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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW, FEATURE

EREDIVISIE 2014/15 SEASON GUIDE

August 7, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Total Dutch Football previews all 18 teams ahead of the new Eredivisie season beginning this Friday night. Click on a club’s badge below to view their extensive preview and how our team think they will fare in the upcoming 2014/15 season.

The Eredivisie is back and for viewers based in the United Kingdom, it is an exciting time. As of this season, Sky Sports have signed a four-year deal to show the Dutch top flight, so we will the breeding ground for some many playing and coaching talent right in front of our eyes. Lots of changes as per usual in the Eredivisie, as is every year when the vast amount of talent the season before, have moved onto bigger clubs across Europe. It is very apt that the league does get named ‘The Stepping Stone’ division as many stars like Luis Suarez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie honed their skills in Holland before moving on to the big time. In recent times, we have saw Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Siem de Jong all leave the Amsterdam Arena for the dizzy heights of the Premier League.

Could Ajax win an unprecedented fifth title in a row or could we see a new winner of the Eredivisie?

Well what are you watching for?

Click on a club badge below and find out who we think will be holding aloft the Eredivisie shield in May.

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BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 500/1

FC DORDRECHT SEASON PREVIEW

August 7, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

FCDordrecht

The ‘Sheep Heads’ as FC Dordrecht are affectionately known as pulled off an unlikely promotion from the Eerste Divisie last season to take their place with the big guns of the Eredivisie. Dordrecht have only spent 5 out of the past 42 seasons in the top flight and they haven’t been at this level since a single season in 1994/5 where they only won 5 games all season. Adding to the odds being against them is the fact that they play in a stadium that fits only 4,100 supporters and their estimated annual budget is E2.1million which is less than a tenth of the bigger Eredivisie clubs. In fact their annual budget puts them in the bottom half of Eerste Divisie clubs.

Despite all of this they are in the Eredivisie this season by ways of finishing a close 2^nd in the second tier last season and then defeating FC Den Bosch and Sparta in the Play-Offs. Promotion was achieved mainly through their home form where lost only 1 game at the Riwal Hoogwerkers Stadion all season (to Willem II) and also banged in league high 82 goals in their 38 games.

They have lost last season’s top scorer Paul Gladon (back to parent club Sparta) but they have managed to snare a handy replacement in Rick ten Voorde on loan from Paderborn. They’ve also picked up some handy younger players from Vitesse and ADO Den Haag as well as Polish keeper Filip Kurto from Roda JC, who is capped at Youth level for his country. Generally though the squad is light on with players that have previous Eredivisie experience and much will depend on their Captain Funso Ojo, who has played at this level before with PSV and VVV.

So Dordrecht go into the season with all the odds stacked up against them but they’ll certainly be coming in with confidence from last season and if they can maintain their home form then they might spring a few surprises ala Go Ahead Eagles last season.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Mohamed Hamdaoui (Vitesse), Filip Kurto (Roda JC), Giovanni Korte (ADO Den Haag), Mart Lieder (RKC Waalwijk), Rick ten Voorde (SC Paderborn), Robin Gosens (Vitesse), Sem de Wit (ADO Den Haag), William Troost-Ekong (FC Groningen).

OUT: Felitciano Zschusschen (FC Twente), Jeffrey Ket (FC Oss), Matthew Steenvoorden (Feyenoord), Paul Gladon (Sparta Rotterdam), Warner Hahn (Feyenoord), Youri Loen (Sparta Rotterdam).

MANAGER – ERNIE BRANDTS

A member of the 1978 Dutch World Cup squad Brandts and replaces the promotion winning manager Harry van den Ham. Brandts has been managing in Iran, Rwanda and Tanzania of recent seasons after a successful spell with NAC Breda. He cut his teeth at the youth setup of PSV and no doubt he’ll need to draw on the successes of this club to steer Dordrecht clear of murky waters this season.

KEY PLAYER – FUNSO OJO

A highly rated youngster whilst coming through the ranks at PSV, he only went on to make 11 appearances in the Eredivisie during his spell there. He then moved into the Belgian league with Royal Antwerp and Beerschot before returning to the Netherlands with Dordrecht last season. Ojo plays in the holding midfielder role and Dordrecht will need him to tap into what made PSV take notice of him to shield what is likely to be a very over-worked Dordrecht defence. This could be a career defining season for him.

PREDICTION – 16TH

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NAC BREDA SEASON PREVIEW

August 7, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

NACBreda

After a narrow escape from relegation last term can NAC Breda fans expect a better term this year? Ryan O’Grady predicts it may be more of the same for the Yellow Army.

Last season NAC Breda escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth, they lost 2-0 to PSV on the final day and had RKC Waalwijk won their match by a significant margin then they would’ve overtaken NAC and pushed them into the relegation play-off spot alongside NEC. Breda had many problems last year they score fewer goals than any other team last year, 43, which adds up to an average of 1.23 goals per game. Their top scorer last season was Rydell Poepon with 9 but he was on loan from ADO Den Haag and has now moved to Valenciennes in France. One positive from last year was that although they didn’t score many goals, they did share them around the team, Perica and Buijs got six apiece and Verbeek got 5. The problem is that they were the top 4 goal scorers at the club and they’re all no longer there which means that 26 goals of their meagre total of 43 have left the club. Verbeek has signed for Utrecht, Bujis has signed for Heerenveen and Perica returned to Chelsea following the end of his loan deal although he still could return as the club are in negotiations with Chelsea, but the negotiations are said to be “laborious” according to the club.

These departures will hopefully be offset by the arrival of 20-year old Kingsley Boateng on a free from AC Milan; this is a real coup for the side as he has a bright future. NAC have also signed Swedish wonder kid Isak Ssewankambo on another free transfer, this time from Chelsea. After helping Chelsea to win the FA Youth Cup his coach Adrian Viveash urged Jose Mourinho to give him a chance in the first team, this chance hasn’t materialised and after his contract ran out he got a trial at NAC Breda and impressed everyone enough to earn a contract. NAC chief Nebojsa Gudelj has been quoted as saying “He is a talented and dynamic player who is very strong and can play in many positions”. He has already represented Sweden at various levels including U17, U18 and U21. NAC Breda have lost one of their defensive linchpins in Kwakman to Bidvest Wits, he made 28 appearances last year and contributed 3 goals. To replace him they have brought in Frenchman Rémy Amieux from RKC Waalwijk who he was vital for last year, appearing in every game, and Aleksandar Damcevski from Chernomoretz Burgas who is unproven at this level. NAC have had a very successful winning all 6 of their games including beating regional side DSE 16-0. Although their preseason form has been good, they haven’t come up against any teams of real note, which questions whether they can continue this form into the new season.

Overall NAC Breda have brought in a couple of decent signings but whether this will be enough to replace the goals that have left remains to be seen and in other areas they have merely just replaced players rather than strengthening. This seems to suggest that a similar season to last year is on the cards or possibly even worse if the new signings don’t gel with the rest of the team.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Isak Ssewankambo (Chelsea), Aleksandar Damchevski (Chernomorets), Erik Falkenburg (Go Ahead Eagles), Joeri De Kamps (Heerenveen), Kingsley Boateng (AC Milan), Remy Amieux (RKC Waalwijk).

OUT: Anouar Hadouir (Moghreb Tetouan), Jordy Buijs (Heerenveen), Kees Kwakman (Bidvest Wits), Stuy Rick van den Herik (FC Oss), Rydell Poepon (ADO Den Haag), Stipe Perica (Chelsea).

MANAGER – NEBOJŠA GUDELJ

Gudelj is a former Bosnian Serb footballer who started his playing career off at FK Leotar Terbinje in the Yugoslav Second League. He then moved to FK Partizan Belgrade where he won the title in the 1993-94 season. He then moved to Spain to join CD Logroñés where he only spent one season before moving NAC Breda eight years and made 246 appearances and scored 10 goals. He then spent one final year at Sparta Rotterdam before retiring in 2006. In 2012 he was appointed manager at NAC leading them to a 13^th placed finish in first season before they finished 15^th last year. He also has a son, Nemanja Gudelj, who currently plays for the AZ Alkmaar first team.

KEY PLAYER – KINGSLEY BOATENG

Kingsley Boateng arrived on loan from Serie A giants AC Milan and the 20-year-old, who was loaned out to Catania last term, has started well on pre-season for Breda scoring four times in three games. It seems AC Milan have also been impressed as they said that even though the games are just friendlies they have been really impressed with his form. The talented striker, who can also play on the wings, has stated his desire to play for Ghana, despite featuring for the Italian Under-21 team and is ready to make an impact in the Eredivisie to start an international tug-of-war.

PREDICTION – 15TH

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EXCELSIOR SEASON PREVIEW

Excelsior

After a two-year absence Excelsior are back in the Eredivisie, although Will Burns predicts it could be a short stay.

Promoted via the playoffs after finishing third last year in the Eerste Divisie, the Rotterdam side would have needed some vast investment to build a squad to survive the Dutch top flight. In addition they have lost last year’s top scorer Lars Veldwijk to Nottingham Forest. The investment and the top experienced signings have not happened, and thus Excelsior should find themselves in the bottom two and back down to the First Division.

On-loan signing Ninos Gouriye (ADO Den Haag) and Tom van Weert from Den Bosch aim to fill Veldwijk’s boots, however, replacing a striker that hit a 30-goal season last campaign, is not an easy task. A third striker Marko Maletic featured on loan at FC Oss last term, signs on a permanent deal after his contract with parent club Stuttgart ended.

Although, once again, Excelsior are a squad built with Eerste Divisie experience and not many former Eredivisie players in the team. One thing that Excelsior can look forward to is the Rotterdam derby with Feyenoord. However, with this squad I cannot see many things to look forward this season for Excelsior.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Bas Kuipers (Ajax), Daan Bovenberg (NEC Nijmegen), Daryl Miegham (Telstar), Marko Maletic (Stuttgart), Ninos Gouriye (ADO Den Haag), Tom van Weert (FC Den Bosch).

OUT: Boy de Jong (PEC Zwolle), Lars Veldwijk (Nottingham Forest).

MANAGER – MARINUS DIJKHUIZEN

Taking over from Jon Dahl Tomasson last season and winning promotion in his debut season, Dijkhuizen is a popular figure at the club. Although, like his squad the lack of experience may shine through and the relationship with the club and their fans may end before the season’s finished.

KEY PLAYER – JORDAN BOTAKA

Fast-paced Botaka is a 21-year-old with great talent that should cause some problems to full-backs this season. The winger was great for Excelsior last season, helping the side end the season well for a third-placed finish and providing 10 goals of his own and helping Veldwijk score eight of his.

PREDICTION – 17TH

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 500/1

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FC GRONINGEN SEASON PREVIEW

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 40/1

FCGroningen

The season did not start too great for Edwin van der Looi’s men, tasting defeat in the Europa League qualifiers against Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen. However, Will Burns thinks things can only get better for FC Groningen.

This summer’s transfer window has brought some great talent into the club with the money from the departure of the highly-rated Richairo Zivkovic to Ajax. Wide attacker Danny Hoesen came the opposite way, young goalkeeper Sergio Padt arrived from Belgian side AA Gent and Jarchinio Antonio, a skilful playmaker, was poached from Go Ahead Eagles. Defender Martijn van der Laan rounds off, four great first teamers that will add some great strength to an already relatively strong squad.

Filip Kostić is a serious threat to any team in the Eredivisie and lining up along with Tjaronn Chery, Hoesen and Antonia is a four-man attack that could beat any Dutch team on any given night. They are strong at the back too. Brazilian central defender Eric Botteghin has improved over time, with left-back Lorenzo Burnet a dangerous player on the left-wing. Twenty-year-old Hans Hateboer is an impressive youngster, the 76-game experience of Johan Kappelhof will help him and new signing Van der Laan rounds out a strong defence.

After a tough year last, that gave Groningen a respectable fifth place I can see the Pride of the North having a similar season under Edwin van der Looi with european football, once again be the main objective.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Danny Hoesen (Ajax), Dino Islamovic (Fulham), Jarchinio Antonia (Go Ahead Eagles), Martijn van der Laan (SC Cambuur), Peter van der Vlag (FC Emmen), Sergio Padt (AA Gent).

OUT: Giliano Wijnaldum (Go Ahead Eagles), Krisztián Adorjan (Liverpool), Marco Bizot (Racing Genk), Richairo Zivkovic (Ajax), Stefano Magnasco (Universidad Catolica), William Troost-Ekong (FC Dordrecht)

MANAGER – EDWIN VAN DER LOOI

Cool customer Van der Looi enters his second season at Groningen, after a successful first where he led the Groningen to fifth. Unfortunately, he possibly does not have the squad to reach above that this time round either but European football qualification will keep his fond in the fans hearts.

KEY PLAYER – FILIP KOSTIĆ

Serbian winger Filip Kostić is an instrumental figure for Groningen, who was wanted by Sporting Lisbon and Stuttgart earlier this summer, which the board has resisted offers from. It’s not surprising that European big boys will chase the 21-year-old wide man who has a great eye for goal. Kostić made 38 appearances for Groningen in the Eredivisie last season and chipped in with 11 goals for Van de Looi’s men.

PREDICTION – 6TH

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AZ ALKMAAR SEASON PREVIEW

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 25/1

AZAlkmaar

Last season was certainly an eventful one for AZ. After beating PSV in September 2013 Gertjan Verbeek was sacked due to ‘a lack of chemistry’ between the management and the playing staff. He was replaced by Dick Advocaat until the end of the season when a replacement would hopefully be found. They finished the season in 8th qualifying themselves for the Europa League Play-offs writes Ryan O’Grady.

They beat Heerenveen 3-1 on aggregate in the semis before losing to Groningen 3-0 on aggregate in the two-legged final. Advocaat has now moved on to manage Serbia and he has been replaced by former Heerenveen manager and Ajax legend Marco van Basten. AZ will be hoping he can replicate Heerenveen 5th placed finish last season. They will also need more goals from elsewhere on the pitch as they only scored 54 goals last season, joint 8th best in the league, and when you consider Aron Jóhannsson scored 17 of these and Berghuis was second with 9, they certainly need more goals from a midfield which last season only managed to find the target 13 times. Aron Jóhannsson is currently recovering from an ankle injury he sustained while playing for the US national team in the World Cup, but he has been quoted as saying that he would like to be back for the start of the season or even the second game at home to Ajax.

They will miss Roy Beerens this season after he moved to Hertha Berlin in Germany, as well as scoring five times last year he also managed 5 assists. The club are hoping that his loss will be covered by the arrival of Guus Hupperts from Roda JC who managed 9 goals and 6 assists and if he can replicate that form at AZ then he should help propel them to their predicted position of 5th. AZ have had a mixed preseason, they beat 4th tier side AFC ‘34 by 4 goals 1, then playing in a goalless draw with NEC before beating VVV 2-0 away. However their latest preseason friendly was against German side 1899 Hoffenheim in a game where AZ played very poorly losing 3-0 and barely threatening to score themselves and this is made even worse by the fact that the German side played for over an hour with only 10 men. The young player to watch this season is probably 19 year old Thom Haye. He only made 3 senior appearances last year but he has already won the UEFA U17 European Championship with the Netherlands and has appeared for the U19 Netherlands side eight times.

Overall there is promise for AZ Alkmaar, some of the teams who finished above them last season probably won’t be as strong for the forthcoming season, such as Vitesse who have lost loan stars Lucas Piazon and Christian Atsu and Heerenveen have lost Alfred Finnbogason as well as manager Marco van Basten who of course is now manager at AZ. If new signing Hupperts repeats last season’s form and more goals arrive from midfield then 5th place is certainly attainable.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Guus Hupperts (Roda JC), Muamer Tankovic (Fulham), Sergio Rochet (Danubio).

OUT: Thomas Lam (PEC Zwolle), Erik Heijblok (FC Volendam), Etienne Reijnen (SC Cambuur), Hobie Verhulst (MVV), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Charlton Atheltic), Joris van Overeem (FC Dordrecht), Nick Viergever (Ajax), Roy Beerens (Hertha Berlin).

MANAGER – MARCO VAN BASTEN

There isn’t much you can say about the ‘Swan of Utrecht’ that isn’t already known. One of the greatest strikers ever during his time with Ajax and AC Milan, he turned his gaze to management in 2003 after famously being quoted as saying that he would never try management as an assistant at Ajax B. In 2004 he became the manager of the Oranje, quickly establishing himself as a strong no-nonsense figure. After Euro 2008 van Basten signed a four-year contract with Ajax but resigned after one year following failure to qualify for the Champions League. In 2012 van Basten was announced as manager of Heerenveen. In his first season he led them to an eighth placed finish before they finished 5th last season.

KEY PLAYER – JEFFREY GOUWELEEUW

One player who will be reunited with his former manager this season is 23 year old centre back Gouweleeuw. He quickly rose up through the youth team ranks at Heerenveen before making his debut in 2011 against Excelsior. In the 2011/12 he was an important member of the team which went on to finish 5th that season and qualify for the Europa League. The following season wasn’t so successful, Gouweleeuw found himself on the bench at the start of the season and he nearly left in January to join AZ. This fell through but both Gouweleeuw and Heerenveen had a much better second half to the season reinforcing his reputation as one for the future. In the summer of 2013 he finally got his move to AZ for 1.5 million. Last season he was an ever-present for AZ making 37 appearances scoring one goal.

PREDICTION – 5TH

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ADO DEN HAAG SEASON PREVIEW

ADODenHaag

Last season saw the ADO Den Haag match the previous season’s 9^th placed finish but it was manner of the season what made their final position more remarkable writes Mark Neale.

Up until February and the sacking of manager Maurice Steijn only relegation looked likely. But the installation of Steijn’s assistant Henk Fraser turned things around completely with only one defeat that to eventual champions Ajax, in the last twelve games ensured another season of Eredivisie football for the club from Haag.

A close season of changes has greeted the ADO Den Haag fans both on and off the pitch.

New owners have taken control of the club in the form of Chinese company United Vansen Sports. This prompted the resignation of club CEO Piet Jansen claiming he was unable to work with foreign owners.

The renovation work at the Kyocera Stadion now completed with the fully synthetic pitch now installed the interest now lays how the team can perform on it.

A new technical manager who is also the head of the youth academy, Rob Meppelink has been appointed and ADO has since offered four youth players a contract making a change from the usual stance of selling their brighter talents with finances on a more even keel with the new owners.

Some eye catching transfers this summer have moved the club a step forward none more so than ex Danish International Thomas Kristensen from FC Kobenhavn. The midfielder arrives with both Champions league and Europa league experience and ADO did well to secure his services with several clubs across Europe after his signature.

Another Danish arrival is that of goalkeeper Martin Hansen coupled with Tim Coremans from SC Cambuur Robert Zwinkels now faces some serious competition for the number one jersey.

Rydell Poepon returns to the club after a season on loan to NAC Breda and despite the player being linked with a move away he remains and will be looking to make an impression as he enters the final year of his contract.

Again the club will be relying on the goals from captain Mike van Duinen. Again numerous rumours linking him with a move away but he remains a key part of the team.

So everything is in place for this up coming season to be more successful and with money in the transfer budget of in the region of €5-10 million there is still time to add some quality to the squad.

Healthy season ticket sales, new owners that are prepared to invest in the team and the club in general, a renovated stadium with its state of the art playing surface, a new technical manager who is not under pressure to sell the club’s up and coming talents the future for the club looks the healthiest it has for a long time.

Balance is the key and the new owners are here for the long term and that can only be good news to the fans as they prepare to embark on another season of top flight football.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Martin Hansen (FC Nordsjælland), Thomas Kristensen (FC Kobenhavn), Tim Coremans (SC Cambuur), Xander Houtkoop (Go Ahead Eagles).

OUT: Christian Supusepa (CSKA Sofia), Ninos Gouriye (Excelsior), Tom Beugelsdijk (FSV Frankfurt), Danny Holla (released).

MANAGER – HENK FRÄSER

Henk Fraser did a fantastic job after stepping up from assistant coach to head coach in February and guided the team from a relegation battle to a mid table finish with the team suffering one defeat in the last twelve games.

Rewarded for this by the club with a two year contract he will be key to keeping the stability and good football that the club enjoyed in the latter part of last season.

KEY PLAYER – MIKE VAN DUINEN

Now club captain at the players request, he will be key to how the club performs this season. Top scorer for the last two seasons and also high on the assist list the 23 year old has gained many admirers.

Subject to a bid form AZ this summer which was declined the club are doing everything to try and keep their prize assist. With the added guile in midfield Van Duinen should improve on his 8 league goals from last season and relish the role of leader in the team.

PREDICTION – 9TH

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TotalDutchFootball.com

VITESSE SEASON PREVIEW

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 20/1

VitesseArnhem

A mixture of high and low points will greet Vitesse fans when they think back to last season. Highs, such as a six-game winning streak that included wins away at Ajax and an astonishing 6-2 win away at PSV, were balanced out by low points like losing 4 out of the last 10 games of the season before being beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Groningen in the semi-final of the Europa League play-off writes Ryan O’Grady.

Last season’s goal tally of 65 was the 3^rd best in the league, behind only Feyenoord and FC Twente, but with this summer’s departures 32 of those 65 goals have departed which is a huge loss and it will be extremely hard if not impossible to replace. This summer like last summer saw the departure of star players such as Lucas Piazon, who was Vitesse’s top scorer with 11 goals, and Christian Atsu who both returned to Chelsea after there loan deals expired. Star striker Mike Havenaar also departed this after scoring 10 goals last season. While he was a free agent his decision to sign for newly-promoted Spanish side Cordoba is somewhat surprising considering he was attracting interest from Napoli of Italy. The situation upfront is certainly worrying. After Havenaar the second top scorer in the strikers department was Kazaishvili with 4 goals and it remains to be seen whether new signing Abiola Dauda, who has a decent record at both Kalmar of Sweden and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia, can deliver the goods when needed. Another miss for Vitesse will be left back Patrick van Aanholt who returned to Chelsea before signing for Sunderland permanently. Van Aanholt made 29 appearances in the Eredivisie last year and also chipped in with four goals.

To try and compensate for the loss of van Aanholt the club have turned to Chelsea again, this time signing Brazilian right-back Wallace on a one-year loan deal. Another loan signing from Chelsea saw the return of Bertrand Traore, who made a great impression last season and was welcomed back with open arms. An important player for Vitesse this year will be right back come defensive midfielder Kelvin Leerdam. He made 28 appearances last year and contributed a brilliant 8 goals making him 3^rd top scorer at the club. This summer Vitesse have played six preseason games, they started off with 4 draws against Cercle Brugge (1-1), Sparta Rotterdam (0-0), Osnabrück (2-2) and Hertha Berlin (0-0). The game away at Hertha was followed by a visit to Stamford Bridge to play against Chelsea, who took a 3-0 lead in the game before Vitesse pulled one back at the end. Their last pre-season friendly was against Bolton Wanderers and that resulted in a 1-0 win with a free kick from Vejinovic.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Abiola Dauda (Red Star Belgrade), Arnold Kruiswijk (Heerenveen), Denys Oliynyk (Dnipro), Wallace (Chelsea).

OUT: Christian Atsu (Chelsea), Lucas Piazon (Chelsea), Marko Meerits (FC Emmen), Mike Havanaar (Cordoba), Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland).

MANAGER – PETER BOSZ

The former Vitesse and Feyenoord midfielder was appointed last summer after previous manager Fred Rutten stepped down after leading the club to an impressive 4^th placed finish. The former Netherlands midfielder has also played at a number of other clubs including RKC Waalwijk and even as far away as JEF United Ichihara in Japan. After retiring from professional football he became head coach of amateur side AGOVV Apeldoorn before moving to De Graafschap and then Heracles Almelo where he won the Eerste Divisie in 2005. In 2006 he became Technical Director at his old club Feyenoord, but he left his position in January 2009 due to his opposition of the sacking of then manager Gertjan Verbeek. In 2010 he replaced Verbeek as manager of Heracles, returning for a second spell as manager before joining Vitesse in the summer of 2013.

KEY PLAYER – BERTRAND TRAORE

Great things are almost certainly to come from this youngster. It seems that Jose Mourinho believes he is good enough for the Chelsea first team but he is unable to play in the Premier League due to work permit problems. This led to the Vitesse management to take advantage of the two clubs controversial partnership and sign him on loan for another season. The club are quite clearly delighted to have him back; Vitesse Technical Director Mohammed Allach has been quoted as saying “he made a strong personal impression on us” and that “we are thrilled that Bertrand is joining us again”. He will probably get more than the 15 appearances he attained last season and will gain more valuable first team experience.

PREDICTION – 8TH

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HERACLES SEASON PREVIEW

HeraclesAlmelo

Heracles have been for a while now the best little club in the Eredivisie having spent a club record 9 consecutive seasons in the top flight now. This is not a bad achievement from a club with only 5,000 season ticket holders and play in the small city of Almelo (total population 72,000). Named after the Greek God Heracles (Hercules) who was known for his strength and courage it seems that this club has adopted the same attributes writes Rogier Waalder.

In recent years, and particularly under Peter Bosz, Heracles played a very attacking and attractive brand of football and has won many admirers. The first priority for them will always be to retain their Eredivisie status and this looked in jeopardy at times last season when they finished in 14^th spot.

The challenge might be a bit tougher this season with some key off-season departures. Gone are Mikhail Rosheuvel (back to parent club AZ), first choice Goalie Remko Pasveer (PSV), young attacker Mark Uth (Heerenveen) and key midfielder Ben Rienstra (PEC Zwolle). Also compounding matters was the mystery surrounding Australian left back Jason Davidson who refused to play for the club after his World Cup exploits and has since transferred to West Bromwich Albion. These 5 players each played over 30 matches for Heracles last season and scored over a quarter of their goals.

They have replaced these outgoing players with some very experienced campaigners with the likes of Bram Castro (100 Eredivisie appearances), Bas Sibum (over 200 appearances), Mark-Jan Fledderus (over 200 appearances) and Ramon Zomer (over 250 appearances) all being well credentialed and will certainly add to the side.

Heracles are a well run side off the field and have defied expectations to play so many consecutive years in the Eredivisie and whilst the swashbuckling days under Bosz are gone and new sense of pragmatism and experience within the side should see them retain their Eredivisie place once more.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Bas Sibum (Waasland-Beveren), Bram Castro (MVVV), Fahd Aktaou (Almere City), Joey Pelupessy (FC Twente), Mark Engberink (FC Twente), Mark-Jan Fledderus (Roda JC), Ramon Zomer (Heerenveen), Rick Hemmink (FC Twente), Wout Weghorst (FC Emmen).

OUT: Ben Rienstra (PEC Zwolle), Jens Jurn Streutker (Heerenveen), Joey Belterman (FC Den Bosch), Mark Uth (Heerenveen), Mikhail Rosheuvel (AZ Alkmaar), Remko Pasveer (PSV).

MANAGER – JAN DE JONGE

An experienced manager who made his name at SC Heerenveen, first as an Assistant and then later as an interim Manager, he took over Heracles last season after the popular Peter Bosz moved onto Vitesse. de Jonge had been out of the managerial game for a few years before coming in at Heracles he was seen as a risky move by some and had a very up and down first season last time around. They suffered a poor end to last season and hopefully the additional experience that de Jonge has added this summer will hold Heracles in good stead.

KEY PLAYER – BRYAN LINSSEN

Linssen did a tour of the three Limburg based clubs before signing a deal with Heracles last season. He enjoyed a very good year in the prior season with VVV and was actually touted as joining a bigger name club before ending up at Heracles. A very direct, pacy and technically gifted wide midfielder Linssen was Heracles’ top scorer last season with 11 goals, which is the best return of his career to date. With the loss of Mark Uth up front Linssen will have to develop a quick understanding with the likes of Fledderus for Heracles to have a successful season.

PREDICTION – 11TH

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FEYENOORD SEASON PREVIEW

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 6/1

Feyenoord

No team in the Eredivisie has been hit more hard by departures than Feyenoord. Despite Ajax claiming the Eredivisie title last season, it has been obvious since the World Cup finals that in fact the most sought after Eredivisie players were mainly playing for Feyenoord. When the likes of Newcastle United, FC Porto, Fenerbahce, Fiorentina, Lazio and Southampton were looking for new additions in Holland their port of call was Rotterdam writes Andries Oosterveen.

Sadly, Feyenoord in the last three years under Koeman had started to build a team and squad of players, who would have had the strong possibility of dominating the Eredivisie and making a name for themselves in Europe. The exits were inevitable due to the financial position of the club and the plans to build Holland’s largest football stadium. What Feyenoord under Koeman achieved in the last couple of years merits a trophy considering what he had to work with and the financial constraints. Unlike some football clubs there was no rich owner or backing of a multinational company to provide unlimited funds.

Feyenoord

New coach Fred Rutten will have to start from scratch and although, he will be helped by highly talented youngsters from Varkenwood, such as Ruben Schaken, Lex Immers and Jean Paul Boëtius, money is very tight and each transfer move be it permanent or on loan will have to be very well thought over, planned and scrutinized. Will Fred Rutten last the season? Should Ronald Koeman have been consulted over his replacement?

The defence has had its heart taken out of it with the sales of Bruno Martins Indi, Stefan De Vrij and Daryl Janmaat. The Australian right-back Luke Wilkshere has been bought in on a free transfer from Dinamo Moscow in what seems like a short term fix. He is joined by ex-Dutch international Khalid Boulahrouz, who joins from Brondby, which should add some extra experience to the defence. One cant help but think that all three were sold too cheap and will their replacements be adequate enough? Will the defence be mean enough?

On a positive note the midfield has not seen any dramatic changes yet but at the time of writing there seems to be strong interest in Jordy Clasie from the likes of FC Porto and Fiorentina. The highly talented winger Boëtius is also attracting the attentions of Turkish club Fenerbahce. Feyenoord though have managed to secure the services of the highly rated and talented winger from SC Heerenveen, Bilal Basacikoglu, who was in the top three for assists last season and has an eye for goal.

The excellent Tonny Vilhena seems to be staying at Feyenoord for this season at least and his partnership with Jordy Clasie will be crucial for when it comes to supporting the attack, protecting the defence and breaking up opposition attacks to break quickly. Overall it is crucial that they ensure that the strikers also will receive a good supply of the ball and this could also be the season when Ruben Schaken steps up to the plate as he could have an important part to play. Can they boss the midfield consistently enough for the season and provide the strikers with the opportunities they will need?

It is in attack where the team has been hit the hardest as with Graziano Pellè, Feyenoord had the perfect forward and his goals to games ratio was lethal. The pressure will be now on the likes of Lex Immers and Mitchell De Vrede to grab the vital goals but at least one more striker is needed. Feyenoord continue to be linked with Duvan Zapata of Fiorentina, John Guidetti of Manchester City, Jelle Vossen of Genk, Hector Villalba of San Lorenzo and Bas Dost of Wolfsburg. Will the goals come from a variety of sources? Will signing one striker be enough?

In conclusion, this is going to be a season of transition and rebuilding but a top three finish is the minimum along with victories home and away against 020. A cup run in Europe and in the KNVB Cup would be an additional bonus.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Bilal Basacikoglu (Heerenveen), Khalid Boulahrouz (Brondby IF), Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow), Warner Hahn (FC Dordrecht).

OUT: Bruno Martins Indi (FC Porto), Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle United), Graziano Pellè (Southampton), Kostas Lamprou (Willem II), Samuel Armenteros (Anderlecht), Stefan de Vrij (Lazio).

MANAGER – FRED RUTTEN

Rutten faces a massive task rebuilding but the 51-year-old is an experience manager capable of adapting to any situation. A former defender, Rutten always builds his play from the back and with the plethora of attacking talent at his disposal it should be an enjoyable team to watch in De Kuip this season.

KEY PLAYER – JEAN-PAUL BOETIUS

Boëtius is a 20-year-old winger from the Varkenwood Academy, his attacking style is hard to defend against. The combination of raw pace and technique with the ability to read the game has lead former Dutch greats to have high hopes for him. He can skip past opponents easily, outrun you, and because of his excellent skill and technique outsmart you. Man to man and zonal marking are very difficult as a result. Positioning, off the ball movement, knowing when to pass and remaining cool under pressure seem second nature to Boëtius. Former Feyenoord coach Bart Van Maarwijk stated “I think Boëtius is the best winger in the Eredivisie”.

PREDICTION – 3RD

Name-AndriesOosterveen

TotalDutchFootball.com

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 33/1

HEERENVEEN SEASON PREVIEW

August 6, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

SCHeerenveen

All change at Heerenveen as coach Marco van Basten and the club’s all-time top scorer Alfred Finnbogason has both moved to bigger clubs, but Will Burns feels the Frisians have replaced well this summer.

Van Basten announced last winter that he would be leaving the Abe Lenstra Stadion after two years. Experiencing a great season at Cambuur, head coach Dwight Lodeweges did the unthinkable and announced in March that at the end of the current campaign, he would be crossing 30km over to Heerenveen. The Cambuur fans went ballistic and protested until Lodeweges resigned with immediate effect.

With vast knowledge of the game from all corners of the world, Lodeweges could turn out to be a great replacement. Lodeweges first major task at the club was finding a replacement for top scorer Finnbogason. The Icelander hit the net 53 times in just 65 games and earned a move to La Liga side Real Sociedad for €8million. Heerenveen went out shopping for a similar striker with a decent record and found Viborg FF’s Thomas Dalgaard.

Of course, the Danish attacker has some big boots to fill, however he has all the credentials to do so. In two years at Viborg, he has scored 50 goals in 75 games. Not a bad record at all and he should score goals in the Eredivisie. Especially, when he has a creative machine like Hakim Ziyech supplying him, the 21-year-old number ten scored nine times himself last term, with the same amount of assists.

Another casualty was the sale of Bilal Basacikoglu to Feyenoord. The Zaanstad-born winger notched six goals in 23 appearances last season and will be a big miss, especially going forward. Eighteen-year-old Norweigan winger Morten Thorsby was recruited from Stabaek after an impressive season in the Tippeligaen and will look to fill that void.

If all the new players, and the new coach, can get it together Heerenveen could have a good season. However, if not, mid-table obscurity beckons.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Jens Jurn Streutker (Heracles), Jordy Buijs (NAC Breda), Morten Thorsby (Stabaek IF), Thomas Dalgaard (Viborg FF).

OUT: Alfred Finnbogason (Real Sociedad), Anthony Lurling (FC Den Bosch), Arnold Kruiswijk (Vitesse), Bilal Basacikoglu (Feyenoord), Brian Vandenbussche (AA Gent), Chiel Kramer (FC Eindhoven), Christian Kum (Heerenveen), Joeri de Kamps (NAC Breda), Mitchell Dijks (Ajax), Rajiv van la Parra (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Ramon Zomer (Heracles), Uche Nwofor (VVV Venlo).

MANAGER – DWIGHT LODEWEGES

Coming from bitter rivals Cambuur at the end of the season, Lodeweges will face a baptism of fire when he returns to the Cambuurstadion in February with Heerenveen. The Canadian-born coach has broad shoulders and should lead Heerenveen to a top ten finish, although expectations inside the Abe Lenstra Stadion will be higher.

KEY PLAYER – HAKIM ZIYECH

One of the Eredivisie’s best and untapped talents, it is a surprise that Ziyech will be lining up in a blue and white shirt this season. Ziyech is an attacking midfielder with great trickery, a great mind and a great eye for a goal. He will lead from the front with Heerenveen this season, and new striker Dalgaard will thrive on the 20-year-old’s creativity.

PREDICTION – 10TH

Name-WillBurns

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FC UTRECHT SEASON PREVIEW