FC Twente

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FC Twente
FC Twente emblem
Full name F.C. Twente 1965
Nickname(s) The Tukkers
The Reds
Founded July 1, 1965
Ground Grolsch Veste
Enschede
(Capacity 24,353)
Chairman Flag of the Netherlands Joop Munsterman
Head coach Vacant
League Eredivisie
2007-08 Eredivisie, 2nd
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

FC Twente (also incorrectly referred to as Twente Enschede) is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede. They play in the Eredivisie.

The club was formed in 1965 as a merger of two professional clubs Sportclub Enschede and the Enschedese Boys. Although the current club has never won the Dutch championship, SC Enschede did, in 1926.

The first successes of the club started just after the merger of 1965, under coach Kees Rijvers. Twente finished 3rd in 1969, 4th in 1970, 5th in 1971, 3rd in 1972 and once again 3rd in 1973. The team's key figures were local heroes, such as Epi Drost, Eddy Achterberg, Kick van der Vall and Theo Pahlplatz. Their finest Eredivisie season was 1973-1974, in which Twente battled for the Dutch championship with Feyenoord. A head-to-head confrontation in the very last game of the season, in Rotterdam, had to bring the decision. Feyenoord were slightly luckier: 3-2. A second slot and a UEFA Cup ticket -- that was all for FC Twente.

However, the Tukkers (as people from Twente are generally called) almost made the very most out of that UEFA Cup ticket. After beating Juventus in the semi-finals, FC Twente lost to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in the finals.

Things went downhill for Twente after that, and the club was relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1982. Twente returned to the top flight a year later, but the club soon became known for their amazing number of 1-1 and 0-0 draws. Their new reputation 'boring Twente' overshadowed the fact that the club kept qualifying for European football on a fairly regular basis: five times since 1985.

Re-establishment followed in the 1990s. German coach Hans Meyer led Twente to the third slot in the Eredivisie of 1997 and to the third round of the UEFA Cup the next season. On May 24 2001, Twente clinched the KNVB Cup, beating PSV in the final after being 3-1 down in the penalty shoot-out.

The season thereafter Twente crashed out of the cup against the teenagers of Ajax's second team, results in the league were poor and the hard core Twente fans Ultras Vak-P went on a rampage at the club's brand-new Arke Stadion out of frustration. The club's mother corporation (FC Twente '65) was declared bankrupt in the 2002-03 season, almost leading to the end of the club's existence. The club survived and made it to another KNVB Cup final in 2004 and struck back with a fantastic Eredivisie season in 2006-07. In the season 2007-08, FC Twente placed fourth and won the play-offs for a ticket to the Champions League Qualifiers by defeating Ajax in the play-off finals.

Contents

[edit] Stadium

Fans and fireworks at FC Twente versus SC Heerenveen in 2002.
Fans and fireworks at FC Twente versus SC Heerenveen in 2002.

The Grolsch Veste, formerly named Arke Stadion, is the official stadium of FC Twente. It is located in Enschede, the Netherlands at the Business & Science Park, near the University of Twente. It has a spectator capacity of 13,250 with a standard pitch heating system and has a promenade instead of fences around the stands. The stadium is currently being reconstructed and will be reopened at the start of next season with an increased capacity of 24,353.

The Grolsch Veste replaced the old Diekman Stadion as Twente's home ground on 22 March 1998. Plans have been afoot to expand and to renovate the old and now demolished Diekman stadium, however, with a growing fan capacity and with arguments that the location of the Diekman stadium was not strategic enough, the idea was conceived to build a new arena for the Twente fans. The Diekman ground had also faced problems with its seating plans as a result of the FIFA regulations which imposes a necessity to construct a seating tribune behind each goal post. Fans of the club seldom use the official name but refer to the stadium as 'Epi Drost Stadium' after all-time club hero Epi Drost.

The cost of the construction was estimated to be around 33 million guilders and took fourteen months to complete, with its foundation stone having been laid on 31 January 1997. Due to the tight budget available, the layout of the stadium was constructed in such that future expansions may be made possible without the necessity to tear down entire tribunes.

The first match played at the stadium was a historic 3-0 victory by the home team against PSV on 10 May 1998 in an Eredivisie match.

The famous You'll Never Walk Alone recording by musicians Gerry & The Pacemakers is loudly sung along in the whole stadium before every kick-off.

In 2006 plans have been unfolded to increase the stadium capacity to 24,353 seats. This expansion is expected to be ready in September 2008. FC Twente is also considering to expand to 40,000 seats in 2011.

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

As of June 12th, 2008.

No. Position Player
1 Flag of the Netherlands GK Sander Boschker
2 Flag of the Netherlands DF Rob Wielaert
3 Flag of the Netherlands DF Edson Braafheid
4 Flag of the Netherlands DF Ramon Zomer
6 Flag of the Netherlands MF Wout Brama
7 Flag of the Netherlands FW Romano Denneboom
9 Flag of Switzerland FW Blaise Kufo (vice-captain)
10 Flag of the Netherlands MF Orlando Engelaar (captain)
11 Flag of Belgium FW Stein Huysegems
12 Flag of the Netherlands DF Jeroen Heubach
13 Flag of Bulgaria GK Nikolay Mihaylov (on loan from Liverpool)
14 Flag of Australia MF Luke Wilkshire
No. Position Player
15 Flag of the Netherlands FW Eljero Elia
16 Flag of the Netherlands GK Cees Paauwe
17 Flag of the Netherlands MF Youssouf Hersi
19 Flag of Brazil DF Douglas
21 Flag of Austria FW Marko Arnautovic
22 Flag of the Netherlands DF Niels Wellenberg
23 Flag of the Netherlands FW Patrick Gerritsen
25 Flag of Slovakia FW Andrej Rendla
26 Flag of Iceland MF Bjarni Viðarsson
27 Flag of Morocco MF Ibrahim Maaroufi (on loan from Inter)
–– Flag of the Netherlands MF Theo Janssen
–– Flag of Côte d'Ivoire MF Cheik Tioté

[edit] Out on loan

No. Position Player
–– Flag of the Netherlands FW Halil Colak (on loan to SC Cambuur)

[edit] Notable players

See also: FC Twente players

[edit] Topscorers by season

Season Player's name Goals
1965/1966 Flag of the Netherlands Hans Roordink 11
1966/1967 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Jeuring 10
1967/1968 Flag of the Netherlands Dick van Dijk 22
1968/1969 Flag of the Netherlands Dick van Dijk 30
1969/1970 Flag of Hungary Antal Nagy 17
1970/1971 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Jeuring 17
1971/1972 Flag of the Netherlands René van de Kerkhof 10
1972/1973 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Jeuring 13
1973/1974 Flag of the Netherlands Johan Zuidema 14
1974/1975 Flag of the Netherlands Johan Zuidema 10
1975/1976 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Jeuring 20
1976/1977 Flag of the Netherlands Arnold Mühren 13
1977/1978 Flag of the Netherlands Ab Gritter 15
1978/1979 Flag of the Netherlands Ab Gritter 14
1979/1980 Flag of Norway Hallvar Thoresen 11
1980/1981 Flag of Norway Hallvar Thoresen 15
1981/1982 Flag of Spain Manuel Sanchez Torres 15
1982/1983 Flag of the Netherlands Martin Koopman 7
1983/1984 Flag of England Billy Ashcroft 21
1984/1985 Flag of the Netherlands Willy Carbo 15
1985/1986 Flag of the Netherlands Martin Koopman 8
1986/1987 Flag of the Netherlands Ulrich Wilson 8
1987/1988 Flag of the Netherlands Piet Keur 17
1988/1989 Flag of the Netherlands Piet Keur 16
1989/1990 Flag of Denmark Claus Nielsen 14
1990/1991 Flag of Denmark Claus Nielsen 16
1991/1992 Flag of the Netherlands Youri Mulder 18
1992/1993 Flag of Ghana Prince Polley 11
1993/1994 Flag of the Netherlands Edwin Vurens 10
1994/1995 Flag of the Netherlands Michel Boerebach 12
1995/1996 Flag of the Netherlands Arnold Bruggink 11
1996/1997 Flag of the Netherlands John Bosman 20
1997/1998 Flag of the Netherlands John Bosman / Jan van Halst / Flag of Finland Antti Sumiala 6
1998/1999 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 21
1999/2000 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 19
2000/2001 Flag of the Netherlands Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink 15
2001/2002 Flag of the Netherlands Jack de Gier 6
2002/2003 Flag of the Netherlands Ellery Cairo 7
2003/2004 Flag of Switzerland Blaise Kufo 14
2004/2005 Flag of Switzerland Blaise Kufo 16
2005/2006 Flag of Switzerland Blaise Kufo 12
2006/2007 Flag of Switzerland Blaise Kufo 22
2007/2008 Flag of Switzerland Blaise Kufo 22

[edit] Head coaches

[edit] Honours

[edit] National

  • Eredivisie
    • Winners (1): 1926 (as Sportclub Enschede)
    • Runners-up (1): 1974
  • KNVB Cup
    • Winners (2): 1977, 2001
    • Runners-up (3): 1975, 1979, 2004

[edit] International

[edit] Sponsors

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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