In the ‘Icons’ series, we each time add a new portrait to the hall of fame of North Holland greats. This week it’s Martin Haar. Most people probably know him as assistant coach of AZ, but in a previous life he was one of the star players of the successful Haarlem team from the eighties.
In Martin’s office, annex football viewing room, there is a beautiful photo collage that he received when he left as assistant coach of AZ. With the Alkmaarders he won (almost) everything there was to win. He became champion of the Netherlands, won the cup and the Johan Cruijff scale and qualified for the Champions League.
He was on the side of a selection of head coaches: from Advocaat and Van Gaal to Van Hanegem and Koeman. “Those weren’t little boys,” says Haar in abundance.
“In addition, they were all stubborn copies, but that never stopped Haar from giving his unsalted opinion about players and lineups internally.
“You had to motivate that, especially with Van Gaal. Why then? And why do you want to play with that one and not with that one? Well then you convinced me,” says Haar in his best Van Gaal imitation. “But I also did that with other trainers, who were open to it. They experienced that as pleasant.”
She worked with great pleasure all this time, but there is one thing that, in retrospect, he regrets: “My biggest mistake was not getting the highest diploma. To show it for yourself.”
“My biggest mistake was not getting the highest diploma. To show it for yourself”
Discipline
“I like a joke, I like a joke, but I like discipline. And honesty to the group. Players have to feel it comes from your heart. When it’s played, they see through it.”
Her therefore had an important function: he had to ensure that the group stayed together, both in the dressing room and on the trainers field. He paid particular attention to disappointed players. If you are drafted you are satisfied. The moment you don’t play, you become dissatisfied. How is the behavior then? How can I get a boy like that to show commitment again?”
golden shoe
Framed on the wall is also a team photo of the successful Haarlem from the eighties, not coincidentally also the period in which Haar herself shone as a football player. In 1982 the Roodbroeks, as the Haarlemmers were called, surprisingly qualified for European football and he himself was crowned the best football player in the Eredivisie. That Golden Shoe has also been given a nice place in his office. “I was already 31 then and that you are still chosen as the best player in the Netherlands, above very good players such as Jantje Peters from AZ, Jesper Olsen and Johan Cruijff from Ajax, who had also started playing football in the Netherlands. special. I’m proud of that.”
The year before, Martin Haar had already been crowned the best football player in the First Division. “Those were two bizarrely successful years, not only for me, but for the whole team. Because Haarlem was not such a big club at all, with generally not so many spectators. Still I played there for seven years and with all pleasure .”
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