Support for Van Persie: Gullit Speaks Out Amid Challenges

Ruud Gullit has come forward to support Robin van Persie, the current head coach of Feyenoord. The former professional footballer empathizes with van Persie’s situation, recalling similar experiences he faced during his coaching career, as he expressed in an interview with De Telegraaf.

Van Persie is currently facing intense criticism in Rotterdam-Zuid. Feyenoord has been eliminated from both the Europa League and the KNVB Cup, and the highest achievable position in the Eredivisie this season is second place. The team has only managed to win two out of their last ten matches. Gullit underscores that very few former elite players succeed as head coaches, suggesting that van Persie’s distinguished playing career places him under an even greater spotlight. He notes, “Ron Jans at FC Utrecht and Melvin Boel at Go Ahead Eagles are in similar situations, yet they receive much less media scrutiny,” as he mentioned in his column for De Telegraaf.

Tensions within Feyenoord’s coaching staff have also surfaced. Recently, Hugo Borst revealed that assistant coach René Hake made negative comments regarding van Persie’s coaching style. According to Borst, Hake conveyed his views during a centenary celebration in Emmen, describing van Persie as a poor communicator. He remarked, “Robin surrounds himself with many experts, but he rarely implements their suggestions. We have already heard similar stories from Heerenveen,” Borst stated in his column for Algemeen Dagblad.