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Dick Advocaat 1998- Present
Dick playing career in his native Holland started in 1971 at the relatively late age of 23, when he signed for Den Haage. He was there for three years, before joining Breda Kekrod, moving on to Berlo. In 1980, he joined the National Soccer League in the USA, playing for Chicago Stings.
In 1982 he returned to Holland to begin a coaching career with amateur side DVSP and two years later, in a move that startled Dutch football, he became assistant coach to Rinus Michels, the national team manager. In 1987 he was appointed manager of the Haarlem club, then in 1989 became coach at Dordrecht where the director of football was Wim Jansen. In their first season the pair won promotion to the top league. In 1992, Advocaat replaced Michels as national team coach and led the Dutch team to a quarter final place in the 1994 World Cup finals.
After the World Cup, he became coach at PSV Eindhoven. In 1996, he won the Dutch championship, ending the dominance of Ajax - Eindhoven won the Dutch double of league and cup that season.
He then took over at Ibrox in June 1998 wining the Treble in his first season spent over £30 million on new player Arthur Numan Andrei Kanchelskis Lionel Charbonnier Gio Van Bronchhorst Rodney Wallace Neil McCann before and during the season. Up until now this policy of spending has paid off, as Rangers have won the League Cup, League Championship & the Scottish Cup.
This is the first time a manager has come to Rangers and done the TREBLE of League Cup, League Championship & the Scottish Cup in their first season at the club. To win the League at the home of Rangers biggest rivals Celtic was a great achievement and then go to the Cup final and beat them again will go down in history as one of the greatest seasons of all time.
Dick Advocaat's second season in charge saw him bring in Michael Mols Daruisz Adamczuk and Billy Dodds during the season to replace the injured Michael Mols. Rangers win the Double of League Championship and Scottish Cup and are unlucky to eventually be put out of Europe by Champion League finalist Vallencia. The Scottish Cup Final was made a day to remember for the Dutch players and management of Rangers, as the fans turned Hampden into a sea of Orange, with most of the supporters wearing the tops of the Dutch national team. Arthur Numan said after the game game, 'it was like playing for Holland, everywhere was a sea of Orange.'