PSV jump to top in Eredivisie

January 20, 2010

PSV Eindhoven are the new leaders in the Dutch Eredivisie following a narrow win at Roda JC on Tuesday.

As FC Twente dropped two points at FC Utrecht two days earlier, PSV knew that a win would allow them to jump into shared first place.

And Fred Rutten’s men needed just one goal to achieve just that, with Danny Koevermans netting the winner in the last minute before the interval.

PSV now have the same amount of points at Twente, but their goal record is significantly better.

Tags: danny koevermans, Dutch, dutch eredivisie, Eindhoven, Eredivisie, fc twente, fc utrecht, Fred Rutten, interval, last minute, new leaders, PSV, psv eindhoven, Roda, rutten, twente, utrecht

PSV’s Kromkamp returns to fitness

January 7, 2010

PSV Eindhoven are set to start 2010 with a boost, as defender Jan Kromkamp returns from a long-term knee injury.

The former Liverpool player underwent surgery in September, his third knee operation in three years time.

The 29-year-old played his most recent match on August 20th, a Europa League encounter with Bnei Yehuda. In total, Kromkamp appeared in four games this season.

Kromkamp left Liverpool to join PSV in 2006 and after two successful seasons at the Dutch club, he made only 12 league appearances in the entire 2008-09 season.

Tags: Bnei, boost, Club, Eindhoven, encounter, fitness, four games, jan kromkamp, knee injury, league appearances, Liverpool, liverpool player, match, PSV, psv eindhoven, yehuda

Hard-fought home wins for Twente and PSV

December 13, 2009

Both FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven had a hard time in Saturday’s Eredivisie action, but ended up winning their home games over NAC Breda and AZ Alkmaar respectively.

For a while, there was a real chance that Twente’s winning streak would come to an end in the match with NAC, who took the lead through Edwin de Graaf after 43 minutes in Enschede.

But Steve McClaren’s Twente recovered after the break and Miroslav Stoch levelled the score from the penalty spot in the 58th minute.

Stoch went on to make it 2-1 nine minutes later, and Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz hit the target for 3-1 with seven minutes to go.

Second-placed PSV were on their way to a goalless draw with reigning champions AZ, who played their first league game without the sacked manager Ronald Koeman.

AZ were not helped by a second yellow card to Mounir El Hamdaoui in the 72nd minute, after which it took PSV another 14 minutes for Ola Toivonen to head home the winning goal.

With half of the season played, Twente remain in first place with a two-point lead over PSV. Ajax follow at another seven points.

Tags: Ajax, Bryan Ruiz, de graaf, Edwin de Graaf, Eindhoven, Enschede, Eredivisie, fc twente, hard time, home games, league game, match, Miroslav, Miroslav Stoch, nac breda, psv eindhoven, ronald koeman, score, seven points, Steve McClaren, target, toivonen, winning streak, yellow card

Advocaat joins Alkmaar on short-term basis

December 8, 2009

Belgium coach Dick Advocaat has been given the green light by the Belgian football federation to take the reins at Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar “for some months”.

Advocaat will replace Ronald Koeman as coach of Alkmaar and will likely start work with the club on Thursday, a day after its Champions League match against Standard Liege.

Koeman was sacked on Saturday just six months after his appointment as successor to Louis van Gaal, now with Bayern Munich.

Advocaat, who counts stints at PSV Eindhoven, Rangers, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Zenit Saint-Petersburg and the Dutch national team on his CV, was named Belgium coach in August and is under contract until 2012.

He will now combine both coaching roles, something that has caused a stink in the Belgian media.

But the Belgian federation said it will ask for financial compensation from Alkmaar and that it also received assurances from Advocaat that his work with Belgium would continue as expected during his interim stay in the Netherlands.

THE HAGUE (AFP)

Tags: alkmaar, Bayern, bayern munich, belgian federation, belgian media, Belgium, borussia moenchengladbach, coach dick, dick advocaat, dutch champions, dutch national team, Eindhoven, financial compensation, football federation, hague, Liege, Louis, Petersburg, psv eindhoven, reins, ronald koeman, standard liege, stink, stints, term basis, the Netherlands, Zenit

Koeman sacked as AZ Alkmaar coach

December 5, 2009

Ronald Koeman was on Saturday sacked as manager of Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar just six months after his appointment as successor to Louis van Gaal.

Alkmaar under Koeman have failed to impress.

The club are fourth and last in their Champions League group ahead of next week’s trip to Belgian side Standard Liege.

And on the domestic front Friday’s 2-1 loss to Vitesse Arnhem left them in sixth place, 16 points adrift of Dutch first division leaders FC Twente.

A statement on the club’s website confirming Koeman’s departure said: “The management no longer see on what sporting basis our relationship with Koeman can continue.”

The statement added that they hoped to announce a replacement “as quickly as possible”.

“I’m disappointed with this decision,” said Koeman, who stepped in after van Gaal’s move to Bayern Munich.

“I had the impression that things were coming together over the past few weeks and that the management had confidence in me.

“Friday’s game against Vitesse was bad, I accept that. But this ddecision has disappointed me greatly.”

Former Dutch international Koeman started his coaching career as Guus Hiddink’s right-hand man with the national team from 1997-1998.

He was also second-in-command at Barcelona from 1998-2000 before taking over at Vitesse Arnhem in 2000.

Koeman has also coached Dutch giants Ajax (2001-2005), Benfica (2005-2006), PSV Eindhoven (2006-2007) and then Valencia (October 2007-April 2008).

THE HAGUE (AFP)

Tags: Ajax, alkmaar, appointment, Arnhem, Barcelona, Bayern, champions league group, division leaders, dutch first division, Eindhoven, giants, guus hiddink, hague, Liege, Louis, louis van gaal, Munich, psv eindhoven, right hand man, ronald koeman, six months, standard liege

Easy home wins for PSV and Ajax

November 23, 2009

Both PSV Eindhoven and Ajax cruised to easy home victories on Sunday, beating Heracles and Heerenveen respectively.

PSV needed a win to restore the original two-point gap with leaders Twente, and opened the scoring through Ibrahim Afellay in the 45th minute. At this point. Heracles were already a man down as Martin Pieckenhagen was sent off in the 28th minute.

Balazs Dzsudszsak made it 2-0 five minutes after half time, Ole Toivonen added a third in minute 62 and the fourth and final goal came from Jagos Vukovic with a few minutes to go.

Demy de Zeeuw helped Ajax to an early and comfortable lead over SC Heerenven with goals in the 7th and 24th minutes, for Marko Pantelic to score the home side’s third in minute 28.

Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez made it 4-0 from the spot in the 35th minute. Four minutes later, Goran Popov pulled one back for the visitors but Ismail Aissati reacted by almost immediately hitting the target for 5-1.

No more goals were scored in the second half.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: Ajax, few minutes, five minutes, four minutes, gap, heerenven, Heracles, home victories, ibrahim afellay, ismail aissati, luis suarez, pantelic, point gap, popov, psv eindhoven, roorda, target, twente, vukovic

Italy reserves down Sweden in friendly

November 19, 2009

Centre-back Giorgio Chiellini scored the only goal of the game as an Italy second string beat Sweden 1-0 in Cesena in an international friendly on Wednesday.

The world champions struggled to impose themselves on their well-organised opponents, who were missing their star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But if Sweden had something to prove having missed out on World Cup qualification, they did little in this match to suggest they might soon bounce back to past glories from the 1990s.

True to his word, Italy coach Marcello Lippi rang the changes from the near full-strength side that drew 0-0 with the Netherlands on Saturday.

The result was an almost unrecognisable Italy with only Juventus centre-back Chiellini a regular first-team fixture.

But with the other players eager to impress their coach to try to book a ticket to South Africa next year, and with Sweden’s players hoping to make their mark on new boss Erik Hamren, it promised an entertaining game.

And there was but a short wait for the action to begin as former Sunderland forward Tobias Hysen beat the Italian offside trap on 3 minutes only to be denied by Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti, who made a reaction one-handed save from the Swede’s hurried effort.

Italy were soon in the ascendancy and PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, formerly of Manchester City, tipped Chiellini’s close range flicked-header over the bar from Antonio Di Natale’s lob forwards.

Isaksson was there again on 20 minutes to parry Di Natale’s shot before Cagliari midfielder Davide Biondini blasted the follow-up wide.

Two minutes later Bolton’s striker Johan Elmander dragged wide his snap-shot from 17 yards as Sweden made a rare foray forwards.

Italy had the lead on 28 minutes when Sampdoria’s Giampaolo Pazzini got above his marker to head on Marco Marchionni’s corner and Chiellini arrived unmarked at the back post to score with a diving header — his second goal for Italy.

The second half saw a raft of substitutions which disrupted the flow of play and ensured that chances were hard to come by.

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi created a yard of space behind the Swedish backline but sent his chip high and wide.

Sweden goalkeeper Isaksson came closest to snatching an equaliser with the last touch of the game when he came up for a corner in a last desperate throw of the dice but his header was off target.

ROME (AFP)

Tags: Antonio Di Natale, ascendancy, biondini, coach marcello lippi, giampaolo pazzini, giorgio chiellini, italy coach, Johan Elmander, marchetti, marco marchionni, new boss, offside trap, psv eindhoven, second string, star player, true to his word, word italy, world cup qualification

PSV beat Feyenoord in Dutch top clash

September 20, 2009

PSV Eindhoven are the only leaders in the Dutch Eredivisie following a 1-3 victory at Feyenoord on Sunday.

The two teams went into this game joint leaders, but PSV soon showed to be in better shape than their opponents as Danny Koevermans scored from about six meters in the 11th minute.

Nine minutes later, the PSV forward slammed home his second to double the away side’s lead.

Andwele Slory then got one back with a low diagonal effort in minute 23 but Otman Bakkal restored the original gap 14 minutes later.

Feyenoord lacked the strength to fight their way back into this game and drop from shared first to fourth position.

FC Twente is one of the teams that surpass Feyenoord, thanks to a 0-2 win at SC Heerenveen. Miroslav Stoch scored both goals, one in the 22nd minute and the other in the 72nd.

Ajax Amsterdam earned a comfortable 0-4 win at VVV Venlo, in the process handing their opponents their first defeat of the season. Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez netted no less than four times with goals in the 3rd, 68th, 70th and 90th minutes. The victory allows Ajax to climb to third place.

FC Utrecht added another three points to their account with a 0-1 win at ADO Den Haag. The only goal of the match came from Dries Mertens on 70 minutes.

Jonathan Roorda

Tags: ado den haag, ajax amsterdam, Amsterdam, clash, danny koevermans, Den Haag, dries, dutch eredivisie, feyenoord, gap, Jonathan Roorda, luis suarez, Miroslav, Miroslav Stoch, opponents, otman bakkal, psv eindhoven, roorda, sc heerenveen, stoch, striker, twente, utrecht, venlo

Park signs new two-year contract with Man Utd

September 18, 2009

South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung signed a new two-year contract with Manchester United on Friday.

Park has been rewarded with an improved deal worth a reported 3.6 million pounds (5.9 million dollars) a year after his impressive displays established the former PSV Eindhoven player as a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.

The 28-year-old, who became the first Asian to play in the Champions League final in the Premier League club’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona last season, is now committed to Old Trafford until at least June 2012.

He joined United from PSV four years ago and has made 127 appearances, scoring 12 goals.

“I am so pleased to have this new contract. I’m really enjoying my time here and I appreciate all that Sir Alex and the staff have done for me, but I have to mention the fans too, as they are incredible,” Park told ManUtd.com

“We have achieved great success over the last four years and won many trophies. It is a great experience for me to play at this magnificent football club along with other world famous players.”

Ferguson admitted Park’s versatility makes him a valuable assest.

“We are always pleased to secure the future of our star players and Ji-Sung has proved himself to be a fantastic professional and an important, versatile player in our squad. Therefore, we’re delighted he’s signed a new contract,” Ferguson said.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

Tags: assest, Eindhoven, England, famous players, Ferguson, football club, impressive displays, Manchester, manchester england, manchester united, old trafford, park ji sung, park signs, premier league, psv eindhoven, sir alex ferguson, south korea, star players, Sung, versatile player, versatility, winger

Serbian talent Vukovic joins PSV on loan

August 29, 2009

Serbian footballer Jagos Vukovic will spend the next year on loan at PSV Eindhoven. The deal with FK Rad Belgrade was confirmed on Friday.

Vukovic joined Rad from Red Star Belgrade in 2006, and left a good impression in the 58 games he played for the club since.

The tall defender is happy to play for the Dutch club, so he said in an interview with PSV TV: “I am very happy. PSV is a big club and I want to adjust quickly.”

The 21-year-old, whose stay with PSV may be made permanent at the end of the season, teams up with fellow countryman Danko Lazovic, who joined PSV in 2007.

Jonathan Roorda