Dick Schreuder Exclusive: Promotion with Castellon; Davids signing for Barnet; a return to the Eredivisie?

England, Germany, the USA and the Netherlands, the coach took Dick Schreuder around the world and with that experience the former PSV Eindhoven midfielder was able to guide Castellon to promotion back to Spain’s Segunda Division last season.

Schreuder, who counts Hoffenheim, Philadelphia Union, Vitesse and even Barnet among the clubs he has worked for, sat down with tribalfootball.com just days before Castellon’s preseason begins.

The Dutchman, who played in England with Stoke City, was happy to look back on his playing and coaching careers, and discussed his hopes for Castellon this coming campaign.

You won promotion and will spend your third season with Castellon in the Segunda Division – must you be happy with your own journey in Spain?

“So far everything is going very well, a very good experience for me with a very good project. This is the second year under new ownership and so far everything is going as we wanted and planned.

“Our goal is to be better every season. Here in Spain, the third division is bigger than the second division in Holland, and for me, it’s a very good step because I’m facing a new philosophy of football and I understand new things. I’m very happy here.”

You had a year in the Bundesliga on the Hoffenheim staff, does that spell still influence you today?

“I think the Bundesliga, along with the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A, are the biggest and strongest leagues in Europe. Working there in the Bundesliga was great, very nice and at a very high level in every aspect. of football.

“Also, when you work at Hoffenheim, you work with very good and important players who are very professional and talented. The club is very professional and well structured, and that year at the club was very important for me because I developed a lot much as a coach and understood many things.

“Even to this day, I’m very grateful for the opportunity and the trust the club gave me to work there.”

You also had time with the Philadelphia Union. What have you made of the progress of MLS – especially with the arrival of Lionel Messi?

“I think the level is very high in MLS and the arrival of players like this will help the league to grow even more and the players to get better and better. The MLS level is a lot better than people think, to be honest with you.

“My experience was really good there because you travel a lot on game days, dealing with different time zones and weather. All these things make you much better as a coach because you have to think about the game not only technically and tactically but also physically and that’s a very good thing.”

Speaking of ‘physical’, how did you find coaching in England’s lower leagues with Barnet? And you signed Edgar Davids at the time…!

“I already met him and he is a friend of mine. In football, he is a legend and it is always nice to work with such people because you learn a lot from them every day during training or matches.

“I still have a close bond with him and we keep in touch often.”

Beyond Davids, who stands out for you in terms of players you’ve coached?

“Well, for example, when I was at Philadelphia, I had the pleasure of working with Brenden Aaronson, and at Hoffenheim, I would remember (Andrej) Kramaric. It is very difficult for me to name names because there are so many good players. and we had the chance to train very talented young players as well as important experienced players.”

You spent most of your playing career in Holland – although you took a chance with Stoke. How do you reflect on that time?

“Yes, it is true that I have played in different teams and also tried a UK experience at Stoke. All these experiences were very important to me because in each of them I learned a lot and helped me become a better player and most importantly a better person.

“Every club I’ve been to I’ve enjoyed it because I’ve worked hard and despite the difficulties it’s made me who I am today.”

What did you make of last season’s Eredivisie?

“The positive thing this season is that Zwolle, my last club, will stay in the Eredivisie for next season and I am very happy for them. Also, my former team as a player, Go Ahead Eagles, had a good season; they played very well and were excellently coached (by Rene Hake, now of Manchester United).

“Ajax, of course, were the negative surprise of the season. They didn’t do well at all and none of us expected Ajax to perform like this this year. It happens sometimes and I’m sure they will come back stronger. soon .”

And what about you, can you see a future back in the Eredivisie?

“I’m Dutch, so our dream is always to coach a top club in Holland. But now, I am very happy here and I want to continue abroad to learn more and more new football philosophies and face new challenges. But like I told you, you never know what football and the future might bring you.”