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Quite a few PSV players have been called up for the Dutch team by coach Rinus Michels. They were deeply shocked when they heard that 'The General' had passed away.Berry van Aerle had only been capped a few times, when he won the European Championship in 1988 in West Germany with the Dutch team."I heard it on the car radio this morning and could not believe my ears. I immediately remembered the Euro 1988. Michels and team discipline were synonymous notions, but he also created a great atmosphere. I vividly recall how he took the microphone ahead of the Euro 1988 and sang an aria. He was a master in combining discipline with relaxation. He was genuinely a great coach. He was a man who did not waste his words, but he had a clear objective. It’s so sad", felt Van Aerle. Erwin Koeman could hardly believe the news, either. "It is a great shock. I remember 1988 so well; he offered me a chance to show my skills in the tournament. I still remember that he said to me, just when we were about to play the final, that he had not expected me to be so valuable to the team. I was delighted to hear that. I think he was a different coach in the sixties and seventies, when he in the initial stages of his career. In 1988 he was nearly at the end of his imposing career and he had become more relaxed. He was an awesome personality. His training sessions were always fine and he gave us room to have a laugh every now and then. This is sad news indeed and he had already lost his wife." Gerald Vanenburg was attending a course in Zeist, where he heard the news. "He was quite a character and his influence on the successes of Dutch football can only be praised. He has his own way of training and his successes actually say it all. I think he has been a truly great coach and I feel it’s terrible he has passed away’, said the Young PSV coach.
