It seems like a matter of time before John van ‘t Schip is presented as Ajax’s new trainer. After the dismissal of trainer Maurice Steijn, the Amsterdam team is looking for a new trainer. Is the former right winger the one who will get things going at Ajax? Former teammate Arnold Mühren believes so.
“Do it immediately,” says the Volendammer resolutely. “He has a history as a player and trainer and knows the Ajax culture. He has gained experience abroad and I think that gives you an advantage over people who have never worked at Ajax. He is also very good with the fans. .A real Ajax man with expertise.”
The beginning as a player
Van ‘t Schip started playing football in Amstelveen with the amateurs of NFC. In 1976 he switched to Ajax’s youth team and from 1981 to 1992 he played in the main squad. There he played with veteran Arnold Mühren, among others. Mühren started his second spell in Amsterdam in 1985 after making waves at Ipswich Town and Manchester United.
“A very nice guy with a lot of humor”
“I was brought back by then coach Johan Cruijff for my experience. I found a very good, young group including Van Basten, Van ‘t Schip, Vanenburg and Rijkaard. I think Van ‘t Schip is one of the best right wingers that Ajax ever had. He was also a very nice guy with a lot of humor. He spent a lot of time with Marco van Basten and Rob de Wit,” the now 72-year-old Mühren remembers.
European Cup 2
In 1987, Van ‘t Schip and Mühren won the European Cup 2 with Ajax by beating FC Lokomotive Leipzig 1-0. The Volendam footballer was by far the oldest player on the team at the time.
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“I could have been their father to some of them. Of course the young boys interacted more with each other, but I got along well with everyone. John was a serious boy, but when it came to humor he was at the forefront. We had a very attacking team. Sometimes about eight men went forward. I then played with the handbrake, so that at least there was someone on defense.”
Italy
After his period in Amsterdam in which he became champion four times, won the cup three times and also the UEFA Cup (’92), he played for the Italian Genoa. In 1996 he ended his football career. Van ‘t Schip also played for the Dutch team for nine years. He played 41 international matches in which he scored twice. In 1988 he became European champion with the Dutch team. He then attended the final rounds of 1990 (Italy World Cup) and 1992 (Sweden European Championship).
Van ‘t Schip the trainer
As a trainer, Van ‘t Schip has several clubs behind his name. He started as assistant coach of the Netherlands Under 21 team in 1996. He then started working as an assistant and youth coach at Ajax.
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He worked with Marco van Basten for a long time. First at Jong Ajax, then between 2004 and 2008 at the Dutch national team where he worked as an assistant national coach and then the two returned together to Ajax 1. In 2009, Van ‘t Schip was an ad-interim coach for one match, after Van Basten resigned as head coach in Amsterdam. Under his leadership, Ajax defeated FC Twente 1-0 in the Arena.
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His first real job as head coach was at FC Twente. That was not a success. Twente barely avoided being relegated from the Premier League, but the collaboration ended after one season.
From Guadalajara to Melbourne
After his time in Twente, he became trainer of Jong Ajax. He was also an assistant coach at the Dutch team and worked abroad: at Guadalajara in Mexico and at Melbourne Heart/City in Australia.
In 2017 he returned to the Dutch fields. He became trainer of PEC Zwolle. He started well there, but in his second season things went wrong in Zwolle. He was fired in December 2018 after a 5-0 defeat against AZ.
“Even after his dismissal, he remained a gentleman”
“After a while, things got messy,” says RTV Oost reporter Tijmen van Wissing, who closely follows the Overijssel clubs. “He is a neat, decent man and I cannot say anything bad about him. Even after the beating against AZ, he spoke to everyone politely and he remained a gentleman.”
His last job was as national coach of Greece. From 2019 to 2021 he managed the national team. When the contract extension took too long for his liking, he decided to end the adventure.
“Van ‘t Schip has put Greek football back on the map”
Despite the positive stories about Van ‘t Schip, he only won one prize as a trainer. He won the FFA with Melbourne City. Mühren: “He has put Greek football back on track. You also have to end up at a club where you have the chance to win something.”
Presentation
It is expected that after Sunday’s match against PSV it will be officially announced that John van ‘t Schip is the new coach of Ajax. Until then, assistant coach Hedwiges Maduro will do the honors.