen was the manager who famously stopped city rivals Rangers, from winning 10 league titles in a row, while also bringing in club legend, Henrik Larsson, to the famous Glasgow side.
Before going into management, Jansen was a player himself, spending most of his career with Dutch side Feyenoord, where he would make over 500 appearances. This would earn himself a way into the Netherlands national team, in a spell that would see them featuring at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cup Finals.
While at Feyenoord as a player, Jansen would provide a pivotal role in the club winning four League Championships, one Dutch Cup, one UEFA Cup and one European Cup.
Jansen became Celtic’s first non-British or Irish manager when he took over from Tommy Burns in 1997. He only stayed for one season at the club and in that time, he managed to stop Rangers from winning 10 in a row by regaining the title. He had won Celtic their first league title in ten years.
Both current Celtic and Rangers managers spoke about the former manager’s impact on both of their careers.
Ange Postecoglou said: “I’ve often said that for all of us, we get the privilege of coming through these clubs and I guess our ultimate ambition is to leave some sort of mark or some sort of legacy and he didthat in 12 months.”
Jansen coached current Rangers boss, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, during his time as a player there in his younger days. Van Bronckhorst said: “He saw my potential and really helped my development as a player…He was the first coach to let me train with players who were two or three years older than I was when I was young.
“He was a really important player for Feyenoord and the Dutch team. It’s very sad. I’ve known the family for many years.”
RIP Wim Jansen