While he was perhaps not most fans' first choice to lead the Oranje, a 100% record in qualifying for the World Cup has seen Van Marwijk's stock rise considerably.
He had a modest playing career - an attacking midfielder who spent the bulk of his time with MVV Maastricht and made just one appearance for Netherlands - and worked his way up from a position as youth coach at MVV in 1982 to lead Fortuna Sittard, Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund.
His most impressive trophy to date is the UEFA Cup, won when his Pierre van Hooijdonk-inspired Feyenoord side defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in 2002, and he won the KNVB Cup with the same club on his return from Germany in the 2007-08 season.
Yet Feyenoord failed to challenge for the Eredivisie title and, as such, his appointment was not met with universal acclaim.
However, eight wins out of eight in his World Cup qualifiers has silenced many of the doubters, particularly given the lack of support for his predecessor, Marco van Basten.
Strengths: Van Marwijk has not been afraid to make big decisions - dropping Milan's Clarence Seedorf and selecting out-of-favour Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel, for example - and has so far seen them pay off.
Netherlands have yet to face any of the favourites for the World Cup in a competitive match, but draws against Russia and England and the 100% qualifying record are positive signs.
Weaknesses: Performances have not always matched results and some have questioned his reliance on ageing stars like Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Career high: The UEFA Cup victory in 2002 was helped in no small part by Jürgen Kohler's dismissal for Dortmund on 31 minutes, but they defeated Rangers and Inter Milan along the way and it remains an impressive feat.
Career low: His departure from Dortmund after two-and-a-half uninspired seasons.
Tactics: Van Marwijk says he does not "believe in systems" and, with players like Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt and Wesley Sneijder involved, he looks for plenty of interchange between midfield and attack - a nod to the country's total football tradition.
He generally likes to have four in defence and two holding midfielders, leaving something approaching a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Quotes: "I love attacking football. But I also like winning."
Trivia: Van Marwijk is Mark van Bommel's father-in-law (prompting a question or two about the midfielder's inclusion in the side).
WC prediction: The talent is certainly there, but they still need to show that they can translate it into success on the big stage.
Spain finally ended their years of underachievement at Euro 2008, and it would be bold to suggest Netherlands are not capable of the same.
.....yeah i guess some PK are actually not valid if you consider someone fouling a player on the edge of the box when he was "never" going to score etc but in said case it was a certainty and thats where the goal should be given with the player sent off
) but when a defender rushed in like crazy he would dodge him and act like he was hit. Now that's not a pure schwalbe in my opinion, as he could also just run against the leg and then it would just be a foul. So partly your defenders are to blaim. It's not classy, I agree, but certainly not worth a yellow card for schwalbe. 
