FC Twente

As the Eredivisie title race starts to approach the final stages, FC Twente's visit to Groningen could be one of the most important games of the season so far.

Michel Jansen's side currently occupy second place in the Eredivisie table, joint on points with Feyenoord and Vitesse whilst trailing leaders Ajax by four points. Whilst their rivals have all played 23, Twente still have a dozen games to play and if they can win this game in hand then suddenly they'll be right on the coattails of Frank de Boer's reigning champions.

FC Twente famously lifted the Eredivisie crown in 2010, the club's first ever, under the guidance of Steve McLaren and Reds fans will be dreaming of a second title this term. If they claim three points then those dreams might, just might, become reality.

FC Twente & Castaignos Looking To Bounce Back

Whilst their recent form has generally been fine, the Reds did suffer defeat last weekend at PSV. Head coach Jansen will demand his players to get back to winning ways immediately.

Prior to the loss in Eindhoven, FC Twente were on an unbeaten run of 10 matches that dated back to late October and if they can enjoy a similar vein of fortune in their final 12 games then the Eredivisie title has a genuine chance of heading back to De Grolsch Veste for only the second time in history.

Likewise, top scorer Luc Castaignos will also be hoping the trip to Groningen will provide a return to form. The 21-year-old is the only Dutch player to hit a dozen Eredivisie goals this term but has now failed to score in two matches. He'll be wary of enduring a drought, which would be disastrous at such a vital stage in the campaign, and will be determined to prevent that happening by finding his way onto the scoreboard on Wednesday. If he does, then the youngster will have equalled last year's personal tally of 13 strikes.

Meanwhile, Groningen are on a run of three straight Eredivisie defeats and have picked up just four points from the last available 21. They won't go down, but Erwin van de Looi will be eager to secure the two or three wins needed to cement their place in next season's top flight as quickly as possible.

Groningen V Twente Head-to-Head

If recent history is anything to go by, then FC Twente will be extremely confident ahead of their trip to Euroborg.

FC Twente have claimed the spoils in each of the past six meetings, with Groningen's last point coming in 2011. Jansen's side have also kept clean sheets in three of the last four encounters and the club's undefeated run actually runs back 14 games to 2007.

The overall record currently stands at 19-10-10 in favour of FC Twente, so the away side would take their win ratio in this fixture to 50 percent if they leave Groningen with all three points in the bag. The reverse fixture ended in a 5-0 demolition back at De Grolsch Veste in September and Jansen would love to record a similar score on Wednesday, although he'd obviously be satisfied with any victory.

With a 15-point advantage over the 11th Green-White Army, the Reds should be looking to make it a lucky seventh straight victory in this particular fixture.

FC Twente moved to the top of the Eredivisie despite being held to a 0-0 draw at home to mid-table RKC Waalwijk as the Dutch league returned from its winter break.

PSV Eindhoven, who had led the table on goal difference heading into the winter break, had suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at home to struggling Zwolle with defender Erik Peters being sent off on his return from a nine-month injury layoff.

Zwolle’s victory moved them out of the relegation zone and up to 13th, but FC Twente were not able to take full advantage of PSV Eindhoven’s defeat. They do, however, lead the standings by a point.

Ajax, who were also reduced to 10-men due to the dismissal of Ricardo Van Rhijn, were the biggest winners of the weekend as a 3-0 victory over fourth-placed Feyenoord moved them to within a point of FC Twente and level with PSV Eindhoven.

FC Utrecht’s 2-0 win on the road at FC Groningen kept them in sixth place but did put the pressure on fifth-placed Vitesse Arnhem, who were beaten 4-1 at home to AZ Alkmaar with Jozy Altidore striking a second-half hat-trick for the visitors.

The win eased AZ Alkmaar’s relegation fears as they moved up to 11th place in the table.

Willem II picked up a point courtesy of a 1-1 draw with ABO Den Haag but remain bottom of the table. Venlo are now just two points and a place better off following a 1-0 defeat to NAC Breda, whose 90th minute winner lifted them above Venlo.

Roda JC lifted themselves out of the relegation zone after overcoming NEC Nijmegen 2-0, but SC Heerenveen slipped closer to trouble after going down to Everton’s first minute goal for Heracles Almelo in a 1-0 reverse.   

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Despite him being one of the most promising Dutch players, FC Twente made the right decision in selling striker Luuk de Jong.

De Jong moved to German club Borussia Monchengladbach in a move that is believed to have cost around €14-15 million.

Twente was put in a very unenviable position because de Jong was one of, if not the best player at the club. And at only 21 years old, his best football is still years ahead of him, which is scary considering he was second in the Eredivisie in scoring, with 25 goals.

The Eredivisie may have a well-earned reputation for creating some of the more obscure league leaders in goals, but de Jong's tally represents the talent he possesses.

The saga surrounding this transfer had threatened to get very ugly, hence it was the best move for both club and player to ensure that any deal would quickly get done.

De Jong had made it public that his only desire was to be playing for Gladbach in the upcoming season.

Apparently, Twente told him the club would accept a €14 million bid if de Jong would waive the clause in his contract that allowed him 20 percent of the fee. All too happy to move away, he called Twente's bluff.

Unfortunately for him, the club didn't really plan for this and had held firm that he wasn't going anywhere for the time being.

You can't blame him for longing to make Germany his new area of operations. Monchengladbach presents a step up for de Jong in almost every way possible.

The Bundesliga is of a higher quality than the Eredivisie and Monchengladbach is in the playoff stage of the Champions League, the pinnacle of club football. Twente finished sixth in the Dutch league last year, thus qualifying for the playoff stage of the Europa League.

Sure, Steve McClaren won a league title with Twente in 2009-10, but de Jong shouldn't have to wait for the club to make improvements.

For Twente, it doesn't make much sense, no matter how talented the player may be, to have a member of the team who wants out so badly. It certainly isn't unheard of for a club to refuse to move someone, then for him to in turn play a key role with said club.

Luka Modric at Tottenham and Cesc Fabregas in his last years at Arsenal are two recent examples of players who wanted moves away from their clubs but stayed on a little while longer and made major contributions.

However, those were clubs that were competing for the Premier League title, quite a step up from the Eredivisie.

De Jong likely has other motivations aside from just his club career.

He has his eyes on the national team squad. He's likely one of the players the Netherlands will be building around for World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016.

De Jong was taken but never used at Euro 2012. While they are responsible for the horror that was Euro 2012, players like Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar present huge hurdles for de Jong in terms of making a large impact in 2014.

In order to try and maximize his potential, a move away from Holland is a necessity.

Gregory van der Wiel is a perfect case of a player who has stayed in the Eredivisie too long. Despite numerous rumors seemingly every transfer window, he has remained an Ajax player.

His form has been up and down quite a bit, but his ability is there for everyone to see. However, van der Wiel looks to have maximized his potential at the Amsterdam club.

Unlike de Jong, van der Wiel's place in the national team is largely assured, even though Euro 2012 wasn't exactly his moment of glory either. He doesn't have to worry so much anywhere near as much about overtaking or fighting off someone for the right-back position in the Dutch squad.

There's also a PR aspect that has to be considered. The longer this whole saga dragged out, the worse it was going to make everyone involved look.

De Jong is going to be criticized in some circles for being so public with his desire to leave Twente, and McClaren and Joop Munsterman will look bad for being so steadfast in their stance that de Jong isn't going anywhere.

It's even worse if the club did in fact make the arrangement with de Jong in regards to the €14 million fee and the waiving of his percentage of the transfer.

It was time for Twente to cash in on de Jong and move on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsxYHTxxvT4

In any sport, let alone football, simulation is widely criticised. Many times in World Football have we seen crucial ties decided by the selfish act of a player who is desperate to earn his team glory.

Following the Super Cup tie between Ajax and FC Twente in the Netherlands, Twente defender Peter Wisgerhof was at the centre of much criticism after committing what can only be described as an embarrassing act of simulation on the field.

Rather than earning his team a harmless free kick on the halfway line, Wisgerhof was ruled to have had dived. As a result, he became the subject of jeers from the crowd.

A subsequent scuffle with the opposing team was followed up with a discussion with the match official—that was all. No booking whatsoever.

There is no doubt that the act intended to deliberately influence proceedings in an unfair manner. It begs the question, why was he not booked?

If we are to stamp out such behaviour in the game, a booking or even a sending off should been issued by the referee.

Although Wisgerhof played an instrumental role at the back for Twente in their Cup win over Ajax, the terrible attempt at a dive certainly spoiled the occasion for the player.

In the end, Twente won 2-1 over Ajax with goals from Janko and Ruiz.

Ajax fans will hope that the defeat isn't anything to go by for the upcoming season as the team looks to defend their Eredivisie title for a record 31st time.

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Tragedy has struck in the Netherlands after one person was killed and 16 were injured after a section of FC Twente's Grolsch Veste stadium collapsed during renovation work on Thursday.

The roof of one stand of the stadium in Enschede collapsed when upgrade work was being carried out. Two support beams buckled causing the mayhem.

Construction workers were trapped in the wreckage of the collapse with it later being confirmed by local officials of Enschede that there had been one fatality.

A spokeswoman for the city of Enschede said later: "There are 14 people injured and unfortunately there is one fatal injury, in addition to the 14 injuries.

"Ten people were treated in hospital and two of those people were severely injured. The exact nature of the injuries I cannot tell you at the moment.

''Everyone is out to our knowledge. People are still searching with dogs and specialist camera teams, but that is as an extra precaution, a double-check.''

Two additional workers who were also injured in the collapse had taken themselves to the hospital suffering broken bones, taking the total known number of injured to 16.

Twente won the Eredivisie title in 2010, and the Grolsch Veste stadium, which currently holds 24,000 people, is currently being expanded to a capacity of 32,000.  

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as Not Just Scottish Football and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Former England manager Steve McClaren has guided FC Twente to their first Dutch Title in their history with a last day win away to NAC Breda. Twente win the league by one point from Martin Jol's Ajax Amsterdam who also won on the final day at home to NEC.

Ajax had beaten NEC 4-1 to move ahead of the Tukkers by two points, but a 2-0 win over the 10 men of NAC gave them the title on a history making day for the new Champions.

The goals that won the league for Twente came courtesy of Bryan Ruiz and Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch who has enjoyed an incredible season with the Tukkers.

Not only is it their first title in their 45 year history, but McClaren also becomes the first English manager to win a domestic trophy on foreign soil since Bobby Robson won the league with Porto in 1996.

It is a triumph made all the more remarkable by Ajax's incredible goal difference, +86 after 34 games, winning all 14 of their remaining fixtures, but in the end it was Twente's discipline and only losing twice all season that captured them the title.

		| Home					| Away
	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	FC Twente	34	16	1	0	37	10	11	4	2	26	13	40	86
2	Ajax	34	16	1	0	64	4	11	3	3	42	16	86	85
3	PSV	34	13	4	0	40	13	10	5	2	32	16	43	78
4	Feyenoord	34	9	6	2	32	14	8	6	3	22	17	23	63
5	AZ Alkmaar	34	11	2	4	33	16	8	3	6	31	18	30	62

Dutch football has been dominated by the trio of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord for as long as anyone can remember and for one of the smaller clubs to break that monopoly, never mind to actually win the title, is nothing short of miraculous.

FC Twente follow in the footsteps of AZ Alkmaar who won the league last year, but following the collapse of Dirk Scheringa's fortune and Louis van Gaal's exodus to Bayern Munich they completely collapsed and ended up finishing a distant fifth.

Twente contain the three best stories in Dutch football this season, in the title win, the redemption of Steve McClaren, and 19-year-old Luuk De Jong beating his Ajax playing brother, 21-year-old, Siem De Jong to the title.

Both youngsters have become important parts of their respective machines as the season wore on, and many pundits are now calling for Siem to be a starter for Holland when the World Cup starts.

McClaren brought Twente to finish second last year, his first at the club, and he has now gone one better.

"Today we made history. It's more than miracle," McClaren said on Twente's official website.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, he added: "What a fantastic bunch of players.

"I said at the beginning of the season I don't know if we have a team, I couldn't tell.

"They grew and grew, they deserve it. They deserve it."

Speaking last week McClaren talked about his time as England coach and how it has changed him for the better.

"I don't think a day goes by some aspect of that experience doesn't come flashing into my mind. I felt I let down a nation."

"But being a manager is what I do. Generally I've been quite successful in what I do, but you can't win every time. Sometimes failures come, and this was a big failure.

"I had to learn from it, be strong and move on."

He certainly has, the road to redemption for Steve McCLaren is in full swing. Bring on the Champions League.

In England he could do nothing right, but in Holland he can do no wrong. Steve McClaren stands on the brink of leading FC Twente to their first ever Eredivisie success and he, more than anyone, can reflect how fate and fortune can change.

For some England fans, McClaren may never be forgiven. The rights and wrongs of "the wally in the brolly" during his time as England's manager have been well documented.

Yet as England have moved on under Capello, so McClaren has moved on as he departed swiftly out of the goldfish bowl to the city of Enschede where a small club were hoping for big things.

It was a brave move, but ultimately one that has paid off handsomely.

Following the end of his reign as England's boss, McClaren’s credentials as a manager were left in tatters—yet this does him a disservice.

As assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, he helped build on the work of his predecessor Brian Kidd and won every Premier League title during his time there.

Then at Middlesbrough, he took the club to their highest ever league finish, and also to a UEFA Cup final—though admittedly they were soundly thrashed by a rampant Sevilla team—and the club have hardly thrived since his departure.

These are hardly the credentials of a manager who lacks ability, and at Twente McClaren has shown plenty of nous and wherewithal to re-establish his credentials and revive his shattered reputation.

As he recently admitted: “I'm not frightened of failure any more because, after the failure with England, I've seen the ultimate."

“It's made me a wiser and more experienced manager and I'd like to think a better person."

At Twente, he has led a small club to the brink of a quite magnificent achievement, utilising an eclectic mix of bargain buys—such as star man Bryan Ruiz, loan signings like Miroslav Stoch, and veterans like Blaise N’Kufo.

He has enthusiastically bought into the club’s ethos, and recently said: "We're optimistic but we haven't done it yet."

“I just hope we can for the people here. They accepted me straight away and have taken me into their lives.”

It has been a long road to redemption for McClaren, but it has ultimately brought him back in vogue—as recently links with moves to West Ham and Hamburg testify—but it is a road less-well travelled by English managers.

In the past decade, the UK has readily accepted the cream of the continent’s managerial crop but few Brits have seldom sought to test themselves away from the British leagues.

When you consider the relative difficulties with which managers such as Alan Curbishley, Glenn Hoddle, and David O’Leary have struggled to find work, then surely the best option would be to search onto other shores for hope of an opportunity to demonstrate their worth.

Yet, this is an option fewer and fewer British managers take, not that it did some of the better ones any harm.

As everyone falling over themselves to compliment Roy Hodgson will note, he spent his time learning his trade in Serie A and Allsvenskan. 

The late, great Sir Bobby Robson’s fame was only heightened by spells in Holland, Portugal, and Spain, while the oft-forgotten Vic Buckingham had a large influence on Johan Cruyff during his time with Ajax.

These are just some examples, but they show the level of managerial talent which has been exported from these fair shores previously, but it is a process which has readily declined, thus disrupting the balance against British managers.

As David Moyes, one of the more open-minded of Britain’s current crop, recently said: “I would not mind if I was seeing three or four English managers going into Serie A or La Liga because that would balance it out and be the right way to go.”

It is the revival of this long, oft-forgotten tradition, which is one of the main reasons why Steve McClaren deserves such warm applause for his achievements.

As he stands on the verge of becoming the first British manager (bar Sir Alex Ferguson) to clinch a major European league trophy since Bobby Robson in 1996, it represents a remarkable personal renaissance in Holland which, who knows, may catapult onto even greater things.

But he has also become a shining example for others to follow, a poster-boy for the benefits of football management in continental Europe, and proof that life for young British managers does not necessarily have to stop beyond Britain.

Many people don’t know who this guy is because most scouts and fans don’t watch the Everidise League every weekend or they are too busy looking for talent in Africa or South America but if you are looking for a fantasy magic intelligent striker the Costarican Bryan Ruiz is your best bet.

Ruiz is a lefty that plays for the FC Twente, he is the second best scorer in the league but means way more than that for his team.

He can score, assist and change the course of a game like the best players in the world. Another thing about him is that not many people have heard of him, which makes him a “cheap” player for any squad seeking for talent.

He is as artistic with the ball on his feet as Messi is but he is taller, maybe just not that fast. He plays in a 4-3-3 formation and just like Messi he plays at the striker position on the right side so whenever he dribbles a defender he get his main foot prepared to score in front of the goal.

Ruiz is an intelligent player that might pass over a defender or two but he will always look for the best option for his team to score, whether is him that will score or assisting any teammate with a better position to make some damage.

Don’t get me wrong Bryan is not near Lio Messi but they are similar in styles and you have to realize those lefties playmakers are not easy to find in the world.

Ruiz is in his first year with the FC Twente and his 19 goals along with his playmaking skills are the reason his team is near to the first Eredivisie Championship since 1926.

However this is not new, when Ruiz left the “fútbol de Costa Rica” to play with the KAA Gent he already was seen as a “different” player from the rest. He played 79 games with the Gent where he scored 26 goals to them get transferred to the Twente.

Keep in mind fellows, Ruiz is just 24 years old and he has proved that he can play in good competitive European leagues but not only that, he has proved he can become a crack if he plays with the right team.

When Iraq shocked the Asian football world by beating Saudi Arabia in the 2007 Asian Cup final, I had expected many of the Iraqi football players to gravitate into the European leagues.

Players like Younis Mahmoud, Hawar Mullah Mohamed and Emad Mohamed would not look out of place in the Bundesliga or EPL.

Nashat Akram was also one of those earmarked for the big time.

However, that expectation did not materialise; most of the Asian Cup winners still ply their trade in the Middle East and Egypt. Well all that is about to change with the biggest star in Iraqi football moving to the Eredivise.

Over the past two years, Nashat has had trials in England with Sunderland and Manchester City. City's then-manager Sven Goran Eriksson was very impressed with him describing him as an elegant midfielder but could not sign him due to work permit rejection.

No such problems over in Holland and FC Twente has secured an intelligent, modern-day midfielder who combines creativity and tireless work ethic in one package. He also weighs in with his fair share of goals. He's one of those rare breed who can be a bit of everything, from tackling to goal scoring.

Nashat Akram was instrumental in Iraqi's first Asian Cup triumph in 2007. He was magnificient throughout the competition. His superb playmaking abilities meant that he had a hand in almost all of Iraq's goals in that competition. He was named Most Valuable Player in that final. Individual honours also followed him.

He was named "Best foreign player 2005-2006" while playing in Saudi Arabia Premier League. He was the Iraqi player of the year in 2006 and 2008. He has won the Iraqi, Saudi and Qatari leagues. He is also an Emir of Qatar Cup winner this year with Al Gharrafa.

And so FC Twente has an Asian star who is both a winner and a very experienced footballer able to handle pressure games. Without a doubt, Nashat Akram is a big-game player.

I do think that Holland is a great place for Asian players. It has been a favoured destination for a number of Asian footballers over the years. Singapore's Fandi Ahmad, Korea's Park Ji-Sung and Lee Young-Pyo and Japan's Shinji Ono have enjoyed significant successes and fan appreciation in the laid-back environment of Holland.

Rest assured, FC Twente fans will not be disappointed.

With the skills that Nashat possesses, he will be a success in Holland, providing him with a possible springboard to the English Premier League. Hopefully, with him leading the way, more Iraqi footballers will find opportunities in Europe. Younis Mahmoud and Emad Mohamed, two skilful and powerful strikers, must surely feel that their time will come.

Nashat could be the catalyst for Iraqi football much like Ali Daei was for Iran. The Bundesliga successes of Ali Daei paved the way for players like Mehdi Mahdavikia, Karim Bagheri and Ali Karimi. There is no doubt that Nashat has the personality and ability to repeat an "Ali Daei" phenomenon.

Good luck Nashat, make Asia proud...