Tag Archives: Fred Rutten

Where does Feyenoord go from here?

May 19, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

With Fred Rutten leaving Feyenoord before the end of the season, and before the crucial Europa League play-offs, its leaves the great Rotterdam side in a sorry state of affairs despite finishing fourth in the league writes Max Griffin.

After crunch talks with Martin van Geel, the clubs sporting director, Rutten and the club have decided to part ways. Meaning they go into the crucial play-offs manager-less and in very poor form, three losses and two draws in their last five games to be exact meaning AZ pipped them to the crucial third spot and an automatic Europa League place – it’s also the first time they’ve finished outside the top three since the 2010/11 season where they finished tenth.

It’s not exactly surprising that the club have had an indifferent season this term, with them deciding to sell five key players in the summer. This included 23-goal striker Graziano Pelle and Dutch international right-back Daryl Janmaat without adequate replacements coming in to reinforce the squad. This made them unable to compete for the title, something they had the basis to do with the squad that finished the 13/14 season (other key players sold in the summer: Bruno Martins Indi, Stefan de Vrij and Ruud Vormer).

If they do manage to qualify for Europa League, even though they are some way off yet with Heerenveen and either PEC Zwolle or Vitesse standing in their way, it would merely be a consolation prize from a season largely filled with disappointment.

With rumours already beginning about key players at the club such as Jordy Clasie, Tonny Trindade de Vilhena and Lex Immers wanting moves away from the club to pastures new, the squad at De Kuip could be left with big gaps, and players such as captain Clasie will be hard to replace.

With last summer’s recruitment not going entirely to plan, the club left themselves worse for wear and it has affected them this season. Most notably at the start of the season where they managed only five points from their first six games, patches like this one and their most recent wobble where they have lost three games in five are why they have struggled to finish fourth.

With the inexperienced Giovanni van Bronckhorst now took over and rumours of major exits this summer, it is down to the board to get it right with their summer business, if not another poor season surely awaits the club, creating further unrest in the stands.

The signs are that things could be getting worse for Feyenoord before they get better. If things are not sorted out quickly by the board, starting with the crunch match with Heerenveen on Thursday where a loss could see the side without European football for the first time in three years, something a club of their stature would expect every season. If the board don’t get things right, could a repeat of the 2010/11 season where the club finished tenth be on the cards?

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FEATURE

Total Dutch Football 2014/15 Manager of the Season

May 19, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

The votes proved that there was only one manager worthy of our first annual ‘Manager of the Season’ award. All staff were asked to name their top three managers. Each first pick received three points, second place received two points and one point was awarded for the third pick. The results are below…

Winner – PHILIP COCU (PSV) 15 points

Great players, do not make great managers right? In only his second full year as coach, former international midfielder Philip Cocu guided PSV to their 22nd Eredivisie championship title. As an inexperienced manager, Cocu has led a team with an average age of 23, to an emphatic league victory winning by gigantic 17 points over bitter rivals Ajax.

Next season perhaps sees Cocu’s biggest challenge, a Champions League campaign and trying to retain the Eredivisie shield without some important cogs in this season’s wheel. Memphis Depay has already departed, whilst big money moves for Georginio Wijnaldum and Jetro Willems are surely round the corner. Cocu will have a large amount of money to spend, but former international team-mates Frank de Boer and Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be building squads themselves for a title fight.

2nd – EDWIN VAN DE LOOI (FC Groningen) 8 points

The 43-year-old from Huissen, clinched his trophy for the Pride of the North defeating PEC Zwolle in the KNVB Beker final earlier this month, the first time in the clubs history. A eighth place finish was a great achievement after losing many big names last summer, and another punt at the Europa League next season is to look forward too.

3rd – RON JANS (PEC Zwolle) 3 points

The beginning of the season was a great start for Jans and Zwolle, defeating Ajax in the Johan Cruyiff Schaal. A KNVB Beker final defeat was not to be shamed of, and finishing in the top six, the highest in their history is an unbelievable turnaround from the little team that couldn’t a few years back.

OTHERS

HENK DIJKHUIZEN (Excelsior) 1 point

JURGEN STREPPEL (Willem II) 1 point

FRED RUTTEN (Feyenoord) 1 point

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EREDIVISIE, NEWS

Rutten leaves Feyenoord, Gio may take over early

May 17, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

As expected this evening Fred Rutten has left his role as Feyenoord manager with immediate effect reports Ross Anderson.

A meeting was called with Feyenoord’s sporting director Martin van Geel and Rutten resigned after the talks. The 52-year-old former PSV, Twente and Vitesse manager took the decision to leave following his sides failure to reach the Europa League outright after a 3-0 defeat at PEC Zwolle this afternoon.

This result allowed AZ Alkmaar to overtake them in third place on the final day of the season, meaning Feyenoord will have to gain entry into Europe through the play-offs. The defeat in Zwolle was the last straw for club and manager as they both feel a change will be needed in order to navigate their way through the play-offs.

Rutten was already set to leave at the end of the season with assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst to be in charge next season. We understand Van Bronckhorst will now step up to try and help the Rotterdammers claim a European football place.

Rutten’s side only managed a poor tally of two points from their last five games as they slumped to home defeats to Go Ahead Eagles and Vitesse and away draws with Willem II and Groningen before losing heavily today.

It was ultimately a mixed season in charge of the Rotterdam club for Rutten who never really won the full support of the fans. After a sketchy start to the season where they won only five points from their first six games, which included home defeats to Utrecht and fierce rivals Ajax and found themselves stuck at the wrong end of the table.

The team seemed to find their feet after that and charged up the table into the top three and finished top of their Europa League group with eventual finalists Sevilla. After their title hopes were cruelly dashed in a thrilling 4-3 loss to PSV, they still found a certain consistency in results and looked set for a top three finish before a poor end to the season has cost them.

With Vitesse only managing a draw at home with Utrecht, Feyenoord finished fourth and will play Heerenveen in the play-off before playing either Zwolle or Vitesse in the final should they win.

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FEATURE

Feyenoord – A Tactical Analysis

February 2, 2015 Will Burns 1 Comment

If you are an Eredivisie fan and you love the tactical side of the beautiful game, then you are probably very impressed with the tactical manoeuvres of Feyenoord this season. The Rotterdam giant saw a huge exodus of players at the end of last season and many people thought they would have had a very challenging time this season. Those people were partially right, since Feyenoord struggled at the beginning of the season and only won one of their first six games. However, since then, the 2002 UEFA Cup winners have made significant strides. They currently sit 3^rd in the league and are playing some of the most dominant and invigorating football in the Eredivisie. Home games against Ajax, AZ and FC Twente as well as the away game against PSV have been some of the most stimulating and entertaining displays we have seen from any team in the league this season.

This relatively successful season so far is largely down to how well the players have been able to maintain the tactical set-up of this team. The 4-3-3 formation utilised is being executed with great discipline, hard work and skills by the players. The three main aspects of this Feyenoord system and strategy are as follows:

The Goalkeeping & Defensive Shake Up

Let’s start by looking at the goal keeper and the back four. Vermeer was brought into the team at the beginning of the season to bring more solidity to the defence and he has done just that. His experience, agility and calmness under pressure have not just curtailed the number of goals the team concedes, but it has also seemingly helped to bring confidence into the young centre backs of Van Beek and Kongolo.

The back four of Nilom, Van Beek, Kongolo and Wilkshire have all been playing very impressively. Van Beek brings great physicality and grit to the centre of the defence and Kongolo’s ball-playing and anticipation skills have been complimented by Wilkshire’s exuberant runs along the right full-back position. Nelom has also put in his best performances as a Feyenoord player this season. He has moved from being a very shaky, inconsistent and error-prone left-back last season, to becoming a much more solid and reliable full-back this season. There are still occasions of lapsed concentration and needless giving away of the ball by Nilom this season, but they have been less numerous than last season and his reading of the game has evidently improved.

The Midfield Dynamics

The Feyenoord midfield has been very impressive this season. Clasie continues to be a pass-master and he even ramped up his tackling and overall work rate. El Ahmadi has looked much more impressive in the box-to-box role this season than he looked most of his time at Aston Villa. His very intelligent forward runs have been a great advert for how to play that running midfield position with balance and poise. Immers is the kind of attacking midfielder who runs all game and constantly puts himself in positions to receive the ball. This man is a maverick to some fans as he is not very fast and not particularly technical, nevertheless, he can be quite an effective attacking midfielder at times. Most people would probably agree though that it is his huge selfless work rate that makes him such a useful player.

These three midfield players at times behave as one dynamic organism with an almost telepathic relationship. When Clasie gets the ball he never takes too much time to pick out the runs of Immers or El Ahmadi, each player seems to be fully aware of the intentions of the others at any given time and in any situation. El Ahmadi seems to know when to make a rampaging forward run without leaving Clasie in too much of a vulnerable situation to provide cover for him and Immers is always looking for El Ahmadi’s position to ensure that he can assist with any required covering or forward run. In the recent home game against FC Twente, Immers was practically switching with Clasie as the holding midfielder on several occasions and he still managed to venture forward to score. This dynamic midfield system has been partly responsible for some of the most dominant displays we have seen this season.

The Strike Force

This Feyenoord system requires a fast, strong centre forward that is very good at holding up the ball and getting his teammates into the attacking third. Colin Kazin-Richards plays that role quite well. He constantly moves around the penalty box to pull his markers out of position and use brute strength to hold off central defenders. This holding up of the ball essentially allows his wingers and midfielder to get into the attacking third. And with very fast wingers like Manu and Boetius, it only takes a few seconds for these guys to make runs ahead of him and get into good positions to take a lay-off and cross into the box for Immers or El Ahmadi. Both Beotius and Manu are fast wide men and Manu in particular is deceptively strong. These guys provide very direct runs into the box and with improvements to their finishing, could become much more effective.

Toornstra is playing out of position on the right, but if one didn’t know his resume from his Utrecht and ADO Den Haag days, one could think he is a natural right winger. Toornstra isn’t the flamboyant speedy winger that we are used to seeing in the Dutch top flight. However, this man embodies hard work, dedication and drive for results. He is also, probably one of the better readers of the game in the entire Eredivisie. In fact, he is quite similar to Dirk Kuyt. Both players aren’t very fast, but they read the game very well, track back and defend astutely.

Conclusion

This Feyenoord team is playing an exhilarating, entertaining and dynamic brand of football where the young players are all improving constantly and each line of the team consists of well drilled vibrant players moving in a constant state of relative cohesion and discipline.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 1-2 Willem II

September 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

FEYENOORD 1 – 2 WILLEM II

It was an historic night in Rotterdam as Willem II recorded their first away win in the Eredivisie since December 2009. A Samuel Armenteros inspired performance guided the away side to a surprise away victory against struggling Feyenoord. Feyenoord opted to rest their star player Jordy Clasie as they perhaps had one eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash against Sevilla writes Simon Prue.

Feyenoord dominated possession in the early stages of the match but failed to create any clear cut chances. Willem II’s defence looked shaky in the opening 10 minutes, however, it did not matter as a wonderful counter attacking move in the 8^th minute saw Frank van der Struijk give Willem II the lead. Armenteros broke away down the left hand side with pace before his deflected cross fell perfectly for van der Struijk to volley home with conviction.

Feyenoord’s best opportunity in the opening 20 minutes of the match came as a result of former Middlebrough man Luke Wilkshire whose free kick was directed straight into the arms of Willem II’s keeper Kostas Lamprou, currently on loan from the Rotterdammers.

Willem II continued to soak up Feyenoord’s pressure and were rewarded for their discipline as they caught Feyenoord on the counter attack once more and doubled their lead in the 23^rd minute through star man Samuel Armenteros. Ondaan skillfully passed Kongolo down the right hand side before pulling the ball back superbly into the path of Armenteros who guided the ball expertly into the roof of the net.

The hosts began to get a grip of themselves and started to threaten Willem II’s increasingly stubborn defence. Dries Wuytens made a crucial recovery tackle to deny Schaken a clear goal scoring opportunity before Te Vrede could only glance his header wide of the post from close range. After Kongolo saw a strong penalty appeal waved away, Feyenoord created their best chance of the game as Lex Immers latched onto a loose ball just inside the 18 yard box but he could only screw his shot horribly wide of Lamprou’s right hand post.

Feyenoord introduced Jens Toornstra and Elvis Manu at the break but there was no change in the pattern of play. Willem II looked to sit back and Feyenoord couldn’t find a way through the opposition’s defence. Kongolo summed up the hosts’ frustration and anxiety as he was cautioned for a reckless challenge from behind on Terell Ondaan.

Just after the hour mark, Luke Wilkshire delivered another good cross towards the near post and Manu should have done better with the opportunity as his header went straight into the hands of Lamprou.

In the 75^th minute Luke Wilshire’s teasing crosses were finally rewarded as Colin Kazim Richards leaped above his marker and flicked the ball into the top corner. Kazim Richards almost doubled his tally moments later with an impressive acrobatic scissor kick that flew past the stationary Lamprou but also past the post.

Two great chances for Feyenoord followed. Firstly, Manu went on a mazy run into the penalty area turning van der Struijk inside out but his shot was once again well saved by Lamprou. In the 89^th minute tricky winger Ruben Schaken floated in a cross that was cleared into the path of Toornstra whose powerful volley crashed against the post.

Samuel Armenteros had a wonderful chance to get his second goal of the game deep into injury time but his lobbed effort landed on the roof of the net.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Vermeer, Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen (Manu 46), Kongolo, El Ahmadi, Immers, Vilhena, Schaken, Te Vrede (Kazim-Richards 63), Boëtius (Toornstra 46).

SUBS NOT USED: Mulder, Nelom, Karsdorp, Basaçikoglu.

GOALS: Kazim-Richards 78.

BOOKINGS: Kongolo 51.

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Dijks (Heerkens 80), Peters, D. Wuytens, Van der Struijk, S. Wuytens, Haemhouts (Ippel 56), Braber, Ondaan (Sporkslede 71), Armenteros, Saher.

SUBS NOT USED: Meul, Cabral, Vleugels, Vicento.

GOALS: Van der Struijk 8, Armenteros 23.

BOOKINGS: Peters 90+2.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Samuel Armenteros (Willem II)

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NEWS, TRANSFERS, Uncategorized

Feyenoord confirm signing of Jens Toornstra

August 25, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Feyenoord have confirmed the signing of 25-year-old FC Utrecht attacking midfielder Jens Toornstra on a four year deal for an undisclosed fee writes Will Burns.

It was announced by many Dutch press outlets last week that a fee had been agreed and Toornstra was present at yesterday’s Feyenoord-Utrecht match at De Kuip where he saw his old side defeat his new side by two goals to one.

Speaking to Feyenoord.nl, Toornstra said: “I have supported Feyenoord since I was a child and the move comes at a good time for me, I was ready for a step up.

“My father was a big Feyenoord supporter and took me to the stadium many times. My first game there was against Ajax, which was unfortunately lost but I was impressed with the stadium and the supporters. Since then I have had a soft spot for Feyenoord. There is nothing more beautiful than the supporters that get behind you. I can now experience this, I’m really excited.”

Toornstra began his career at a youth player at amateur side Alphense Boys before being spotted by scouts of ADO Den Haag. He joined ADO in 2009 and made 104 appearances and scoring 11 times for the club before signing for Utrecht in the winter transfer window of 2013. For Utrecht, he netted 19 goals in 48 games.

Toornstra will be a great addition for Feyenoord’s attacking options however, the main story of the transfer window will be that Martin van Geel and Fred Rutten are yet to replace Graziano Pellè – a striker is needed before the window slams shut on Monday 1st September.

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EREDIVISIE PREVIEW, FEATURE

FEYENOORD SEASON PREVIEW

August 6, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

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

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 6/1

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FEATURE

Feyenoord – A bright future ahead

July 20, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

In the Dutch squad for this past summer’s World Cup, Feyenoord contributed more players than any other Dutch club. A total of nine of the squad either had been a youth player trained and educated at Feyenoord at their famous Varkenwood academy, still played for them or had left to a club in another country. Their names are Bruno Martins Indi, Daryl Janmaat, Stefan De Vrij, Terence Kongolo, Jordy Clasie, Robin Van Persie, Jonathan De Guzman, Leroy Fer and Georginio Wijnaldum writes Andries Oosterveen.

At the time of writing due to Holland’s excellent run at the tournament, the big clubs from some of the biggest leagues have already come calling. This has led to sad but inevitable break up of a Feyenoord side that I believe had a very strong opportunity to win the Eredivisie title, KNVB Beker and make an impact in the Champions League.

Ronald Koeman has left to coach Southampton with his brother Erwin Koeman in the English Premier League and has been joined by Graziano Pelle for a fee of €8m. His goal to game ratio for Feyenoord was lethal and is certain to be missed though hopefully properly replaced. Daryl Janmaat made it three by joining Newcastle United for a modest fee of €5m. The latest player to leave is the speedy versatile giant of a defender Bruno Martins Indi who has signed for FC Porto of Portugal in a €7.7m deal. The latest rumour concerns young defender Stefan De Vrij and a possible €8m transfer to Lazio in Italy or a possible €10m transfer to Manchester United.

What is good however about the above transfers is that these players will move to highly competitive leagues with top teams who play top teams each weekend, are coached by world class coaches and are rarely out of European competitions. The value of that in terms of their own personal development and different experiences is priceless and can only benefit the Dutch national team in the future and add another positive note and reference to Feyenoord’s highly successful Varkenwood youth academy. There is also the funding for the new 75,000 capacity stadium that needs to be found and considered.

Yes, both Koeman and those players need replacing and the easy thing would be to buy outside of Holland like clubs in the Premier League do. However, this is Holland, where quality recruiting and youth player development has always been top of the priority list. As a result Koeman´s replacement was chosen as Fred Rutten.

Rutten is 51 years old and spent his whole playing career at FC Twente. After retiring he managed FC Twente, Schalke 04, PSV Eindhoven and Vitesse Arnhem. His management win ratio at those clubs was 52% FC Twente, 41% Schalke 04, 70% PSV Eindhoven and 55% Vitesse Arnhem.

Rutten will also keep the Feyenoord playing style alive as the fans expect the players to work like they do, chase opponents down and play at a high intensity. This would also be in line with the famous club saying of “Geen Woorden Maar Daden“ which in English means “Not Words But Deeds“.

In 2010, Feyenoord was almost made bankrupt which was the catalyst for them to turn to youth first before looking elsewhere to provide players for the first team squad. There was no cash for new players so the youth academy was the main supply for the squad. The academy is known as Varkenwood and has been voted now for the fifth year running as Holland’s best youth academy since 2009. The head of youth development is Damien Hertog and the Academy manager is Rob Kurvers. Proudly in May 2014, they again collected the Rinus Michels Award for this achievement.

The great story of Feyenoord’s Varkenwood youth academy was started by the great Stanley Brard who was a player at Feyenoord for most of his career. In February 2006, he was appointed chief of the youth academy and in the 8 years since turned Feyenoord’s youth academy into the best in Holland. Sadly Stanley Brard has now left Rotterdam to coach in Azerbaijan at FC Gabula but the success is continuing and the fanatical Feyenoord fans now have a homegrown team which is more than capable of achieving sustained success.

Besides appointing a new head coach, Feyenoord have in this month signed the experienced former Dutch international defender from Brondby in Denmark known as Khalid Bouhlarouz, who at 32, will add experience in defence, but recruiting from within to replace those sold is surely the priority as the success of Varkenwood shows.

In line with the great work being done at Varkenoord, here are some youth players to look out for and who could fill the void left by those already gone:

TERENCE KONGOLO (Defender)

Ronald Koeman has described him as the perfect defender. He made his Feyenoord debut this season. As he is tall, fast and intelligent, he is seen as a natural defender and is potentially the best defender of the De Vrij, Willems, Veltman, Indi, Rekik, Bruma and Denswil generation. His talents were noticed by Van Gaal and as a result he was included in the Dutch World Cup squad ahead of more experienced players.

ANASS ACHAHBAR (Striker)

A stocky striker, strong with the ball, lots of ambition and handy in the use of his body. Roy Makaay, Feyenoord’s attacking youth coach was once told by Achahbar that Feyenoord should not sign Graziano Pelle as they had him.

TONNY VILHENA (Midfielder)

Seen as a box to box midfielder in the Steven Gerrard or Patrick Vieira mould, he combines his technical abilities with a strong physical appearance. He possesses offensive and defensive qualities and is able to nick the ball away and create danger with sharp crisp passing. Former PSV coach Aad De Mos once called Vilhena the biggest talent in the Eredivisie.

JEAN-PAUL BOËTIUS (Winger)

A fast winger who combines speed with technique and creativity; he enjoys taking on right-backs with no fear and pressure. He is consistently proving to be a rising star which was evident in his debut goal against Ajax in October 2012 with a composed finish.

EREDIVISIE, NEWS, TRANSFERS

Feyenoord could be ready to offload assets in plan for future

March 24, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

With Fred Rutten ready to take over the reins at Feyenoord in the summer, the new head coach could have a real battle on his hands in an attempt to keep the current youthful squad together.

Although it has been suggested, should Rutten wish to bring his own players in to match his vision for the Rotterdam club, he will have to cash in on some of the club’s stars to finance his own moves.

Italian striker Graziano Pellè is thought to be the first to pack his bags. Although the Lecce-born hitman has notched 47 goals in 53 appearances, his bad behaviour off the pitch has been frowned upon and the Rotterdam club could receive up to €7m for the 28-year-old.

Three of the younger players in particular have impressed this season and they are already on the radar of top European clubs. However, Jean-Paul Boëtius and Tonny Vilhena are under deals until the summer of 2016, young defender Terence Kongolo (pictured above) has just a season left on his contract.

Feyenoord’s general manager Martin van Geel is working hard on persuading the three starlets to extend their current agreements as they do not want to see them leave in the summer. Vilhena (19) and Boëtius (20) have impressed tremendously this term, with Vilhena managing two goals and five assists and Boëtius notching eight goals and eight assists.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old central defender Kongolo only recently pinned down a place in the starting line-up and he has a total of 11 league outings this season.

Although, Van Geel is desperate to tie down Boëtius, Kongolo and Vilhena, he may be willing to move on some more experienced youngsters. Defender Stefan de Vrij has been linked with moves away since last summer when Premier League side Everton were said to be looking at the 22-year-old.

Bruno Martins Indi and Jordy Clasie are set to be on display in Brazil this summer for Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands. The TV cameras will be beaming the World Cup finals across the globe, which puts these two players directly in the shop window. Martins Indi and Clasie, both 22, themselves have been rumoured to be leaving Rotterdam over the last few transfer windows but are also under contract until 2016.

Portugal-born defender Martins Indi was also linked with Everton as well as Arsenal but a move to neither club has materialised. With young hopes like Kongolo ready to step up into the Feyenoord defence, then moves for Martins Indi and De Vrij may happen come July.

Clasie, has just been named club captain and in recent months has been mooted with a move to England himself with Liverpool. However, before the midfielder signed his contract extension last summer a move to the Serie A with Fiorentina was openly denied by the club. He is the player that Feyenoord can hope to make the biggest amount of profit on, should they choose to.

Whatever happens in the summer, it certainly seems that times are changing for the Rotterdam club, whether or not these adjustments can be positive for Fred Rutten and his team, time will tell.

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EREDIVISIE, NEWS

NEWS: Fred Rutten leaves Vitesse

May 18, 2013 Will Burns Leave a comment

Fred Rutten will not be the coach of Vitesse next season. After discussions with club president Merab Jordania and technical director Ted van Leeuwen, the coach announced on Saturday afternoon that he will not agree to contract extension and has left the club.

Rutten leaves after only one season in charge of Vitesse

Rutten spent only one season in charge of the Arnhem club and led them to fourth place in the league and qualification for Europa League football.

Explaining the reasons behind the departure, Rutten told Vitesse.nl: “There is no conflict between me and the owner. We exchange simple conversations, but it appears that our visions are far apart for the future of this club.”

“I’ve had a great year in which not only did we achieve the target of European football, but we also challenged for the title. For myself, it was an interesting experience, an experience I positively look back on, because you fully enjoy working with a serious group of players who were willing to work for you. I thank Vitesse for the opportunity and the fans for the support throughout my time here.”

In turn, Vitesse thanked the coach for the past year: “Together with his staff, Fred Rutten brought the club to a higher level with his methodical approach. We wish him every success in his future.”

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