Van Marwijk angry with Kalou

13 July 2002

Feyenoord trainer Bert van Marwijk is angry with his Cameroon striker Bonaventure Kalou. According to Van Marwijk it was obvious during the commencement of the pre-season preparations that Kalou had not been keeping fit during his holiday and as a result has picked up a groin strain in training. One piece of good news is that defender Ramon van Haren is fit enough for the first time in months to rejoin the squad.

Ono rejoins Feyenoord on July 14th

08 July 2002

Feyenoord's 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono will be rejoining the squad later than expected due to the midfielder's need to recuperate from the appendix operation he underwent in Japan. On his arrival in Holland it was clear that Ono not only needed more time to recover from the surgery but was also over-tired. Trainer Bert van Marwijk decided it was better to get a late-but-fit Ono back for the pre-season preparations rather than an Ono suffering from 'burn-out'. The Japanese international will now rejoin the squad on July 14th.

Feyenoord have first training session

06 July 2002

6000 plus spectators turned out to watch Feyenoord's first training of their pre-season preparations. Bert van Marwijk's squad is far from being complete with Pierre van Hooijdonk, Robin van Persie and Ebi Smolarek all injured, Leonardo on duty with Brazil's Under 23s while Shinji Ono and Tomasz Rzasa are recovering from their World Cup exertions. Even goalie Edwin Zoetebier is unable to train for the 100%, hindered as he still is by a knee injury. Jon Dahl Tomasson is the only 1st team player to have left (signed for AC Milan) while there are additions in the shape of Anthony Lurling, keeper Patrick Lodewijks and youth players Brian Pinas, Thomas Buffel and Ferne Snoyl. On Sunday July 14th Feyenoord leave for Austria where they take part in the FC Tirol tournament involving Fenerbahce, HSV and Kaiserslautern.

Feyenoord's Pre-season friendlies

06 July 2002

Date Opponent Where? Kickoff 12/07 VV Lekkerkerk Away 19:00  17/07 Hamburger SV (Germany) Home 21:30  18/07   FC Tirol Tournament Away 24/07 Spijkenisse Away 19:00  27/07 Excelsior Away 19:00 30/07 Barendrecht Away 19:00  31/07 Day Home 11:00  04/08 Tottenham Hotspur (England) Home 16:00  09/08 AGOVV Away 19:00

Feyenoord remain interested in Farnerud

05 July 2002

Feyenoord have confirmed that they are still tracking Landskrona player Alexander Farnerud. The youngster scored a spectacular goal in a recent 2-1 win against Hammarby, weaving past 6 opponents to lob over the head of keeper Ante Covic. The 18 year-old is valued at €3,09 million Euros but Feyenoord are not planning to launch a bid for the striker just yet and Farnerud has said he wants to stay in Sweden for at least another year.

Leonardo gets Brazil debut call-up

04 July 2002

Feyenoord's Brazilian winger Leonardo has been called up for Brazil's Under 23 squad. The 19 year-old will be getting his first chance to play for his country in two friendlies against Haďti and one against Panama. It means he'll join Feyenoord's squad for their pre-season preparations on July 20th. Leonardo de Vitor Santiago was lured to 'glamorous' Rotterdam as a twelve-year-old from the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The diminutive dibbler was 'untouchable' in the club's youth teams and at the age of 17 had become the squad's absolute top-star when he was promoted to the 1st team squad. He's had a hard time with the 'grown-ups' and never been popular with his teammates, being unwilling to listen to the advice of far more experienced players around him. Further off-pitch problems with work permits, an agent who ran a snackbar(!!??) and the 'passport-affair' plus the fact that he regularly returned late from visits to Brazil have not furthered his cause. To make things worse his performances on-pitch have suffered and he's failed to live up to those early signs of greatness. Last season Feyenoord even considered selling/hiring him but he returned from disgrace towards the end of the season with a series of strong performances which have now been rewarded with the invitation to play for Brazil and wear that magical canary-yellow shirt!

Samardzic returns to Heerenveen

01 July 2002

Radoslav Samardzic is returning to the Abe Lenstra stadium next season to play for Heerenveen. The 32 year-old Yugoslavian has signed a deal for one year with the Frieslanders for whom he previously played between 1997 and 1999. He was under contract with Feyenoord but lost his place in the squad at the Kuip and, since March, has been keeping fit with Eerste Divisie side ADO Den Haag. Samardzic kicked-off his career in Holland at FC Volendam in 1995, moving on two years later to Heerenveen before leaving for Feyenoord after another two years. He failed to make an impression at the Kuip and never got further than reserve team appearances plus a spell on loan to RKC Waalwijk in 2001.

Van Hooijdonk suffering from hip-problem

27 Jun 2002

Pierre van Hooijdonk looks likely to start the preparations for next season a little later than his teammates due to a hip problem that bothered him at the end of last season. The 32 year-old top-scorer underwent a hospital examination yesterday and will return for an MRI-scan next week in oreder to establish exactly how serious the injury is.

RBC sign second young Feyenoorder

26 Jun 2002

Newly promoted RBC Roosendaal have added another young Feyenoorder in 19 year-old Ferdi Claessen who's signed a contract for a year. Claessen came up through Feyenoord's youth academy and played for Excelsior's youth team during the last two seasons. He's a midfielder who plays equally well in a central position as on the left flank. Between the age of 14 and 18 he played for Holland's youth teams and is the 2nd Feyenoord player to join the Roosendaalers after the earlier signing of goalie Erwin Friebel.

Feyenoord chase 3rd Japanese player

24 Jun 2002

Feyenoord have truly been bitten by the 'Japanese bug' after the successfull 'integration' of Shinji Ono in Rotterdam. They are now chasing defender Toshihiro Hattori after already showing their interest in adding Junichi Inamoto to the squad. The Rotterdammers want to sign the 28 year-old on a hire contract from his current club Júbilo Iwata. Hattori has played 39 internationals for Japan, scoring twice.

Shinji Ono to have appendix removed

21 Jun 2002

Feyenoord's Japanese international Shinji Ono is going into hospital for an operation to have his appendix removed. He'll have the surgery in Tokio before flying back to Europe for the Rotterdamers' training camp in Austria. Ono had been suffering from abdominal pains prior to the start of the World Cup but, after two days in hospital, decided to take part in Japan's World Cup games.

Feyenoord target Inamoto

21 Jun 2002

Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto is being targeted by Feyenoord after earlier interest from PSV. The Rotterdammers have been following the player, who scored World Cup goals against Belgium and Russia, for more than a year now but Inamoto chose to sign for Arsenal where he spent most of last season on the bench. Now that he's transfer-free Inamoto could well choose to go to Feyenoord as his friend Shinji Ono, who is already making a name for himself at the Kuip, has advised him to sign with the Rotterdammers.

Feyenoord sign Australian duo

21 Jun 2002

Feyenoord have signed two 18 year-old Australian players in Brett Holman and Michael Brown. Both come from Paramatta Power, Brett Emerton's former club, and Holman has signed for 5 years while Brown has signed for 2 years. The duo have been on trial with the Rotterdammers and took part in the international youth tournament which was held at the Kuip. It's likely they will be stalled at newly promoted satellite club Excelsior, if they successfully pass the obligatory medical examination, which means they could get to play Ere Divisie football next season.

Feyenoord accused of tax evasion

18 Jun 2002

The Dutch public prosecutor has issued a summons to Feyenoord and its chairman Jorien van den Herik to appear in court to answer charges of tax evasion. The court case is the result of an investigation by tax-fraud investigators FIOD (Fiscale Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst). Apparently the Rotterdammers failed to pay sufficient tax for new players when they were transferred to the Kuip. Feyenoord manager Jan D. Swart has been quoted as saying it's a complete surprise that the club is being dragged into court to fight a case which started 4 years ago when the club were originally accused. It's especially surprising when there has been so much discussion over the last few years concerning the way in which the actual amount of tax to be paid, when a player is transferred or signs a new contract, is actually calculated.

Anderlecht want Elmander?

18 Jun 2002

Top Belgian side Anderlecht are reported to have approached Feyenoord for their Swedish forward Johan Elmander, although the Belgian media have indicated that there's little chance of him actually moving to Belgium as the asking price is too high. Elmander sees little action with Feyenoord and there are several other clubs who have made enquiries about hiring him but the Rotterdammers are not enthousiastic to let him go. Elmander is currently on holiday and will have to decide for himself when he returns whether or not he wants to risk a spell on loan to another club.

End of the road for Van Gobbel

15 Jun 2002

It looks as if Ulrich van Gobbel will be hanging up his boots this summer as a result of a chronic hip injury which has kept him out of action for the latter half of last season with Feyenoord. The 31 year-old former Willem II, Galatasaray and Southampton defender is being set up with an appointment to see a specialist after a fruitless trip to his homeland Surinam in South America for 'traditional' treatment. Feyenoord want to know a.s.a.p. if the veteran, who's been with the club for the last 12 seasons, is going to be fit to play next season.

Van Persie to be fitted with plaster-corset

13 Jun 2002

Robin van Persie's back injury has necessitated him being fitted with a special corset that he'll have to wear for 3 months.The winger has been suffering from a considerable amount of pain for some months now but it had been hoped that a month's rest would be enough of a cure for his problem. It looks as if he'll be now out of action for 3 months.

Smolarek gets 2 European match ban

08 Jun 2002

Ebi Smolarek will have to sit out the first two European matches that Feyenoord play next season after receiving a UEFA ban. The Polish international failed a doping test after the UEFA Cup semi-final match against PSV on March 21st when an 'illegal' amount of cannabinol was detected in his urine. Smolarek has been dealt with leniently due to the fact that UEFA accepted he hadn't smoked a joint, or passively inhaled someone else's cannabis smoke, as the levels of cannabinol were simply too low for that to be the case.

Feyenoord let Mauricio Aros go

07 Jun 2002

Feyenoord are not going to make use of the option to extend Mauricio Aros' contract. The 26 year-old Chilean defender joined the Rotterdammers during the winter break on a deal for 6 months, primarily as a replacement for the injured Ramon van Haaren and Pieter Collen, but lost the battle for a place in the squad to Tomasz Rasza. Aros would prefer to stay in Europe but so far there have been no offers from other clubs.

Van Persie still suffering from back injury

02 Jun 2002

Feyenoord's Robin van Persie continues to be troubled by the back injury the left-winger picked up in the latter stages of his debut season for the Rotterdammers. The youngster has been diagnosed as suffering from a lower-back strain which necessitates at least a month's rest. Van Persie will miss the start of the team's pre-season preparations on Saturday July 6th and, in the worst case scenario, he could miss the first ten weeks of the new season!

UEFA decide Smolarek didn't smoke joint

29 May 2002

A special UEFA commission has decided that Feyenoord's Ebi Smolarek, who earlier last season failed a drug-test after the UEFA Cup duel against PSV , is innocent of smoking any cannabis. UEFA is in agreement with Smolarek's claim that he ingested the cannabinol found in his blood via certain health food products. Feyenoord expects that any punishment handed out by UEFA's disciplinary committee on June 10th will be of a mild nature.

Lodewijks and Lurling signs Feyenoord deals

29 May 2002

PSV's Patrick Lodewijks and Heerenveen's Anthony Lurling put pen to paper and signed their contracts with Feyenoord yesterday. Goalkeeper Lodewijks had already reached a gentleman's agreement with the Rotterdammers 2 weeks ago and, now that he's passed the obligatory medical, has signed a deal for two seasons while Lurling has signed a deal for 4 years.

Lurling to sign for Feyenoord

18 May 2002

Feyenoord have agreed terms with Heerenveen concerning the fee for the transfer of Anthony Lurling. If the 25 year-old forward agrees to the deal he'll sign a contract for 4 years.  Lurling has been with Heerenveen since 1999 when he arrived from Den Bosch. Lurling recently told Dutch provincial newspaper the "Brabants Dagblad" that it's always been his dream to play for the Rotterdammers.

Houllier wants Emerton

17 May 2002

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has confirmed his interest in Feyenoord's Australian international Brett Emerton. Houllier has been to watch Emerton play in the UEFA Cup semi-final and is attracted by his talent and flexibility. He started the season as a right winger but has ended it in a defensive role which could prove extremely attractive for the English Premiership side. Feyenoord are believed to be willing to let him go for a large fee and Liverpool could be prepared t

Feyenoord face Real Madrid in Supercup

16 May 2002

UEFA Cup winners Feyenoord will play Champions League winners Real Madrid, who beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in last night's final, on August 30th in Monaco as they battle for the European Supercup.

Bosvelt gets Oranje callup

16 May 2002

Paul Bosvelt has received a call from Oranje coach Dick Advocaat to join the squad for the coming friendly against the United States in Boston on Sunday. He's replacing Patrick Kluivert who's dropped out with a knee injury and his inclusion ends the rift between the two men that came into existence when the Feyenoorder, along with teammate Pierre van Hooijdonk, called off for March's friendly against Spain.

Smolarek needs operation

11 May 2002

Feyenoord's Polish forward Ebi Smolarek is going to need an operation to repair his damaged knee. An injury problem affecting the same knee in March cost him a place in the Polish squad and a chance to play in the World Cup this summer. The latest injury occurred during training and he will need a visit to the operating table to have the problem corrected. It's the latest blow for the striker who also faces disciplinary action by UEFA after it was revealed earlier this week that he failed a doping test where cannabinol was detected in a urine sample!

Lodewijks signs for Feyenoord

10 May 2002

Patrick Lodewijks has signed a 2-year contract to be Feyenoord's new reserve goalie. The 34 year-old hadbe extended and he  succeeds AZ's Henk Timmer who was Edwin Zoetebier's stand-in during last season. Although Feyenoord wanted to keep Timmer they've had to let him go because the Alkmaarders asked too much money for him while Lodewijks is transfer-free.

Shinji Ono makes footballing history

09 May 2002

Shinji Ono made footballing history yesterday, becoming the first Japanese player to collect a UEFA Cup winner's medal. Ono made a significant contribution to Feyenoord's crucial 3rd goal by beating Borussia's offside trap and delivering a pass that enabled Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson to score. After the match Ono told reporters "Van Hooijdonk was in an offside position, but Tomasson came flying out of the second line for me. I wanted to remain on the pitch until the end but it's okay because we won the cup. It's the greatest feeling."

Feyenoord win UEFA Cup 3-2 v Dortmund

08 May 2002

Feyenoord played their hearts out tonight in a match which took place in the shadow cast by the assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn on Tuesday. Many were worried that the tragic death of the controversial figure, who had sent shock waves through the Dutch political landscape and beyond, would have a detrimental effect on the team. Their coolness and discipline was rewarded with the UEFA Cup trophy to put in their cabinet for the first time in 28 years! "Man of the Match" was Pierre van Hooijdonk, scoring two first half-goals, the first a penalty for a foul on Tomasson, for which Kohler was dismissed in the 31st. The 2nd was one of his freekick specials, after Van Persie was tripped by Amoroso in the 39th, and it left the goalie without a chance! It made P-Air UEFA Cup top-scorer as well as giving his team a well deserved 2-0 lead to take into the dressing room. The 2nd half saw a rejuvenated Borussia side and they were awarded an early penalty for a 'kamikaze' stunt by Paauwe in the box. Amoroso put away the spot-shot - no problem, 2-1. Could Feyenoord hold out till the whistle? Only three minutes later they had an immediate reply and Tomasson got his 5th UEFA goal, coolly slotting away the shot, 3-1. The Bundesliga champions really fought hard to clamber back and Koller blasted in a shot for them from 20 metres for the 3-2. Feyenoord hung on till the bittersweet end, despite many worrying moments, to crown their season with the UEFA Cup!!

Feyenoord not scared of Dortmund

08 May 2002

Feyenoord's coach Bert van Marwijk has been talking of his respect for UEFA Cup finalists Dortmund while making clear that neither he, nor his team, are worried about the fact that the German side are currently favourites to win the match. The Rotterdammers have already proven their ability to take out 'tougher' opposition in beating Glasgow Rangers and Internazionale to reach the final. "Dortmund have good players but so do we!", he said, "they are a fine team, mixing typical German-style football with South American temperament and creativity".   Possible Feyenoord lineup: Edwin Zoetebier; Christian Gyan, Kees van Wonderen, Patrick Paauwe, Tomasz Rzasa; Bonaventure Kalou, Paul Bosvelt, Shinji Ono, Robin van Persie; Jon Dahl Tomasson, Pierre van Hooijdonk. Possible Borussia Dortmund lineup: Jens Lehmann; Jörg Heinrich, Stefan Reuter, Christian Wörns, Dedé; Lars Ricken, Sunday Oliseh, Tomáš Rosický, Otto Addo; Márcio Amoroso, Jan Koller.

Van Persie and Paauwe fit for UEFA Final

07 May 2002

Feyenoord's young talent Robin van Persie and central defender Patrick Paauwe have rejoined the squad for training after a few days rest due to, respectively, an ankle and a back problem. Coach Bert van Marwijk expects that both will be able to play in the UEFA Cup Final against Borussia Dortmund in the Kuip tomorrow.

Smolarek fails UEFA dope test

06 May 2002

Feyenoord's Ebi Smolarek has been named as the Dutch player who failed the dope test as announced yesterday in the press. UEFA have confirmed that the player failed a test after the UEFA Cup clash with PSV on March 21st. A tiny amount of Cannabinol was found in his blood but the Polish winger has denied smoking or using cannabis and Feyenoord manager Jan D. Swart is convinced of the player's innocence. Cannabinol is a substance that can also be found in some health store chocolate bars and Feyenoord are planning to back their player in his appeal against whatever punishment UEFA decides to hand out. Cannabis is no longer to be found on the Dutch FA's list of banned substances but is still included in UEFA's list.

Willem II and Feyenoord in goalless draw

05 May 2002

Willem II lineup: De Vlieger, Jaliens, Mariana, Van Nieuwstadt, J. Mathijsen, Landzaat, Sektioui, D. Mathijssen, Caluwé, Bombarda, Shoukov. Feyenoord lineup: Timmer, Gyan, De Haan, Sprockel, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Korneev, Dos Santos, Elmander, Leonardo. Henk Timmer made his last appearance for Feyenoord this afternoon - the Rotterdammers were unwilling to meet the €700,000 Euro price tag that AZ have been asking for him and the reserve keeper will be returning to Alkmaar. Pierre van Hooijdoink, Tomasson, Ono and Van Persie were all rested for this last match of the season as they will need all their strength and fitness for Wednesday's UEFA Cup clash with Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund. The game itself ended in a goalless draw.

Van Hooijdonk's appeal successful

03 May 2002

Pierre van Hooijdonk's appeal against the red card he picked up in the match against De Graafschap on April 25th has been successful. The Dutch international was awarded the card for supposedly elbowing his opponent René Bot who, immediately after the match, sprang to P-Air's defence, explaining that it was an unintentional 'blow'.

Emerton misses UEFA Cup Final

02 May 2002

Feyenoord's Australian international Brett Emerton will miss the UEFA Cup Final against Borussia Dortmund after his appeal against a one match ban was rejected by UEFA. The midfielder was handed out a yellow card by referee Antonio Jesús Lopez Nieto for so-called time wasting in the semi-final match against Inter Milan and will be thoroughly disappointed at not taking part in the Rotterdammers' most important match of the season.

Feyenoord UEFA celebrations on Thursday

02 May 2002

If Feyenoord win the UEFA Cup Final against Borussia Dortmund, next Wednesday May 8th, they will hold their official celebrations on the following day, May 9th (Ascension Day), at Rotterdam's Coolsingel, 'kickoff' 14:00. The party has been arranged in the afternoon to help avoid the rioting which marred previous celebrations in 1999 and 1993. A massive police force will be available to prevent crowd problems, Feyenoord and Dortmund supporters will be strictly segregated, there will be no alcohol on sale and several shopping streets will be closed to the public!

Tomasson signs for AC Milan?

01 May 2002

Feyenoord's Jon Dahl Tomasson is closing to signing a 4 year contract to play for AC Milan - only contractual formalities and the obligatory medical remain to be completed. The striker has declared to the Italian media that he's enthusiastic about the possibility of playing for Milan, alongside fellow Danes Martin Laursen and Thomas Helveg who convinced him that it was the right move to make. The 25 year-old has been in the fortunate position of being transfer-free and could choose between several major clubs who were interested in signing him. Barcelona were earlier tipped to snap him up but they took too long to make their minds up and pay the price by seeing him make the move to the Serie A!! Tomasson arrived in Holland from Křge BK in 1994 to play for Heerenveen, moving on to English Premiership side Newcastle United in 1997. He failed to make his mark on Tyneside and, a year later, was on his way to Rotterdam.  In the Kuip he developed into a valued member of the team who took time to score his goals but whose hard working attitude made him very popular with the fans.

Leeds offer €13 million Euros for Emerton

30 Apr 2002

Leeds United, who were once again in Holland last weekend to view Brett Emerton's performance, have finally made an official offer for the midfielder. The English Premiership club were very impressed with Emerton's performance during Feyenoord's 3-2 win against Heerenveen last weekend and have offered €13 million Euros for the Australian international. Whether they will succeed in signing him still remains to be seen as Feyenoord are actually asking €19.4 million!!

Van Hooijdonk to appeal against red card

29 Apr 2002

Pierre van Hooijdonk has rejected the 3 match ban he's received for ' elbow-jabbing' René Bot in last Thursday's match against De Graafschap. According to P-Air he was simply trying to free himself from his opponent and there was no question of him consciously trying to injure the 'Superboer'.  The Ere Divisie top scorer has opted to appeal against his 'sentence' which will allow him to play in Feyenoord's last match, away to Willem II on Sunday May 5th.

Top 3 target midfielder Farnerud

29 Apr 2002

Swedish midfielder Alexander Farnerud has attracted the attention of Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse Arnhem. It would appear that the 17 year-old talent paid a visit to all 3 clubs during the winter break and that all 3 clubs regularly enquire about his progress. Farnerud, who has also attracted the attention of Manchester United and Fulham would prefer a move to Spain or Holland.

Feyenoord beat Heerenveen 3-2

28 Apr 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Aros, Bosvelt, Tomasson, Ono, Kalou, Van Hooijdonk, Van Persie. Heerenveen lineup: Vonk, Bakkati, Venema, Gérard de Nooijer, Edman, Jensen, Radomski, Hĺkansson, Nurmela, Allbäck, Lurling. A hattrick by "Man of the Match" Paul Bosvelt (only the 2nd of his career - the first scored on November 20th 2000 in the 4-2 against Roda) gave Feyenoord the points and a chance of Champions League next season via the qualifying rounds. The ever popular former-Feyenoord keeper Jurek Dudek, currently looking after goal for Liverpool, was given a special, belated tribute by the fans before the game kicked-off. The Rotterdammers got off to a nervous start and had to fight back against opponents who put on a fine performance and plenty of resistance. Bosvelt put away his first in the 27th minute, slotting home a rebound from a Pierre van Hooijdonk shot. The visitors immediately drew level with a beautiful curling ball by 'Mighty Swede' Marcus Allbäck that left Edwin Zoetebier without a chance. Surprisingly, 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono picked up a 2nd yellow card in the 40th, for a terrible tackle from behind, and a mighty unhappy man disappeared for an early shower. Reduced to 10 men, Feyenoord were soon trailing again when, 3 minutes into the 2nd half, Anthony Lurling rounded off a solo-run with a fine shot to put the Heerenveen hordes ahead. Bosvelt was having none of it though and 2 goals in 5 minutes, a header in the 59th to draw level plus a 20 metre missile in the 64th, gave Feyenoord the win. The Rotterdammers' grit has guaranteed them an end-of-season 3rd place while Heerenveen drop to 5th after Vitesse's win against Willem II.

Feyenoord want Sikora and Van der Schaaf

28 Apr 2002

According to Dutch provincial newspaper "De Gelderlander", Feyenoord have officially approached Vitesse for 25 year-old striker Dutch international Victor Sikora and 23 year-old midfielder Remco van der Schaaf. The Rotterdammers are now competing with Ajax and PSV who would also like to sign the players. Van der Schaaf has a deal which runs till 2003 while 25 year-old Sikora's deal runs till 2005. Vitesse are in need of money to sort out their debt problems and are apparently asking €10 million Euros for the duo.

Henk Timmer returns to AZ

26 Apr 2002

Henk Timmer, who's been Edwin Zoetebier's stand-in at the Kuip, will most likely be returning to AZ at the end of the season after being on loan to Feyenoord. The Rotterdammers wanted to sign Timmer, who's under contract with the Alkmaarders till 2005,  and the 30 year-old wanted to stay  but AZ's asking price of €700,000 Euros has proved too high for Feyenoord! A possible swap involving Ferry de Haan crash-landed earlier this week when AZ signed Fortuna's Joost Volmer.

Advocaat, Van Hooijdonk & Bosvelt clear air

26 Apr 2002

Oranje coach Dick Advocaat has had a meeting with Paul Bosvelt and Pierre van Hooijdonk to clear the air after the Feyenoorders got into trouble by turning down the call to join the Oranje squad for the recent friendly against Spain. Both players had valid reasons for their refusals - Bosvelt has had a particularly tough season with several injuries while teammate Van Hooijdonk was more than slightly irritated that he only got the callup after several other eligible strikers turned out to be unavailable!

De Graafschap beat Feyenoord 1-0

25 Apr 2002

De Graafschap won their first ever home match against Feyenoord this evening and, with two games in hand, the Doetinchemmers are only one point behind 14th and 15th placed Den Bosch and Groningen. The home side were fractionally the better side throughout the match, showing more aggression in the duels and menacing more often than Feyenoord in front of goal. Rusland Valeev scored De Graafschap's historic match-winner in the 66th minute. 5 minutes before the final whistle Pierre van Hooijdonk lost his cool and gave René Bot an elbow jab. The red card that followed means Feyenoord will have to play the rest of the season without their Ere Divisie top scorer. It remains to be seen if Feyenoord will be able to secure an end-of-season 3rd place, qualifying them for next season's Champions League preliminary rounds.

Van Hooidonk plays in Borussia benefit

24 Apr 2002

Pierre van Hooijdonk is to take part in a benefit match against Borussia Dortmund only 5 days after Feyenoord meet the Bundesliga side in the UEFA Cup Final! P-Air will be a member of a World Eleven, including many Brazilian players, taking part in the match which takes place on May 13th in Uerdingen. Cláudio Taffarel, Jorginho, Bebeto, Dunga, Mário Jardel and Sonny Ânderson have all agreed to play and the proceeds are to benefit street-children in Brazil!

Shinji Ono spared Japan's friendlies

22 Apr 2002

Japan's coach, Philippe Troussier, has granted Feyenoord's Shinji Ono a rest and will not be calling him up for Japan's  friendlies against Slovakia and Honduras next week. Troussier stated that he realizes how important the next few weeks are for Feyenoord and believes that Ono should concentrate on Feyenoord's league fixtures and the UEFA Cup final on May the 8th. Shame that the Dutch FA (KNVB) was not as accomodating when Feyenoord asked for a slight change in their end-of-season fixtures!

Feyenoord win as Fortuna go down

19 Apr 2002

Fortuna Sittard Lineup:Ruud Hesp, Fritz Emeran, Joost Volmer, Jurgen Dirkx, Edwin Hermans, Laszlo Meszaros (81. Marcel Akerboom), Cláudio (60. Regillio Simons), Stijn Haeldermans, Dennis Gerritsen, Ronald Hamming, Rolf Landerl. Feyenoord Lineup:Edwin Zoetebier, Christian Gyan, Kees van Wonderen, Patrick Paauwe, Tomasz Rzasa, Brett Emerton, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Shinji Ono, Johan Elmander (62 Igor Korneev), Pierre van Hooijdonk, Leonardo (88. Mauricio Aros). Feyenoord  had a difficult time in Sittard this evening as Fortuna fought hard for their last chance this season of securing Ere Division survival. Pierre van Hooijdonkd the score for Feyenoord in the 23rd minute with a superbly taken free-kick, notching up his 24th goal of the season. Ronald Hamming gave Fortuna a little hope when he equalized for the homeside but in the 64th minute Patrick Paauwe restored Feyenoord's lead. Fortuna tried hard to get back into the match but, after Jurgen Dirkx's sending off 10 minutes before the final whistle, their resilience broke and Feyenoord had no trouble in holding onto their lead. Fortuna are now officially relegated and will be playing Eerste Divisie football next season.

No extra UEFA tickets for Feyenoord fans

17 Apr 2002

Feyenoord fans will not be given priority by the Dutch FA (KNVB) when they divide the 10,400 'neutral' tickets for the UEFA Cup final on May 8th.  The finalists, Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund, have both been allocated 15,800 tickets per club but, with the match taking place on Feyenoord's home ground "De Kuip", a lot have fans have missed out. The Feyenoord fans that were unable to secure a ticket were hoping that the KNVB would distribute the remaining neutral tickets under the fans instead of dividing them randomly on the internet.

PSV beat Feyenoord 2 - 0

14 Apr 2002

PSV lineup: Waterreus, Břgelund, Nikiforov, Hofland, Bouma, Rommedahl, Van Bommel, Ooijer, Ramzi, Vennegoor of Hesselink and Kezman. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, van Wonderen, Paauwe, Rzasa, Kalou, Ono, Bosvelt, Leonardo, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. PSV booked their first win of the season against Feyenoord this afternoon - although the Rotterdammers were a little unlucky and seemed to have the referee against them which didn't help matters! They dominated theng quarter of an hour and had one fine chance when Tomasson's header, from Van Persie substitute Leonardo's pass, hit the post. PSV recovered and got back into the match, André Ooijer having two fine shots saved by Zoetebier before Mateja Kezman (45th) slotted home Vennegoor of Hesselink's pass for ther on the stroke of halftime. After the break Feyenoord fought back but Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk missed golden opprtunities. A controversial penalty awarded by referee Jan Wegereef for a bodycheck by Paauwe on Van Bommel gave Kezman the chance to make it 2 - 0. Zoetebier actually stopped the spot-shot with his feet but the Yugoslavian striker pounced on the rebound and didn't miss. Feyenoord didn't recover from this 2nd blow and basically ran out of steam. The win gives PSV 2nd place, 4 points behind Ajax with a game in hand and Feyenoord drop to 3rd.

Feyenoord appeal Emerton's yellow card

13 Apr 2002

Feyenoord are to lodge an appeal with UEFA against the yellow card that Brett Emerton received during last Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final against Inter Milan. The Australian midfielder received the card for dutifully following the linesman's instructions which the referee interpreted as 'time-wasting'. If the appeal fails he will miss out on the UEFA Cup Final that takes place in the Feyenoord stadium on May 8th. The linesman asked Emerton to replace the ball whilst taking a corner kick. The referee had not realized that the linesman had asked him to do so and regarded his action as time wasting and penalized the player with a yellow card. There is little chance of the appeal succeeding because UEFA rules only allow players to appeal against red cards and not yellow.

Friebel transfer to RBC untrue?

12 Apr 2002

Feyenoord's youth keeper Erwin Friebel has denied the stories circulating in the press that he's signed for RBC Roosendaal. He's actually looking at several clubs who are interested in his services but one thing is certain and that is that he's leaving the Kuip. Although he's a Rotterdammer through and through, he'll only be 4th, or even 5th, choice goalie at Feyenoord next season and needs to get in regular match-play experience if he's going to improve his skills and further his career.

Feyenoord in final after 2-2 against Inter

11 Apr 2002

Feyenoord showed tonight that the win in Italy last week was no fluke and have beaten Inter Milan to reach the final of the UEFA Cup. They got off to a solid start with defender Mauricio Aros looking happy in his first big match for the Rotterdammers and Robin van Persie impressing yet again with his terrier like hard work, solo runs and fine crosses. After 25 minutes one of those very crosses found Pierre van Hooijdonk's head which verily nodded it into goal. The crowd went wild! Unfortunately, Van Persie picked up an injury shortly after and had to leave to be replaced by that other young winger Leonardo. Inter made little impression, apart from a Ronaldo shot which went just wide, until later on in the half when they were allowed to exert pressure at the Zoetebier end. After being under fire for several minutes Feyenoord broke out with a counter, Kalou breaking down the middle, his through ball being firmly dealt with by Jon Dahl Tomasson for the 2 - 0  and all of a sudden things were looking rosy for the Dutch team. Feyenoord held on well during the 2nd half but Brett Emerton, who'd put on a fine performance, will be angry with himself for picking up an unnecessary 2nd yellow card of the tournament, meaning he'll miss the final. The Australian is one of 3 players who could well be headed for a new club this summer, Emerton is probably off to England while Tomasson has already reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona and kalou will undoubtedly attract offers of his own. In the last 10 minutes of the match Inter came back and two late goals, one from the spot gave the Italian side a last desperate chance to snatch victory! But Feyenoord made it through to the whistle and have a well deserved place in the UEFA Cup Final in their holy-of-holies, the Kuip stadium on May 8th!!!

Feyenoord's Erwin Friebel signs for RBC

11 Apr 2002

Feyenoord's youth keeper Erwin Friebel has signed a contract for 3 years to play for RBC Roosendaal. The 19 year-old had been offered a deal for 2 years in the Kuip but chose instead a move to the Eerste Divisie side. They still have a good chance of promotion to the Ere Divisie next season, being currently in 2nd place, 2 points behind Zwolle and with 4 matches to go.

Pieter Collen's season of woe!

11 Apr 2002

Pieter Collen's season has turned into a disaster. The defender joined Feyenoord from NEC last summer and made a good impression in the 8 games he played so far this season (3 Ere Divisie games and 5 in the Champions League). He picked up a red card in his first match for 4 months (he'd been out of action with an abdominal injury) for Jong Feyenoord against Jong Herenveen on Monday and then discovered he'd also broken his hand!

Kalou fit, Emerton replaces Ono

11 Apr 2002

Bonaventure Kalou has recovered from his hamstring injury and will be fit to play in today's UEFA Cup semi-final clash with Inter Milan. Brett Emerton wil replace 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono in midfield (he's picked up a one-match ban) while Bert van Marwijk wants to keep the duo Van Wonderen and Patrick Paauwe together. Christian Gyan will take the place of Emerton at right-back and Mauricio Aros will replace Tomasz Rzasa (also sitting out a ban).

Pieter Collen in red card comeback

09 Mar 2002

Pieter Collen is a very unhappy man after picking up a red card in yesterday's 2 - 3 defeat of Feyenoord's reserves by Heerenveen's. The Belgian defender was playing his first match for ages and will be severely disappointed to sit out another couple of games after missing so many this season! Almost as soon as he joined the club from NEC he was injured with a broken toe but made a very favourable impression in his first 7 matches before picking up an abdominal problem which has 'bugged' him ever since. He was not the only Feyenoorder to pick up a red card in the match as Leonardo dos Santos was awarded one too! Ajax's reserve team will be silently chuckling about the defeat as the reserve title is practically all theirs!!

Inter Milan lose at home to Feyenoord

05 Apr 2002

Feyenoord's hopes of reaching the final of the UEFA Cup were kept more-than-alive after last night's win against Inter Milan. They were even able stop Christian Vieri from scoring! Feyenoord started well and could have taken an early lead in the 4th minute but Pierre van Hooijdonk's shot sailed over from close range. 2 minutes later Kallon did the same for Inter but his shot sailed over the top at the Feyenoord end. 10 minutes into the 1st half Inter began to dominate the match and Feyenoord were lucky after Zoetebier miraculously saved 3 shots from Inter's forwards. Feyenoord regrouped for the 2nd half and, within 5 minutes, they took the lead after Cordoba home-goaled a Pierre van Hooijdonk cross. The 0-1 gave Feyenoord the courage to push forward and, for 15 minutes, they were the better of the 2 teams. Half way through the 2nd half Inter managed to recover a part of their first half form but their forwards were sloppy and unable to deliver the goods. Ventola shot over from 2 metres and even Ronaldo failed in front of Zoetebier. After last night's win Feyenoord are still very much on target on both European and domestic fronts and their goal of reaching their first European final since their UEFA Cup win in 1974 is now just one home-game away.

Flu-bug hits Feyenoord

03 Apr 2002

Feyenoord have been hit by a flu-bug as they prepare for tomorrow's UEFA Cup semi-final against Inter Milan in Italy. Kees van Wonderen, Civard Sprockel and Glenn Loovens have all gone down with the virus while Patrick Paauwe is doubtful to play tomorrow, after picking up an ankle injury, and Ebi Smolarek will also miss the crunch-match due to a knee problem.

More injury problems Feyenoord

02 Apr 2002

Bert van Marwijk is faced with yet more injury problems for Thursday's UEFA Cup clash with Inter Milan.  Patrick Paauwe became Feyenoord's 4th defender to become injured within the last 2 days, after spraining his ankle during Sunday's draw against RCK Waalwijk.

Feyenoord draw with RKC

31 Mar 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, De Haan, Paauwe, Rzasa, Kalou, Bosvelt, Ono, Leonardo, Tomasson, Van Hooijdonk. RKC  lineup: Sinouh, Lamey, Govedarica, Van den Berg, De Graef, Van Diemen, Van Wanrooy, Fuchs, Yuri Cornelisse,  Putter, Janssen. Feyenoord reduced the gap with Ajax today, despite dropping valuable championship points in a 1-1 draw against RKC. The visitors were the better team in the "Kuip", dominating the 1st half, but neither side scored. 4 minutes into the second half former PSV-er Robert Fuchs put RKC into the lead and the Waalwijkers looked on course for a valuable away win. Just as the first Feyenoord  fans were beginning to leave 'Flying Dutchman' Pierre van Hoiijdonk knocked in his 23rd of the season.

Bosvelt hits back at criticism

29 Mar 2002

Paul Bosvelt has hit back at the criticism he has been receiving for putting his team (Feyenoord) first. National coach Dick Advocaat was furious at Bosvelt when he declined an invitation to play for Oranje against Spain last Wednesday. Bosvelt said that it was unfair for Advocaat to publicly condemn him, saying that he's only now slowly returning to form after being injured earlier in the season. At this stage of the Dutch Ere Divisie season it was not worth the risk of picking up an injury in an international friendly.

Groin injury Jon Dahl Tomasson

29 Mar 2002

Jon Dahl Tomasson missed Denmark's friendly match against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday due to a groin injury. Tomasson, who picked up the injury during Feyenoord's Monday morning training session, is convinced that he will be back in action for his club this weekend and that cancelling Wednesday's match was a precautionary  measure.

Advovaat livid with Van Hooijdonk & Bosvelt

27 Mar 2002

It looks as if we've perhaps seen the last appearances of 'Flying Dutchman' Pierre Van Hooijdonk and teammate Paul Bosvelt in the Dutch national team.  Dick Advocaat is angry with both players after they decided to put their club's interests before turning out for Oranje tonight in the friendly against Spain. Holland's new coach stated at a press conference in Noordwijk, that he will not be inclined to give them a repeat call in the near future. Although he understands the importance of the league at this point in the season, and the loyalty shown towards clubs by players, Advocaat points to the example shown by four other Dutch internationals from Barcelona who played against Valladolid at the weekend and had to travel back to Holland in order to play for 'Queen and Country'.

Sparta smashed in Rotterdam derby

24 Mar 2002

Sparta lost yet again and look certain to be spending the start of their summer holidays this year fighting for Ere Divisie survival via the end of season playoffs. Feyenoord, on the other hand, were showing no signs of past-match fatigue after last Thursday's UEFA battle with PSV . Australian midfielder Brett Emertond the score for Feyenoord in the 7th minute and Jon Dahl Tomasson followed up with a second only 6 minutes later. Feyenoord then lowered the pace, allowing Sparta to appear threateneningly several times in front of goal. One minute before the break Pierre van Hooijdonk scored his 22nd goal of the season. 60 seconds into the second half Leonardo made it 0 - 4 and Paul Bosvelt took the final score to 0 - 5 after Sparta's goalkeeper, Victor Kros, made a blunder. Feyenoord have now reduced the gap with Ajax to 3 points, have a game in hand and a better goal average.

Feyenoord face Inter Milan in UEFA Cup

22 Mar 2002

Feyenoord have drawn Inter Milan as their UEFA Cup semi-final opponents. They travel to Milan for the 1st leg on April 4th and the return is a week later on April 11th.

Feyenoord knock PSV out of UEFA Cup

21 Mar 2000

PSV lineup: Ronald Waterreus, Kasper Břgelund, André Ooijer, Kevin Hofland, Jan Heintze, Dennis Rommedahl, Mark van Bommel, Theo Lucius, Wilfred Bouma, Mateja Kezman and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Feyenoord lineup: Edwin Zoetebier, Brett Emerton, Glenn Loovens, Kees van Wonderen, Tomasz Rzasa, Paul Bosvelt, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Shinji Ono, Bonaventure Kalou, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Robin van Persie. Feyenoord put PSV out of the UEFA cup this evening after another tense confrontation in a packed Kuip stadium. There was crowd trouble in the stands and plenty of fouls on the pitch as the match got under way with Feyenoord looking confident, keeping PSV at bay, putting them under plenty of pressure and allowing them very few opportunities to even get close to threatening Edwin Zoetebier. Apart from a moment close to half-time when Dennis Rommedahl got a shot in the Eindhoven side had little to 'say'. Feyenoord didn't have many chances of their own but Pierre van Hooijdonk was supreme in the air for the Rotterdammers and Robin van Persie was having another good match, putting in a great cross which, unfortunately for his team, didn't find a willing foot to put a 1st half goal on the board. Erik Gerets, rather surprisingly, decided not to make any changes for the 2nd half. Feyenoord stormed forward in theng minutes and Van Persie got in a couple of shots at goal  as the match looked to beng up for a more exciting, entertaining 2nd half of football. If the Rotterdammers scored now it was going to be very, very difficult for PSV to fight their way back. Both sides had chances in the 2nd half but noone found the back of the net until Mark van Bommel was suddenly free to blast in a really fine shot from the edge of the box in the 77th to give PSV a real chance of causing an upset after Feyenoord had looked to have the match pretty much under control. With 5 minutes to go Bert van Marwijk brought on Leonardo 1 and Elmander for Rzasa and Tomasson as the heavensd and rain poured down on the Kuip turf. Ramzi broke free and gave the Rotterdammers a scare but hit the side netting in the 88th. Erik Gerets brought on Bruggink for Vennegoor of Hesselink in the 90th. Pierre van Hooijdonk made himself the most popular man in Rotterdam by heading in the equalizer seconds before the whistle.  Mark van Bommel picked up his 2nd yellow card, reducing his team to 10 men for the rest of extra-time. No goals went in and it was all down to penalties! Bruggink coolly put away the first for PSV but "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono was just as cool, as he had been all through the match (what a guy!). No problem for Ooijer either and Paauwe was on target. Edwin Zoetebier saved Gakhokidze's spot-shot but Van Wonderen's went in, veteran Heintze's also went in, Bosvelt hit the back of the net and Kezman was not planning to miss or be distracted by all the whistles, and he didn't. It was all down to P-Air now and, of course, he didn't let them down, confirmed his status as the most popular man in Rotterdam and hero-of-the-hour (and-a-half) by slamming his penalty into the roof of the net! Feyenoord are through to the semi-final of the UEFA Cup!!!

PSV and Feyenoord ready for big clash

21 Mar 2002

PSV and Feyenoord are ready for tonight's big UEFA Cup semi-final 2nd leg clash in Rotterdam's Kuip stadium. Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk has only made one change in the lineup he fielded in Eindhoven - Patrick Paauwe, back from his suspension, replaces the young Glenn Loovens.  PSV coach Erik Gerets has made more changes - Kasper Břgelund (ankle injury) and midfielder Wilfred Bouma (groin injury) are both back but Kevin Hofland is suspended, to be replaced by Ernest Faber, while either Arnold Bruggink or John de Jong replace Theo Lucius, who couldn't cope with Paul Bosvelt and "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono in Eindhoven. Possible Lineups: Feyenoord: Edwin Zoetebier, Brett Emerton, Patrick Paauwe, Kees van Wonderen, Tomasz Rzasa, Paul Bosvelt, Shinji Ono, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Bonaventure Kalou, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Robin van Persie. PSV: Ronald Waterreus, Kasper Břgelund, André Ooijer, Ernest Faber, Jan Heintze, Dennis Rommedahl, Mark van Bommel, Arnold Bruggink (John de Jong), Wilfred Bouma, Mateja Kezman, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Feyenoord beat Den Bosch 3 - 0

17 Mar 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Aros, Kalou, Bosvelt, Ono, Van Persie, Tomasson, and Van Hooijdonk. Den Bosch lineup: Mampaey, Faerber, Van der Hoorn, Uneken, Van Kapel, Mourad, Deckers, Van der Laak, Michels, Van den Eede and De Freitas. Den Bosch came to call in the Kuip and brought their renowned "Berlin Wall" with them. They dug in at the back and waited for Feyenoord to try and penetrate the defensive barrier they had thrown up. Only after Pierre van Hooijdonk came up with yet another beauty of a free-kick in the 67th minute did the Rotterdammers manage to penetrate the wall-of-blue. Den Bosch simply didn't have any attacking power to get back into the match and Bonaventure Kalou made it 2 - 0 at the end of a solo-run, beating 3 defenders, in the 82nd. P-Air put away a spot-shot in the 90th to keep the Rotterdammers in touch with leaders Ajax and the tall striker is once again Ere Divisie top scorer on 21 goals. Feyenoord are on 52 points from 26 played while Den Bosch drop to 14th on 30 points from 27 played.

PSV and Feyenoord in UEFA draw 1 - 1

14 Mar 2002

PSV lineup: Ronald Waterreus, Kasper Břgelund, André Ooijer, Kevin Hofland, Jan Heintze, Dennis Rommedahl, Mark van Bommel, Theo Lucius, Wilfred Bouma, Mateja Kezman and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Feyenoord lineup: Edwin Zoetebier, Brett Emerton, Glenn Loovens, Kees van Wonderen, Tomasz Rzasa, Paul Bosvelt, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Shinji Ono, Bonaventure Kalou, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Robin van Persie. With so much riding on this match it got off to a tight, tense, high-energy start. Robin van Persie hit the outside of the post within theng 5 minutes and Kees van Wonderen picked up the first yellow card in the 7th. During the next quarter of an hour the match was pretty equally balanced with Feyenoord looking perhaps slightly more likely to score. There was so much close marking that there was little room to build up coordinated attacking moves. In the 37th minute Pierre van Hooijdonk almost got his foot to the ball, under Waterreus' nose, from a Van Persie freekick in one of the few goalmouth opportunities of the 1st half. In the dying seconds a Kevin Hofland blunder gave P-Air the chance to pounce and put the Rotterdammers ahead. Erik Gerets obviously had a few things to say to his players in the dressing room and it didn't take long for PSV to strike back after the break, Mateja Kezman equalizing in the 47th. Thatd up the match but it remained a scrappy affair with chances for both teams but no more goals. In injury time Hofland took a knock to the head by Bosvelt that brought back memories of the defender's recent concussion problems but after a few worrying moments he was back on the move, only to pick up a yellow card which means he misses next week's return. Feyenoord will certainly be happy to come away with an away goal in the knowledge that, on their own turf and with the Kuip fans behind them, they have a really good chance of beating PSV next week and earning themselves a place in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup! I can't finish without remarking on "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono's calm, fine, professional performance - he just keeps on getting better!

PSV v Feyenoord in historic UEFA Cup clash

14 Mar 2002

Tonight's UEFA Cup clash is an historic duel as it is the first time two Dutch clubs have faced each other in the tournament. Both teams miss a key player, Feyenoord are without Patrick Pauuwe (replaced with Glenn Loovens) and PSV miss Johann Vogel (suffering from concussion picked up in last weekend's match against Roda). PSV lineup: Ronald Waterreus, Kasper Břgelund, André Ooijer, Kevin Hofland, Jan Heintze,

Glenn Loovens starts against PSV

13 Mar 2002

Bert Marwijk will be fielding 18 year-old defender Glenn Loovens as a replacement for Patrick Pauuwe who's been suspended for one UEFA Cup match. He's confident that the youngster will be able to do a good job of marking Ere Divisie top scorer Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Pinas returns to the Kuip

13 Mar 2002

Brian Pinas is returning from Feyenoord's sister club Excelsior to the Kuip. The 23 year-old wing-forward is a product of Feyenoord's youth academy and made his Ere Divisie debut on October 17th 1998 in the 0 - 0 draw with Roda. After playing only 4 matches for the Rotterdammers he left for Newcastle United but never mana

Tomasson to leave Feyenoord

12 Mar 2002

Danish international looks certain to leave the Kuip this summer after Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik, speaking on Dutch TV programme 'Voetbal-Insite', confirmed that negotiations with the striker have been terminated. The club have made him an offer which falls short of what is being asked for while Feyenoord are not prepared to put any more money on the table! There are, in any case, a number of clubs outside Holland who are said to be interested in signing him!

Feyenoord  v De Graafschap moved again

11 Mar 2002

The Ere Divisie match between Feyenoord and D

Feyenoord beat AZ 4 - 1

10 Mar 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Aros, Kalou, Bosvelt, Ono, Van Persie, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. AZ lineup: Moens, Lee, Buskermolen, Wijker, El Hadrioui, Ketting, Kromkamp, Huisman, Dibi, Nelisse and Perez.  AZ were decimated by injuries and forced to field practically a reserve team in the Kuip - they proved no match for their opponents. The Alkmaarders even had to put on the youngsters Jeroen Ketting and Patrick Huisman, who've actually been told they've no future with the club(!?), to fill the gaps. Two goals by Pierre van Hooijdonk helped Feyenoord to regain 2nd place in the table, after PSV took it away momentarily with their win against Roda last night. The Dutch international continues to add to his season's tally (he's now put away 19),ng the score in the 17th minute. "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono pounced on a mistake by goalie Oscar Moens to add a 2nd, a beautiful touch, in the 31st and Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson made it  3 - 0 in the 39th minute. After the break P-Air added his 2nd of the afternooon in the 56th and, ironically, the Alkmaarders' Jeroen Ketting got one back in the 63rd.

Mauricio Aros debuts for Feynoord

10 Mar 2002

Chilean defender Mauricio Aros could finally make his debut for Feyenoord this afternoon against AZ as replacement for Tomasz Rzasa. In January the left-back signed up for the rest of the season with an option for 4 years.

De Graafschap v Feyenoord March 28th

06 Mar 2002

The match between De Graafschap and Feyenoord, originally planned for March 7th after it was called-off at the end of December, will now take place on Thursday March 28th.

Pauuwe misses Feyenoord v PSV

04 Mar 2002

Patrick Pauuwe will miss the 1st leg of Feyenoord's UEFA Cup quarter final against PSV. He was sent off in last Thursday's match against Glasgow Rangers for a foul on fellow Dutchman Michael Mols.

Bobby Robson interested in Patrick Pauuwe

04 Mar 2002

Newcastle United coach Bobby Robson has been a regular face at the Kuip, following the progress of Australian international Brett Emerton but also increasingly impressed by Dutch international Patrick Pauuwe. It's quite possible that "The Magpies" boss will be wanting to strengthen his defence with Pauuwe, who's made a trouble-free switch from midfield to backline, when the current season ends. Or is this just another one of those rumours?

Ajax and Feyenoord draw 1 - 1

03 Mar 2002

Ajax lineup: Grim,Trabelsi, Bergdřlmo, Chivu, Maxwell, Van Halst, Pienaar, O'Brien, Van der Meyde, Machlas and Wamberto. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Rzasa, Kalou, Bosvelt, Ono, Van Persie, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. Ajax cling on to the no.1 spot with this draw at the end of another classic Amsterdam - Rotterdam duel. They played the better football on the day and created far more chances but it was Feyenoord who looked as though they would go home with the points when Leonardo scored in the 79th minute. A spot-shot goal, awarded for a 'nice piece of Olympic diving' by Nikos Machlas, was put away by André Bergdřlmo in the 85th to save a point for Ajax. Wamberto should have put them ahead in the 1st half when he only had Zoetebier to beat or with his 2nd half header which hit the post. Substitute Zlatan also missed two great opportunities, too slow to react with the first while the 2nd was simply too weak a shot, and easily cleared off the line. Pierre van Hooijdonk's 1st half header, only stopped by Fred Grim's miraculous reflex save, was the only chance Feyenoord could look back on. That is until Leonardo's 79th minute dribble ended in his shot being deflected in off Chivu past a helpless Grim for the 0 - 1.  Ajax had a couple more chances before, and after, the penalty-equalizer to seal the match but it just wasn't going their way this afternoon. They are on 51 points from 25 games played while Feyenoord slip past PSV on goal-average to go 2nd on 46 points from 24 played.

Feyenoord's Danny Buijs on loan to Excelsior

01 Mar 2002

Feyenoord are lending youth international Danny Buijs to their satellite club, Eerste Divisie Excelsior. The right back will be replacing Daniël Rijaard who's about to leave the club after turning down an offer to extend his stay.

Feyenoord beat Glasgow Rangers 3 - 2

28 Feb 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Rzasa, Bosvelt, Kalou, Van Wonderen, Van Hooijdonk, Van Persie, Ono, Pauuwe, Emerton and Loovens. Glasgow Rangers lineup: Klos, Ricksen, Amoruso, Numan, Ferguson, Caniggia, De Boer, Konterman, Vidmar, McCann and Lovenkrands. Feyenoord are the first of tonight's Dutch teams who've now made it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup thanks to 2 goals by Pierre van Hooijdonk. Rangers were determined that they would make up for their lack of success at home with some European success instead and welcomed back Ronald de Boer, getting his first match since the Oranje friendly against England. Feyenoord gave Robin van Persie another chance to shine and he had a really good match. As the match got underway the Rotterdammers kept things tight with some cautious moves forward. McCann put Rangers ahead in the 25th. The hard-working P-Air scored the equalizer in the 36th with a freekick and put Feyenoord ahead with another cracker of a freekick goal on the stroke of halftime. It took only 40 seconds of the 2nd half for the 3rd to go in. Another great piece of work by young Robin van Persie ended with him getting in a shot that hit the post and P-Air sent back the rebound for Kalou to head in. Patrick Pauuwe got sent off in the 52nd and Ferguson put away the spot-shot for the 3 - 2. McCann was sent off in the 74th for protesting about a freekick awarded against him and left for an early shower, putting the teams on equal terms again. In the 81st minute Van Persie almost managed to chip the ball over the keeper's head but it went just over. Only a minute later, at the other end Mols broke free but hit the side-netting with his shot. The remainder of the match was tense but Feyenoord made it to the final whistle and go through to the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup.

Van Persie starts against Rangers

28 Feb 2002

Robin van Persie will be starting for Feyenoord tonight when they face Glasgow Rangers in the return leg of their UEFA Cup clash. Van Persie made a good impression when he substituted in the 1st leg and last weekend the youngster started against Twente in the Ere Divisie. For tonight's match Bert van Marwijk won't be able to call on the services of Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson who picked up his 2nd yellow card in Glasgow and sits out a one match supsension. "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono will take his place behind the strikers, although the midfielder has picked a up a slight thigh strain.

Feyenoord - Den Bosch on March 17th

27 Feb 2002

The Ere Divisie match between Feyenoord and Den Bosch has been moved from Saturday March 16th to Sunday March 17th, kickoff 14:30.

Feyenoord drop points to Twente 1 - 2

24 Feb 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Loovens, Paauwe, Rzasa, Kalou, Bosvelt, Van Wonderen, Van Persie, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. Twente lineup: Boschker, Van der Weerden, Grujic, Heubach, El-Brazi, Van de Paar, Van der Doelen, Van der Laan, Cziommer, Caďro and Booth. Feyenoord drop more essential championship points with this home defeat by Twente, who coincidentally also beat them at home in the Arke Stadium. They were a pale shadow of the team that took a point home from Glasgow after their UEFA Cup clash with Rangers on Thursday and today missed the injured 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono, replaced by the young talent Robin van Persie. The visitors chose a defensive tactic, allowing Feyenoord to put together plenty of attacks. In the 27th minute the visitors rather undeservedly took the lead when Simon Cziommer slotted home Ellery Cairo's pass. He was equally alert after the break, adding a 2nd for the "Tukkers" in the 47th. Australian international Brett Emerton got one back for Feyenoord in the 52nd with a beauty of a shot but, despite bringing on extra strikers (both Leonardos and Johan Elmander for Jon Dahl Tomasson and the defenders Tomasz Rzasa and Glenn Loovens) as well as having a string of chances, during the rest of the match the Rotterdammers failed to find the back of the net. The Enschede side went home with the points which boost them past De Graafschap, Willem II and Roda, all on 28, into 11th place on 28 points from 24 games played, goal difference nosing them ahead. PSV beat Utrecht his afternoon and move into 2nd, pushing Feyenoord into 3rd on 45 points from 23 games.

Rangers and Feyenoord draw 1 - 1

21 Feb 2002

Glasgow Rangers lineup: Klos, Ricksen, Amaruso, Numan, Ferguson, Caniggia, Flo, Konterman, Vidmar, Lovenkrands and Hughes. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Rzasa, Bosvelt, Kalou, Van Wonderen, Van Hooijdonk,Tomasson, Ono, Pauuwe, Emerton and Loovens. Feyenoordd the match well and held their nerve in the infamous Ibrox Park stadium during a rather careful 1st half with a few chances on both sides. After the break Robin van Persie replaced Kalou in the 58th and, immediately after, Tomasson had one of Feyenoord's best chances of the match as the Rotterdammers began to get into gear. The 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono had his fine shot deflected by Konterman to put Feyenoord ahead with an important away-goal. The supporters who'd travelled over for the game went wild! It was fitting reward for a side that had kept calm during the 1st half and became increasingly in control after the break. Never rule out a side like Rangers - they came back via a penalty in the 80th minute and Ferguson coolly slotted it past Edwin Zoetebier for the equalizer. The Rotterdammers were shaken by the spot-shot but managed to survive some nervous moments in the remainder of the match. Bert van Marwijk was visibly relieved when the final whistle finally came.

Vitesse beat Feyenoord 2 - 1

17 Feb 2002

Vitesse lineup: Jevric, Tim Cornelisse, Stefanovic, Kreek, Nanu, Hofs, Knol, Martel, Fortes, Sikora and Diarra. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Gyan, Paauwe, Rzasa, Ono, Bosvelt, Van Wonderen, Kalou, Van Hooijdonk and Van Persie. The youthful aggression of the Arnhemmers on show this afternoon earn them 3 valuable points, while Feyenoord have dropped what could turn out to be vital points in their bid for the championship title, and still have to book a win in the Gelredome. "Japanese Wizard"  Shinji Ono put the Rotterdammers ahead in the 26th minute, Kalou serving up the pass, Pierre van Hooijdonk stepping over the ball for Ono to slot home. The advantage was short-lived as Dejan Stefanovic equalized 4 minutes later. After the break the home team pressed for a goal and got one with Emile Mbamba's 52nd minute shot. They had more chances to increase the number of goals-on-the-board but Mbamba and Cornelisse both wasted theirs. Despite Bert van Marwijk bringing on Leonardo, Korneev and Elmander Vitesse remained the more threatening of the two teams, Ono's shot hitting the woodwork in the dying seconds the only real chance Feyenoord had to earn a point.

Tomasson confirms 'foreign' interest

17 Feb 2002

Feyenoord's Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson has confirmed, through his agent Emile Miedema, that there are now several clubs who've made an official approach for his services. Juventus, AC Milan (meeting with Miedema in the next week), Valencia and Celta Figo have all officially inquired about the striker while Barcelona, despite chairman Carlos Rexach 's press-conference statement that Barça were going to make an official bid, are still only putting out feelers via a go-between and there are only rumours about English Premiership interest. Both Tomasson and his agent claim that the Dane would still much rather prefer to stay in Rotterdam but that begins to look increasingly unlikely.

Feyenoord want to sign Timmer

16 Feb 2002

Feyenoord have told AZ that they want to buy Henk Timmer, who's been on hire to the Rotterdammers since losing his place in the 1st team in Alkmaar to Oscar Moens. The 30 year-old played for Zwolle between 1989 and 2000 before going to AZ and is happy at the prospect of a contract at the Kuip.

Ex-Feyenoorder John Eriksen dies

15 Feb 2002

Former Feyenoorder John Eriksen, who suffered from a fo

Sprockel back against Vitesse

15 Feb 2002

Feyenoord's Civard Sprockel will be available to play against Vitesse this Sunday after recovering from a back problem which has kept him out of action for several weeks. The 18 year-old defender made his debut for the Rotterdammers earlier this season, coincidentally in their home match against Vitesse, and played another 4 games before injury struck!

Korneev and De Visser to leave Feyenoord

13 Feb 2002

Veterans Igor Korneev and Jan de Visser are leaving Feyenoord at the end of the season when their contracts run out - both are 34 years-old and have to make way for the younger talent at the club. The two players came to the Kuip from Heerenveen, the Russian striker (who was suspended by the Rotterdammers in November) joining the club in 1997 and De Visser in 1999. Korneev will be looking for a new club whereas de Visser is considering becoming an agent/manager.

Feyenoord bid for Sikora?

12 Feb 2002

Feyenoord are rumoured to have made Vitesse an offer for striker Victor Sikora. Although several clubs have expressed interest in the Dutch international Feyenoord are the first to actually make an official bid. The Rotterdammers are offering €4 million Euros but the Gelredome side want €7 million while German side Hertha Berlin and Ajax's Ronald Koeman (Sikora's former trainer) could well soon join the bidding.

Groningen lose to Feyenoord 0 - 1

10 Feb 2002

Groningen lineup: Beukenkamp, Allach, Van Gessel, Schoenmakers, Florén, Hoogstrate, Krstev, Broerse, Boussaboun, Hugo and Robben. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Paauwe, Van Wonderen, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Ono, Smolarek, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. Jon Dahl Tomasson scored just before the break and the Danish international's 15th goal of the season (he's quite possibly off to Barcelona this summer) was enough to give the Rotterdammers the points, taking them to 45 points from 21 games played. The lone goal was the only highlight in a mediocre 90 minutes as Feyenoord failed to impress and Groningen, who had a few chances of their own, also failed to profit from the space they were given by the visitors. Nevertheless it was Feyenoord's first win at Oosterpark stadium since 1996 and  also marked Kees van Wonderen's 300th professional appearance. They remain in 16th place after their 15th defeat of the season on 22 points from 23 played.

Tomasson Barcelona decisison soon

09 Feb 2002

Feyenoord (and the rest of the world) should know within 14 days whether or not Barcelona are going to succeed in enticing Jon Dahl Tomasson to Spain. His agent Emile Miedema claims that the Camp Nou bosses will close the deal with Feyenoord within the next two weeks. The Danish international has scored 14 goals this season in Holland and has attracted the attention of several clubs.

Glenn Loovens out for several weeks

08 Feb 2002

Feyenoord's Glenn Loovens is going to be out of action for the next few weeks after tearing a thigh muscle in the 1 - 0 against Fortuna. The 18 year-old is the 3rd central defender to be injured after Civard Sprockel and Ferry de Haan went on the sick list.

Leonardo back in Feyenoord squad

08 Feb 2002

Leonardo 2 (de Vitor Santiago) has been back in training with Feyenoord's squad yesterday after being banished to the reserve squad at the beginning of January for returning late from his winter holiday in Brazil. The Rotterdammers were originally planning to hire him out and there was talk of him going on loan to AZ. Whether or not he'll make it to the end of the season without another clash with Bert van Marwijk remains to be seen.

Feyenoord beat Fortuna 1 - 0

06 Feb 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Paauwe, Loovens, Rzasa, Smolarek, Van Wonderen, Bosvelt, Ono, Van Hooijdonk and Tomasson. Fortuna lineup: Hesp, Emeran, Dirkx, Volmer, Hermans, Heering, Van Dieren, Haeldermans, Landerl, Cramb and Rook. Fortuna put up brave resistance and cannot be accused of not trying, even when René van Dieren had to quit through injury after only 7 minutes. Last season they even had a surpise 2 - 3 win in the Kuip and tonight managed to hold their own during an unexciting 1st half. Elmander was brought on for Loovens in the 2nd half as Feyenoord upped the tempo - a goal by Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson, probably off to Spain this summer, finally came in the 67th  to give the Feyenoorders the points. They squeeze past Ajax to go top on goal difference. Fortuna remain nailed to the bottom rung after their 15th defeat of the season.

Barcelona want Tomasson

06 Feb 2002

Barcelona chairman Carlos Rexach has announced during a press conference that he's going to contact Feyenoord's Jon Dahl Tomasson with a view to signing the Danish international. The 26 year-old attacking midfielder, whose contract at the Kuip runs out this summer, has been unable to reach agreement with the Rotterdammers concerning a new contract, and has already been linked to Juventus, Internazionale, Hamburger SV, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Dortmund while Real Madrid have also joined the queue.

Kalou dropped by Van Marwijk

06 Feb 2002

Feyenoord's Bonaventure Kalou has finally arrived back at the Kuip - the reason for his long absence was the long trip back from the African Nations Cup in Mali by car(?!) to his fatherland the Ivory Coast! He misses tonight's game against Fortuna but the away match will see the debut of Chilean defender Mauricio Aros. The club's new signing will replace Robin Persie who's travelling with the Dutch Under 19s.

Feyenoord in tax trouble

06 Feb 2002

Dutch tax fraud investigators FIOD have completed their investigation into fraudelent transfers at the Kuip between 1990 and 1996 involving the following players: Aurelio Vidmar, Mike Obiku, Bernard Schuiteman, Denis Kloejev, Henk Vos, Patricio Graf, Pablo Sanchez, Jerzy Dudek and Geoffrey Claes. According to Dutch broadcaster the NOS' teletext service there is enough evidence of tax evasion and forgery to warrant a court case and the public prosecutor is poised to start pro

Feyenoord overpower Roda 5 - 0

03 Feb 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, Loovens, Paauwe, Rzasa, Elmander, Van Wonderen, Bosvelt, Ono, Van Hooijdonk and Tomasson. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Senden, Rudge, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Sonko, Nygaard, Vandenbroeck, Soetaers and Anastasiou. Two goals by Brett Emerton and two by Pierre van Hooijdonk helped Feyenoord to another victory but they don't get to move up the ladder as the jostling for the no.1 position continues, PSV having had the honour overnight and Ajax getting a 'lucky' win in Tilburg to go top again this afternoon. The Australian international took less than a minute to find the back of the net and two minutes later Pierre van Hooijdonk put away a spot-shot for the 2 - 0! The Rotterdammers were simply too powerful for the 'Kerkrade crew' in theng phase of the play but gave up trying for the rest of the half. It allowed Roda to come back with a few chances of their own but Marc Nygaard missed the best of those. The fans made clear their disapproval as the players left for the dressing room. Feyenoord must have been giving a good talking to by Bert van Marwijk in the break because they came out and completely overran Roda in the 2nd half. All hope for the visitors evaporated when Emerton scored his 2nd in the 53rd, P-Air adding a goal of his own in the 64th and Jon Dahl Tomasson made it 5 - 0 in the 68th. Feyenoord stay in 3rd place on 39 points from 19 played, a point behind PSV but with two games in hand, while Roda stay where they are in 15th on 22 from 21.

Feyenoord's Kalou missing!

02 Feb 2002

Feyenoord's Bonventure Kalou is missing and will miss the match against Roda tomorrow! The Ivory Coast winger has failed to return to Rotterdam after taking part in the African Nations Cup in Mali and noone knows where he is! The same thing happened in 2000 after the Nations Cup when the Ivory Coast team were knocked out and consequently

Samardzic to leave Feyenoord

02 Feb 2002

Radoslav Samardzic has been given permission to look for a new club. The 31 year-old arrived at the Kuip from Heerenveen when Leo Beenhakker was in charge in 1999 from Heerenveen but when the trainer left he was hired out to RKC for 6 months. On his return to Feyenoord there was no place for him in the lineup and he refused to turn out for the reserve team.

Feyenoord contract for Robin van Persie

01 Feb 2002

Feyenoord have offered 18 year-old Robin van Persie, who already had a youth contract with the Rotterdammers, an extended deal which runs till the

Mauricio Aros gets work permit

01 Feb 2002

Mauricio Aros, the Chilean defender who's been offered a contract with Feyenoord, has been given a residence permit and now nothing stands in the way of him accepting the deal on offer at the Kuip.

PSV beat Feyenoord on penalties

30 Jan 2002

PSV are through to the Semi-Finals of the Amstel Cup after a tense penalty shootout at the end of extra-time. Throughout the match (which was not a topper) there was little to choose between the two teams - PSV had more scoring opportunities but unfortunately for them their strikers were not on target. Jan Dahl Tomasson scored after only 5 minutes for the Rotterdammers and it wasn't until Mateja Kezman came on as substitute that PSV drew level in the 58th. At the end of 90 minutes the score was still 1 - 1 which meant an extra 30 minutes football. The deciding goal(s) didn't come! And then the penalties, all 16

Feyenoord miss De Haan for a month

29 Jan 2002

Feyenoord will miss Ferry de Haan for the next 4 weeks after the central defender injured his groin in last Sunday's clash with Utrecht. The 29 year-old is disappointed that he'll be missing some important matches but is relieved that the injury is not more serious (it was originally feared he'd be out of action for 6 weeks).

Utrecht and Feyenoord draw 2 - 2

27 Jan 2002

Utrecht lineup: Wapenaar, Touzani, Zwaanswijk, Roest, Bosschaart, Tanghe, Jean-Paul de Jong, Van Mol, Van den Bergh, Gluscevic and Kuyt. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Emerton, De Haan, Paauwe, Rzasa, Elmander, Bosvelt, Van Wonderen, Ono, Tomasson, and Van Hooijdonk. Utrecht hold on to their unbeaten at home record with this 2 - 2 against Feyenoord. Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson (almost-certainly-leaving-the-Kuip this summer)d the score for the visitors after only 2 minutes, Dave van den Bergh quickly equalizing for the Domstad side in the 5th in an explosive start to the match. In the rest of the 1st half Utrecht showed more daring than the visitors but were only able to come up with some distance shots that proved no problem for Edwin Zoetebier until Stefaan Tanghe nosed them ahead in the 37th. The 2nd half was tame fare and neither side looked threatening so Pierre van Hooijdonk's header came literally out-of-the-blue in the 62nd to give the Rotterdammers a point to take home.

Feyenoord's Sprockel out for 4 weeks

25 Jan 2002

Feyenoord will have to miss their 18 year-old defender Civard Sprockel for the next 4 weeks in order for him to recuperate from chronic back-pain he's been suffering from since the beginning of the season.

Leonardo on hire to AZ?

23 Jan 2002

Feyenoord's Brazilian winger Leonardo could be about to join AZ on a loan deal. Bert van Marwijk hopes that the Alkmaarders trainer Henk van Stee will be able to teach the 18 year-old some discipline (he's been in plenty of trouble during the last year). Van Stee has had some experience of working with the youngster when he was Feyenoord's youth trainer.

Feyenoord offer Mauricio Aros contract

19 Jan 2002

Feyenoord have offered the Chilean defender Mauricio Aros, who's been on trial with the Rotterdammers on the Canary Islands, a contract till the end of the season with an option to sign up for another 4 years in the Kuip. The only precondition is that the 25 year-old gets

Dortmund want in Feyenoord's Tomasson

18 Jan 2002

Bundesliga side Dortmund are apparently interested in signing Feyenoord's Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson. The winger's contract runs out at the end of this season but negotiations over an extension have reached stalemate in a supposed difference of opinion over (yes, you guessed it!) money. The Rotterdammers may well be planning to use the wages they pay Tomasson to improve 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono's deal and to offer up and coming star Thomas Buffel a place in the 1st team lineup plus an improved deal.

Feyenoord to hire out Leonardo

17 Jan 2002

Feyenoord have decided to hire out Leonardo 1 to either a Dutch or a Belgian club. The 18 year-old Brazilian winger has used up all his goodwill at the Kuip, especially after leaving early for his winter holiday in Brazil and failing to return in time for the 1st team squad's winter camp, and faces a fine for his misbehaviour.

Van Gastel moves to Ternana

16 Jan 2002

Feyenoord's Jean-Paul van Gastel has signed with Serie B side Ternana and can leave the Kuip transfer-free. The 29 year-old had been told there 's no longer a place for him in Rotterdam and he'll be able to join his new club immediately. Van Gastel started as a youth player with NAC, made his professional debut for Willem II against Den Haag on January 27th 1991, moving to Feyenoord in January 1996. He became an important figure in the lineup and made 5 appearances for Holland (scoring twice) before injuries disrupted life for the midfielder during the last 18 months.

Tininho stays in Brazil

13 Jan 2002

Feyenoord's Tininho has been told he can stay in Brazil where he's going to be stalled with the Rotterdammers' satellite club América Belo Horizonte. Ronildo Pereira de Freitas, to give him his full name, came to the Kuip in 1998 from Portuguesa and helped them become champions that year but lost his place in the lineup due to a series of injuries. In 49 games he played for Feyenoord he scored just once, against Heerenveen on September 11th 1998.

Feyenoord win Maspalomas tournament

12 Jan 2002

Feyenoord have won the final of the 'friendly' Maspalomas tournament on the Canary Islands by beating Swedish side Helsingborgs IF 4 - 3 in a penalty shoot-out after a goalless 90 minutes. They fielded a far from normal lineup including players who usually sit on the bench, such as Igor Korneev and reserve keeper Henk Timmer. They failed to impress during the match and only came close to scoring once when Ebi Smolarek had the chance to put away a rebound from a Pierre van Hooijdonk freekick in the 65th.

Tomasson wants to stay with Feyenoord

12 Jan 2002

Jon Dahl Tomasson has been giving his version of the 'facts' after Feyenoord's technical director Rob Baan announced at the club's New Year's reception that negotiations with the Danish international for a contract extension had reached stalemate due to excessive wage demands. Tomasson denies this and says that the only offer he's been made was lower than the one made last summer last summer for less m oney than he's now getting. Money isn't everything and the Dane is happy in Rotterdam, with club, colleagues and trainer while at 25 years of age he can still afford to wait a while before going off for an English or Italian adventure.

Feyenoord tell Van Gastel he can go

10 Jan 2002

Feyenoord have told midfielder Jean-Paul van Gastel he can leave the Kuip as soon as he finds a new club willing to take him on. The 29 year-old has battled with a series of injuries during the last year-and-a-half which have kept him out of action for most of that time. He played only 4 matches last season, scoring 1 goal, and no Ere Divisie matches this season although Bert van Marwijk did make use of him for a couple of the Rotterdammers' Champions League matches.

Tininho and Leonardo 1 in even more trouble

09 Jan 2002

Feyenoord are growing increasingly angry with Tininho and Leonardo 1 after both players failed to return from their holidays in Brazil in time for the first post-Christmas training session last Friday. Both players were already in trouble and  risk further disciplinary action. The club has heard nothing from either player but do know that Tininho is booked to fly back to Holland on January 10th and Leonardo on the 13th.

Feyenoord beat Kaiserslautern 3 - 1

09 Jan 2002

Feyenoord won their first match of the Maspalomas tournament against German side Kaiserslautern 3 - 1. The match was a pretty tame affair in which there was little footballing action to be seen but Feyenoord's latest acquisition Chilean defender Mauricio Aros made his debut. A scrambled goal by Tomasson, a spot-shot by Pierre van Hooijdonk and a fine shot by Smolarek gave the Rotterdammers their win which means they face the winner of the match between Bayer Leverkusen and Helsingborg IF in the final on Friday. Thomas Riedl got a consolation goal for the German side.

Feyenoord friendlies

08 Jan 2002

Feyenoord face old adversaries Kaiserslautern tonight in the Maspalomos tournament on the Canary Islands. After the end of the tournament they return to Holland to play amateur side Voetbal Vereniging Hercules (RVVH) in Ridderkerk on January 17th and on January 22nd they play Eerste Divisie side Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer.

Steve Laybutt returns to Australia

08 Jan 2002

Feyenoord's Steve Laybutt is returning to Australia after failing to secure a place for himself in the 1st team squad since arriving in Rotterdam with his compatriot Brett Emerton in 2000. The 24 year-old defender was lent to RBC Roosendal for 3 matches in March 2001 and also went on hire to Norwegian side SFK Lyn where he played 6 matches between the end of August and the end of October. The breakthrough of young players such as Civard Sprockel and Glenn Loovens  means he's unlikely to get to play for Feyenoord and the club have decided it's better for his development if he returns home to find a new club.

Feyenoord drop Leonardo and Tininho

05 Jan 2002

Feyenoord travel to their winter camp on Grand Canary without Brazilian players Leonardo 1 and Tininho. Leonardo 1 (this one's the young winger who's already had his fair share of problems in the Kuip) called off sick for the last match before Christmas against De Graafschap but, when the doctor paid him a call, he'd apparently gone out for a meal with a friend while Tininho decided to leave early for his holiday in Brazil! Both Brazilians failed to show up for the last training session before the winter break and will now have to explain themselves to technical director Rob Baan when they return!

Feyenoord trial for Chilean player

04 Jan 2002

Chilean international midfielder Mauricio Aros (20 caps) will be travelling with Feyenoord to their winter camp on Grand Canary. The 25 year-old left-back currently plays for Universidad de Chile and is hoping to impress the Rotterdammers during a trial in the Maspolomas tournament. Feyenoord play against Kaiserslautern and either Helsinborg or Bayern Leverkusen.

Tomasson and Feyenoord in deadlock

03 Jan 2002

The negotiations between Jon Dahl Tomasson and Feyenoord over a renewed contract have reached a state of deadlock - it now begins to look as if this could be his last season in the Kuip. Both sides sat down a year ago to discuss an extension of the Danish striker's stay but those talks also failed to deliver a new agreement and technical director Rob Baan has confirmed that money has been, as usual, the stumbling block. Sister club Excelsior's Thomas Buffel (on loan from Feyenoord) could be called up at the end of the season to replace Tomasson. Meanwhile, Jean-Paul van Gastel has been told he can leave transfer free after a year and a half of injuries have made him too injury prone to keep in the squad. Ulrich van Gobbel has had his fears confirmed and, due to a hip problem, will also be leaving at the end of this season.

Feyenoorder Van Gobbel's future in doubt

24 Dec 2001

Ulrich van Gobbel's future is in doubt after it was discovered that one of his hips is showing signs of wear and tear - it's a problem faced by many profs and although treatable with painkillers in the early stages it usually means the end of a career. The 30 year-old Feyenoord defender has only played in 2 Ere Divisie games and 3 Champions League matches this season while his contract runs out in the summer of 2002. It looks like it's the end of the road for the 8-capped international!

Feyenoord sign Jan Frederiksen

22 Dec 2001

Feyenoord have signed the 19 year-old Danish left-back Jan Frederiksen from FC Lyngby - the youth international has signed for 1˝ years with the Rotterdammers and will probably be lent out to Excelsior.

Emerton stays with Feyenoord

21 Dec 2001

Feyenoord have no intention of letting Brett Emerton leave Rotterdam for Leeds United. Chairman Jorien van den Herik has told his counterpart Peter Ridsdale that the Australian international (who's under contract in the Kuip till 2004) will be playing out at least the rest of this season in Holland. Leeds had offered €22.5 million Euros for the right-back/right-half while Arsenal, Liverpool plus several Serie A clubs are also interested in signing him.

Twente beat Feyenoord 3 - 2

19 Dec 2001

Twente lineup: Boschker, El-Brazi, Pothuizen, Ten Hag, Heubach, Caďro, Van der Laan, Van der Leegte, Van der Doelen, De Gier and Booth. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Van Wonderen, Paauwe, Rzasa, Emerton, Tomasson, Ono, Smolarek, Van Hooijdonk and Elmander. The Enschede side have been having a disappointing season and were stuck in 17th place. They gave their all tonight and made a strong start to the match - Scott Booth put them ahead in the 34th. Pierre van Hooijdonk equalized in the 59th before Patrick Pothuizen gave the Rotterdammers the lead with an own goal in the 61st. Things started to look as though they were going to go horribly wrong for the "Tukkers" after all their effort of the first 60 minutes. It took until almost the final whistle but Pothuizen was able to make up for his error by scoring in the 89th and Jack de Gier gave Twente some well needed and deserved points with a 90th minute winner. The win lifts them into 13th place while Feyenoord lose the no.1 spot to Ajax who beat Vitesse 5 - 1.

Feyenoord to sue Roda and NEC?

17 Dec 2001

Feyenoord are considering legal action against Roda and NEC to try and recover some of the money they paid for 'damaged' players Ramon van Haaren and Pieter Collen last summer. Collen has only played 8 games due to a mysterious abdominal complaint which will keep him out till February while Van Haaren has only made one appearance as a substitute due to a string of ankle injuries and is likely to be out for at least 3 months, perhaps even for the rest of the season! Chairman Jorien van der Herik will be approaching the Dutch FA (KNVB) first to see what the legal position is before approaching Roda and NEC. Both clubs have reacted with astonishment to the news, especially as their former players were fully fit last season - Collen missed only 4 matches (2 due to a suspension and 2 due to a hamstring problem) while Van Haaren played in all but one match (missing one due to a suspension).

Shinji Ono 'goldmine' for Feyenoord

18 Dec 2001

Shinji Ono is proving to be a little merchandising 'goldmine' for Feyenoord - there is so much interest in the 'Japanese Wizard' that they've just shipped off 20,000 no.14 shirts to Japan to try and satisfy demand. The craze for all things 'Ono' could lead to the setting up of a fan-shop in Tokyo and there's even talk of a special 'Ono' brand of coffee being marketed! Whatever next!?!

Van Haaren operation success

18 Dec 2001

Ramon van Haaren's knee operation in Rotterdam's Dijkzigt hospital is a success -  a piece of cartilage was removed and the left-back will be walking on crutches for some weeks while recovering. Feyenoord have been unable to make much use of the player who joined them last summer from Roda (he only played for them in the C-L match against Bayern München which ended in a 2-2 draw).

Feyenoord loan Ray Frankel to Estonian side

17 Dec 2001

Feyenoord's Ray Frankel is of

Bosvelt out with cheekbone fracture

17 Dec 2001

Feyenoord's Paul Bosvelt will be out of action for a while after he fractured his left cheek bone in a clash with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink during the match against PSV. The midfielder was also put out of action for 6 weeks in the run up to this season when he fractured the right cheek! He misses the last two matches before the winter break against Twente and De Graafschap.

Van Haren needs operation

14 Dec 2001

Feyenoord are still waiting to see Ramon van Haren, who joined them from Roda last summer, in action as the wing-back has suffered from a string of injuries since moving to the Kuip. First he twisted his ankle twice before developing a problem with one of his knees which will be operated on this coming Monday.

Feyenoord sign Swedish teeneager

13 Dec 2001

Feyenoord have signed 15 year-old Swedish midfielder Labinot Harbuzi, who currently plays for Malmö FFV, for 5 years (the contract is effective from April 4th 2002 when he turns 16). The Scandinavian super-talent was also closely being watched by Ajax, Arsenal and Manchester United but has chosen to move (together with his parents) to Rotterdam.

Feyenoord smash NEC 5 - 0

09 Dec 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Paauwe, De Haan, De Visser, Bosvelt, Tomasson, Ono, Elmander, Van Hooijdonk and Smolarek. NEC lineup: Gentenaar, Schuurman, Koning, Hesp, Leiwakabessy, Simr, Latuheru, Wielaert, Van Rijswijk, Jansen and Ax. Feynoord smashed NEC today and take back the no.1 position from Ajax. Pierre van Hooijdonk reached his 250th professional goal, putting away 2 in the 45th and 50th. NEC were on the defensive from the whistle and managed to hang on for the first 30 minutes without too much trouble.  Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomassond the score in the 38th (his 11th of the season). Van Hooijdoink hit in the rebound from his freekick, blocked by Gentenaar, for his 250th and added his 2nd from the spot to bring his season's total to 13. Bosvelt made it 4 - 0 and substitute Kornejev took the final score to 5 - 0. Danny Hesp didn't last the 90 minutes after getting his marching orders from ref Herman van Dijk. Said Boutahar made his debut in the 75th, replacing Bosvelt.

Leonardo wants to stay with Feyenoord

07 Dec 2001

Leonardo de Vitor Santiago (or Leonardo 1 as he's known at the Kuip) wants to stay with Feyenoord and doesn't want to return to Brazil as he'd earlier said was the case - although he's had his fair share of problems at the Kuip! The 18 year-old burst into tears after experiencing the reaction of those around him when he scored the all-important equalizer for the Rotterdammers against Freiburg in their UEFA Cup match last night. He realises that such an important one-off contribution to the team's success doesn't necessarily change his position at the club overnight. A true blossoming of his potential talent will depend on him being given the chance to play more often so that his self-confidence can grow and grow! In any case he wants nothing more now than to continue playing for Feyenoord!

Feyenoord draw 2 - 2 in Freiburg

06 Dec 2001

Freiburg lineup: Golz, Muller, Diarra, Kehl, Zkitishvili, Zeyer, But, Hermel, Kobiaschvvili, Iaschvili and Tanko. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Leonardo dos Santos, Pauuwe, De Haan, Rzasa, Bosvelt, Ono, Tomasson, Elmander, Van Hooijdonk and Smolarek. Feyenoord are through to the next round after a nailbiting match against Freiburg. They had a couple of 1st half chances but failed to really turn on the heat and Sebastian Kehl put the Germans side ahead in the 22nd minute. After the break it wasn't long before a controversial penalty was awarded against Elmander (who also had an unhappy role in the 1st half goal) and thus it was 2 - 0 to Freiburg in the 49th. Pierre van Hooijdonk scored a beauty of a direct-freekick goal from a seemingly impossible angle to lift spirits and give hope to the Rotterdammers. They started to show more of the 'right stuff' but were a little unlucky - Zoetebier made a great save in the 80th minute to keep their hopes alive. The 'other' Leonardo substituted for Smolarek for the last 10 minutes  - would he be able to make the difference? He did and put away the 'ultimate' decider in the 86th!

Leeds can't have Emerton say Feyenoord

06 Dec 2001

The English and Dutch press have been publishing stories saying that Leeds United are still eager to sign Feyenoord's  Brett Emerton. Feyenoord's chairman Jorien van der Herik has denied there's been any contact at club level and they have no intention of selling him this season. The midfielder is currently valued by the Rotterdammers at €22.69 million Euros (which has already scared off the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle United and Liverpool) and it's rumoured that Leeds are said to be offering €11.34 million Euros. It seems to be wishful thinking  to expect that an attempt to sign the international will be made during the winter break and, although it's no secret that Emerton would be happy to join compatriots Viduka and Kewell at Elland Road, the Australian international looks set to play out the rest of this season in Holland.

Feyenoord miss Kalou and Emerton

04 Dec 2001

Feyenoord could well face Freiburg in the return of their UEFA Cup match without the help of Bonaventure Kalou and Brett Emerton. The striker from the Ivory Coast is sick and the Australian has a thigh muscle injury. Good news is that Civard Sprockel, Jean-Paul van Gastel and Patrick Paauwe are back from injury and Pierre van Hooijkdonk will be available to play again after sitting out his suposension.

Heerenveen beat Feyenoord 1 - 0

01 Dec 2001

Heerenveen lineup: Vonk, Bakkati, Klompe, Gérard de Nooijer, Edman, Lurling, Radomski, Jensen, Nurmela, Allbäck and Väyrynen. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Van Wonderen, De Haan, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Ono, Elmander, Van Hooijdonk and Tomasson. Heerenveen have beaten PSV, Ajax and now Feyenoord at home and this was their 5th in a row. In a 1st half they dominated while creating few chances apart from easily stopped shots from Allbäck, Nurmela and Jensen. Johan Emander had the best chance of the 90 minutes to score early in the 2nd half but his shot was deflected by Vonk and cleared by De Nooijer. An Anthony Lurling spot-shot for the home team in the 64th gave them the points. Minutes later Pierre van Hooijdonk bit the dust in the box when Hans Vonk floored him but the referee denied the Rotterdammers a well deserved penalty to the audible displeasure of their fans. Feyenoord tried to get back into the match but weren't in the groove tonight. The win lifts the Frieslanders into 3rd place.

Alesandro Fahel comes back to Feyenoord

29 Nov 2001

Alesandro Fahel is returning from Feyenoord's sister club "America" in Brazil and the Rotterdammers are planning to lend to him to their satellite-neighbours Excelsior. The 23 year-old has previously also played for various youth teams at the Kuip.

RKC lose to Feyenoord 2 - 3

28 Nov 2001

RKC lineup: Van Dijk, Van Diemen, Nascimento, Van den Berg, De Graef, Petrovic, Van Wanrooy, Fuchs, Yuri Cornelisse, Hoogendorp and Janssen. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Sprockel, De Haan, De Visser, Bosvelt, Tomasson, Ono, Elmander, Van Hooijdonk and Smolarek. Feyenoord got their 2nd win in a row to keep them in pole position. Ebi Smolarek put the Rotterdammers ahead in the 34th and Paul Bosvelt gave them a healthy 0 - 2 advantage to take into the dressing room at the break with a goal in the 45th. They gave it all away in the 2nd half and a foul by a tired looking Jan de Visser allowed Rick Hoogendorp to get one back for the Waalwijkers with a spot-shot in the 50th. He headed in a 2nd 'real' goal from a Cornelisse cross in the 61st to even the score but Ebi Smolarek got his 2nd of the evening in the 75th from a Pierre van Hooijdonk pass to give Feyenoord the points - they stay on top of the table.

Leonardo wants to leave Feyenoord

26 Nov 2001

Feyenoord's young Brazilian winger Leonardo has made it clear that he wants to be lent to another club (perhaps in Brazil) because of the fact that he's no longer getting to play regular match football for Feyenoord's 1st team. The 18 year-old has failed to impress Bert van Marwijk with his progress  and is currently sitting out a 4 match ban for an offence committed in the match between Jong NAC and Jong Feyenoord.

Feyenoord beat Willem II 3 - 1

25 Nov 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Sprockel, De Haan, De Visser, Bosvelt, Tomasson, Ono, Elmander, Van Hooijdonk and Smolarek. Willem II lineup: De Vlieger, Jaliens, Janssens, Van Nieuwstadt, J. Mathijsen, Landzaat, Victoria, Mariana, Ceesay, Shoukov and Abdellaoui. Feyenoord go top with this win against "The Tricolores" although their performance was less than convincing. Pierre van Hooijdonk showed once more what a valuable addition he is with a hattrick of goals in the 43rd, 70th and 78th minutes. He started off with one of his specialty freekicks just before the break but it failed to inspire his teammates and was answered by a Denny Landzaat goal in the 56th. Willem II actually looked better as a team in the 2nd half but Abdellaoui, Shoukov and Landzaat all failed to put their chances away. P-Air's 2nd and 3rd goals put the result beyond doubt and noone in Rotterdam will be complaining about the fact it puts them top-of-the-table.

Tomasson wants to stay with Feyenoord

24 Nov 2001

Feyenoord and Jon Dahl Tomasson are to negotiate a new deal during the winter break. The 25 year-old Danish striker has made it clear that, although his current contract is coming to an end and makes him transfer free in the summer of 2002, he wants to stay in Rotterdam.

Japanese youth players train at Feyenoord

24 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have had two Japanese youngsters training with their youth squad this week in what looks like a move to establish stronger links with Japanese clubs. The 15 year-old forward Daiki Sugimoto plays for Jef United and 14 year-old goalie Akira Shimizu turns out for Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Leonardo gets 4 match ban

24 Nov 2001

Feyenoord's Leonardo de Vitor Santiago (not to be confused with the Rotterdammers' Leonardo dos Santos Silva) has been handed out a 4 match ban for an offence comm

Feyenoord beat Freiburg 1 - 0

22 Nov 2001

Feyenoord lineup:  Zoetebier, Gyan, De Haan, Sprockel, Rzasa, Kalou, Bosvelt, De Visser, Ono, Tomasson and Elmander. Freiburg lineup: Golz, Müller, Diarra, Zeyer, Kobiashvili, Willi, But, Ramdane, Tanko, Iaschvili and Hermel. Feyenoord kicked off in style and saw an early attempt from Kalou saved by Golz and another by Tomasson go over the goalie's head. The level of the game dropped dramatically after that entertainingng spell and a scrappy game followed with fewngs being created by either team. Tomasson should have been given a penalty when he was brought down by Golz but the referee must have been the only person present to think the 'offence' undeserving of a spot-shot award. The 2nd half was more of the same stuff, the Rotterdammers couldný be accused of a lack of but couldn't string the moves together and Tomasson twice failed to strike home a goal when given the opportunity. The 'Japanese Wizard' Shinji Ono saved the day with a goal in the 81st minute.

Feyenoord's opponent Freiburg - A profile

21 Nov 2001

Freiburg come from south-west Germany and are relative newcomers to Germany's Bundesliga after years in the 1. Amateurliga Südbaden and the 2nd division of the Bundesliga. They gained promotion to the top flight in 1993/1994 and are mostly to be found in mid-table. In 1995/1996 they achieved a best-so-far 3rd place behind Champions Borussia Dortmund and runners-up Werder Bremen. It gave them their first taste of European football but they were knocked out in the 1st round by Sparta Praag. This is their 2nd season of UEFA Cup football and they beat Slovakian side SKM Puchov and Swiss side Sankt Gallen to get this far. The team has a large number of Georgian players -   midfielders Zaza Zamtradse, Levan Kobiashvili and Levan Zkitshvili plus the strikers Girogi Kiknadse and Alexander Iashvili. Other important players are the strikers Adel Sellimi, Mehdi Ben Slimane (both from Tunisia), Regis Dorn, Abder Ramdane (both French), Ibrahim Tanko (Ghana), midfielders Vladimir But (Russia), Soumalia Coulibaly (Mali) and defenders Boubacar Diarra (France) and Oumar Kondé (Switzerland). Current rising star is young defender Sebastian Kehl who's been called up for the German national team and has attracted the interest of several 'richer' clubs (he looks set to move to Bayern next year). Goalie Richard Golz is the most experienced player, the former Hamburger SV player has 400 Bundesliga matches under his belt, together with midfielder Andreas Zeyer.

Feyenoord beat Vitesse 3 - 2

17 Nov 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Sprockel, De Haan, Rzasa, Kalou, Bosvelt, Van Wonderen, Elmander, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. Vitesse lineup: Van Fessem, Nanu, Knol, Kreek, Van Hintum, Diarra, Van der Schaaf, Laros, Sikora, Van Beukering and Claessens. Feyenoord won this hard fought match to leapfrog the Arnhemmers into 2nd place. Civard Sprockel was given his debut and the youth international took it all in his stride, calmly taking his place next to Ferry de Haan at the heart of the defence. Pierre van Hooijdonk got theng goal in the 26th with one of his specialist freekicks. Jhonny van Beukering wasn't far behind, getting an equalizer in the 27th. Danish international Jon Dahl Tomasson made it 2 - 1 in the 39th, as his shot was deflected into the back of the net off Michel Kreek's head. He then added his 2nd of the evening for the 3 - 1 in the 52nd and his 10th goal of the season - he now passes Ajax's Rafael van der Vaart to become Ere Divisie top scorer. This seemed to finally wake Vitesse up and they threw everything into attack for the rest of the match but Ruud Knol, Remco van der Schaaf, Gert Claessens and Bob Peeters all failed, leaving Victor Sikora to get one back in the 55th. Feyenoord are now only one point behind Ajax!

Injury problems for Feyenoord

17 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have serious injury problems going into their match against Vitesse tonight, especially in defence - Van Gobbel, Pieter Collen, Tininho, Patrick Pauuwe, Shinji Ono and Jean-Paul van Gastel are all injured. Brett Emeron is training with the Australian national team for a match against Uruguay and everyone in the Kuip is hoping that Kees van Wonderen will be fit in time. Youth players Civard Sprockel and Glenn Loovens may well be given the chance to make their 1st team debuts!!

Feyenoord sign Premier 1 Grand Prix deal

16 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have signed a 3 year contract with the organisation running the Premier 1 Grand Prix races - this will be a series of races with cars displaying club logos. Premier 1 Grand Prix is the brainchild of multi-millionaire racing fanatic Collin Sullivan. He's enlisted the help of former champion drivers Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill while Dutch Formula 3000 driver Jacky van den Ende has offered to help out Feyenoord. Leeds United and Benfica have already signed up and Anderlecht, Bordeaux, Lyon and Valencia have agreed in principle. Manchester United and Juventus are still negotiating while in Holland Ajax, PSV and Vitesse could join shortly. The clubs can expect to earn €1.13 million Euros annually from the profits of ticket-sales, broadcasting rights and merchandising. Theng race is in Estoril, Portugal on July 14th 2002 and Holland's Zandvoort circuit gets a chance to host a race in September next year.

Unfit Ono returns from Japan

14 Nov 2001

Feyenoord's Shinji Ono has reported back at the Kuip, after playing in the 1 - 1 international match for Japan against Italy, with an ankle injury and a slight case of tonsillitis. Bert van Marwijk will miss him for the coming match against Vitesse as well as Patrick Paauwe, Pieter Collen, Ulrich van Gobbel and Tininho (all injured). Jean-Paul van Gastel remains doubtfull while Kees van Wonderen resumes training tomorrow after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Pauuwe out for 3 -4 weeks

12 Nov 2001

Feyenoord will miss Patrick Pauuwe for the coming 3 to 4 weeks after the midfielder picked up a hamstring injury during the recent match against NAC. The former PSV, De Graafschap and Fortuna Sittard midfielder misses the coming Ere Divisie matches against Vitesse, Willem II, RKC Waalwijk and Heerenveen as well as the C-L match against SC Freiburg on November 22nd.

Feyenoord gets fined for misbehaviour fans

10 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have been fined € 27, 230 Euros by UEFA for the misconduct of certain supporters during the recent Champions Legaue match on October 10th against Bayern München. A knife was found close to the Bayern goal while striker Paulo Sergio had cigarette lighters thrown at him!

Feyenoord forge link with Supersport

10 Nov 2001

Feyenoord are forging links with South African side Supersport - the Rotterdammers' aim is to set up a scouting network in South Africa while also financing a youth academy at the club. In return they expect to get first choice of the 'product' of the academy, its most talented players!

NAC beat Feyenoord 2 - 1

04 Nov 2001

NAC lineup: Babos, Fehér, Penders, Schenning, Gudelj, Petö, Pacheco, Schreuder, Stewart, Cristiano and Bobson. Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Gyan, Van Wonderen, De Haan, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Paauwe, Ono, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. After their 1600th league match NAC maintain their unbeaten home record this season and climb to 5th, while the Rotterdammers remain in 3rd place. This was a match which was the equal in tempo and entertainment value of any in the

Van Wonderen back in action today

04 Nov 2001

Feyenoord's central defender Kees van Wonderen was back in training on Friday and will most likely be fit to play for Feyenoord against NAC today. He picked up a hamstring injury in last Sunday's 4 - 0 against Utrecht which meant he had to miss the 2 - 1 Champions League win against Spartak Moscow.

Feyenoord extend Van Marwijk's contract

04 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have reacted to rumours that coach Bert van Marwijk (who looked after Fortuna between 1997 and 2000) was going to be offered another job at the Kuip to make room for a new trainer by extending the former outside left 's contract for one more year (his current two year deal runs out at the end of this season).

Feyenoord suspend Korneev

01 Nov 2001

Feyenoord have suspended Russian Igor Korneev for storming out of the Kuip when he heard that he was being replaced by Pieter Collen at the last minute and would have to watch the C-L match against Spartak Moscow from the stands. The 34 year-old midfielder has been a popular figure with the fans and made 17 appearances for the club last season but only played one game this season. His current contract runs out at the end of this season - so a move is the likely solution for all concerned.

Feyenoord beat Spartak Moscow 2 - 1

31 Oct 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Collen, Gyan, De Haan, Rzasa,  Emerton, Bosvelt, Paauwe, Ono, Tomasson, Elmander and Smolarek. Spartak Moscow lineup: Levytsky, Mjavanadze, Mitreski, Kovtun, Parfenov, Baranov, Bulatov, Zichmeistruk, Robson, Titov and Beschastnykh. The Rotterdammers will be happy to have won this match and a place in the UEFA Cup as consolation for not getting further than the 1st round of the C-L. They pushed forward, putting Spartak under plenty of pressure and looking confident. They kicked off with an early goal in the 5th minute, slotted away by Tomasson from an Brett Emerton pass. The Australian gave the Danish striker a chance to put away the 2nd only minutes later but he hesitated, and theng was gone. Feyenoord's defence was looking rather unsteady at times and the first real Spartak attack in the 14th led immediately to an equalizer by Beschnastnykh. Fortunately the Rotterdammers kept their cool and kept up the pressure - Elmander scored in the 18th. The hard working and creative "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono (who had a great match) gave Rzasa a chance which he donated to Elmander for the 3 - 1 but the Swede pushed it wide, unbelievable! This is the stuff that Cup matches should always be made of - good, exciting,and risk-taking football!! Pauuwe had a terrific swerving and dipping freekick tipped over in the 27th. Spartak had plenty of space to hit back via the counter and Beschnastnykh was close to getting another equalizer in the 28th. At the other end Elmander served Tomasson up with a great through ball but the Dane fumbled too much in an attempt to control the ball before shooting. In the 37th minute came an appeal for a penalty when it looked as though Collen had handled Robson's cross, moments later Kovtun headed in but it was disallowed for some reason which escaped 'your humble spectator'. The last 15 minutes of the half saw Spartak reversing the roles and pushing Feyenoord back. After the break, Ono hit just wide after only 90 seconds of the 2nd half but Zichmeistruk hit the bar in the 49th minute and Zoetebier saved another shot by the Russian shortly after. The visitors were piling on the pressure again! Emerton made another good cross but it was just too fast for Tomasson while at the other end Zoetebier had to come right out to stop Beschnastnykh from doing any damage. Elmander headed into Levytsky's hands in the 60th as Feyenoord regained their composure under Spartak's assaults. Beschnastnykh blasted off a close range shot but it bounced back off the underside of the bar in the 63rd.Van Gastel came on to replace Collen in the 65th and played an important role in firming up the back line.The match got more and more ragged as both teams pushed for another goal and Feyenoord did well, Zoetebier making some important saves, to hold on to their lead to the final whistle. The Rotterdammers were a little lucky to survive the brilliant, tight passing of Spartak, especially in and around the penalty area. UEFA Cup football beckons and is a fitting reward for their 110% effort!

Collen passes fitness test - plays tonight??

31 Oct 2001

The last bit of news from the Feyenoord camp is that Pieter Collen has passed a fitness test today and could well be able to play tonight against Spartak Moscow. The right-back had been suffering for some time from a mysterious abdominal complaint which was causing him considerable pain when kicking/shooting.

Feyenoord miss Van Wonderen and Collen

31 Oct 2001

Feyenoord will miss Kees van Wonderen and Pieter Collen in the C-L match against Spartak Moscow tonight. Pierre van Hooidonk is suspended while Ramon van Haaren, Ulrich van Gobbel, Tininho and Glenn Loovens are all injured and Leonardo has gastric flu! Van Wonderen is still suffering from a hamstring injury picked up at the weekend in the match against Utrecht and Collen has an abdominal problem. Bert van Marwijk has picked youth player Civard Sprockel as extra man on the bench.

Shinji Ono called up for Japanese squad

31 Oct 2001

The Japanese national team's coach Philippe Troussier has called up Feyenoord's Shinji Ono for the coming friendly against Italy next week Tuesday. The midfielder is one of 6 Japanese players active in Europe who've been included in the squad.

Date Feyenoord - Fortuna moved again

30 Oct 2001

The Ducth FA (KNVB) will be looking for a new date to play the match between Feyenoord and Fortuna, planned for November 13th. Feyenoord has successfully appealed against the date because Brett Emerton, Shinji Ono, Ebi Smolarek and Pieter Collen all have international commitments which will prevent them from playing. The Ere Divisie match has already been moved once from October 10th due then to the change in scheduling of the Rotterdammers' Champions League match against Bayern München resulting from the events in New York on "Black Tuesday".

Van Marwijk to get new job at Feyenoord?

29 Oct 2001

It's rumoured that Bert van Marwijk, whose contract runs out at the end of this season, could be offered a new job with Feyenoord in order to make room for a new trainer. Although there've been no public criticisms of his performance since arriving from Fortuna it's thought that Vitesse's Ronald Koeman could be targeted as a more suitable person to lead the team to 'greater things'.

Van Wonderen doubtful for C-L match

29 Oct 2001

Feyenoord could miss Kees van Wonderen for Wednesday's match against Spartak Moscow after the defender picked up a hamstring injury in yesterday's match against Utrecht. Paul Bosvelt and Bonavenure Kalou should be back from slight injuries and Bert van Marwijk hopes that intensive treatment will get Van Wonderen fit in time to play. Feyenoord need to win against Spartak if they are to play-on in the UEFA Cup.

Feyenoord beat Utrecht 4 - 0

28 Oct 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Collen, Van Wonderen, De Haan, Rzasa, Dos Santos, Emerton, Paauwe, Ono, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk. Utrecht lineup: Wapenaar, Vreven, Roest, Zwaanswijk, Van Mol, Jean-Paul de Jong, Bosschaart, Tanghe, Van den Bergh, Jochemsen and Kuyt. A strong 2nd half performance from the Rotterdammers, after a weak 1st half, and a hattrick by Pierre van Hooijdonk will help to heal the wounds of the mid-week defeat by Bayern in the C-L. Jan Dahl Tomasson returned from injury and Leonardo dos Santos made his debut on the right. Archo Jochemsen had the best chance of a poorng half for Utrecht but blasted over, while Feyenoord could only manage to create a couple of small chances for Van Hooijdonk and Ono. P-Air'sng goal was one of his specialist freekicks in the 37th. The 2nd half was much better and, after Tomasson shot just wide, Johan Elmander, substituting for Shinji Ono in the 65th, pushed and stumbled through the defence to put away the 2nd goal in the 67th. The Swedish striker missed a couple of other opportunities before P-Air put away his 2nd for the 3 - 0 in the 77th and added his 3rd for the 4 - 0 in the 88th.

Bayern München beat Feyenoord 3 - 1

23 Oct 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Rzasa, Van Gobbel, Van Wonderen, Collen, Ono, Paauwe, Van Gastel, Bosvelt, Emerton, Elmander.  Bayern München lineup: Kahn, Sagnol, Lizarazu, Kuffour, Kovac, Sergio, Pizarro, Salihamidzic, Fink, Hargreaves and Santa Cruz. Feyenoord were missing crucial players - Tomasson, Van Hooijdonk, Kalou, Van Haaren - would their replacements be able to crank the level of their play up for tonight's confrontation. The initial impression was a good one as, after surviving the first of the Bayern attacking moves (which were quickly and cleanly strung together), Feyenoord had their first chance when Ono crossed a dangerously dipping high ball which Kahn, and the bar, just kept from sneaking in for a surpriser for the visitors. In the 12th minute Bayern's Kufour was able to head down a ball from a corner which deflected in off Van Gobbel's leg for theng goal. In the 18th Pizarro let fly with a blinder which zipped just wide of the post as an extra warning. Johan Elmander got the equalizer in the 25th but Pizarro was allowed to serve Santa Cruz up with a through ball which he slotted home for Bayern's 2nd goal in the 30th.  Feyenoord tried to find a way through the Bayern defence but it was the home team who threatened most and who looked far more likely to score - Pizarro came close twice in the last 10 first half minutes. Gyan came on for Van Gobbel for the 2nd half as the Rotterdammers continued the search for inspiration. Bayern, in contrast, looked more relaxed, with more football 'up their sleeves' - Pizarro came very close to getting the 3rd in the 70th but had his shot tipped over by Zoetebier while Rzasa blocked Salihamidzic's attempt over the bar in the 76th. Ebi Smolarek replaced Van Gastel in the 80th and Elmander missed a golden opportunity to get an equalizer but Kahn blocked his path. Feyenoord started to apply a bit of pressure for the last 10 minutes but it was Santa Cruz who broke free in a last minute counter to make the final score 3 - 1. The 2nd half ended as a wasted opportunity by Feyenoord to get back in to the match and stay in the C-L. They will have to be satisfied with UEFA Cup from now on and, in order to qualify, will need to do well next week when they take on Spartak Moscow in the Kuip! Good games from Johan Elmander and "Japanese Wizard" Shinji Ono.

Feyenoord in injury problems against Bayern

22 Oct 2001

Feyenoord could well be missing Jon Dahl Tomasson (ankle injury) and Tomasz Rzasa (inflamed toe) when they face Bayern München in their C-L match tomorrow. Henk Timmer will be keeping goal once more as Edwin Zoetebier is still suffering from a back injury. Pierre van Hooijdonk and Ferry de Haan will also not be playing due to suspensions they've picked up in earlier matches. Tinnho is still injured while the latest casualty is Banaventure Kalou who picked up a thigh injury in Saturday's league match.

UEFA ban P-Air for 3 matches

22 Oct 2001

UEFA have handed out a 3 match ban to Pierre van Hooijdonk for the red card he picked up in last week's C-L match against Sparta Praag. That means he'll miss the last two 1st round C-L matches plus the 1st of the Rotterdammers UEFA Cup matches (if they manage to qualify). Ferry de Haan will only have to miss tomorrow's C-L match as 'punishment' for picking up 2 yellow cards against Sparta.

English Clubs still chasing Brett Emerton

22 Oct 2001

Feyenoord's Australian midfielder Brett Emerton remains the object of intense interest by English Premier League clubs who've been following him for some time. Scouts from Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United, West Ham United and Ipswich Town were spotted watching him in the C-L match against Sparta Praag last week. It's no secret that he'd love to play in England but, so far, there have been no official approaches made for his services - it won't be long though before someone puts in a bid!

AZ lose to Feyenoord 1 - 3

20 Oct 2001

AZ lineup: Moens, Lee, Wijker, Opdam, Lindenbergh, Robbemond, Buskermolen, Wolters, Van Galen, Nelisse and Elkhattabi. Feyenoord lineup: Timmer, Collen, Van Wonderen, De Haan, De Visser, Emerton, Bosvelt, Paauwe, Ono, Kalou and Van Hooijdonk. AZ played out the match under a cloud - John Bosman's 5 year-old son died in an accident earlier in the week. Both teams wore black armbands and there was a minute's silence before the kickoff. The Alkmaarders couldn't get their minds on the match and the result was an easy win for the visitors. Feyenoord didn't even break out in a sweat and had all the time and space they needed to score goals - which they did! Pierre van Hooijdonkd proceedings in the 3rd minute and Patrick Pauuwe added a 2nd in the 9th. It took a while but AZ did get a fewngs and, after Buskermolen had a shot saved by Timmer, that man Ali Elkhattabi got one back in the 13th. The Rotterdammers then took control once more - Brett Emerton rounded off a thigh-shuffle move with a left footed shot for the 1 - 3 in the 17th minute. Feyenoord neglected o increase the score after the break and Nelisse and Van Galen had a couple of 2nd half chances for the Alkmaarders. A real missed chance was when Elkhattabi had a penalty saved by the rock solid Henk Timmer in the 70th. Feyenoord climb into 3rd place on 19 points while AZ sink to 12th.

Timmer in goal against AZ tomorrow

19 Oct 2001

Henk Timmer will be keeping goal for Feyenoord tomorrow against the club who still have him under contract, AZ. He joined the Alkmaarders in the summer of 2000 from Zwolle and was 1st choice goalie all that season. Trainer Henk van Stee told him, at the beginning of this season, that the recently returned Oscar Moens was taking over. Timmer was given the choice of becoming Feyenoord's reserve keeper and is making his Champions League, as well as his Ere Divisie, debut for them this week.

Feyenoord lose to Sparta Praag 0 - 2

17 Oct 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Timmer, Collen, De Haan , Van Wonderen, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Pauuwe, Van Hooijdonk, Ono,Leonardo, Santiago. Sparta Prague lineup: Cech, Grygera, Hubschmann, Novotny, Labant, Sionko, Hasek, Jarosik, Michalik, Kincl and Hartig. Feyenoord have had another disheartening defeat and will exit the Champions League as a result unless they win both their remaining matches. The Rotterdammers played out the last 15 minutes of the match with 9 men after Pierre van Hooijdonk got a red card in the 67th minute and De Haan was sent off for his 2nd yellow card in the 74th. The public gave the referee much of the blame but the Rotterdammers were beaten by a highly disciplined Prague side who were quite simply superior as a team. They put the home side's defence under a lot of pressure, launching attacks at will while coping easily with the Feyenoord forwards. The Rotterdammers failed in midfield, except for the excellent Emerton, with Leonardo making an art out of losing the ball. Jarosikd the score in the 40th minute, his freekick deflected slightly by Pauuwe past a helpless Timmer. Feyenoord managed to create only two good chances in the whole match, the first was sent over by Ono and Van Hooijdonk's attempt hit the bar. The forwards became increasingly frustrated by the lack of delivery - P-Air's sending-off for a stupid foul was symptomatic of the lack of self-belief and self-confidence in the team. The Czechs were far more efficient, far better organised and an unmarked Novotny headed in the 2nd goal from an (with the Rotterdammers) unpopular freekick. Once De Haan was sent off for a silly foul (after already having received a yellow card) and haranguing the referee Feyenoord really became demoralised. The Rotterdammers and PSV will have a real fight on their hands to get further than this round of the tournament. It's all in the mind!!

Timmer replaces Zoetebier v.Sparta Praag

17 Oct 2001

Henk Timmer will be keeping goal for Feyenoord tonight as they face Sparta Praag in the Kuip. He replaces Edwin Zoetebier who's picked up a back injury while Carlo l'Ami takes a seat on the bench.

Feyenoord miss Tomasson against Praag

15 Oct 2001

Feyenoord wil miss their Danish attacking midfielder Jon Dahl Tomasson against Sparta Praag on Wednesday in the Kuip. He injured his ankle in a clash with Kurt Elshot in Sun

Feyenoord beat Groningen 1 - 0

14 Oct 2001

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier, Collen, De Haan, Van Wonderen, Rzasa, Emerton, Bosvelt, Paauwe, Ono, Van Hooijdonk and Tomasson. Groningen lineup: Beukenkamp, Eslhot, Schoenmakers, Van Gessel, Allach, Matthijs, Boussaboun, Broerse, Tuhuteru, Hugo and Robben. Feyenoord did just enough to win this match and not enough to give them a confidence booster going into the coming week's Champions League encounter with Sparta Prague. Groningen could do little to profit from the home team's caution and Shinji Ono, the 'Japanese Wizard', put away the only goal of the match for the Rotterdammers after 54 minutes (his first for the club and a crisp header it was!). Feyenoord climb to 2nd place behind Ajax while Groningen stay in 16th and see the clubs above them pulling away.

Feyenoord draw 2 - 2 with Bayern München

10 Oct 2001

Feyenoord let slip the chance to get in their first win of the Champions League after a hard fought first half in which the Rotterdammers had the match under control. After early chances for Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk it was Giovane Elber who actually put Bayern ahead with a lucky-deflection goal (via Van Wonderen's leg) in the 13th. Feyenoord kept plugging away and began to put their opponents under increasing pressure. They were rewarded in the 38th when debutant Pieter Collen's pass to P-Air van Hooijdonk was slammed home for the 1 - 1. Just before haltime Tomasz Rzasa's cross was headed to Jon Dahl Tomasson's feet by the same P-Air and the Danish striker slotted home the 2 - 1 in the 45th. After the break it was Elber who sneaked in the equalizer from a Claudio Pizzaro pass in the 50th minute. Feyenoord never got over the disappointment of losing their advantage so soon in the 2nd half and have made further progress in the C-L very, very difficult.

Van Wonderen back against Bayern

09 Oct 2001

Kees van Wonderen should be able to make his reappearance for Feyenoord as they face Bayern München tomorrow night in the Champions League. The defender has recovered from the knee injury which has been plagueing him and he could be joined by new signing Peter Collen (from NEC) which, if he starts at right-back, means that Brett Emerton will move forward to midfield which could cost Jean-Paul van Gastel his place.

Den Bosch hold Feyenoord to goalless draw

30 Sept 2001

FC Den Bosch: Mampaey, Faerber, Uneken, Van der Hoorn, Peelen, Deckers, De Freitas, Michels, Mourad, Van den Eede and Maximiano. Feyenoord: Zoetebier, Emerton, Paauwe, Van Gobbel, Rzasa, Bosvelt, Smolarek, De Visser, Kalou, Van Hooijdonk and Leonardo. The 4-4-2 of coach Wiljan Vloet has been keeping the wolves at bay in Den Bosch and keeping the goals out, previous 'victims' being Willem II, PSV and SC Heerenveen. Bert van Marwijk's Feyenoord couldn't find their way through the defensive wall and created fewer chances than their hosts. Den Bosch came back with counters - Mourad Mghizrat and Patrick Deckers had the best chances to put one away for them. Brett Emerton's shot, which hit the bar, was the best moment for the Rotterdammers. They only started to get into the match at all towards the end of the match and then it was too late.

Feyenoord extend Kalou's contract

28 Sept 2001

Feyenoord and Bonaventure Kalou have finally reached agreement on a new contract for the Ivory Coast wing-striker which will keep him in Rotterdam till 2004. The exact sum of money involved in the new salary and the transfer-fee limiter clause included in the contract are not going to be made public by the club.

Van Gastel fit for Sparta Prague

25 Sept 2001

Jean-Paul van Gastel wil be fit to start for Feyenoord against Sparta Prague tonight after making his return from injury in last week's C-L match against Spartak Moscow. With the extra midfielder the Rotterdammers will start tonight's match  with the same lineup as in Moscow. Van Gastel has had a hard time during the last year, battling (with the support of his teammates) to come back from injury, and is still not 100% match-fit. He could be replaced later on in the match by Leonardo to give the frontline a bit more firepower.

20-man Feyenoord travel to Prague

24 Sept 2001

Feyenoord have travelled with a 20-man strong squad for tomorrow's C-L match against Sparta Prague. Johan Elmander, Shinji Ono and Kees van Wonderen remain in Rotterdam injured. The squad is: Zoetebier, Timmer, Collen, Gyan, Emerton, Van Gobbel, De Haan, Rzasa, Van Haaren, De Visser, Bosvelt, Paauwe, Van Gastel, Tomasson, Kalou, Leonardo dos Santos Van Hooijdonk, Smolarek, Korneev and Leonardo.

Van Gastel back in action for Feyenoord

17 Sept 2001

Jean-Paul Gastel could play his first match this season for Feyenoord tomorrow against Spartak Moscow - it'll be his first C-L match since the Rotterdammers' 0 - 0 draw against Olympique Marseille on March 22nd 2000. The 29 year-old made his reappearance last season after being out of action for a year due to a chronic injury and coach Bert van Marwijk sees him as a necessary ingredient for strengthening his midfield.

Feyenoord beat De Graafschap 2 - 0

15 Sept 2001

Feyenoord line-up: Zoetebier, Rzasa, de Haan, Bosvelt, van Gobbel, Emerton, Tomasson, Paauwe, Kalou, van Hooijdonk and Ono. De Graafschap line-up: Postma, Nok, Berck Beelenkamp, Vreman, Fränkel, Meerdink, van den Brom, van Leerdam, Turpijn, Schulp and van Vossen. FeyenSpartak Moscow this coming day and that's what they got! They also go top of the table again after this simple win against the "SuperBoeren" (Super Farmers) while Edwin Zoetebier remains unpassed in goal after 5 matches played so far! Jon Dahl Tomasson scored ther in the 34th and Pierre van Hooijdonk added a 2nd in the 45th.

Van Wonderen out for two weeks

14 Sept 2001

Kees van Wonderen will be out of action for the coming two weeks - Feyenoord's central defender has injured a tendon in his left knee that's been troubling him for some time and needs rest! He'll miss Sundays match against De Graafschap and Tuesday's Champions League away duel against Spartak Moskow.

Bayern miss Sforza against Feyenoord

11 Sept 2001

Bayern München could be without Ciriaco Sforza in their Champions League meeting with Feynoord in the Kuip tomorrow. The 31 year-old former Grasshoppers, 1.FC Kaiserslautern and Internazionale midfielder has picked up an achilles injury in  the match against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (which Bayern won 2-0) and had to drop out of training yesterday. He looks very doubtful to start tomorrow and will join Stefan Effenberg, Mehmet Scholl and Jens Jeremies on the injured list. He was replaced on Saturday by the young English international Owen Hargreaves who will probably take his place tomorrow.

NEC lose to Feyenoord 0 - 3

08 Sept 2001

NEC lined-up:Gentenaar, Schuurman, Wisgerhof, Hesp, Zonneveld, Simr, Latuheru, Schultz, van Rijswijk, Hristov and Tumba. Feyenoord lined-up: Zoetebier, Emerton, van Wonderen, de Haan, Rzasa, Bosvelt, Tomasson, Paauwe, Kalou, van Hooijdonk and Ono. NEC had an uncomfortable 3 - 1 away defeat at the hands of Willem II to the season but followed it up with a 1 - 0 home win against RKC and a 1 - 1 at de Graafschap. Feyenoord smashed Sparta 5 - 0, stole 3 points with a 0 - 2 at Roda (thanks to P-Air) but ran into Ajax in the Kuip with a 1 - 2 defeat in their last game. Edwin Zoetebier made his debut for the Rotterdammers and Shinji Ono started for the first time as Feyenoord put in an efficient performance. The 'Japanese Wizard' was the provider of the first two goals - Bonaventure Kaloud the score in the 23rd minute from one of his passes and Jon Dahl Tomasson put away a 2nd from an Ono head-on two minutes into the 2nd half, the danish international adding a 3rd (his 6th of the season) in the 87th which should give some extra bargaining power in his negotiations for an improved deal.

The Kuip hosts UEFA Cup Final

08 Sept 2001

Feyenoord's Kuip stadium will be the venue for the 2002 UEFA Cup Final on May 8th - it'll be the 10th time that Rotterdam will host the final match of the tournament. The last time was in 1997 when Barcelona beat Saint Germain  1 - 0.  Dutch clubs have won the trophy twice in the Kuip - Ajax beat Internazionale 2 - 0 in the old European Cup 1 in 1972 (Johan Cruijff scored both goals) and Feyenoord beat Tottenham Hotspur in 1974. The full list of finals in the Kuip is:  European Cup II 15th May 1963:  Tottenham Hotspur - Atlético Madrid 5-1 Europa Cup II 23rd May 1968:  AC Milan - Hamburger SV 2-0 Europa Cup I 31st May 1972:  Ajax - Internazionale 2-0 Europa Cup II 15th May 1974:  Bayern München - Atlético Madrid 1-1 UEFA Cup 29th May 1974:  Feyenoord - Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Europa Cup I 26th May 1982:  Aston Villa - Bayern München 1-0 Europa Cup II 15th May:  Everton - Rapid Wien 3-1 Europa Cup II 15th May 1991:  Manchester United - FC Barcelona 2-1 Europa Cup II 14th May 1997:  FC Barcelona - Paris Saint-Germain 1-0.

Feyenoord interested in Anderlecht's Stoica

06 Sept 2001

Feyenoord are interested in Anderlecht's young Romanian midfielder Alin Stoica. He could be the replacement for Jon Dahl Tomasson whose contract at the Kuip runs out at the end of the season. The Danish international looks to be planning a move to another club and the 21 year-old former Steaua Bucharest player (who was voted Young Player of the Year in Belgium last season) could be his successor!

Liverpool buy Kirkland and Dudek

31 Aug 2001

Liverpool have reached a English-record-for-a-goalkeeper  deal with Coventry City's Chris Kirkland in time to register him for the Champions League! The 20 year-old, who is one of the brightest goalkeeping talents in the UK and was already  linked to Liverpool, passed his medical for "The Reds" who were in real hurry to meet that C-L deadline! In a surprise move they've also gone through with the deal which brings Jurek Dudek to Anfield - the blood which was rushed to Liverpool from Poland was fine, finally removing that last-doubt-in-their minds. This latest development ends a dramatic day which also had Edwin Zoetebier wondering whether or not he was going to make his move from Vitesse to Feyenoord. Sander Westerveld will not be amused either - the Dutch keeper extended his contract with Liverpoool till 2005 earlier this year, despite a threat by the club to buy Kirkland at the time, but has been under pressure during recent weeks and his recent blunder in the match at Bolton won't have helped his case - his time at 'The Reds"is undoubtedly over-and-out!

Dudek Liverpool move off, Zoetebier's too!!

31 Aug 2001

Liverpool have called off the transfer of Feyenoord's Polish goalie Jurek Dudek after a medical report came up with a problem which is sufficient for them to call off the deal! They don't have the time to put the keeper through another medical which leaves three disappointed keepers! Dudek because his wish (to play in England hasn't come true again -  his move to Arsenal also fell through) Edwin Zoetebier (because he won't get to play for Feyenoord) and Sander Westerveld (who was going to be replaced by Dudek at Liverpool and looked set for a departure) - how will he be feeling?.

Dudek delay holds up Zoetebier move

31 Aug 2001

Liverpool's club physician has sent back the results of Jurek Dudek's medical examination in Warsaw, where he's training with the Polish national team, to England for further analysis. Something is worrying him enough, specifically a scan that's been made, to have it checked at the last minute before the transfer of Feyenoord's goalie actually goes through. Speed is of the essence because the keeper has to be registered for the Champions League by 17.00 this afternoon and he also has to obtain a work permit because he's non-EU citizen. The delay is also holding up Edwin Zoetebier's imminent move from Vitesse to Feyenoord - the Rotterdammers will be able to pull out of the deal if Dudek's move to Liverpool falls through!

Trabelsi tackle injures Smolarek

31 Aug 2001

Hatem Trabelsi's tackle on Ebi Smolarek during last Sunday's clash between Feyenoord and Ajax has left the Polish 20 year-old with a knee injury which will keep him out of action for the next two weeks.

Zoetebier signs for Feyenoord

30 Aug 2001

Vitesse's Edwin Zoetebier has signed a contract for 4 years with Feyenoord and becomes the successor to Jurek Dudek, who has moved to Liverpool. The former Volendam keeper played for the Rotterdammers as reserve goalie but moved, out of frustration at never becoming no.1 choice in the Kuip, to Arnhem last year. Zoetebier understands well why Feyenoord's 1st choice was NAC's Babos  - the Hungarian is still only 27 compare to the Dutchman's 32 years.

Dudek signs for Liverpool

30 Aug 2001

Feyenoord's Polish goalie Jurek Dudek has seen his wish come true and will be moving to England to play for English Premier League side Liverpool. The two clubs finally reached agreement on a fee of €7.71 million Euros - Feyenoord originally wanted €10.44 while Liverpool were only offering €6.44 million. It's a happy ending for the top goalie who was left at the 'altar -of-contracts' by Arsenal earlier this year in a dispute between 'The Gunners' and Feyenoord over the transfer fee. For a while it looked as though he'd experience the same fate with Liverpool! It leaves Liverpool's current no.1 goalie Sander Westerveld wondering what his next move will be!

Feyenoord want Zoetebier

29 Aug 2001

Feyenoord and Liverpool seem to be getting close to sealing the deal which should see Jurek Dudek's departure for the UEFA Cup winners. Both parties are close to agreement over the price (in the region of €9 million Euros) and an announcement is expected today. Meanwhile, after a failed approach to NAC for Gŕbor Babos, the Rotterdammers haved talks with Vitesse who are prepared to sell Edwin Zoetebier back to his former club. Zoetebier was, during 3 years he spent in Rotterdam, the no.2 choice in the Kuip before moving to Arnhem last year for €450,00 Euros.

Feyenoord lose interest in NAC's Babos

29 Aug 2001

Feyenoord have lost interest in NAC's goalie Gŕbor Babos. NAC (who were asking €4.54 million Euros) wanted to include Brazilian Tininho as part of the deal but the Rotterdammers are not interested in a part-exchange involving the defender which would make Babos too expensive for them.

Feyenoord and Excelsior swap keepers

29 Aug 2001

Feyenoord and 'sister' club Excelsior are exchanging goal-keepers. Carlo L'Ami is moving to the Kuip (where he'll become the club's third-choice) while Polish keeper Zbigniew Malkowski is moving in the opposite direction and should see plenty of match action with the Eerste Divisie side (something he's not getting with Feyenoord).

Bayern miss Effenberg against Feyenoord

29 Aug 2001

Bayern München will face Feyenoord in the Kuip without Stefan Effenberg - the midfielder injured himself in a friendly against Austria Wien in July and won't be fit in time to make the September Champions League match in Rotterdam.

Dudek move to Liverpool off?

28 Aug 2001

According to Feyenoord's website Liverpool have still not made an official bid for Polish international goalie Jurek Dudek  - there's only been an unacceptable offer made by a middle-man. It leaves Dudek, Sander Westerveld, 'me, myself and I' waiting to discover whether there was any real truth to the story or if it's another example of the 'transfer game'! The offer is believed to be the same official/unofficial (can you tell the difference?) bid made several weeks ago and remains far too low for Feyenoord to accept (chairman Van den Herik says Twente are asking more for Sander Boschker!) - €6.44 million Euros compared to the Rotterdammers asking price of €10.89 million Euros! Where exactly the figure of €9 million  Euros in yesterday's story came from is a mystery at the moment (any ideas?)! Will Dudek be left once more at the "altar of contracts' - watch this space for the next episode of the soap!

Liverpool want Dudek a.s.a.p.

27 Aug 2001

Liverpool are prepared to pay Feyenoord €9 million Euros for Polish international Jurek Dudek and want to seal the deal as quickly as possible - they have to register him by the end of August if he's to play for them in the Champions League! The keeper was left waiting at the 'altar-of-contracts' by Arsenal earlier this year but now looks set to join the UEFA Cup (and European SuperCup) winners where he can expect to sign a contract for 5 years. His replacement in the Kuip is already lined up - the Rotterdammers are expected to pay NAC €4 million Euros for their Hungarian goalkeeping talent Gabor Babos! You may well ask what Liverpool want with Dudek when they already have a top class goalie in Dutchman Sander Westerveld (who's helped them win the FA Cup, the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the SuperCup in the last year!!!) and Oranje's reserve keeper is undoubtedly asking himself the same question!!??!!

Ajax win Kuip duel 1 - 2 against Feyenoord

26 Aug 2001

51, 000 spectators crammed in to the packed-to-the-gills Kuip Stadium on this hot and sultry Sunday afternoon to witness a classic duel that helps keep alive the traditional enmity between the two largest of Holland's cities. Ajax started with the same line-up who beat Celtic in Glasgow on Wednesday and, although a week ago everyone was sure Feyenoord would dominate, the Amsterdammers outclassed a stale looking Feyenoord during the 1st half in a similar fashion to the way they did against the Scottish Champions, effectively neutralizing them individually and as a team. Pierre van Hooijdonk had the first chance that came along but his effort went wide. Ajax controlled the game from midfield, Wamberto again proving himself very effective in the centre behind Machlas and Arveladze while Feyenoord's strikers (Van Hooijdonk and Tomasson) and wingers (Kalou and Leonardo) constantly ran into the impenetrable 'Berlin Wall' of Ajax's defence. Kalou was replaced by 'Japanese wizard' Shinji Ono in the 2nd half and things started to happen for the Rotterdammers - the midfield wonder created several chances which should have been gratefully snapped up and put away - but it wasn't happening up front for the Rotterdammers, P-Air and Tomasson simply weren't on target today. A great run by another of Ajax's summer-signings, Tunisian defender Trabelsi, ended in a back pass to Zlatan Ibrahimovich who tapped in his first Ere Divisie goal for the Amsterdammers in the 64th minute. Ajax were reduced to 10 men when Trabelsi, (unjustly) got sent off for picking up his second yellow card but Feyenoord couldn't find any profit in their advantage. 'Zlatan' sent Rafael van der Vaart off on a spectacular solo which he rounded off by slotting away the 2nd in the 82nd. Danish international Tomasson finally snatched one back on the rebound in injury time for Feyenoord as a last minute consolation. A deserved win for Ajax  which leaves them the club with the least goals scored against them of all the Ere Divisie sides so far this season.

Feyenoord miss Van Haaren against Ajax

25 Aug 2001

Feyenoord will miss new signing Raymond van Haaren against Ajax on Sunday. The left-back joined the Rotterdammers from Roda this summer but has been suffering from a chronic ankle injury which prevented him from playing against Roda and Sparta. He's been temporarily replaced by Tomasz Rzasa.

Tomasson says "where's my new offer?"

21 Aug 2001

Jon Dahl Tomasson has expressed surprise that he's still waiting to receive an offer to renew his contract with Feyenoord. The Danish striker, who's contract free at the end of this season, is beginning to wonder if the club have the money to offer him an improved contract. In any case he's ecstatic at havingd his season with a hatrick in front of a capacity crowd in the Kuip as the Rotterdammers won the derby against Sparta 5 - 0. His teammate, Swedish striker Johan Elmander, is a real, unhappy man - he was left out of the lineup and had to watch the match from the stands!

Feyenoord win derby 5 - 0 against Sparta

19 Aug 2001

Feyenoord got off to a better start than PSV did yesterday with goals by Jon Dahl Tomasson ( blasted in from close ra nge after P-Air headed it on to him) in the 10th and a 2nd by Australian midfielder Brett Emerton in the 22nd from a Patrick Pauuwe corner. Sparta had problems in defence but were still able to threaten goal from time to time through Michel Langerak and Reggie Blinker. Pierre van Hooijdonk had the chance to seal the match in the 29th and must have been surprised to see goalie Kooijman save his penalty.  Sparta came out sharper after the break but it was Paul Bosvelt who celebrated his return, from two seperate injuries that have kept him out of action for much of the last few months, receiving a Tomasson pass to slam home the ball in the 55th minute to take the tally to three. The match threatened to fizzle out until Shinji Ono was brought in! The 'Japanese wonder' was instrumental in Tomasson's 2nd and 3rd goals of the afternoon, helping him to his hattrick in the 87th and 90th minutes.

Feyenoord's Laybutt off to SFK Lyn

08 Aug 2001

Feyenoord are lending defender Steve Laybutt to Norwegian side SFK Lyn until November. The Rotterdammers have been cooperating with the Oslo club for whom the 23 year-old Australian could be making his debut against Stabćk IF tomorrow. He has little chance of getting 1st team action in the Kuip and was lent out to RBC Roosendaal last season for the same reason but, due to a series of injuries, only managed to play 3 matches for them.

Feyenoord's Van Haaren injured

18 Aug 2001

Feyenoord's Ramon van Haaren is injured yet again and will miss Sunday'sng match of the new season against Sparta. The left-back recently joined the Rotterdammers from Roda and has only just recovered from twisting his ankle. He's managed to repeat the injury in Friday's training session and will now be out of action for another couple of weeks again!

Bosvelt returns against Sparta

17 Aug 2001

Paul Bosvelt will make his reappearance for Feyenoord in the first match of the new season against Sparta on Sunday. He broke his cheekbone 5 weeks ago in training after missing a large part of last season due to another injury. He's been able to make a speedy recovery with the aid of a special mask which afforded him enough protection to be able to return to training and play some friendlies. His physician has now given him the thumbs-up although it will take some time for him to get used to the fact that he can take risks again during duels.

Feyenoord hire AZ's Timmer

17 Aug 2001

Feyenoord have hired AZ's Henk Timmer for one season as a replacement for the injured Ronald Graafland - they also have the 23 year-old Polish keeper Zbigniew Malkowski but he lacks the experience that Timmer does have. The Rotterdamers were negotiating with Newcastle United's John Karelse but talks broke down over the dreaded money issue. They had to act quick, sign and enrole Timmer officially in the squad so that he can be called on for their up-coming Champions League matches. Fortunately for them he'd just been told by AZ's trainer Henk van Stee that Oscar Moens was taking over as no.1 choice in Alkmaar, so the move was relatively painless!?!

Feyenoord to buy Newcastle's Karelse?

15 Aug 2001

Feyenoord are poised to sign Newcastle's 3rd choice goalie John  Karelse in an effort to fill the gap left by the injured Ronald Graafland. The Dutchman was brought to Tyneside by Ruud Gullit in 1999 but has not seen much action under Bobby Robson (who can choose between Shay Given and Steve Harper  for goalkeeping duties). It's understood that Robson will not stand in his way if Feyenoord make an offer.

Carlo l'Ami returns to Excelsior

10 Aug 2001

Feyenoord have returned Carlo l'Ami to sister club Excelsior. The experienced 35 year-old had been lent out because Ronald Graafland at the Kuip was injured, but the First Division side have their own injury problems now with John Feskens and Michel Kruijer both out of action.

Van den Herik commissioner Ere Divisie NV

09 Aug 2001

Feyenoord chairman Jorien van den Herik has been appointed as a commissioner of Ere Divisie NV (the organisation looking after the interests of Premier Division clubs). He's returned at the request of Vitesse, Ajax and PSV (to represent them and his own club Feyenoord of course) after he resigned from the post two years ago because he felt he was sometimes fighting for proposals in his function as commissioner which were detrimental to Feyennord's interests. The situation will undoubtedly arise again in the future but he feels there is less chance now that there is a board of directors running the organisation and the comissioner's job now entails more of a regulatory role. Feyenoord will continue to reserve the right to unilaterally negotiate any televison contracts which become available in the future.

Feyenoord deny interest in Japanese player

09 Aug 2001

Feyenoord were rumoured to be looking at buying another Japanese player - this time it's Toshihiro Hattori from Júbilo Iwata who's supposed to be on their shopping list but Feyenoord have denied the story - it's the latest Japanese player that's been linked to the Rotterdammers!

Feyenoord test Brazilian trio

08 Aug 2001

Feyenoord have given a trial to three Brazilian players as part of their cooperation pact with América Belo Horizonte. The 16 year-old inside-left Henrique de Andrade Silva (Under 16s), 19 year-old inside-right Oseias Jales dos Santos (Under 23s) and 17 year-old centre-half Rafael Pires Cassemiro (Under 18s) are the lucky guys who will be on trial with the Rotterdammers' various youth squads until November 1st.

Collen misses start to season

08 Aug 2001

Feyenoord's Pieter Collen has broken his toe during the friendly against Voorschoten'97 and will be in plaster for the next two weeks. The 20 year-old defender only joined the club from NEC this summer and now looks certain to miss the start of the season.

Feyenoord win friendly 0 - 10

07 Aug 2001

Feyenoord won their friendly against amateurs Voorschoten'97 0 - 10 with two goals from Elmander, Tomasson and Van Hooijdonk while Smolarek, Paauwe, Leonardo I and Bosvelt all got one-a-piece. It was Bosvelt's first match in months after first having an problem with one of his legs which needed serious hospital treatment and then breaking a cheekbone in a clash with Ferry de Haan during the pre-season warmups.

Feyenoord lose friendly to Benfica 2 - 1

03 Aug 2001

Feyenoord have lost their friendly against Pierre van Hooijdonk's former club Benfica 2 - 1. The Rotterdammers were powerless in the early part of the match in the face of the Portugese side's attacks. In particular their new Angolan striker Mantorras was unstoppable and it was only fair that hed the score for the home team. Jon Dahl Tomasson headed in from a Brett Emerton freekick just before the break to even the score. Benfica got a penalty early in the 2nd half but Dudek came up with a great save to make up for his misdemeanour (he was the cause of the spot-shot)! Feyenoord showed much more initiative from then on but it was Benfica who remained more threatening, the Rotterdammers coming close only once to scoring through Tomasson. Jean-Paul van Gastel (his first appearance after a long spell on the injured list) substituted for Pieter Collen halfway through the 2nd half and, after Mantorras scored a 2nd and winning goal, Leonardo and Shinji Ono were brought on but it didn't alter the final score!

Van Gobbel misses Benfica match

02 Aug 2001

Feyenoord will play Portugese side Benfica in a friendly today without the help of defender Ulrich van Gobbel. He tore a groin muscle in training and will be working on regaining his fitness together with his injured comrades Igor Korneev, Paul Bosvelt (broken cheekbone) and Ramon van Haaren (groin injury).

Dudek turns down Spurs offer

01 Aug 2001

It appears that Feyenoord's goalie Jurek Dudek has turned down an offer to sign for Tottenham Hotspur. It was rumoured that the London club were interested in signing him after the move to Arsenal fell through but the Polish international is definitely not interested in a move to a club who are not playing European football. His agent Jan de Zeuuw has said that money is not Dudek's primary interest but rather the sporting achievements of any prospective employer. There are still other interested clubs who are talking to De Zeeuw so we could still be seeing a transfer soon!

Feyenoord win friendly against Southampton

30 July 2001

Feyenoord have won their first serious friendly against Southampton 1 - 0 in the Kuip.The Rotterdammers were still without Jean-Paul van Gastel, Paul Bosvelt and Ramon van Haaren (all injured) but Pieter Collen made his debut at right-back while Shinji Ono and Leonardo II made 2nd half appearances. Pierre van Hooijdonk didn't score in this match but was instrumental in providing Ebi Smolarek with the opportunity to score the match-winner in the 1st half.

Feyenoord test young German goalie

28 July 2001

Feyenoord have invited 18 year-old Philip Heerwagen for a  trial to try and solve the problem created by the absence of Jurek Dudek and Ronald Graafland, keepers no.1 and 2 in the Kuip. The youngster was playing for Bayern München's youth team last season and now has a chance to impress the Rotterdammers' technical staff and  earn himself a contract in the process. Feyenoord have Excelsior's Carlo L'Ami on loan at the moment but it has always been the intention that he return to the other side of town a.s.a.p.!

Feyenoord debut for Shinji Ono

25 July 2001

Feyenoord's new Japanese signing Shinji Ono made his debut for the club last night after signing a contract for 5 years earlier in the day. He played his last match for Urawa Red Diamonds last Saturday and had his first training with his new club yesterday afternoon before making a brief 2nd half appearance in their 7 - 0 win against amateurs ASWH.

René van Dieren on loan to Fortuna

23 July 2001

Feyenoord's René van Dieren is almost certainly on his way to Fortuna. The youth international has been with the Rotterdammers for the last 3 years and played in 5 matches for them (making his debut for them against NEC on May 16th 1999). He'd earlier refused to be lent out to Excelsior, preferring a spell wiith a Premier Division club. Limited financial resources has forced the Sittardians to strengthen their squad with hired players and they are apparently considering the hire of another Feyenoorder.

Spurs poised to bid for Dudek?

21 July 2001

After being left waiting at the 'altar of transfers' by Arsenal it now seems as if another London Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur, are poised to make a bid for Feyenoord's jilted Polish keeper Jurek Dudek. His agent Jan de Zeeuw is remaining tight-lipped about the possibility of a Spurs bid but has confirmed that he is talking to someone. It could be because the White Hart Lane club have almost reached the limit of non-EU players they can have in their squad and are also currently negotiating the signing of another non-EU player (Milan's Argentine international defender Chamot) which could rule out the possibility of Feyenoord's keeper moving to the Spurs. If the deal falls through (it's a question of whether or not Chamot has an Italian passport or not) then Dudek could well be in with a chance. The next few days will reveal whether there is going to be any real substance to this particular story!

Said Boutahar says no to Excelsior move

19 July 2001

Feyenoord's Said Boutahar has declined to play for 'sister' club Excelsior, preferring to remain in the club's reserves. He hopes that he will get a chance to turn out for the 1st team in the Kuip next season. Robin van Persie, on the other hand, has decided that he will play for the First Division team while, of the four talented youngsters who played for Holland's Under 19s in Argentina recently, only Glenn Loovens has been promoted to the 1st team squad while René van Dieren is probably off to Fortuna Sittard and Civard Sprockel will be part of the reserve squad.

Feyenoord say no to Ajax's artificial grass

19 July 2001

Feyenoord have refused to play, for the time being at least, on Ajax's proposed artificial grass surface. The Ducth FA had said that the Amsterdammers could lay an artificial surface if no other Dutch clubs objected before August 18th. The Rotterdammers' objection is that it would give their rivals an unfair advantage. Although they have no plans themselves to make use of artificial grass in the Rotterdam Kuip stadium, Feyenoord are following the development of the new surface with a view to using it in Ghana, where it could prove ideal for their academy for young footballers.

Feyenoord borrow Excelsior's Carlo L'Ami

18 July 2001

Feyenoord have borrowed goalie Carlo L'Ami (who often trains with the squad) from 'sister' club Excelsior for a couple of months as both their own keepers, Jurek Dudek and Ronald Graafland, are injured. Excelsior will miss him (he's their 1st choice) while Feyenoord's trainer Bert van Marwijk wants to have three goalies to choose from for the coming friendlies.

Three for P-Air in Feyenoord debut

17 July 2001

Pierre van Hooijdonk made a 2nd half appearance and scored a hattrick in his debut for Feyenoord in their 0 - 11 win in a friendly against NSC. Smolarek also got hattrick, Tomasson and Elmander got two and Kalou got one.

Mayor asks Feyenoord to leave out P-Air

16 July 2001

Burgemeester (mayor) Vries of Nijkerk has asked Feyenoord not to field new signing Pierre van Hooijdonk in today's friendly against NSC. He's afraid that there will be so many people who want to see the Dutch striker (just signed from Benfica) that the police will not be able to cope! The sale of circa. 7,000 tickets for a ground which can only hold 2,500 - 3,000 may well be giving him good reason to be worried!

Bosvelt operated on broken cheekbone

14 July 2001

Paul Bosvelt has been operated on successfully for the broken cheekbone he picked up in a clash with Ferry de Haan during training last Monday. A small metal plate has been used to speed the healing process, he's now gone to home to recuperate and should be back in action before long.

Champions League final 2003 in the Kuip?

12 July 2001

The Rotterdam Kuip stadium (home to Feyenoord) has applied to UEFA to host the final of the Champions League in 2003 with the full backing of the City Council and the KNVB. The last time it hosted a European final was the European Cup 1 final in 1982 when Aston Villa beat FC Bayern München 1 - 0.

Pierre van Hooijdonk signs for Feyenoord

11 July 2001

After recently being dumped by Benfica, Pierre van Hooijdonk has signed a contract for two years, including an option for a third, with Feyenoord. The Dutch international is happy to be returning to Holland after a season full of off-pitch wrangling with Benfica over money due him from his transfer from Vitesse last year and bonusses still owed him by the Portugese side. His agent Rob Jansen has been dealing with the loose ends of the transfer in Lisabon during the last few days and P-Air will be reporting for duty at the Kuip, and the obligatory medical, before joining the squad in training at Doorwerth.  Despite being regarded by many here in Holland, and abroad, as a striker who can't quite be reckoned as a real topper, P-Air has scored 238 goals in 382 matches for RBC, NAC, Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Vitesse and Benfica (he's scored 16 goals in 30 games for them). As an international he's more than proved his worth for Oranje with 9 goals in 24 matches, and in 23 he appeared only as a substitute! It seems as if Feyenoord have a real goal scoring machine for the first time since the legendary Ove Kindvall. He has a reputation for not bowing to authority - he went on strike at Nottingham Forest before moving to Vitesse and is said to be unpopular with Oranje coach Louis van Gaal due to an 'irreverent' attitude (he's well known for pranks, jokes and 'blowing raspberries' at authority).

Feyenoord win friendly

11 July 2001

The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and all Premier Division sides won their matches:Feyenoord beat Alphense Boys 0 - 10 including goals by Elmander, De Visser (3), Leonardo, Korneev and Tininho.

Dudek reports for duty at the Kuip

10 July 2001

The goalie who was 'jilted at the altar of contracts', Jurek Dudek, has returned from his holiday in Poland and reported back for duty with Feyenoord. Arsenal and Feyenoord are still supposed to be holding talks to clear up the bad feelings left after the messy transfer negotiations (which should have led to Dudek's departure for "The Gunners") finally ground to a halt when the London club bought Richard Wright from Ipswich. Some kind of financial compensation may be on offer (and is expected by the Rotterdammers) to heal the wounds!

Bosvelt injured again

10 July 2001

It's just not Feyenoord's Paul Bosvelt year as far as injury is concerned - he was elbowed in the face, resulting in a broken cheekbone, in an aerial clash with Ferry de Haan during training. He'll be out of action for at least a month after already missing the end of last season with a foot injury!

David Connolly signs for Wimbledon?

07 July 2001

The Irish international and ex-Feyenoorder David Connolly (who was persona non grata in Rotterdam after asking for too much money), had only just signed for AZ a couple of days ago (apparently a verbal agreement) but has not shown up for his presentation and first training, deserting them in favour of a new 'signing' with Wimbledon (no he's not joining the Wombles!). There's already an interview with Connolly on the English club's web site announcing his arrival as replacement for the team's recently departed striker. He faces legal action by AZ who will try to prove that the verbal agreement made with the striker is a binding one. See our earlier stories!!

Feyenoord refuse new TV deal

07 July 2001

Feyenoord have made it clear that they are unhappy with the terms of the recent agreement made with Dutch public broadcaster the "NOS" and satellite TV company Canal Plus for the rights to show matches and highlights next season. The Rotterdammers have always been of the opinion that they have the right to negotiate as a club for any broadcast rights before the Ere Divisie NV takes over as representative of all the clubs in Holland's Premier Division. The wrangling over this thorny topic looks as if it will continue to drag on -  Canal Plus have made it clear that there is still an existing contract for one more season with the Ere Divisie clubs and the NOS want to know precisely what Feyenoord's objections are so that discussions can begin a.s.a.p.

Shinji Ono signs for Feyenoord

06 July 2001

The Japanese international Shinji Ono has been given permission by his current club Urawa Red Diamonds to sign for Feyenoord after both clubs agreed terms yesterday. The 21 year-old  (already nicknamed Yoko by his new teammates) had already agreed personal terms with his new club (a deal for 5 years) and only has to pass the obligatory medical before starting work. The midfielder was on the shopping list of several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and even Ajax. He flies in from Japan on July 24th to be presented to the Kuip fans at the club'sDay on the following day.

Dudek move to Arsenal definitely off

06 July 2001

Jurek Dudek will not be moving to Arsenal now that "The Gunners" have gone ahead with the signing of Ipswich Town's Richard Wright. Feyenoord chairman Jorien van der Herik is not amused by the London club's behaviour - after the Londoners had agreed terms with Dudek weeks ago (without asking permission) they've kept the Rotterdammers in suspense, claiming that the fee asked was too high. We reported earlier that there were supposed to be talks next week to discuss the impasse but that seems now to have been disinformation. The appointment was supposedly to talk about a possible signing of Australian Brett Emerton (we reported earlier that he was rumoured to have signed for Leeds United but it's obviously untrue - don't you get tired of all the disinformation in the press?!). He's not for sale though and Arsenal seem to have used up all their goodwill at Feyenoord with all the shenanigans of recent weeks.

Feyenoord and Arsenal discuss Dudek

05 July 2001

Feyenoord and Arsenal are to have serious discussions about the possible transfer of goalkeeper Jurek Dudek to "The Gunners". The two clubs have never actually entered into negotiations, in fact the deal looked to have fallen through, despite the fact that the Polish international agreed terms with the London club in May! That will all change, according to Feyenoord's chairman Jorien van den Herik, next week when the two sides get together.

Feyenoord and Excelsior exchange keepers

04 July 2001

Feyenoord and their sister club Excelsior have engaged in a bit of keeper swapping - Cor Varkevisser moves from the Kuip to Woudenstein stadium and Ronald Graafland moves in the opposite direction. 19 year-old Varkevisser was no.3 choice after Jurek Dudek and Zbigniew Malkowski (and ready for the next step up the goalkeeping ladder) while Graafland was supposed to take over as no.1 goalie for Excelsior but, plagued by injury last season, was unable to replace 1st choice Carlo l'Ami and is now in need of regaining match rhythm.

Pierre van Hooijdonk talks to Feyenoord?

04 July 2001

The Dutch daily newspaper "Algemeen Dagblad" has reported that talks between Pierre van Hooijdonk and Feyenoord are in an advanced stage and could lead to a contract for several years. Benfica are in financial problems and would like to sell the striker - he'd been offered to Galasatary in part exchange for Jardel earlier this season. The former RBC, NAC, Celtic, Nottingham Forest, Vitesse and Benfica player is well known for his goal scoring abilities with 238 goals in 382 matches.

Connolly and Feyenoord part

04 July 2001

David Connolly and Feyenoord are to go their seperate ways after negotiations over a new contract failed to deliver a result both parties could live with. The Rotterdammers think the Irish international's wage demands and have tired of comments made by the striker in the press. Plus the possible arrival of P-Air van Hooijdonk might have something to do with it!?

Connolly renews contract negotiations

01 July 2001

The Irish international striker David Connolly has re-d negotiations with his club Feyenoord (his contract ran out at the beginning of June) to see if they can't agree terms on a new contract. He'd turned down an earlier offer in Rotterdam before looking elsewhere - a planned move to AZ ended unsuccessfully in a disagreement over wages. The 24 year-old was for several seasons the highest paid player in Holland but will now have to accept a less lucrative contract if he's to continue playing in Rotterdam.

Brett Emerton signs for Leeds United??

30 June 2001

The Feyenoord and Australian international Brett Emerton has been making a really confident and positive impression lately, scoring 3 goals in his country's last two qualifying matches for the World Cup in Korea. The English newspaper "The Daily Mirror" is reporting that the 21 year-old has been snapped up by English Premier League side Leeds United for €10 million Euros, beating rivals Liverpool who had seen their offer of €8 million Euros turned down.

Dudek transfer to Arsenal off?

21 June 2001

The transfer of Feyenoord's Polish international goalkeeper Jurek Dudek to Arsenal looks to have failed as the clubs have not been able to agree on the price. The Rotterdammers wanted €16,39 million Euros but "The Gunners" were unwilling to meet the price and the London club have now offered Ipswich Town  €7,94 for their goalie Richard Wright. Whether or not a new bid will be made by another club remains to be seen  - Barcelona were linked to the Feyenoord goalie earlier this year, so who knows?

NEC sign Feyenoord's Jarda Simr

16 June 2001

NEC have signed Feyenoord's Jarda Simr on a contract for 4 years. The 22 year-old attacking midfielder has been on loan to satellite club Excelsior last season where he made a good impression (scoring 18 goals in total).

Pieter Collen signs for Feyenoord

16 June 2001

Feyenoord have added wing-back Pieter Collen to their squad to strengthen their defensive backline. The 21 year-old came to play in Holland in 1999 from AA Gent but didn't make enough of an impression at Vitesse to get a regular 1st team place. He was first lent, and later sold, to NEC where things went better for him (he scored twice in 42 matches) and has signed for 5 years with the Rotterdammers where he'll compete with Christian Gyan for a place in the team.

Feyenoord to sign Japanese star Shinji Ono

12 June 2001

Feyenoord have agreed personal terms with the star of the Japanese national team, Shinji Ono, and signed a contract for 4 years with an option for a 5th. The 21 year-old midfielder had been on trial with the club earlier this year but the Rotterdammers neglected at the time to snap him up. His market value has been boosted by his performance during the recent Confederation Cup and the Rotterdammers will undoubtedly have to dig deeper into their pockets to secure his services. All that remains now is for Feyenoord and Urawa Red Diamonds to decide what that price will be!!

Feyenoord to sign Roda's Van Haaren

07 June 2001

Feyenoord and Roda have agreed terms regarding the transfer of defender Ramon van Haaren. The 28 year-old has yet to agree his personal terms with the Rotterdammers and will have to compete with Tomasz Rzasa and Tininho for the left back position.