All posts by Will Burns

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 1

August 11, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Welcome to week one of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Martijn Hilhorst and Will Burns have decided they should be in our team of the week. Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

GOALKEEPER

KENNETH VERMEER – AJAX: A forgotten man since last season due to the emergence of Jasper Cillessen, Vermeer yesterday may have give Frank de Boer some food for thought in a great display in the 4-1 win over Vitesse. The goalkeeper stopped a total of eight shots to send Ajax into half-time a goal ahead.

DEFENDERS

DION MALONE – ADO DEN HAAG: Malone starred at right-back in ADO’s late 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord and smashed a 35-yard first-half shot that cannoned off Erwin Mulder’s crossbar.

ERIC BOTTEGHIN – FC GRONINGEN: The Brazilian led well from the back in Groningen’s dramatic 3-2 win over Go Ahead Eagles, winning all aerial challenges.

WILLIAM TROOST-EKONG: The former Tottenham defender looked good in his first appearance for Dordrecht since his loan move from FC Groningen. The Cameroonian kept Mark Uth at bay in the first-half and Thomas Dalgaard quiet in the second.

MARVIN PEERSMAN – FC DORDRECHT: Winning a total of six tackles and all aerial challenges, the left-back helped show the Eredivisie that Dordrecht will not be pushovers this season.

MIDFIELDERS

LASSE SCHONE – AJAX: Scoring twice in Ajax’s 4-1 win over Vitesse, the Dane showed to all he will be amongst the goals again this season in the Eredivisie.

ALBERT RUSNAK – SC CAMBUUR: The Manchester City loanee scored a wonderful free-kick and put in an five-star performance in Cambuur’s unlikely 1-1 draw with FC Twente.

JORIS VAN OVEREEM – FC DORDRECHT: The on-loan midfielder (from AZ) scored an excellent winner to give a vital 2-1 win away to Heerenveen.

ATTACKERS

JODY LUKOKI – PEC ZWOLLE: The 21-year-old Lukoki made PEC Zwolle’s fans forget all about Kamohelo Mokotjo tearing FC Utrecht apart in an excellent and exciting performance.

JARCHINIO ANTONIA – FC GRONINGEN: With two assists and an 88th minute winning goal against former club Go Ahead, Antonia is Total Dutch Football’s Player of the Week.

MUAMER TANKOVIC – AZ ALKMAAR: Signing on a free in the summer from Fulham, the young Swede put in a Premier League performance and topped it off with a great goal.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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FEATURE, PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

The Man City midfielder excelling in the Eredivisie

August 11, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

This past Saturday night, Will Burns sat watching the SC Cambuur-FC Twente match and he saw a new name on the team sheet – it was ‘Albert Rusnák’.

I remember researching the 20-year-old earlier last month when I heard Manchester City was allowing the player to cross the North Sea and head into Leeuwarden on a season-long deal.

I discovered that Rusnák played youth football in homeland of Slovakia for MFK Košice before signing for the Citizens in 2010, where he joined the club’s academy on Platt Lane. After approximately three years of youth and reserve-team football, he was farmed out to League One in England, down the road in Oldham to gain some experience. Rusnák made his first senior appearance as a substitute on 31 August 2013 against Tranmere Rovers in a league encounter. Obviously impressing, he did not have to wait long for his first professional start, just three days later, in a Football League Trophy win over Shrewsbury Town. However, later in mid-September, Rusnák’s loan was cut short and he was returned to Manchester after he refused to play for Oldham’s reserve team. On his return to the Etihad, the Daily Mail reported that the head of youth development at the club, Patrick Vieira, ordered Rusnák to go back to Oldham and apologise for his actions.

In the January window this year, Rusnák was on his travels again joining Championship side Birmingham City for a month. Manager Lee Clark selected the Slovakian Under-21 international into his starting eleven for the FA Cup defeat to Swansea City. After three starts in the month spell, he returned to City for the remainder the season and played consistently for Man City’s Elite squad.

This past Saturday, Rusnák was named to make his debut in Cambuur’s starting line-up and from the kick-off you could see this boy was special. In the opening moments, on the ball, he was a delight to watch. Tremendously creative, pacy with a quick brain, spotting players movement and quickly laying the ball into their feet.

Then when things were not working out for his side, he tracked back and with great tenacity, won back the possession and laid the pass off. However, he made a statement after just 13 minutes. Cambuur won a free-kick on the edge of the area; Rusnák stepped up and curled it perfectly into the top corner giving Twente keeper Nick Marsman no chance of stopping. His first game for Cambuur and his first ever goal in professional football.

Starting at 40 seconds check out the goal in the video below shot by a Cambuur fan.

After the match, Rusnák was interviewed by NOS Studio Sport (Dutch version of ‘Match of the Day’) regarding the goal, the game and the move to Cambuur: “It’s a perfect start I think, except that maybe we deserved more than a draw but I’m happy with the goal. But if it was a winning goal for three points, it would be better. I’m not a [free-kick] specialist but I hope to be one day. I have been practising all this week and happily, it paid off.”

Rusnák stated he knew very little regarding Cambuur before the move so he did some research: “A week before I first came here, I looked up on the internet and learned about the club and the fans. I read about they are very passionate and that’s what I love about football”

Rusnák also added why he chose the Netherlands to further his career instead of staying in England: “I think the Dutch league is perfect for the young players. They like to play football and Holland develop many young players so I think this is a perfect opportunity for me.”

If the Slovakian continues to play like he did on Saturday night, it will be a happy and productive season for Rusnák and Cambuur. He will gain excellent first-team experience that Karim Rekik achieved last year at PSV, and has now took back to the City of Manchester Stadium to try and win the affections of City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

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NEWS, TRANSFERS

Dutchman interested in move to Man Utd

August 11, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Manchester United target and Netherlands World Cup star Daley Blind has admitted that he would be open to a move to Manchester if new manager Louis van Gaal were to make an offer for him.

The Ajax defender has been constantly linked with a summer move to Old Trafford given the fact that Blind fits perfectly into the new 3-5-2 model of play that Van Gaal is implementing at the club.

Blind said, “For me, it is just about waiting but I am happy here in Amsterdam” and went on to say that “if something comes along his path, I will think about it.”

His focus remains on Ajax, but he finished the interview by saying, “we will see what happens next week”. Whether or not van Gaal has set a deadline for a new arrival remains to be seen but it seems quite strange that Blind would mention a specific time as to when he is expecting something to happen.

Ajax head coach Frank de Boer also weighed in by saying that “he will make the right choice and if he goes to a big club, he deserves it.” but went on to say that the defender would be better of staying in Amsterdam for another year to develop the quite competent skill set that he already boasts.

Manchester United recently lost out in the Thomas Vermaelen sweepstakes to Barcelona with the former Arsenal captain moving to Spain for a fee believed to be in the region of £13 million.

It is no secret that Manchester United are in the market for a left-footed defender and Blind is probably the most realistic target at this point in time. He is affordable, up for the move, knows Van Gaal and his system, and is versatile in what he can offer the club.

The 24-year-old has appeared for Ajax 100 times since his debut in 2008 scoring three goals during that time. He is also a fully fledged Dutch international footballer with 19 caps to his name, and the son of former Ajax footballer Danny Blind.

Click on Robbie’s name above to follow him on Twitter.

FEATURE

The story of Willem Van Hanegem

August 11, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Van Hanegem has one advantage over me. When I have a bad game I am useless. When Van Hanegem has a bad game, he rolls up his sleeves and starts tackling.

JOHAN CRUIJFF

Many people especially those not from Holland assume that Ajax are the the football club that were solely responsible for how football was being played in the 1970s. Over the years that has been helped by the arrogance and elitism of Amsterdam and Ajax. Yes, the likes of Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff and Ajax had an important part to play but Feyenoord were also a big and crucial part of this revolution, especially in the 1974 World Cup. Andries Oosterveen tells the story of Willem Van Hanegem is one such story that supports that.

To many people in the world the name of Willem Van Hanegem may mean very little if anything. Within Holland and to those especially associated with Feyenoord and the Dutch national team he is still remembered and very well respected. Ajax had their hero and talisman in Johan Cruijff and Feyenoord has theirs in Wim Van Hanegem or as he is more commonly referred to as De Kromme which in English means ‘The Crooked’. Van Hanegem received this nickname due to his bent passes and bent posture which would be typical of his style of play.

De Kromme’s playing career spanned 21 years where apart from a short spell in the USA with the Chicago Sting, he played the rest of his career at clubs in Holland. Namely Velox SC, Xerxes, AZ67, FC Utrecht and twice for Feyenoord – the club where he would become both a legend as a player and as a manager in the future. It is no surprise that in the club shop at De Kuip stadium that the face of Van Hanegem is shown more than any other player both past and present as such is his legendary status.

Too slow and too one-dimensional. Not suited for modern football

RINUS MICHELS

Van Hanegem was 24 when he signed for Feijenoord after being seen as not being good enough for Ajax and Rinus Michels. He joined a team that was full of legends and household names such as Wim Jansen, Rinus Israel, Coen Moulijn, Ove Kindvall and legendary manager Ernst Happel. It was a perfect combination as both were physically intimidating, strongminded and very technically adept. During his time there he was part of the first Dutch club to win the European Cup in 1970, he won the Intercontinental Cup also in 1970, three Eredivisie titles in 1969, 1971 and 1974, one UEFA Cup in 1974 and two KNVB Cups in 1969 and 1978.

Later on he would return to Feijenoord as coach between 1992 and 1995 where he would also show that he had the capabilities to be a successful manager where he proved it by winning the Eredivisie title in 1993 and two KNVB cups back to back in 1994 and 1995.

But what type of player was Van Hanegem? He was a tough tackling midfielder and an excellent passer of the ball, hence the origin of his nickname De Kromme. He was not the fastest but read the game very well. Alongside Wim Jansen, Arie Haan and Wim Suurbier, De Kromme provided the physical side and aggression that allowed Holland to control the tempo of the game whilst Johan Cruijff’s leadership reinforced Rinus Michels’ Ajax philosophy of play. The precision, variety and quality of Van Hanegem’s passing in the 1974 World Cup to Cruyff and Rep played a big role in enabling Cruyff to win the award for ‘Best Player of the Tournament’.

But not all of Van Hanegem’s life is about success and great moments. He was born in 1944 in Breskens in Zeeland where at this time the second world war was still being fought and Holland was under German occupation. A combination of carpet bombing from the Allies and German Occupation led to the loss of his father, his sister and two of his brothers. Later on in in his life he never forgave the Germans for this.

The life and footballing career of Wim Van Hanegem has been one of a variety of emotions, achievements, personal success and tragedy. However, what is clear is that he is a fighter, a role model, a survivor, a warrior and an example that there is more to football than mansions, big salaries and fast cars.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Willem II 1-3 PSV

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

WILLEM II 1 – 3 PSV

Philip Cocu’s PSV was uninspiring away to Eredivisie new boys Willem II but still came away with a 3-1 win in the final game of the weekend.

PSV exploded out the blocks and harried Willem II into two defensive mistakes that resulted in two goals in the first ten minutes. First off, Kostas Lamprou making his debut for the Tilburg side since joining on loan from Feyenoord, dramatically rushed out of his goal on seven minutes to meet the ball a few yards outside of the area. After the keeper took an awful touch, the ball flick up in the air which allowed Jürgen Locadia to nod the ball out of the goalie’s path. The striker then aimed the ball towards goal and Jordan Peters hurried back but was unable to clear off the line and PSV were a goal ahead.

The lead was doubled minutes later after another horrific mistake. After a pass back went wrong from Robbie Haemhouts, Memphis Depay collected the ball twisted and turned the Willem II defence and place a low drive inside Lamprou’s post. The fans inside the Koning Willem II Stadion were booing, apart from the 500 PSV fans in the south east corner.

The Eindhoven side looked like they were going to go on a rout, however the Eredivisie newcomers collected themselves and put up a fight and even grabbed a goal back before the break. The exciting Terrel Ondaan got past Luuk de Jong on the right and fired in a low ball into the area. Brazilian striker Bruno Andrade collected the loose ball, spun his defender and finished from close range, a great goal.

The relegation contenders looked anything but after the goal as Cocu’s men were on the ropes and had Jeroen Zoet to thanks for retaining the lead. Before the break, the PSV keeper parried a great effort from long range by Ondaan.

After the interval, as the torrential rain came down, Willem II should have been level within eight minutes of the restart. Andrade whipped a vicious ball towards the back post from the right wing which Ben Sahar connected with his head and nodded back across goal. Belgian midfielder Stijn Wuytens was a metre out and headed the ball straight at Zoet, easy enough for the keeper to catch. A terrible miss by the former PSV midfielder.

Zoet held firm for the remainder of the game and PSV wrapped up the points with less than 15 minutes to go. Depay placed a perfect ball through to Georginio Wijnaldum in the area and the midfielder was tripped by Lamprou, who immediately received his marching orders from referee Kevin Blom. Depay easily dispatched the remaining penalty to seal the win.

TEAMS

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Peters, Ondaan (Vicento 67), Haemhouts, Messaoud, Andrade (Meul 75), Sahar (Ippel 80), D. Wuytens, Heymans, Cornelisse, S. Wuytens.

SUBS NOT USED: Heerkens, Vossebelt, Zanelli, Deckers.

GOALS: Andrade 40.

BOOKINGS: Messaoud 50, Andrade 61, Peters 68.

SENT OFF: Lamprou 73.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Bruma, Hendrix, Tamata, Maher (Ritzmaier 80), Wijnaldum, Hiljemark, Locadia (Narsingh 81), De Jong, Depay (Jozefzoon 85).

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Arias, Vloet, Koch.

GOALS: Locadia 7, Depay 10 & 76P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Memphis Depay (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Go Ahead Eagles 2-3 FC Groningen

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2 – 3 FC GRONINGEN

In a five goal thriller, FC Groningen’s Jarchinio Antonia scored a late goal to defeat his former side Go Ahead Eagles as his side came from two down to win 3-2 at Adelaarshorst.

After seeing some many players move to bigger clubs, Go Ahead lost Jarchinio Antonia to FC Groningen last month which today would come back to haunt them. Surprisingly, they did manage to persuade Deniz Türüç to stay after some interest from FC Twente.

Today, Go Ahead started brightly and Türüç was influential in the opening goal. Alex Schalk provided a smart back-heel to finish Türüç’s attempt after only 18 minutes of play. The lead could have been doubled before half-time new Groningen keeper Sergio Padt, a summer signing from Belgian side AA Gent saved a Jop van der Linden’s free kick, while striker Marnix Kolder fired into the side netting.

Just five minutes after the break the energetic Lesley de Sa scored an excellent individual goal. The 21-year-old from Ajax cut inside from the right wing lashing a powerful drive into top corner of Padt’s goal, giving the stopper no chance of reaching.

The over 9,000 fans inside the Adelaarshorst exploded, however none of them would have foreseen the second half ahead. After dominating the first-half, Go Ahead was exposed terribly by Groningen after the break.

Just before the hour mark, Groningen grabbed a goal back when Tjaronn Chery, signed permanently from ADO in the summer, blasted a low drive from the edge of the box past Erik Cummins to make it 2-1.

With just fifteen minutes remaining, Michael de Leeuw levelled the game up taking advantage of some poor marking by the Eagles, with a close range header after Antonia crossed towards the back post.

Then on 87 minutes, Jarchinio Antonia loved by Eagles fans last year was instantly loathed by those same supporters after scoring the winner. With the pitch heavily waterlogged and the ball unable to move smoothly across the grass, De Leeuw lofted a ball high into the middle of box and Antoniq stretched out with a diving header past Cummins to break Eagles hearts.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Cummins, Niuewpoort, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk, Overgoor, Türüç, Van Oojien (Rijsdijk 71), De Sa (Reimerink 83), Kolder, Schalk (Lewis 68).

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Hart, Lewis, De Bondt, Van der Meer, Ten Den.

GOALS: Schalk 18, De Sa 50.

BOOKINGS: None.

GRONINGEN: Padt, Hiariej, Botteghin, Kappelhof, Van Nieff (Van der Laan 64), Kieftenbeld, Chery, Lindgren (De Leeuw 67), Van der Velden, Hoesen (Islamovic 88), Antonia.

SUBS NOT USED: Van der Vlag, Hateboer, Saban, Hagenauw.

GOALS: Chery 58, De Leeuw 75, Antonia 87

BOOKINGS: Van Nieff 46.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jarchinio Antonio (FC Groningen)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Ajax 4-1 Vitesse

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

AJAX 4 – 1 VITESSE

Ajax got their title defense underway with 4-1 win over Vitesse, although the victory was not as one-sided as it sounds.

Whilst potential signing Samuel Eto’o was among the spectators at the Amsterdam ArenA, Frank de Boer went with three-pronged attack of Ricardo Kishna, Arkadiusz Milik and Lasse Schöne. He left all three of Ajax’s representatives at this summer’s World Cup on the bench, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind.

Meanwhile, Peter Bosz decided to feature two youngsters from the latest crop sent over to Arnhem from Chelsea. Burkina Faso attacking midfielder Bertrand Traoré returned for his second season at Vitesse while Brazilian right-back Wallace made his debut at the back.

Vitesse controlled the majority of the first 45 minutes with Ajax looking vulnerable at the back, however the visitors were due to rue all the missed opportunities especially when Ajax made the breakthrough five minutes before half-time.

Summer signing Nick Viergever got the first goal with a wonderful left-foot finish. Young full-back Ruben Ligeon got forward on the right-wing and planted a cross in the middle of the box, arriving late Viergever volleyed past Piet Velthuizen in goal to make the Amsterdam ArenA jump.

Just after the interval, the lead was doubled after Chelsea youngster Wallace brought down Kishna around 30-yards out. From the resulting set-piece, Lasse Schöne hit a dipping long range shot that made Velthuizen look rather foolish in goal.

The second goal woke Vitesse up immediately and Bosz’s men nearly reduced the deficit. Defender Guram Kashia cracked a header off the crossbar from a Zakaria Labyad corner and then nodded the rebound over. However, the game was settled just after the hour mark with Mike van der Hoorn’s first goal for Ajax. Schone whipped in the corner and the defender rose above Jan-Arie van der Heijden to make it 3-0. Game over for Vitesse Arnhem.

The entrances of new signing Denys Olinyk and young forward Uroš Djurdjevic did not bring Vitesse any joy, Ajax were in full domination and dictated the tempo of the play. Although, Vitesse did get a consolation goal with a lovely effort by Marko Vejinović with just six minutes to go. After shrugging off the challenge of Van der Hoorn, the midfielder caught the Ajax defence asleep as he surged through the area and slotted home inside Kenneth Vermeer’s inside post.

Ajax made it four before the final whistle when young substitute winger Ahmed El Ghazi played a ball into the back post, and Schöne sidefooted home to score his second of the match.

Great second half performance from the Amsterdammers which may have shown Marc Overmars and De Boer that, do they really need to spend €2million a year on wages for Eto’o when they have all this talent banging in the goals when it matters.

TEAMS

AJAX: Vermeer, Ligeon, Van der Hoorn, Moisander, Boilesen, Klaassen (Sigthórsson 80), Viergever, Serero, Schöne, Milik (Blind 59), Kishna (El Ghazi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Cillessen, Veltman, Sigthórsson, Andersen, Denswil.

GOALS: Viergever 40, Schöne 48, Van der Hoorn 62.

BOOKINGS: Ligeon 43, Van der Hoorn 82.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Kashia, Van den Heijden, Kruiswijk, Pröpper, Leerdam (Achenteh 85), Vejinovic, Labyad, Kazaishvili (Olinyk 66), Traoré (Djurdjevic 66).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Dijks, Bosz, Dauda.

GOALS: Vejinovic 84.

BOOKINGS: Wallace 47.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lasse Schöne (Ajax)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: ADO Den Haag 0-1 Feyenoord

August 10, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

ADO DEN HAAG 0 – 1 FEYENOORD

The opening game of Sky Sports’ coverage in the UK was a high octane affair with 12 yellow cards and a sending off however; ten-man ADO Den Haag were harshly defeated by a late Mitchell te Vrede goal.

In an already hectic season for Fred Rutten, the new Feyenoord head coach decided to hand debuts down the right side to Luke Wilkshire and Bilal Basacikoglu while he dropped young striker Te Vrede in place of midweek scorer against Beşiktaş, Elvis Manu.

ADO’s debutant goalkeeper Martin Hansen had to be alert on nine minutes as Terence Kongolo delivered a wonderful cross for former Den Haag man Lex Immers to rise above everyone to smash a header at goal, and the former Liverpool youth keeper tipped over.

Feyenoord should have gained the lead on 15 minutes after Basacikoglu threaded the needle for Manu down the right. The striker showed great power and strength to get past Vito Wormgoor but Hansen flicked the ball around the post.

The woodwork stopped ADO’s chances going in, twice in succession. On 17 minutes, Mike van Duinen nodded on a corner for former West Brom defender Gianni Zuiverloon to head the ball off the crossbar. A few minutes later, Dion Malone crashed the bar with a great effort from long range that had the supporters inside Kyocera Stadion on their feet and Feyenoord keeper Erwin Mulder on his knees.

The hosts impressed after the early scares form Feyenoord but lost their captain Ronald Alberg to injury before half-time and had to be replacement by another man making his debut, 18-year-old Tyronne Ebuehi.

Things got worse for Henk Fraser as Mitchell Schet received two bookings within four minutes. Schet dived in on Sven van Beek and then minutes later he was penalised for pulling back Kongolo. Video replays showed that the second should not have been a sending off. Nevertheless, referee Danny Makkelie dished out the first red card of the Eredivisie season so far and Schet trudged off the pitch.

As the rain poured down, ADO lost their discipline and Aaron Meijers was lucky to stay on the field after a two footed challenge in the corner on Basacikoglu. The teams went into the interval all square but Feyenoord, with the man advantage.

Still the Rotterdammers failed to get going and really test Hansen’s gloves and it was not until the hour mark that we saw the first real chance. An audacious effort from Kevin Jansen, spotting Erwin Mulder off his line, hit a 45-yard free kick towards goal that just sailed wide with Mulder scrambling to get back in his goal.

On 65 minutes, Feyenoord had a free-kick of their own and with a great piece of improvisation, Clasie laid the ball low into the area for Kongolo to crack an effort on goal. Unfortunately for Rutten’s men the box was too crowded and the ball went behind for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, Immers got his head on the ball again but could not get his effort on target.

As the time dwindled on, ADO looked the more dangerous as Feyenoord became anxious. The introductions of Te Vrede, Ruben Schaken and later Ruud Vormer seemed to fail to inspire Rutten’s side to the expected victory. Although, In the dying moments, when it looked like the game would not be settled, Mitchell te Vrede snatched the win with an excellent header from a Clasie free-kick.

Feyenoord will need to improve if they wish to challenge the likes of Ajax, PSV and FC Twente for the Eredivisie championship. ADO will be disappointed with the result but on the bright this is only their second defeat in the last 14 league fixtures. Referee Danny Makkelie will be in headlines also, as the 13 cards he displayed in this game is an all-time Eredivisie record.

TEAMS

ADO: Hansen, Malone, Wormgoor, Zuiverloon, Meijers, Kristensen, Jansen (Merencia 87), Alberg (Ebuehi 38), Van Duinen, Kramer, Schet.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkles, Kanon, Buwalda, De Vlugt, Houtkoop.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Schet 36, Meijers 43, Kramer 52, Jansen 54, Zuiverloon 63, Kristensen 65, Merencia 90.

SENT OFF: Schet 40.

FEYENOORD: Mulder; Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Kongolo, Clasie, Immers, Vilhena, Basacikoglu (Schaken 67), Manu (Vormer 81), Boëtius (Te Vrede 58).

SUBS NOT USED: Hahn, Vormer, Verhoek, Nelom, Karsdorp.

GOALS: Te Vrede 90+1.

BOOKINGS: Manu 25, Te Vrede 77, Van Beek 80, Wilkshire 82, Clasie 85.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kevin Jansen (ADO)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 1: SUNDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday sees the final four games of the first week of action as the big guns PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse begin their campaign. Will Burns to provide a preview and some betting tips – good luck.

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FEYENOORD (11:30 BST)

The very first Dutch game of the four-year Sky Sports deal will be a fierce battle between ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord.

This will be a tough test for Feyenoord, after the midweek exploits in Turkey, defeated by Beşiktaş 3-1 courtesy of a Demba Ba hat-trick. With a squad depleted after losing their leading scorer for the past two seasons and three of their representatives at this summer’s World Cup, Fred Rutten has a major job on his hands if he wishes to try steering Feyenoord to a title challenge this term. Signing Heerenveen winger Bilal Basacikoglu was a good start and the thought of Jean-Paul Boëtius on opposite wings is a mouth-watering prospect. Problem is the lack of strikers to cross the ball to. Apart from an uninspiring Mitchell te Vrede in the lone striker role, Elvis Manu, scorer in midweek, will be in Rutten’s mind and may get a start.

ADO manager Henk Fraser has been impressive since taking over midway through last season. Boasting an undefeated record of 11 of their last 12 matches, they head into Sunday’s game with confidence and some good new faces. Xander Houtkoop had a fantastic season at Go Ahead Eagles last year. Twenty four-year-old goalkeeper Martin Hansen, a former Liverpool youth excelled in the Danish league over last two season at Viborg FF and FC Nordsjælland. Finally, experienced Danish international midfielder Thomas Kristensen arrives after six success filled seasons at FC København. All three are set to start, however, the biggest news of the summer for ADO is that young highly-rated striker Mike van Duinen is still at the club.

With the tiredness and exhaustion from the midweek travel and mood affecting the result of the game, I cannot see Feyenoord walking out of the Kyocera Stadion with a win. I feel ADO will be set-up a fresher team and ready to exploit any weakness they find. Rutten will be hoping to get the season going but I feel Fraser’s side will hold the Rotterdammers to a draw.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (3/1 – Bet Victor)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. FC GRONINGEN (13:30 BST)

After a disappointing European adventure in the summer, Groningen began their league campaign in Deventer on Sunday afternoon away to Go Ahead Eagles.

A load of players to look out for in this game, Eagles have borrowed a couple from Ajax and both should be on the teamsheet. Young goalkeeper Mickey van der Hart started 27 games in the Eerste Divisie last year for Jong Ajax. Exciting winger Lesly de Sa also appeared for Jong Ajax last term, scoring seven goals in 17 starts. Another definite starter should be left-back Giliano Wijnaldum, brother of Georginio, who signed from Sunday’s opponents FC Groningen. Another two, who could also feature is striker Alex Schalk, signed on a free from NAC Breda and midfielder Peter van Ooijen who arrived from PSV Eindhoven.

Edwin van der Looi brought many exciting reinforcements into Groningen this summer. Danny Hoesen signed on a permanent deal from Ajax, as Richairo Zivkovic went to other way. Signing from Go Ahead, Jarchinio Antonia should start against his former club and possibly haunt them with his right-wing attacks. Big defender Martijn van der Laan arrived from Cambuur and goalkeeper Sergio Padt came from Jupiler Pro side AA Gent as Marco Bizot went the opposite direction to Belgium. All of these players will add some great depth to an already strong squad.

I predict this match could provide a lot of goals and could be the game of the round. Adelaarshorst is a challenging venue for any team but Groningen should have sufficient quality to be able to hold off their opponents to at least claim a point in this one.

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Draw (13/5- Bet Victor)

AJAX vs. VITESSE ARNHEM (13:30 BST)

Defending champions Ajax will be out for blood against Vitesse on Sunday after spending all week licking their wounds from last weekend’s Johan Cruijff Schaal defeat in their own backyard to PEC Zwolle.

Undefeated in the last 22 games in the league, Ajax will be vying to keep the run going and get off to a good start on Sunday. World Cup trio, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind have returned to full training this week after being given extended leave once their involvement in Brazil concluded. It is very unlikely that they will be named in the starting line-up against Vitesse, so in their absence Kenneth Vermeer, Mike van der Hoorn and summer signing from AZ, Nick Viergever should stand in. Elsewhere, Frank de Boer could hand a debut to young Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, who was loaned from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last month.

Peter Bosz will be looking for a change in fortune as his side have lost their last four away matches in the league, but he could not have asked for a harder first game than a trip to the Amsterdam ArenA. Preparations for the new season as usual, have seen Chelsea reserve players have made the switch from Stamford Bridge for the forthcoming season. Burkina Faso international midfielder Bertrand Traoré and Brazilian full-back Wallace have made the move over to Arnhem. Vitesse has strengthened their attacking options bringing in striker Abiola Dauda, who has a great goalscoring record at both Kalmar (Sweden) and Red Star Belgrade (Serbia).

One player who may lead the team to greatness this year has not been mentioned by many pundits but insiders have told me he will make a major impact in the Eredivisie. Arriving early in the window was Denys Oliynyk from Dnipro on a two-year deal. The Ukrainian international was once considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation, however, he has only played 13 games in the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see what happens with this player if he makes the first team.

Ajax will be looking to explode out of the blocks in front of their own crowd to make amends from last weekend’s disappointment; however Vitesse will be prepared for this. Without their World Cup stars, I’m predicting Ajax will find this game a struggle and the draw is my recommended bet.

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Draw (33/10 – Bet Victor)

WILLEM II vs. PSV (15:30 BST)

PSV Eindhoven was in Austria this past Thursday to advance to the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, while Willem II would have been resting up preparing for this game, in their return to the Eredivisie.

PSV enter this game with a fantastic head-to-head record, having won their last 17 matches against Willem II in all competitions and I cannot see the streak being broken. Philip Cocu’s men should get the season underway with a hefty victory over Jurgen Streppel’s side. New striker Luuk de Jong has already notched this year in the Europa League and with most wanted Memphis Depay returning from a fantastic World Cup ready to fire PSV to a title challenge. I fail to see the likes of Jordan Peters and Tim Cornelisse keeping them at bay.

Our best bet will be PSV -1 which means we need the Eindhoven side to win by two clear goals to win the bet.

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PSV -1 Handicap (31/20 – Bet Victor)

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EREDIVISIE: Heracles 0-3 AZ Alkmaar

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

HERACLES 0 – 3 AZ ALKMAAR

Marco Van Basten’s AZ side ran out 3-0 winners over Heracles in his first match in charge of the club, but it wasn’t as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, especially in the first half, but quality won out in the end.

Heracles started the match well, with a lot of crisp passing and they kept the ball well. AZ hardly had a kick of the ball in the opening ten minutes, when they did, they looked very uncomfortable and rushed in possession. This may have been down to the impressive work rate of their opposition, who were pressing well. The first chance came around in the opening minute as the home side managed to get in behind AZ, but Oussama Tannane shot over the bar. The opening exchanges were encouraging for the home side, but it was unlikely that they could play at such intensity for the entire match and that proved as AZ slowly managed to show their ability.

The front three of AZ have lots of ability and all three started to threaten the Heracles defence. Both Steven Berghuis and the new signing from Fulham, Muamer Tankovic forced saves with shots from range, while Guus Hupperts started to pose a lot of questions down the left hand side and the pressing of the front caused the home side’s defence to make several errors in their own half when in possession.

However, it was Heracles who had the better chances, a deflected effort from Thomas Bruns came very close to breaking the deadlock after good work from Linssen on the left, while the midfielder had another great chance minutes later, but he fired over when Ilias Bel Hassani picked him out on the edge of the area. The home side had a shout for a penalty as well as Bryan Linssen was clumsily taken down by Esteban, who looked shaky at times, but AZ got the decision in their favour.

The second half started in the same way as the first, with Heracles coming out of the blocks quickly, good play down their right, led to Bel Hassani getting space in the box and he came close to opening the scoring, hitting the post. The quality of the AZ front three started to show as the half wore on and two were involved in the opener. A hopeful long ball was played up to Tankovic and the clearance fell to Steven Berghuis. His low shot squirmed underneath the keeper. It was perhaps harsh on the home side, but it gave AZ confidence and they doubled their advantage just minutes later.

Wide player Guus Hupperts drifted inside, evaded a challenge and curled his shot into the top right hand corner from the edge of the area. It was a super goal to mark his debut for the club. The signing from Roda JC was a constant threat and he will become very important for Van Basten as the season progresses.

As the match progressed, Heracles still threatened, but their poor decision making in the final third meant they couldn’t get back into the match. It’s clear they will be a difficult team to play against this season. Unfortunately for them, AZ’s quality shone through in the end as forward Tankovic scored the first after Berghuis’ shot from range was pushed into his path. He was the second AZ player to score on his debut for the club and it was fitting all three attackers scored as they were excellent for the entire match. They will certainly create problems for teams this season and the return of Aron Jóhannsson will only add to the attacking threat at Marco Van Basten’s disposal.

TEAMS

HERACLES: Telgenkamp, Schenkeveld, Aktaou, Zomer, Te Wierik, Sibum (Cziommer 73), Bruns, Bel Hassani, Linssen, Tannane (Weghorst 69), Fledderus (Gyasi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Castro, Paljic, Pelupessy, Engberink.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Fledderus 64.

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Ortiz, Gudelj, Hendriksen, Poulse, Berghuis, Hupperts (Haps 85), Tankovic (Rosheuvel 78).

SUBS NOT USED: Rochet, Elm, Hoedt, Haye, Luckassen.

GOALS: Berghuis 56, Hupperts 63, Tankovic 76.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)

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EREDIVISIE: NAC Breda 1-1 Excelsior

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

NAC BREDA 1 – 1 EXCELSIOR

Eredivisie newcomers Excelsior clinched a vital 1-1 draw away to prospected relegation rivals NAC Breda which saw two goals scored in a matter of minutes.

The Eredivisie new boys started well and the tricky Jordan Botaka caused NAC a lot of trouble from the start. It was clear that NAC defensive midfielder Joeri de Kamps had a game plan for the young winger, rough him up and keep him out the game. However, it almost backfired when referee Jeroen Sanders made a terrible error on 18 minutes. De Kamps was clearly seen fouling Botaka in the area, although the referee stated it was outside the box. Despite the protests, the free-kick was awarded and NAC had been spared.

Breda’s goalkeeper Jelle ten Rouwelaar was presented a plaque pre-match, for this was his 205th consecutive Eredivisie game for the club. Unfortunately for the stopper, he was beaten on 19 minutes.

Kenny van der Weg got his feet tangled with Excelsior striker Tom van Weert and referee Sanders pointed to the spot. It was a soft decision, possibly making up for the one the officials missed a few minutes previous. Jeff Stans converted the spot-kick even though Ten Rouwelaar guessed the right way and got his fingertips to the ball.

From the restart, NAC were level. Moroccan Under-23 international Adnane Tighadouini hit a first time shot after a poor clearance from the erratic Jordy Deckers, and the ball ended up in the empty goal.

Breda should have taken the lead moments later, again Tighadouini involved. Kingsley Boateng, NAC’s new signing from AC Milan, whipped the ball away from Kevin van Diermen and crossed low across the goal. The Moroccan was arriving at the back post and smashed his finish off the foot of the post.

After the break, NAC had another chance to take the lead but wasted the opportunity again. Erik Falkenburg’s long range effort was pushed onto the post by Deckers and Elson Hooi blazed the rebound over from a few yards out.

Excelsior may have had another penalty in the dying seconds when Boateng was deemed to handball in the area but nothing was awarded. NAC will need to improve their efforts in front of goal or better teams than Excelsior will punish them for the mistakes.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, Ssewankambo, Drost, Van der Weg, Amieux, Falkenburg, De Kamps, Matic, Hooi (Sarpong 70), Boateng, Tighadouini.

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Damcevski, De Roover, Suk, El Allouchi.

GOALS: Tighadouini 20.

BOOKINGS: De Kamps 40.

EXCELSIOR: Deckers, Karami, Fischer, Van Diermen, Brito, Kruijs, Auassar, Stans (Vermeulen 86), Botaka, Van Weert (Gouriye 71), Van Mieghem (Hutten 76).

SUBS NOT USED: Mattheij, Damen, Bovenberg, Maletic.

GOALS: Stans 19P.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jordan Botaka (Excelsior)

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EREDIVISIE: SC Cambuur 1-1 FC Twente

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

SC CAMBUUR 1 – 1 FC TWENTE

A Youness Mokhtar equaliser, with just two minutes to go, denied Cambuur of all three points against FC Twente this evening, after Manchester City loanee Albert Rusnák had put the hosts ahead.

Slovakian midfielder Albert Rusnák stole the show and demonstrated to everyone watching that he could be a real force this campaign for Cambuur. Formerly having loan spells at Oldham Athletic and Birmingham City, this was the 20-year-old’s debut on a season-long loan from Premier League champions Manchester City. He announced his arrival on 13 minutes after Kyle Ebecilio fouled Michiel Hemmen on the edge of the area. The 18-year-old stepped up and curled the free-kick into the top corner out of Nick Marsman’s reach. This was Rusnák’s first goal in professional football.

Twente were struggling to get going and Cambuur looked the more likely team to score. The impressive Rusnák showed great movement throughout and worked hard, showing great tenacity to get back deep into the midfield and win the possession for his team.

Twente coach replaced Robert Schilder with new signing Kamohelo Mokotjo at half-time to try and lift his side, however, even though the link-up play improved, no decent chances were created and Leonard Nienhuis’ gloves stayed cold.

With two minutes of play remaining, the game was tied due to a deflected shot from Youness Mokhtar. The winger cut inside and on the edge the box tried his luck, the ball flicked off the boot of Cambuur defender Lucas Bijker and ended up past Nienhuis for the equaliser. An undeserving goal for the team from Enschede.

Twente will feel fortunate to leave Leeuwarden with a point, for Cambuur, it may feel like two points lost although if you would have asked coach Henk de Jong before the game, I’m sure he would have took a draw. Today was all about Albert Rusnak, the Manchester City youngster that we will all be treated to this season.

TEAMS

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Reijnen, Bijker, Pereira, El Makrini, Bakker, Rusnák, Meleg (Schepers 61), Hemmen (Dijkstra 78), Ogbeche (Barto 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Mac-Intosch, Janzen, Schokker.

GOALS: Rusnák 13.

BOOKINGS: None.

TWENTE: Marsman, Breukers, Lachman (Tapia 81), Martina, Koppers, Schilder (Mokotjo 46), Ebecilio, Castaignos, Mokhtar, Børven, Kusk (Ould-Chikh 72).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Andersen, Hölscher, Corona.

GOALS: Mokhtar 88.

BOOKINGS: None.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Albert Rusnak (SC Cambuur)

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EREDIVISIE: Heerenveen 1-2 FC Dordrecht

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 9TH AUGUST 2014

HEERENVEEN 1 – 2 FC DORDRECHT

Ernie Brandts and his FC Dordrecht side pulled off a shock 2-1 win against a poor Heerenveen side that seemed to be lacking something going forward.

The hosts got off to a great start with an opening goal within 13 minutes. Jordy Buijs bombed down the right wing and despite the efforts of Dordrecht defender Sem de Wit, Buijs got a cross in towards the back post. Arriving late was Hakim Ziyech, who rose above the challenge of Marvin Peersman to nod towards goal. Polish goalkeeper Filip Kurto tried relentlessly to stop the header but to no avail.

Heerenveen pressed for a second with Daley Sinkgraven, just aged 19, looking the most likely to make something happen, however Kurto was rarely tested. The youngster came off worse in a challenge with the big goalkeeper before half-time and was bleeding from the top of his head throughout the game.

A minute before the break, Dordrecht found themselves level with a fortunate goal. Former PSV youth player Funso Ojo whipped a free-kick into the area and what should have been an easy catch for Heerenveen stopper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, the big Swede flapped when De Wit jumped with him. Then when Luciano Slagveer botched a clearance, Giovanni Korte was on home to drive the ball home.

Ten minutes to go, the Eredivisie new boys sealed all three points. A mix-up between Nordfledt and young defender Joost van Aken allowed Joris van Overeem steal the ball and slot home to take the win.

Selling Alfred Finnbogason in the summer, new coach Dwight Lodeweges knew it was going to be a massive task replacing him. Aside of Sinkgraven and Ziyech, Heerenveen was missing the attacking threats that we are used to seeing. On the right wing, Slagveer was ineffective and lone striker Mark Uth never got going. New Danish signing Thomas Dalgaard replaced Uth after 55 minutes but himself failed to inspire.

The home side were booed off by their fans inside the Abe Lenstra Stadion as Brandts and his coaching staff jumped up and down in a circle celebrating on the final whistle. Lodeweges will have to pick his players up, as on Friday night they travel to De Kuip to face Feyenoord.

TEAMS

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Buijs, Van Aken, Raitala, Van den Berg, Ziyech, De Roon, Slagveer (Wildschut 54), Uth (Dalgaard 55), Sinkgraven (Thorsby 75).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Otigba, Schmidt, Varga.

GOALS: Ziyech 14.

BOOKINGS: De Roon 37, Ziyech 75.

DORDRECHT: Kurto, Fortes, Troost-Ekong, Haddad, Peersman, Ojo, Gosens, Van Overeem (Vet 90), Korte (Meulens 70), Lieder (Ten Voorde 82), Pisas.

SUBS NOT USED: Te Loeke, De Wit, Hamdaoui, Van Haaren.

GOALS: Korte 44, Van Overeem 81.

BOOKINGS: Haddad 21, Meulens 84, Kurto 90+4.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Marvin Peersman (FC Dordrecht)

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