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Dick Advocaat in his first 2 seasons provided the Rangers fans with some of the finest play seen at Ibrox. He had the team competing against the best in Europe and demolishing teams in Scotland unfortunately it all turned sour.
Advocaat was born in The Hague in the Netherlands on the 27th of September 1947. He begins a largely undistinguished playing career Den Haag in 1971 before joining Roda, Venlo and Den Haag. In 1982, He took his first steps in coaching with amateur team DSVP before being appointed assistant to national coach Rinus Michels in 1984.
He was appointed manager of Harleem and then moved on to SVV where he won the league beside technical director; ex-Celtic manager Wim Jansen. He impressed Dutch bosses so much he was appointed Dutch national coach where he took the team to the 1994 World Cup quarter finals before losing to eventual winners Brazil.
He left the national team to coach PSV Eindhoven where he won the championship and the Dutch Cup. In 1998 he left PSV to succeed Walter Smith as Rangers Manager. At Rangers he won 2 league championships, 2 Scottish cups and 1 League cup molding his team into a highly effective 4-4-2 formation.
His most famous win was at Parkhead against Celtic, as he became the first manager to clinch the title there. On the 2nd May 1999, Rangers went there knowing that victory would secure the title and did just that and running out easy 3-0 winners. Two goals from boyhood Celtic fan Neil McCann and one from Jorg Albertz secured victory although the match was overshadowed by the disgraceful antics of the Celtic fans.
Four fans ran on to the park to attack referee Hugh Dallas after he sent off Stephane Mahe for dissent. Dallas was also pelted with coins and he required stitches in a head wound after he was hit. The Rangers players were also pelted with coins as they left the pitch.
Things began to turn sour after his second season in charge in 2000. It ended on a high with a League and Scottish Cup Double which saw the Rangers fans organise a Scottish cup final 'Orange Day' as a "thank you" to Advocaat, the backroom staff and the Dutchmen in the squad.
In his third season in charge he suffered horrendous injury problems and had to watch Celtic win the treble for only the third time in their history. Advocaat resigned as manager midway through the 2001/2002 season to take up a new post of Director of Football and be replaced by Alex Mcleish.
Dick Advocaat had a highly promising start to his managerial career at Rangers but unfortunately some bad buys and some poor tactical decisions meant that he left with a cloud over his head.
