FC Twente
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| Full name | F.C. Twente '65 | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Tukkers The Reds |
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| Founded | 1 July 1965 | |||
| Ground | De Grolsch Veste Enschede (Capacity: 24,000) |
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| Chairman | Joop Munsterman | |||
| Head coach | Michel Preud'homme | |||
| League | Eredivisie | |||
| 2009–10 | Eredivisie, 1st | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys. They are the current holders of Eredivisie and Johan Cruijff Schaal trophies, the first time the new club has won both titles; the team have also finished as Eredivisie runners-up twice, were runners-up in the UEFA Cup 1974–75, and have won the KNVB Cup twice. Twente's home ground since 1998 is De Grolsch Veste.
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History
Foundation and early years
The club was formed in 1965 as a merger of two professional clubs, Sportclub Enschede and the Enschedese Boys. One of such predecessors, SC Enschede, had also won a single Eredivisie title in 1926.
The first successes of the club started just after the merger of 1965, under coach Kees Rijvers. Twente finished third in 1969, fourth in 1970, fifth in 1971, third in 1972 and once again 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 the Dutch region of 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.
The 1980s and 1990s
After enjoying some success in the 1970s, things went downhill for Twente and the club was even relegated to the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) in 1983. 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 then 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 24 May 2001, Twente clinched their first triumph in 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, whereas results in the league were poor and the hardcore Twente fans Ultras Vak-P went on a rampage at the club's brand-new stadium out of frustration.
From bankruptcy to national champions (2002–present)
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, now chaired by ambitious businessman Joop Munsterman, survived such problems and made it to another KNVB Cup final in 2004, and then finishing in fourth place 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.
In the season 2008–09, FC Twente hired former England manager Steve McClaren as new boss: under his tenure, unseeded Twente entered the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, being drawn against seeded Arsenal. The two legs were played at home on 13 August and away on 27 August 2008. Twente lost 6–0 on aggregate, resulting in their elimination from the Champions League and subsequent entry of the UEFA Cup first round. At domestic level, FC Twente placed second in the Eredivisie (11 points below the league's champion AZ Alkmaar) and got again a ticket to the Champions League qualifying rounds as Dutch runners-up, as well as KNVB Cup finalists (then defeated by SC Heerenveen).
The 2009–10 started with Twente being knocked out of the Champions League third qualifying round after a 1–1 aggregate draw against Sporting CP, which sent the Portuguese side through on away goals.[1] The club was then admitted to the Europa League, where it enjoyed a relatively successful path which ended in a 4–2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen in the round of 32. At domestic level, Twente won its first Eredivisie title at the end of a campaign in which they lost just twice, winning 16 of 17 at home. The championship was confirmed on the final day of the season when they beat NAC 2–0 away,[2] making Steve McClaren the first Englishman to guide a Dutch team to a national title since Bobby Robson in 1992.[3] The victory qualified Twente for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Group Stage onwards, the club's first appearance in the competition. At the end of the season Steve McClaren resigned as the manager, moving to German side VfL Wolfsburg, and was replaced by Belgian Michel Preud'homme.
Satellite clubs
The following clubs are affiliated with FC Twente:
Stadium
De Grolsch Veste, formerly named Arke Stadion, is the official stadium of FC Twente and is owned by the club. It is located at the Business & Science Park, near the University of Twente and between the city centers of Enschede and Hengelo. It has a spectator capacity of 24,000 with a standard pitch heating system and has a promenade instead of fences around the stands.
De Grolsch Veste replaced the old Diekman Stadion as Twente's home ground on 22 March 1998. Initially plans had been afoot to expand and 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 also faced problems with its seating plans as a result of the FIFA regulations which imposes a requirement to construct a seating stand behind each goal.
The cost of the construction is 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 so that future expansions are possible without the necessity to tear down entire existing stands.
On 10 May 1998 the first match played at the stadium resulted in a 3–0 victory by the home team against PSV in an Eredivisie match.
Initially the Grolsch Veste had a capacity of 13,500 spectators which was later reduced to 13,250. As of the start of the 2008/09 season the stadium has been expanded with a partial second ring increasing the capacity to the current 24,000 seats. FC Twente is planning to expand the stadium to 32,000 seats with building expected to start in September 2010. There are also plans to expand the stadium to 44,000 spectators, pending a successful Belgium & Holland World Cup 2018 bid.
The recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry & the Pacemakers is sung along in the whole stadium before every kick-off.
Players
Current squad
As of 24 July 2010.
For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers summer 2009 and List of Dutch football transfers winter 2009-10.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
- See also: FC Twente players
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Topscorers
| Season | Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1965/66 |  Hans Roordink |
11 |
| 1966/67 | Jan Jeuring |
10 |
| 1967/68 | Dick van Dijk |
22 |
| 1968/69 | Dick van Dijk |
30 |
| 1969/70 |  Antal Nagy |
17 |
| 1970/71 | Jan Jeuring |
17 |
| 1971/72 | René van de Kerkhof |
10 |
| 1972/73 | Jan Jeuring |
13 |
| 1973/74 | Johan Zuidema |
14 |
| 1974/75 | Johan Zuidema |
10 |
| 1975/76 | Jan Jeuring |
20 |
| 1976/77 | Arnold Mühren |
13 |
| 1977/78 | Ab Gritter |
15 |
| 1978/79 | Ab Gritter |
14 |
| 1979/80 |  Hallvar Thoresen |
11 |
| 1980/81 | Hallvar Thoresen |
15 |
| 1981/82 |  Manuel Sánchez Torres |
15 |
| 1982/83 | Martin Koopman |
7 |
| 1983/84 |  Billy Ashcroft |
21 |
| 1984/85 | Willy Carbo |
15 |
| 1985/86 | Martin Koopman |
8 |
| 1986/87 | Ulrich Wilson |
8 |
| 1987/88 | Piet Keur |
17 |
| 1988/89 | Piet Keur |
16 |
| 1989/90 |  Claus Nielsen |
14 |
| 1990/91 | Claus Nielsen |
16 |
| 1991/92 | Youri Mulder |
18 |
| 1992/93 |  Prince Polley |
11 |
| 1993/94 | Edwin Vurens |
10 |
| 1994/95 | Michel Boerebach |
12 |
| 1995/96 | Arnold Bruggink |
11 |
| 1996/97 | John Bosman |
20 |
| 1997/98 | John Bosman Jan van Halst Antti Sumiala |
6 |
| 1998/99 | Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink |
21 |
| 1999/00 | Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink |
19 |
| 2000/01 | Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink |
15 |
| 2001/02 | Jack de Gier |
6 |
| 2002/03 | Ellery Cairo |
7 |
| 2003/04 |  Blaise Nkufo |
14 |
| 2004/05 | Blaise Nkufo |
16 |
| 2005/06 | Blaise Nkufo |
12 |
| 2006/07 | Blaise Nkufo |
22 |
| 2007/08 | Blaise Nkufo |
22 |
| 2008/09 | Blaise Nkufo |
16 |
| 2009/10 |  Bryan Ruiz |
24 |
Head coaches
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Honours
- Eredivisie
- Winners (1): 2010
- Runners-up (2): 1974, 2009
- KNVB Cup
- Winners (2): 1977, 2001
- Runners-up (4): 1975, 1979, 2004, 2009
- Johan Cruijff Shield
- Winners (1): 2010
- Runners-up (1): 2001
- UEFA Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1975
See also
- Dutch football league teams
References
- ↑ "McClaren woe as FC Twente exit Champions League". ESPNsoccernet (ESPN). 2009-08-04. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=665168&cc=5739. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ↑ "First title for Twente". ESPNsoccernet (ESPN). 2010-05-02. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=271887&cc=5739. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
- ↑ "Twente Have Made History – Steve McClaren". Goal.com (Ellinton Invest Inc.). 2010-05-03. http://www.goal.com/en/news/462/netherlands/2010/05/03/1906983/twente-have-made-history-steve-mcclaren. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
- ↑ "Карабах и Твенте будут сотрудничать". Azerisport.com. http://azerisport.com/articles.php?item_id=20091021123401956&sec_id=2. Retrieved 20096-10-21. (Russian)
- ↑ "Qarabağ" "Tvente" ilə əməkdaşlıq edəcək (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ `Qarabağ` – `Tvente` : iki qardaş, bir yumruq! (Azerbaijani)
External links
- Official websites
- FCTwente.nl Official website of FC Twente (Dutch) / (German) / (English)
- FC Twente TV Official website FC Twente TV (No registration needed)
- General fan sites
- FC Twente Online (Dutch)
- FC Twente Online English Section (English)
- Vak-P (Dutch)
- FCT Hengelo (Dutch)
- FCT Riessen (Dutch)
- Twentefans (Dutch)
- News sites
- Football-Lineups.com / FC Twente (English)
- VI / FC Twente (Dutch)
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