Tag Archives: PEC Zwolle

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 2

August 17, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

Welcome to week two 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

KEVIN BEGOIS – PEC ZWOLLE: Quality commanding display from the Belgian stopper in Zwolle’s 3-0 win over De Graafschap.

DEFENDERS

KEVIN DIKS – VITESSE: At only 18-years-old, Diks is showing all the doubters that he is not too young to play at the right-back position for Vitesse. Great through ball for Abiola Dauda’s goal.

CALVIN MAC-INTOSCH – SC CAMBUUR: If if were not for Calvin, Cambuur may have suffered a larger defeat than the 2-0 issued to them from Feyenoord.

GURAM KASHIA – VITESSE: Strong outing for the big Georgian and one of the many stars in the Vitesse team in their win over Roda.

BART VAN HINTUM – PEC ZWOLLE: Notched a rare goal for Ron Jans’ side in the 3-0 win over new boys De Graafschap.

MIDFIELDERS

JEFF STANS – EXCELSIOR: Great goal in a great 2-2 draw against top side AZ Alkmaar.

ANDRES GUARDADO – PSV: Battler. Attacker. Defender. Creator. The Mexican has it all and showed it once again this week in the 2-0 win over FC Groningen.

RIECHEDLY BAZOER – AJAX: Strong performance from the youngster in the 3-0 win over Willem II. He held the midfield well, and he is making the position his own.

ATTACKERS

LUCIANO NARSINGH – PSV: Two goals from the winger who is currently showing Eindhoven fans what life after Memphis will be like. PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ANWAR EL GHAZI – AJAX: Another brace for the Ajax striker, he goes from strength to strength.

RUBEN SCHAKEN – ADO DEN HAAG: Nabbed his first goal for ADO in their 4-1 thrashing of FC Twente in their own backyard.

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

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 2

August 16, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK TWO – 14TH-16TH AUGUST 2015

Ajax and Feyenoord lead the way as PSV picked up their first win of the new campaign and Will Burns is on hand to give you the lowdown of all this weekend’s action.

Ajax sit top of the pile and are yet to concede a goal with their second 3-0 win in two weeks, this time over Willem II on Saturday evening at the Amsterdam ArenA. Anwar El Ghazi shined the brightest of them all, adding another two goals to his tally, but again like last Sunday against AZ Alkmaar, the score flattered the Amsterdammers as they did not seem to be at full tempo as of yet this early into the season.

Polish striker Arek Milik opened the scoring on 18 minutes after some sloppy passing from Willem II defender Stijn Wuytens. Jurgen Streppel’s side, throughout the game, played the ball from the back and on this occasion, Wuytens laid the ball straight into the path of Ajax midfielder Nemanja Gudelj. The Serbian spotted Davy Klaassen sitting on the right of the attack and played the ball into the playmaker. Klaassen whipped a ball into the back post where the unmarked Milik headed home to give Ajax the advantage.

Ajax went in at half-time a goal up and the second-half began slowly and very cagey as never team looked like they wished to take the risk to go for the next goal. After hitting an effort from close range on the post minutes later, El Ghazi finally brought the second goal for the hosts on the 67th minute lashing a powerful curling shot into the net from the edge of the area.

Frank de Boer’s men looked comfortable and the game seemed wrapped up, so he handed a debut to Czech Republic youth international Václav Černý with 15 minutes remaining. The 17-year-old winger appeared only twice last season for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie but notched an impressive two goals in those outings.

In added time, Ajax put the cherry on top of the cake with El Ghazi’s second goal with a clinical counter attacking move. Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo, whom came on late in the second-half, held the ball up well in the middle of the pitch as Černý sprinted down the right-wing. The young Czech collected the ball and hit a first time pass into the path of Lasse Schöne. The Danish international fired the ball across the edge of the area to find El Ghazi who powered a shot at goal and the effort was far too strong for Willem II stopper Kostas Lamprou to keep out. El Ghazi (number #9 in the TDF Top 50), has four goals in just two appearances and looks to be the Amsterdammers’ main man in this year’s title charge.

Ajax and their bitter rivals Feyenoord are the only two teams with back-to-back wins as the Rotterdammers made a successful trip to SC Cambuur on Sunday afternoon. Marking his arrival with a goal was Michiel Kramer, who replaced Colin-Kazim Richards just after the hour mark. The €1.5m signing from ADO Den Haag netted with a diving header after a cross from the right from Bilal Başaçıkoğlu. The result finished 2-0 to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men after Dirk Kuyt, took his tally to two in two and doubled the lead deep into stoppage time.

Also on Sunday, defending champions PSV easily dispatched FC Groningen with a 2-0 triumph. After a wonderful deep through ball from Maxime Lestienne, fellow winger Luciano Narsingh breached Groningen’s offside trap to finish coolly after just six minutes of play to put the Eindhoven side in front. Philip Cocu’s side pressed for a second goal and looked comfortable throughout with Groningen failing to break down the PSV midfield, commanded by the industrious Andrés Guardado.

After being spoilt rotten last year with the championship-winning performances, the Philips Stadion was fairly silent until Narsingh hit the winning goal deep into the second-half. It was a run-of-the-mill outing for PSV and their upcoming match with Feyenoord on August 30th is a mouth-watering prospect, and could be a real thriller in the title race.

Vitesse opened up the weekend’s festivities thrashing ten-man Roda JC by 3-0 after Ard van Peppen was dismissed on the stroke of half-time for a handball on the line. Lewis Baker, on-loan from feeder club Chelsea, converted the penalty. The visitors fought and had chances to claw back the game, however on 68 minutes, after a wonderful through ball from teenage full-back Kevin Diks (TDF Top 50 #33), Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda slotted home first-time to double the lead. The third and final goal was sublime and a beautiful effort from another Chelsea loanee, Nathan. The young Brazilian cut inside from the left wing and curled the perfect shot past Roda stopper Benjamin van Leer.

FC Twente suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at home to ADO Den Haag to leave head coach Alfred Schreuder under immense pressure this early into the season. ADO debutant Mike Havanaar got the ball rolling just 12 minutes in. Ruben Schaken made it 2-0 on 27 minutes before Hakim Ziyech gave the home fans hope on a comeback after notching just before the hour mark. ADO central defender Vito Wormgoor cemented the points before French striker Edouard Duplan added a fourth with ten minutes remaining to add insult to injury for Twente.

Excelsior held AZ Alkmaar to a 2-2 draw in the late Saturday night game in a very even contest that could have went either way. Jeff Stans opened the scoring for the hosts however, the lead only lasted five minutes as Norwegian midfielder Markus Henriksen levelled the game up with an excellent counter attack goal. Tom van Weert put the Rotterdam outfit back in front just after the half hour mark. Substitute Robert Mühren nabbed an equaliser on 64 minutes as AZ pressed for a winner. However, never side could find that all important winner as the sides shared the points with Excelsior boss Fons Groenendijk was the happier of the two manager at the full-time whistle.

PEC Zwolle swept past De Graafschap on Saturday with three goals in sixteen second-half minutes to win 3-0 in Doetinchem. Wouter Marinus, Bart van Hintum and Sheraldo Becker scored the goals in a comfortable victory for Ron Jans’ men.

FC Utrecht and sc Heerenveen drew 1-1 with Luciano Slagveer scoring with just ten minutes to go to cancel out Sébastien Haller’s opener.

Finally, in their first game inside the brand-new Polman Stadion, Heracles handed N.E.C. Nijmegen a 3-0 defeat after the Eredivisie newcomers were reduced to ten-man as Marcel Appiah was dismissed before the hour mark. Oussama Tannane scored an early goal five minutes in to give the Almelo outfit the lead with Thomas Bruns adding a second before Appiah’s sending off. Wout Weghorst wrapped up the win and gave John Stegeman a boost after last weekend’s appalling defeat at the hands of Roda JC.

RESULTS

Friday 14th August

Vitesse 3-0 Roda JC

Saturday 15th August

De Graafschap 0-3 PEC Zwolle

Ajax 3-0 Willem II

FC Twente 1-4 ADO Den Haag

Excelsior 2-2 AZ Alkmaar

Sunday 16th August

PSV 2-0 FC Groningen

FC Utrecht 1-1 sc Heerenveen

SC Cambuur 0-2 Feyenoord

Heracles 3-0 N.E.C. Nijmegen

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 1

August 13, 2015 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

MARTIN HANSEN – ADO DEN HAAG: The back-heeling goalkeeper makes the team of the week for obvious reasons.

DEFENDERS

FARSHAD NOOR – RODA JC: The first of many debutants for his club, displaying a great first outing for his new club. Topping it off by providing the assist for Faik’s late goal.

WOJCIECH GOLLA – N.E.C. NIJMEGEN: The big Polish defender displayed great qualities at the back to keep Excelsior at bay and clinch a clean sheet for N.E.C.

DIRK MARCELLIS – PEC ZWOLLE: A goal scoring return for the big defender and beast of a outing, even though he was let down by fellow defenders to allow SC Cambuur perform a two-goal comeback.

CANER CAVLAN – SC HEERENVEEN: The young left-back had a great debut that kept De Graafschap’s attacks at bay.

MIDFIELDERS

SIMON THERN – SC HEERENVEEN: An excellent two-goal performance from midfielder in Heerenveen 3-1 win over new boys De Graafschap, that makes the Swedish midfielder our PLAYER OF THE WEEK.

HICHAM FAIK – RODA JC: The midfielder capped a strong performance off with a wonderful goal to clinch a 3-1 over Heracles.

ERIK BAKKER – SC CAMBUUR: Great leadership from the midfielder, whose goal inspired his side to back from two goals down to clinch a draw against PEC Zwolle.

ATTACKERS

DIRK KUYT – FEYENOORD: He’s back. The veteran lead his side to a fantastic ten-man performance with a 3-2 win over Utrecht, which he capped off with a penalty goal. An inspirational asset to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

EDWIN GYASI – RODA JC: Grabbed the equalising goal in the 3-1 victory over Heracles and was a constant threat to the Almelo defence.

ANWAR EL GHAZI – AJAX: Scorer of two of Ajax’s three goals in the 3-0 win over AZ Alkmaar including a stunning 30-yard dipping strike that sent the travelling Amsterdammers into raptures.

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

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part Two

August 12, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART TWO) – 11TH AND 12TH AUGUST 2015

So a goalkeeper scored an equaliser in the dying seconds with an outstanding back-heeled flick in the Eredivisie this week – Will Burns is here to report on the remaining five games in the Dutch top flight from week one.

Danish goalkeeper Martin Hansen was the toast of The Hague this past Tuesday after scoring an injury-time winner for ADO Den Haag in their opening day clash with defending champions PSV. Now anytime a keeper sprints up the pitch for a last minute set piece, it is always an exciting time to see if the big man can rise above all others to smash a header home past his opposite number.

However, this was no header – a poor free-kick from Kenji Gorre gave Hansen the option of instinctively flicking his boot up for a back-heel, which he connected perfectly with to skim the ball past Jeroen Zoet for the draw.

PSV had started well and took the lead, dubiously, through their new number ten, Adam Maher. Replays of the goal showed that Maher was offside when he received the ball on 23 minutes to put PSV in front. However, minutes later the score was all level. Colombian right-back Santiago Arias bundled over Aaron Meijers which looked outside the penalty area, but referee Richard Liesveld pointed to the spot and Ronald Alberg converted.

Luuk de Jong opened his account for the season just after the hour mark, simply pushing a header past Hansen after the ADO defence left the big striker unmarked until Hansen clinched a point with his dramatic leveller. A disappointing start for PSV’s looking to retain their Eredivisie title.

In Tuesday’s late game, Heerenveen were impressive in their 3-1 win over newly promoted De Graafschap. The Eredivisie new boys found themselves two goals down by half-time after Simon Thern took advantage of a defensive mix-up by Lion Kaak to slot past Hidde Jurjus in the De Graafschap goal. Debutant Mitchell te Vrede, a signing this week from Feyenoord, notching the second after some great work down the wing from the industrious Luciano Narsingh.

It was more of the same after the break and Thern headed home on 53 minutes for his second and Heerenveen’s third. A Vincent Vermeij header was just a consolation for the visitors and they look to turn things around on Saturday as they host PEC Zwolle.

Wednesday’s games began with a poor game in Groningen, as Edwin van der Looi’s side faced FC Twente which ended all square at 1-1. Twente took the lead when Renato Tapia was left alone at the front post and headed home a Hakim Ziyech corner just before the break. However, Groningen replied in the 83rd minute to salvage a point through a Michael de Leeuw goal after being played through on goal by substitute Danny Hoesen.

SC Cambuur battled back from two goals down to a 2-2 draw away at PEC Zwolle. Zwolle’s new defender Dirk Marcellis grabbed the opening goal on 31 minutes after some great footwork evading the Cambuur defence by fellow new signing Lars Veldwijk (on loan from Nottingham Forest). Minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead with a tremendous left-footed long drive from Sheraldo Becker giving Leonard Nienhuis no chance in goal. The Leeuwarden-outfit fought hard and clinched a lifeline with twenty minutes to go through Erik Bakker and seven minutes later the scores were level. Sjoerd Overgoor finished beautifully after Bakker laid it on a plate for the midfielder to secure a point.

In the final game of the week, N.E.C. Nijmegen left it late to defeat Excelsior. It was a uneventful and un-entertaining affair that ended with a Navarone Foor goal with just minutes remaining.

RESULTS

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag 2-2 PSV

sc Heerenveen 3-1 De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen 1-1 FC Twente

PEC Zwolle 2-2 SC Cambuur

N.E.C. 1-0 Excelsior

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TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part One

August 10, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART ONE) – 8TH AND 9TH AUGUST 2015

The opening weekend of the Dutch league season was severely affected by police strike action, and due to this, the nine Eredivisie games are to be spread across the majority of the week. Will Burns is on hand to give you a rundown of all the action from the first four matches.

In an amazing contrast on Sunday morning, after watching the European performances of the past fortnight, the disappointing Ajax travelled to Alkmaar to face the promising AZ and the tables were turned. The Amsterdammers left the AFAS Stadion with a 3-0 win after an Anwar El Ghazi brace followed by Nemanja Gudelj notching against the club he left in the summer.

Ajax scored all three inside the first-half with El Ghazi opening the scoring on 14 minutes with a sublime effort after some quick thinking from Mitchell Dijks. A quickly took free-kick allowed El Ghazi some space some 30 yards out and El Ghazi, after meeting his hero in the summer, hit a Ronaldo-like dipping shot giving AZ stopper Sergio Rochet no chance of saving.

It was a close affair with AZ hitman Vincent Janssen look the most likely to threaten for the John van der Brom’s side but it was his goalkeeper Rochet that handed the game to Frank de Boer’s outfit. El Ghazi got his head on the end of a whipping Gudelj free-kick and Rochet, although the Uruguayan stopped the effort, he failed to control and ended up fumbling the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

The third and final goal by Gudelj was also another that Rochet would not like to watch in the highlights that evening, after parrying the Serbian’s long range effort into the top corner of his goal.

AZ coach Van der Brom stated he felt sorry for his supporters that sold out the stadium for this match, but will look to make amends next weekend in Rotterdam against Excelsior. For De Boer, his side showed no Euro hangover as they look to challenge to regain the Eredivisie crown taken from them by PSV last season.

In the opening game of the season, Roda JC made a return to the Eredivisie with a hefty 3-1 win over Heracles even though the Almelo outfit went ahead after the half-hour mark through Iliass Bel Hassani. Although, the lead did not last long as four minutes later, Edwin Gyasi managed to weave his through to equalise. Early in the second half, Roda took the advantage with Tom van Hyfte scrambling the ball home after Gyasi’s header hit the post. Heracles pressed to level the game up but in the final moments, Hicham Faik smashed home a long range effort to cement all three points.

Dirk Kuyt also made his return to the Dutch top flight leading Feyenoord to a 3-2 victory over FC Utrecht at De Kuip on Saturday evening. Even though the Rotterdammers were reduced to ten-man after young right-back Rick Karsdorp was harshly dismissed by referee Kevin Blom early in the second-half. Turkish striker Colin-Kazim Richards gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst a great start to his managerial career heading home debutant Marko Vejinovic’s free-kick to make it 1-0.

After Karsdorp was shown his marching orders for his hard tackle on Christian Kum, Utrecht levelled the scoring through French striker Sébastien Haller, whom signed permanently from Auxerre last month on 75 minutes, however the score was only 1-1 for a few moments.

The equaliser fired up Van Bronckhorst’s side and they regained the lead two minutes later when substitute Tonny Vilhena, rumoured to be leaving the club, was at the back post to knock home Karim El-Ahmadi’s cross. With the De Kuip faithful in full force, Feyenoord pressed to kill the game off and Bilal Başaçıkoğlu was tripped in the area by Yannick Cortie, and Kuyt marked his return with a successful penalty conversion. Haller nabbed an injury-time consolation through a penalty kick of his own but it was Feyenoord that ended as the victors by three goals to two.

Looking to build on a successful campaign last season, Willem II boss Jurgen Streppel lead his team out full of confidence on Sunday afternoon against Peter Bosz’ Vitesse in a game that ended tied at a goal apiece. The Tilburg side took the lead just after the hour mark through new recruit Erik Falkenburg before Ukrainian midfielder Denis Oliynyk.

A further five contests will make up week one of the Eredivisie to take place Tuesday and Wednesday this week… if the police do not decide on another strike?!

Check back later this week for ‘Part Two’ of the Eredivisie report.

RESULTS

Saturday 8th August

Roda JC 3-1 Heracles

Feyenoord 3-2 FC Utrecht

Sunday 9th August

AZ 0-3 Ajax

Willem II 1-1 Vitesse

FIXTURES

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag vs. PSV

sc Heerenveen vs. De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen vs. FC Twente

PEC Zwolle vs. SC Cambuur

N.E.C. vs. Excelsior

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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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BETTING TIPS, KNVB BEKER, KNVB BEKER PREVIEW, KNVB CUP

KNVB BEKER FINAL Preview & Betting Tips

April 29, 2015 Will Burns 2 Comments

Sunday 3rd May

PEC ZWOLLE vs. FC GRONINGEN (17:00 BST)

Ron Jans has big game experience as he leads his side into yet another final searching for his third trophy in just over twelve months as PEC Zwolle face FC Groningen in the KNVB Beker showdown at De Kuip. Looking to make a profit from the match, Will Burns discusses on what bets show the most value this coming Sunday afternoon in Rotterdam.

Zwolle can thank playmaker Jesper Drost for yet another successful season. The team currently sits in seventh in the Europa League playoff positions and the 22-year-old has been involved in more goals during this season’s Eredivisie campaign than any other player in the squad, notching eight goals with seven assists.

Attacking midfielder Stef Nijland, whom Jans has employed as a striker for part of the season, is the team’s top scorer on 11 goals. Czech international Tomas Necid is joint second with Drost on eight goals apiece.

Just below them in eighth is Sunday’s opposition, Edwin van der Looi’s FC Groningen. The Pride of the North are undefeated in the last six games which has helped sit on the edge of the playoffs themselves, however if they were to lose on Sunday, they would enter in place of Zwolle, who would qualify automatically for the tournament outright.

Van der Looi has relied heavily on Tjaronn Chery and Michael de Leeuw for goals this season, with both attackers top the tally charts on 14 each. Zwolle will also have to be aware of the aerial threat of Brazilian centre-back Eric Botteghin, who has headed three goals this term and can be a real hazard at attacking set-pieces.

In an ironic twist, Zwolle and Groningen meet next weekend in the penultimate group of the games in the Eredivisie season.

MATCH ODDS

Zwolle just have a knack of coming up big in the big games and after defeating the mighty Ajax 5-1 in last year’s final, Jans’ side will be hopeful of retaining the trophy and at a handsome 31/20 that looks a great bet at Bet Victor. Groningen are just outside that at 17/20 with the draw on 90 minutes valued at 12/5.

One thing for sure, looking at the goals markets, this game should see the goalkeepers tested often. Zwolle have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 matches, with Groningen going one better with two shutouts in the same amount of games. On that note, Both Teams to Score is coming in at a decent 4/6. If your feeling really lucky why not combine Zwolle and BTTS for a massive 19/5.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Zwolle to win – 31/20

Both Teams to Score – 4/6

Zwolle to win with Both Teams to Score – 19/5

All odds are with Bet Victor and may vary throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s match. Bet Victor offers the best odds for football, click here to join and claim up to £25 in free bets for all new customers.

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INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW – PEC Zwolle defender Trent Sainsbury

March 2, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

It has been a great season so far for PEC Zwolle’s Trent Sainsbury. With Zwolle flying high in the Eredivisie and lifting the Asian Cup with his country Australia, TotalDutchFootball.com’s Martijn Hilhorst conducted an exclusive interview with the big defender this week.

What’s the biggest difference on the pitch between the A-League and the Eredivisie?

In the Dutch league every player is very good technically so the ball does all the work. In Australia not all players are as technically good so they have to work harder.

Gosford and Zwolle are very similar in size – what other similarities do you see between the two and also major differences?

The biggest thing that comes to mind is the slow paced lifestyle. I don’t like crowds so both places suit me. In Gosford I lived next to the beach and would always walk down in shorts, flip flops and a singlet for a coffee; while in Zwolle if I go for coffee I have to put on my entire wardrobe so I don’t freeze. But I think I’m used to the weather now and can enjoy my walks around the city.

Did you experience any transition troubles when moving from Australia to the Netherlands?

I had a troubled first few days with jetlag and then also my broken kneecap on the sprinkler so I can honestly my first few months were extremely bad for me. But once I got it in my head that I can only go up from here I was trying to see all the positives in the day.

What is your greatest (personal) success in your career?

My best moment would be getting my first game for the Australian national team. But the greatest moments are for me winning trophies with my teammates.

On the sixth of February, you broke your knee at your debut for PEC Zwolle in the away match versus FC Utrecht due to a ‘nozzle’. Did the thought of legal action ever came across your mind?

I was certain I would go to court over the matter but it never eventuated. It makes me angry and upset still to this day that nothing happened and nobody got punished. I still haven’t received a letter of apology which annoys me most of all. I went through an extremely rough time and missed a lot of great opportunities because of a dangerous pitch.

You are just 23-year old, but already became champions in Australia and won the national cup and super cup in the Netherlands. What realistic goal do you have for yourself in the near future?

I would like to be playing European football next year. Another piece of silverware would be nice also.

You like playing in a possession-based team like PEC Zwolle or would you prefer to play in a team were you aren’t responsible for the build-up play?

I love touching the ball and having responsibility in the build-up, but I’m a defender first and ballplayer second so whatever the coach asks of me I’ll do that job.

Two Chinese clubs offered PEC Zwolle $1.7m for you and yourself a year’s salary of $1.2m. Did PEC Zwolle accepted the bids of those two Chinese clubs?

I’m not sure if Zwolle accepted any bids, it doesn’t concern me because we are doing something special at Zwolle and I’m glad I’m apart of this.

You immediately rejected the offer. What’s the (main) reason about this? Financially it would be a huge step forward.

I want to reach the highest level of football possible for me and not have any regrets later on in life. I go with my gut feelings and my gut tells me the Eredivisie is the best place for my progression for now.

How did it feel to score your first goal for Australia.

This was a nice moment for me and I was extremely proud and couldn’t stop smiling after the game. I’ve scored one and now want more.

Which PEC player (apart from yourself) has the best potential?

PEC is full of great young players with big futures, but if I had to pick out a couple it would be Ryan Thomas and Mustafa Saymak. They a definitely going onto bigger and better things in my mind.

What is your ultimate goal for your football career? A certain competition or club? Or maybe international success with Australia?

I’ve always dreamt of playing in one of the big leagues like any young boy. Germany, England, Spain and Italy are all a nice destinations but I’m keeping my feet on the ground and working hard with Zwolle. And my ultimate dream it to be playing in a top team, winning trophies and playing Champions League football. Also I’d like to have success with Australia and represent them at a world cup. Dream big.

We at TotalDutchFootball.com are truly grateful that Trent took time for this interview. Good luck for the future with PEC Zwolle.

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TOTALDUTCHFOOTBALL.COM

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Ajax 0-0 PEC Zwolle

October 6, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2014

AJAX 0 – 0 PEC ZWOLLE

The first half was goalless, but it was intriguing contest as in form PEC Zwolle went to Ajax to try and get something from the game. An early chance fell the way of Czech forward Tomas Necid, but his shot was saved by Jasper Cillessen. Niklas Moisander came close to scoring as he fired a shot from outside the penalty area just wide, while Kolbeinn Sigthorsson was proving to be a real threat as he had several chances in the opening stages to open the scoring writes Jack Jakeman.

Although Ajax were dominant in possession as you would expect, Zwolle looked very dangerous on the break with Tomas Necid looking like he had a goal in him as he forced another good save out of Cillessen as the half progressed, while the pace of Ryan Thomas and Jody Lukoki looked like it could prove Ajax problems.

Joel Veltman was playing very well at the centre of the Ajax defence, both at the back and he looked assured in possession, often making the correct decisions to set up attacks for the home side. Moisander, Sigthorsson and Thulani Serero all had the ball in promising situations at the back end of the half, but they all wasted the positions with a poor final product. Ajax needed to be more clinical, as Zwolle looked like they would get a goal as the game wore on. In the closing stages of the half, Joel Veltman headed just over from a Lasse Schone set piece.

The second half was more of the same, with both sides having chances, but lacking the quality in front of goal. Lasse Schone had a chance from range, which was well stopped by Hahn. Ajax had the better chances, and it was Sigthorsson who came closest after hitting the bar from close range, a chance he normally puts in the net.

For the away side, Tomas Necid continued to be a huge threat as he held the ball up well and constantly troubled the Ajax back line. His drive from distance forced the Dutch national keeper Cillessen into another stop. He was called into action only moments later as Bram van Polen was denied by the World Cup star. Ricardo Krishna had a late chance but blazed over.

The game fizzled out into a draw as neither side created many chances in the final stages, the result was better for the away side, who remain level with the Eredivisie champions. Today’s results have seen PSV open a two point lead, but the start of the season has been intriguing at the summit.

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EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE PREVIEW: Ajax vs. PEC Zwolle

October 4, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

There’s no getting away from this fixture, some are relishing it some are dreading it. Ajax has lost two trophies in two seasons to Zwolle surely revenge is in the air come Sunday right? Maybe see PSV, Ajax and Zwolle all sit level on 15 points top of the league so this game will be closer than many fans will predict writes Nathan Hyland.

Ajax almost at full strength Viktor Fischer is still out but Lasse Schöne expected to return after missing the last two league games one of the games was the 5-2 drubbing of NAC Breda where Kolbeinn Sigthorsson netted three and could of had four but decided to give the fan in row Z his hat-trick ball as he missed a penalty in dramatic fashion. Klaassen took it upon himself to be the creative spark with three assists.

Ricardo van Rhijn scored another to make that two in two for him and Joël Veltman bagging one. So strong going forward but the back is a cause for concern this week. After conceding two to an average NAC side they will really have to tighten the back up this Sunday. Veltman can sometimes be reckless flying into challenges and Nicolai Boilesen who tends to cancel out offside traps, concentration must be at 100% against a decent looking PEC Zwolle side.

Anwar El Ghazi I expect will be sacrificed for Lucas Andersen who is doing a great job so far even scoring the goal in the 1-1 draw with APOEL on Tuesday. I predict a front three partnership of Andersen/Sigthorsson/Schone looking to pull the Zwolle defence left and right and no doubt using Sigthorsson aerial prowess.

Fun fact: Ajax has won the last four home matches against Zwolle in the league.

Zwolle coach Ron Jans could have a headache when it’s time to select the team, up to five players missing come Sunday. Kevin Begois, Leroy Labylle, Thanasis Karagounis and former Ajax kid Jody Lukoki are all absent from this match.

Last game PEC won 4-2 against bottom side Heracles and prior to the cup game against FC Oss lost 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar. Despite that defeat, Zwolle still finds themselves tied for top spot so there is all to play for. Zwolle will head into this game Sunday with playmaker Jesper Drost and Czech international Tomas Necid in fine form which doesn’t bode well for a leaky Ajax defence. Neither Ajax nor Zwolle will want to lose any ground to PSV when this game week is over. PEC will probably line up 4-2-3-1 with Necid being supported by Thomas/Drost/Saymak for quick counter attacking football.

PREDICTION

Ok so I’m an Ajax fan through and through and when I see the team name PEC Zwolle it descends red mist over my eyes as much as Utrecht and Feyenoord do. Credit to their manager Ron Jans for getting them this far but surly this is the demolition all Ajax fans have been waiting for. I’m going for a 4-1 win to Ajax who on Sunday will be like a pack of hungry sharks. Once they get the taste of blood expect them to savage Zwolle. Think Mary Poppins flying over a mortar range…….

This could get very ugly.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: PEC Zwolle 3-1 PSV

September 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

PEC ZWOLLE 3 – 1 PSV

The underdogs of Zwolle have bitten another big dog and sent them away with their tails between their legs. This time it was the turn of Philip Cocu’s PSV to take home a 3-1 defeat to the hands of Ron Jans’ men after they lost superstar Memphis Depay to an early injury writes Will Burns.

Zwolle started debutant Warner Hahn in goal after the sale of Diederik Boer to Ajax on deadline day but it was his opposite number Jeroen Zoet was called into action first pulling off a save from the lively Jody Lukoki. Hahn’s gloves were warmed up minutes later as Depay fired a trademark free-kick at the young stopper. Depay, scorer of five goals in his last four Eredivisie games, did not last on the pitch much longer as he was struggling with a thigh problem and was replaced by striker Jurgen Locadia.

PSV were stupidly given a penalty kick by Joost Broerse after clearly handballing in the area from a corner kick. Luuk de Jong fired the ball straight down the middle to give PSV the lead and score his second goal of the campaign.

However, just before half-time the home side were given an equaliser by Zoet as Jesper Drost’s drive from the edge of the area was palmed in by the keeper. A shocking error that lifted the IJsseldelta Stadion as Zwolle surged on for a second, Cocu was desperate to hear Danny Makkelie’s half-time whistle.

Just after the hour-mark, tricky winger Ryan Thomas earned a free-kick after half-time substitute Oskar Hiljemark bundled him over around 30 yards out. The home fans clapped in unison as Broerse set-up the free-kick like a pole-vaulter at the Olympic Games. The 34-year-old defender smashed home a beauty to make it 2-1 and to earn redemption off the delighted Zwolle supporters for his earlier handball.

Ben Rienstra capped the night off after surging into the area, overpowering Hiljemark and chipping a wonderful effort over Zoet to cement the points late on.

Zwolle once again show tremendous character to win an important game inside a big atmosphere as PSV will now worry how long Depay will be missing from this team who are ready to mount a serious challenge for the league championship.

TEAMS

ZWOLLE: Hahn, Van Polen, Sainsbury, Broerse, Van Hintum, Rienstra, Lam (Van der Werff 90), Lukoki (Saymak 75), Drost, Thomas (Nijland 69), Necid.

SUBS NOT USED: De Jong, Ioannidis, Dekker, Moro.

GOALS: Drost 41, Broerse 65, Rienstra 87.

BOOKINGS: Broerse 32, Lam 62.

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Rekik, Bruma, Willems (Jozefzoon 86), Guardado, Wijnaldum, Maher (Hiljemark 46), Narsingh, De Jong, Depay (Locadia 18).

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Isimat-Mirin, Brenet, Hendrix.

GOALS: De Jong 32P.

BOOKINGS: Hiljemark 64, Bruma 90.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Joost Broerse (PEC Zwolle)

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NEWS, TRANSFERS

THE EREDIVISIE GOALKEEPER TRANSFER MERRY-GO-ROUND

September 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

The Eredivisie has experienced a goalkeeper ‘triangle-transfer’ this deadline day that began with yesterday’s shock transfer of Kenneth Vermeer leaving Ajax to join bitter rivals Feyenoord in a €700k deal after 14 years at the Amsterdam giants writes Will Burns.

Vermeer was set to spend a season on the bench at Ajax and is now set to compete with Erwin Mulder for the number-one shirt in Rotterdam. The 28-year old has signed a four-year deal but it emerged from the British press last night that he could have ended up with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.

Van Gaal tried to strike a deal at the end of last week for the Vermeer, however the stopper said he had given his word to Fred Rutten that he was joining Feyenoord. New United boss Van Gaal is a fan of Vermeer, who would provide cover for current first choice keeper David de Gea at the Old Trafford club. It is understood, United discussed the possibility of a Anders Lindegaard plus cash deal, going to Rotterdam to help make the deal happen but Vermeer insisted on completing the move to De Kuip.

On the move, Vermeer said to De Telegraaf: “’It was a chance I had to grab with both hands. I’m grateful to Ajax for 14 fantastic years but I had to put myself first. I want to be playing. And I can do that at Feyenoord”

This controversial transfer has caused three clubs to adjust their goalkeeping options with PEC Zwolle signing Feyenoord’s reserve keeper Warner Hahn on a season-long loan. The Jong Oranje international goalkeeper Hahn signed for the Rotterdam club in the summer on a free transfer from promoted side FC Dordrecht but has yet to make his debut ahead of Mulder. Only 22-years-old, Hahn has time on his side and working under Ron Jans at Zwolle gives him great Eredivisie first-team experience.

Why PEC Zwolle needed to buy a keeper was due to the fact that Diederik Boer left the club to replace Vermeer at Ajax, as back-up for Dutch international Jasper Cillessen. The 33-year-old will wear the number ‘33’ shirt and signs on a three-year deal.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: NAC Breda 3-1 PEC Zwolle

August 31, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

NAC BREDA 3 – 1 PEC ZWOLLE

NAC Breda did not soothe PEC Zwolle’s European hangover with a 3-1 comfortable win in the Rat Verlagh Stadion writes Will Burns.

Breda started the brighter of the two sides with Zwolle looking lacklustre, possibly due to their 3-1 defeat in Prague on Thursday night that knocked them out of the Europa League. However, the visitors did create the first decent chance that Czech striker Tomas Necid missed. Bram van Polen supplied a superb cross from the right-wing and the 6ft 3inch attacker found himself unmarked in the centre, however he embarrassingly put his header wide of Jelle ten Rouwelaar’s post.

On the half-hour mark, PEC Zwolle experienced a major let off as NAC should have really took the lead. From a free-kick deep on the right, Zwolle failed to clear and the ball fell perfectly for Erik Falkenburg but Diederik Boer parried well from close range. The rebound was smashed off the crossbar by Isak Ssewankambo and bounced out.

It was a warning fired at Zwolle which they did not take heed off seven minutes later. On-loan Chelsea striker Stipe Perica finished a great move from Falkenburg’s cross that Ssewankambo nodded down into the Croatian 19-year old to poke home.

Although, Ron Jans made two changes at half-time to fire some life into his side. Jody Lukoki and Joost Broerse replaced Mustafa Saymak and Trent Sainsbury and within five minutes of the restart, Zwolle were level. Jesper Drost and Stef Nijland combined well to set up Necid to grab his first goal for the club.

NAC were not finished by any means and went on the attack and found themselves the lead again on 65 minutes after Van Polen fouled Perica in the area and referee Tom van Sichem awarded a spot-kick. After arguing with Perica on who would take the penalty, Erik Falkenburg converted superbly straight down the middle of Boer’s goal.

The points were sealed by Nebojša Gudelj side’s five minutes from the end with Elson Hooi blasting a shot past Boer after Jeffrey Sarpong had carried the ball forward and laid the substitute in.

A great win for Breda after a disappointing start to the season, but Zwolle will need to pick themselves up after the international break if they wish to compete for European places this year.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, Ssewankambo, Drost, Damcevski, Amieux, De Kamps, Falkenburg (Hooi 77), Matic, Boateng, Perica, Tighadouini (Sarpong 46).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, De Roover, Seuntjens, Swerts, Van der Weg.

GOALS: Perica 37, Falkenburg 66P, Hooi 84.

BOOKINGS: Matic 54, Perica 72.

ZWOLLE: Boer, Van Polen, Van der Werff (Ioannidis 70), Sainsbury (Broerse 46), Van Hintum, Rienstra, Lam, Saymak (Lukoki 46), Drost, Nijland, Necid.

SUBS NOT USED: De Jong, Moro, Pereira, Thomas.

GOALS: Necid 49.

BOOKINGS: Necid 53, Lukoki 89.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Kingsley Boateng (NAC)

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