Roda trial for Donovan Maury

13 July 2002

Donovan Maury has been offered a trial with Roda JC and will be wearing their colours in a friendly against amateurs SVA. The 21 year-old central defender is being lined up as a possible replacement for Regillio Vrede who is on the point of signing for Shakhtar Donesk. Maury, who started his professional career with Belgian club Standard Luik, was under contract to Italian side Perugia last season but hardly saw any action there.

Roda's Tchoutang off to Shakhtar Donesk?

10 July 2002

Roda look likely to sell two of their players to Shakhtar Donesk. Defender Regilio Vrede is already close to signing a deal with the Ukrainian club and Bernard Tchoutang is also on the point of signing a deal with the same club. The Cameroon striker has been told there's no room for him at the Kerkrade side. Roda and Shakhtar Donesk have agreed terms for both players and, if the deal goes through, the Limburgers will be aiming to add Yuri Nikiforov to the squad as the Russian is able to leave PSV transfer-free! Meanwhile, the 19 year-old French striker Christian Yulu has been unable to convince Roda-trainer Wiljan Vloet of his talents and will be returning to Rennes.

Van der Luer signs for Alemannia Aachen

09 July 2002

Eric van der Luer (or 'Mr. Roda' as he's affectionately known) is leaving Kerkrade after signing a deal for one year with German Bundesliga 2nd division side Alemannia Aachen. Van der Luer has played for Roda since the 1986-1987 season. Roda have announced that they will take leave of the veteran in an appropriate manner at the beginning of the new season.

Shakthar Donetsk want Vrede

09 July 2002

Roda JC and Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk have agreed terms which should lead to the transfer of Regillio Vrede. According to a report in Dutch provincial newspaper "Limburgs Dagblad" Vrede will be travelling to the Ukraine in the course of this week to check out the situation at the club. Shakhtar have ambitious plans for their Champions League adventure after last season breaking the dominant position of Dynamo Kiev in the domestic league. The addition of Nigerian Julius Aghahowa has given them a striker to be feared and they've also recently added two Brazilian players, defender Damian Rodrigues and forward Brandao who came from, respectively, Nacional Montevideo in Uruguay and Brazilian side São Caetano. Since January they're being coached by Italian trainer Nevio Scala, who previously looked after Parma, Perugia, Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas. Vrede remains under contract with Roda till 2003 but had been close to signing for Greek side AEK Athene. The move fell through when the AEK signed Costa Rican player Mauricio Wright.

Brazilian duo score as Roda win friendly

07 July 2002

Roda's new Brazilian duo Sergio and Cristiano, who were prized away from NAC after much effort, made an immediate impact in the Kerkrade Crew's 6-0 win against local amateurs Groene Ster. Sergio scored twice and Cristiano once.

Roda trial for French player

05 July 2002

Roda JC have started their preparations for next season with the appearance of several new players:  Vladan Kujovic (Eendracht Aalst), Alain Van Mieghem (GB Antwerpen), Jordy Reneerkens (PSV) plus Sergio and Cristiano from NAC. Another new face was 19 year-old French striker Christian Yulu who's on trial from French side Rennes. It was also the first training session for the Kerkrade side's new coach Wiljan Vloet. He wants to cut the squad down to 22 players which means 6 will have to go and the players have been forbidden to talk to the press in order to maintain discipline within the ranks after Mark Nygaard, Gabor Torma and Bernard Tchoutang were all told yesterday that there's no future for them in Kerkrade. There are imminent departures for Garba Lawal (most likely to Levski Sofia), Dave Zafarin (De Graafschap), Zeljko Kalac (Perugia), Igor Tomasic (Racing Genk), Paolo Ramora (return to Italy) and 'Mister Roda' himself, Eric van der Luer. 36 year-old midfielder Van der Luer has already turned down an offer to play for VVV, is currently talking to Alemannia Aachen about a possible move and could also be offered a commercial job at Roda. In the meantime, central defender Regillio Vrede is still talking to AEK Athene about his move.  Roda have also denied reports that they are interested in Stoke City's former Newcastle United and Racing Genk midfielder, 23 year-old Icelander Bjarni Gudjonsson.

Roda sign Alain van Mieghem

28 Jun 2002

Roda JC have signed 20 year-old Belgian midfielder Alain van Mieghem who's signed up for two years with an option for two more. Van Mieghem comes from Ajax's Belgian satellite club Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen.

Roda sign PSV's Jordy Reneerkens

26 Jun 2002

Roda JC have signed PSV's Jordy Reneerkens on a contract for 4 years. The 18 year-old forward thinks he'll have more chance of playing in Kerkrade than in Eindhoven where he's been since he was 10 years old, and where there is much more competition. Roda also hope to sign Alain van Mieghem this week after agreeing terms with his current club Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen. The player himself has still to negotiate his own terms for the move to Limburg.

AEK Athene want Roda's Regilio Vrede

24 Jun 2002

Roda's Regilio Vrede is currently being targeted by Greek side AEK Athene who hope to agree terms with the Kerkrade club tomorrow. The tall defender, who's under contract with Roda till 2003, has reacted coolly to the news and awaits the outcome of tomorrow's meeting. His relationship with the club, and technical director Nols Hendriks in particular, deteriorated in the course of last season and he wants to leave the club. Vrede asked for a transfer after Hendriks called him a 'rotten apple' prior to the team's UEFA Cup match against AC Milan!

RKC's Brands denies Roda move

18 Jun 2002

Marcel Brands has issued a statement denying the stories that he's moving to work for Roda JC and making clear his intention to stay on as RKC's technical director. Brands held talks with the Kerkrade side last week as Roda wanted him to take over from Nol Hendriks. Dutch provincial newspaper "Het Brabants Dagblad" claims that, despite his denial, Brands will be moving after all and that the Waalwijkers, who are in negotiations with a new sponsor, do not need this kind of publicity at the moment.

Brands to succeed Hendriks at Roda

16 Jun 2002

Marcel Brands is being lined up to take over from Nol Hendriks as Roda's technical manager. The Kerkrade side's "sugar daddy" has been looking around for a suitable candidate to succeed him for some time now after deciding to take a less prominent role at the club. Earlier talks with Fred van der Hoorn came to nothing and Hendriks sees Brandts as the current best contender.

Lille want Roda's Bernard Tchoutang

10 Jun 2002

Lille OSC are reportedly interested in signing Roda's Bernard Tchoutang. The Cameroon striker has been given a ticket out of Kerkrade and has attracted the interest of several Russian clubs, including Torpedo Moscow,

RBC want Van der Luer

27 May 2002

RBC Roosendaal are interested in signing Roda veteran Eric van der Luer. The newly promoted club had already expressed a desire to add the 36 year-old midfielder to their squad on condition that they gained promotion. The former MVV and FC Assent player's contract with Roda runs out on July 1st and, although he'd been offered a job with the Kerkrade club's commercial staff, he would prefer to carry on playing for one more year. So far he's also being targeted by VVV but a move to Roosendaal looks more likely.

Roda sign Telstar's Ten Heuvel

16 May 2002

Roda JC have reached agreement with Stormvogels/Telstar concerning the transfer of Laurens ten Heuvel. The Limburgers hope to hire out the 25 year-old forward, who put away 20 Eerste Divisie goals this season, to VVV during the coming season. It only remains for Ten Heuvel to agree terms with VVV for the deal to be completed. The former Den Bosch, Barnsley, Northampton Town and First Vienna player, who was also being targeted by Willem II and Sheffield United, has signed a deal for 5 seasons.

Saudi star's move to Roda is off!

16 May 2002

The transfer of Saudi Arabian midfield star Nawaf Al Temyat to Roda has fallen through after his club Al Hilal upped the price for his move to Kerkrade. Roda chairman Theo Pickée is quoted in Dutch daily newspaper "De Telegraaf" as saying that the deal is off  but that he doesn't regret having amde an attempt to bring the player to Holland.

Roda pull out of FC Limburg plans

07 May 2002

Roda have pulled out of the planned merger with Fortuna Sittard and MVV which would have created a new club, FC Limburg. MVV, who recently received a €1 million Euro donation, are now financially secure enough to survive for a few more seasons and have once again lost interest in the merger. Roda's chaiman Pickee said, "We have completely lost faith in MVV. We had made a deal to sign a contract last week, but they keep putting off making a definite decision in Maastricht, even though we spent days discussing all aspects of the merger. To make matters worse, stories keep appearing in the press that indicating that MVV are planning to survive on their own. The result of the continuing uncertainty is that we can't work together any more".

Wiljan Vloet new Roda coach

01 May 2002

Wiljan Vloet is to be the new Roda trainer, ending weeks of speculation concerning his new employer after announcing he was leaving Den Bosch. The 39 year-old succeeds Belgian coach George Leekens, who took over from Jan van Dijk last autumn but who resigned a few weeks ago, and he has signed a contract for 3 years with the Kerkrade club.

De Graafschap sign Dave Zafarin

29 Apr 2002

De Graafschap have reached an agreement with Roda JC's right winger Dave Zafarin on a contract for 4 years. The "Doetinchemmers", who may have to compete in the end of season playoffs for Ere Divisie survival, have agreed to annul the contract if they are relegated.

Leekens exit Roda confirmed

29 Apr 2002

George Leekens departure from Roda has now been confirmed and makes the way free for Wiljan Vloet (currently trainer at Den Bosch) to take over the reins next season. The Belgian coach terminated his contract earlier this month in a disagreement with the club management and, despite an attempt to convince him to stay, has decided to leave Kerkrade. Leekens has already been linked with Belgian side Standard Luik.

Roda beat RKC 1-0

28 Apr 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Tomasic, Gregoor van Dijk, Vicelich, Lawal, Soetaers, Berglund. RKC lineup: Sinouh, Lamey, Nascimento, Van den Berg, De Graef, Van Diemen, Govedarica, Fuchs, Yuri Cornelisse, Hoogendorp. A late goal by Igor Tomasic (moving to play for ex-Roda trainer Sef  Vergoosen's RC Genk) in the 88th minute gave the 'Kerkrade Crew' the points. The Waalwijkers drop to 8th place while Roda remain where they were in 13th.

Igor Tomasic leaves Roda, others follow

25 Apr 2002

Igor Tomasic is leaving Roda at the end of this season after signing a 4-year contract with Belgian side RC Genk where former Roda trainer Sef Vergoosen is in charge. Roda have to cut back their squad from 31 players to 20 and the 25 year old Croatian,  who joined the 'Kerkrade Crew' from Croatia Zagreb in 1997, is the first of several players expected to leave. Garba Lawal is transfer-free this summer, Eric van der Luer has been told his contract will not be extended, Dave Zafarin is in talks with De Graafschap, Zeljko Kalac is being targeted by Perugia, while Regillio Vrede and Gabor Torma will also be looking for a new club.

Al-Temiyat transfer to Roda in jeopardy?

24 Apr 2002

The transfer of Saudi midfielder Al-Temiyat has hit a bump in the road after a fax arrived in Kerkrade from his current club Al-Hilal stating that the transfer fee for the star player had been doubled!! Al-Temiyat is reportedly furious at the news and Roda are not too happy either although they are not taking the fax seriously until it's been confirmed. See our earlier story!

Heerenveen draw with Roda JC 0-0

20 Apr 2002

Heerenveen lineup: Vonk, Bakkati, Gérard de Nooijer, Venema, Edman, Selakovic, Radomski, Jensen, Nurmela, Allbäck, Denneboom. Roda lineup: Kalac, Rudge, Tomasic, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vandenbroeck, Lawal, Van Dessel, Gregoor van Dijk, Berglund, Tchoutang. Heerenveen dropped valuable points this evening and are now no longer likely to qualify for UEFA Cup football next season. Denneboom nearlyd the score halfway through the 1st half for Heerenveen but saw his well taken header finely saved by Roda's  goalie Kalac. A few minutes later Tchoutang went for an early shower after receiving a red card for spitting in goalkeeper Vonk's face, Roda's 5th red card in the last 9 matches. The 2nd half began with a 20 meter Marcus Allbäck shot which hit the wrong side of the post. Halfway through the 2nd half Anthony Lurling received a yellow card for arguing with his opponent and 1 minute later was heading for the dressing room when he received another card for complaining about the first one. It can quite often have a positive, enlivening effect on the game when 2 teams are reduced to 10 men but not on this one! It simply fizzled out.

Roda want Wiljan Vloet as new trainer

18 Apr 2002

Roda are spreading their net for a new trainer just in case the club's board member (and well-known 'sugar-daddy') Nol Hendriks fails to persuade current coach George Leekens (who recently handed in his notice) to stay with the 'Kerkrade Crew'. According to a story in Dutch daily newspaper "De Telegraaf", Roda have already offered Wiljan Vloet a deal for 3 years! The Den Bosch trainer has apparently asked for time to think about the offer to move to Limburg as he's only in his first season of a 5-year contract in Brabant. Roda also recently approached Den Bosch's team captain, Fred van der Hoorn, to see if he's interested in a job as technical director but he's turned down the offer because he's also in his first year of a 5 year deal.

Roda get go-ahead to sign Arabian star

16 Apr 2002

Roda have been given the go-ahead by the oil-barons/sheiks and worthy notables in Saudi Arabia to sign the star player Nawaf Al-Temiyat. The 25 year-old midfielder, who'd already agreed personal terms with the 'Kerkrade Crew', is ecstatic at the news that he'll soon be playing in Holland and sees the move as 'the perfect way' to move on to one of Europe's top clubs.

Den Bosch beat Roda JC 3-1

13 Apr 2002

Den Bosch Lineup: Kris Mampaey, Winston Faerber, Patrick Peelen, Fred van der Hoorn, Hes van Kapel (75th Billy Maximiano), Jan Michels, Patrick Deckers, Mourad Mgzighrat (87th Rick Plum), Koen van de Laak, Bart van den Eede, Fabian de Freitas. Roda JC Lineup: Zeljko Kalac, Ger Senden, Regillio Vrede, Marc Luijpers, Vincent Lachambre, Sven Vandenbroeck, Garba Lawal, Tom Soetaers, Kevin van Dessel, Fredrik Berglund (53rd Diego Jongen), Bernard Tchoutang (67th Humphrey Rudge). Fabian de Freitasd the score for Den Bosch in the 55th minute after a goalless 1st half. The goal came just 1 minute after Regillio Vrede had been sent off for receiving his 2nd yellow card of the evening. Soetaars levelled 1 minute later via a 35 yard free-kick. In the 81st minute Mourad rounded off a Rudge cross by heading in from close range. Roda pressed forward for the equalizer but forgot its defensive duties in doing so. In the 83rd minute Fabian de Freitas rounded off a Den Bosch counter to put the final score on the board.

Roda and AZ after Volmer

12 Apr 2002

Relegation bound Fortuna will have to do without Joost Volmer next season as both Roda JC and AZ have stated that they are determined to contract the midfielder. Volmer has also attracted the attention of Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian.

Roda, Fortuna and MVV = FC Limburg?

09 Apr 2002

Roda, Fortuna and MVV are on the point of combining forces to become a new club, FC Limburg! The merger could well take place as early as June 1st with chemical-giant DSM as main sponsor. All three clubs have huge amounts of debts to be cleared and this, combined with poor performances this season, has been the main motivation for the merger. The Dutch FA (KNVB) has agreed to the plan and is willing to help with the sale of players for whom there will be no place with the new club. The new side's home matches will be played in Roda's Parkstad Limburg Stadion in Kerkrade while the reserves will get to use Fortuna's new stadium in Sittard. The old (but recently renovated) "De Geusselt" stadium will then be free for sale or hire. FC Limburg's budget will be somewhere in the region of €16 - 18 million Euros while DSM has apparently agreed to pump in €4½ million Euros annually for the next 5 years.

George Leekens to leave Roda?

08 Apr 2002

George Leekens has formally handed in his notice as coach with Roda, although both sides are continuing to hold talks about a possible expansion of his role at the Kerkrade club (and, therefore, also a new contract). The Belgian coach took over earlier this season from Jan van Dijk (who left after only 5 matches) and has led the team to UEFA Cup success (they were knocked out on penalties by AC Milan in the quarter-finals) though the team is struggling to escape the 'playoff-zone' in the Ere Divisie. He's made use of a clause in his contract which alllows him to terminate his current deal in its first year .

Roda want Ten Heuvel?

08 Apr 2002

Roda are tracking Stormvogels/Telstar striker Laurens ten Heuvel - the club's technical director Nol Hendriks will be travelling to watch him in action this Friday in the match against RBC Roosendaal. The former Den Bosch, Barnsley, Northampton Town and First Vienna FC player has scored 15 goals in 27 matches so far this season.

Roda and AZ in goalless draw

06 Apr 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vandenbroeck, Vicelich, Van Dessel, Lawal, Berglund and Tchoutang. AZ lineup: Moens, Lee, Buskermolen, Fortes R., El Hadrioui, Wolters, Robbemond, Perez, Lindenbergh, Nelisse and Huiberts. Both teams are on 35 points from 29 games played, AZ just ahead on goal average in 12th place. After this goalless draw they both stay where they are.

Roda close to signing Nawaf Al-Temiyat

04 Apr 2002

Roda have reached agreement with Saudi-Arabian side Al Hilal concerning the transfer-fee for the club's star player Nawaf Al-Temiyat. A club delegation will travel to the Gulf next week to negotiate the player's personal terms and to discover exactly what kind of financial doors his arrival in Holland willfor the Kerkrade side (see our earlier story).

Roda beat Sparta 3 - 0

31 Mar 2002

Roda JC lineup: Zeljko Kalac, Fatih Sonkaya, Regilio Vrede, Mark Luijpers, Vincent Lachambre, Kevin van Dessel, Sven Vandenbroeck, Ivan Vicelich, Garba Lawal (85. Eric van der Luer), Fredrik Berglund (80. Bernard Tchoutang), Marc Nygaard (46. Tom Soetaers) Sparta lineup:Victor Kros (46. Brian Vandenbussche), Marilia, Jayson Trommel, John Nieuwenburg, Aron Winter, Denni Conteh(73. Regi Blinker), Elbekay Bouchiba, Michel Langerak, Nourdin Boukhari, Ousmane Sanou (74. Danny Koevermans), Bram Marbus Roda earned their 2nd consecutive win,  helping to lift them clear of the relegation/playoff zone. The 'Kerkrade Crew' found themselves unexpectedly in the lead after only 4 minutes of the game when Sparta's new goalkeeper Kros clumsily gave away an embarassing own goal. The goalie dived onto an innocent soft low shot from Lawal that was at least 3 yards wide of the goal and then somehow managed to fumble the ball into the back of his own goal. In the 29th minute Ivan Vicelich headed in a Kevin van Dessel freekick.  5 minutes after the break Sparta made their first, and only, appearance of the match in front of the Roda goalmouth but Bouchiba's attempt  was an easy save for Kalac. In the 87th minute Roda made it 3 - 0 when Van Dessel rounded off a Bernard Tjoutang cross.

Anastasiou out for rest of season

26 Mar 2002

Roda JC's Greek striker Yannis Anastasiou will be out of action for at least four weeks after injuring his ankle during Roda's 0-2 win over Groningen last Sunday. Roda's manager George Leekens was very pessimistic and believes his Greek star could be out for the rest of the season.

Groningen lose at home to Roda

25 Mar 2002

Roda JC gained 3 valuble points this afternoon helping them to steer clear of the playoff zone. In a match where Roda slightly dominated the goals were both scored in the last 5 minutes of the game by Roda's Swedish striker, Frederik Berglund.

Ramora on trial with Neuchâtel Xamax

20 Mar 2002

Roda's Paolo Ramora is on trial with Swiss Nationalliga A side Neuchâtel Xamax during the coming weeks. The 21 year-old Italian forward has never managed to establish himself in Kerkrade since he joined Roda from Italian side Salernitana in 1999 (playing only 4 games in his first season) and hopes he'll be able to impress the Swiss.

Roda target Nawaf Al-Temiyat

20 Mar 2002

Roda are targeting Saudi-Arabian player Nawaf Al-Temiyat and will be watching his performance closely as he plays in the friendly between Saudi-Arabia and South Africa. The Kerkrade club are hoping that he will not only be an asset for the team in footballing terms but that he will also create a "Shinji Ono" effect (the midfielder hasd up the Japanese market for Feyenooord since arriving in the "Kuip") and bring in lots of extra sponsor related income to the club.

PSV beat Roda 4 - 1

09 Mar 2002

PSV lineup: Waterreus, Bøgelund, Ooijer, Hofland, Bouma, Rommedahl, Van Bommel, Vogel, Lucius, Kezman and Vennegoor of Hesselink. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Rudge, Van Dessel, Vicelich, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. Both teams needed the points this evening. Roda in order to avoid relegation and PSV to keep their title aspirations alive. As the match got underway it soon became evident whhic team was going to pocket the points. Mateja Kezmand the score for PSV in the 18th minute. In the 29th minute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink made it 2- 0  and, 10 minutes, later 3-0 with his 20th goal of the season. In the dying seconds of the 1st half Dennis Rommendahl made it 4 - 0 with his 8th of the season. With Roda trailing 4 - 0 the second half was a mere formality, and far less entertaining than the goal-filled first 45 minutes. PSV were reduced to 10 men in the 60th when Kevin Hofland got a red card for an unnecessary foul. Roda reduced the deficit to 4 - 1 only 2 minutes later but failed to benefit further from their advantage in numbers during the remaining half an hour's play. After PSV's disappointing start to the season it now seems that Erik Gerets has got his team back on track!

Bremen target Roda's Zeljko Kalac

08 Mar 2002

Werder Bremen are interested in Roda's Australian keeper Zeljko Kalac - the Bundesliga side have been watching the out-of-favour goalie in several matches. Kalac has made himself unpopular in Kerkrade by making clear his intention to leave a.s.a.p., so it's likely the club will allow him to go if a sensible offer is made. The 'Kerkrade Crew' already has a replacement lined up in the form of Vladan Kujovic who they recently signed from Eendracht Aalst.

Leekens continues next season with Roda

07 Mar 2002

Georges Leekens has decided to continue next season as Roda coach after he buried the hatchet with the club's "sugar-daddy" and technical manager Nol Hendriks. Hendriks had been particularly negative in his criticism of the Belgian trainer in an interview for Holland's 'Voetbal International' magazine, calling the 'Kerkrade Crew's coach "weak and lazy". The timing was terrible as the article hit the shops the day before Roda's UEFA Cup 4th round, 2nd leg match against AC Milan. Leekens was furious and could have walked out there and then but, after talks with all concerned at the club, he's decided to carry on while warning that any repetition of the incident will result in him departing "tout suite".

Roda target Kevin Vandenbergh

06 Mar 2002

Roda are following with interest 18 year-old Belgian striker Kevin Vandenbergh, the son of former Belgian international Erwin Vandenbergh, who currently plays for Westerlo. He's scored 9 goals for the Jupiler League side this season and is also being targeted by Sef Vergoosen's RC Genk.

Roda lose to Vitesse 0 - 2

04 Mar 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Vrede, Rudge, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Lawal, Van Dessel, Vicelich, Tchoutang, Sonko and Anastasiou. Vitesse lineup: Van Fessum, Cornelisse, Stefanovic, Knol, Diarra, Laros, Fortes, Hofs, Sikora, Amoah and Mbamba. Vitesse stay on course for European football next season after this win against a hard working Roda. The 'Kerkrade Crew' were determined to show the fans that their performance in their UEFA Cup 4th round return leg adventure in Milan last Thursday wasn't a one-off! Sonko, Anastasiou and Liujpers all had good chances to score for them but failed to find the back while Vitesse were sharper in their counters and Emile Mbamba put them ahead in the 42nd minute. Roda worked even harder after the break but, despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men in the 68th when Mbamba got a red card, Matthew Amoah sealed the points in the 79th minute to lift the Arnhemmers past NAC into 5th place on 42 points from 25 played. Roda will not be pleased with the result and the speculation that trainer George Leekens will not stay beyond this season will undoubtedly continue. The 'Kerkrade Crew' stay in 15th place on 28 points from 25 played.

AC Milan beat Roda on penalties

28 Feb 2002

AC Milan lineup: Abbiati, Serghino, Albertini, Roque Junior, Laursen, Rui Costa, Pirlo, Gattuso, Contra, Shevchenko and Mari. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Van Dijk, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang.  When they left Holland for Italy noone would have wagered any money on Roda causing an immense upset. However, the seemingly impossible task of beating giants AC Milan started to look a distinct possibility when Luijpers put the 'Kerkrade Crew' ahead in the 71st minute, a great shot bouncing off the underside of the bar. The Italians finally woke up to the fact that they were supposedly the better team and launched a whole series of attacks in the last 15 minutes but just couldn't find the back of the net. Kalac had been strong in goal all through the match and made another great save just after Regillio Vrede was sent off in a controversial 'double-yellow' card drama in the 87th minute. Roda stood up well to the 'Italian stallion' and got through the 90 minutes and  extra time, thanks once again to the fine work of goalie Kalac. Time for penalties. Unfortunately Milan won the tense shoot-out. They put 3 spot-shot's away while Roda's Tom Soetaers, Mark Luijpers and Eric van der Luer all suffered from nerves and all missed. Roda exit the UEFA Cup but can still be proud of their performance, they worked and fought hard, and almost killed a giant tonight!

Roda sign Van Mieghem?

27 Feb 2002

According to a story which has appeared in several Belgian newspapers, Roda are close to signing Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen's Alain Van Mieghem. According to the reports the 19 year-old defender has been offered a contract for 5 years. He made his Jupiler League debut in the 1998/1999 season for Germinal Ekeren and has played 25 top-flight matches, scoring just once.

Roda beat Willem II 2 - 0

23 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lawal, Gregoor van Dijk, Van Dessel, Sonko, Tchoutang, Nygaard and Anastasiou. Willem II  lineup: De Vlieger, Jaliens, Van Nieuwstadt, Janssens, J. Mathijsen, Victoria, Landzaat, Sektioui, D. Mathijssen, Ceesay and Abdellaoui. Willem II started the season with some attractive, attacking football but have lost their touch since the winter break and are slowly sinking down the table. Roda continue to improve after a poor 1st half of the season and tonight's 3 points take them clear of the 'playoff-zone'. This was their 7th home win in a row and they are unbeaten in Kerkrade since October 12th's defeat by PSV. Bernard Tchoutangd the score for the 'Kerkrade Crew' with a lob over De Vlieger's head after only 4 minutes. Roda were later reduced to 10 men when Gregoor van Dijk got his 2nd yellow cards, and his marching orders, on the half-hour. It didn't prevent Roda from dominating a weak opponent who had little to contribute in this match. The home team got a 2nd goal and the points when Garba Lawal scored in the 59th minute. The win takes them into 13th place on 28 points from 24 games played while Willem II stay where they were in 12th place on 28 from 24 but just ahead on goal difference.

Fortuna want Roda's Dave Zafarin

22 Feb 2002

Fortuna would like to add Roda's Dave Zafarin to their squad. The right-winger's contract with the 'Kerkrade Crew' runs till 2004 but he has been told he can start looking for a new employer. The 23 year-old is a product of Roda's youth academy and has played in 106 matches for them.

Roda lose to AC Milan 0 - 1

19 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Senden,Van Dessel, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou, Tchoutang,  AC Milan lineup: Abbiati, Serghino, Albertini, Roque Junior, Laursen, Chamot, Pirlo, Gattuso, Contra, Shevchenko and Mari. Roda made a nervous start to the match, giving too many balls away with sloppy passing, seemingly in awe of their opponents. After a few worrying looking moments for the home team it looked like a question of time before the visitors would score. It came, Jose Marí putting away the only goal of the match for the Serie A giants in the 29th minute - the striker slotting home a neat back pass from a very-definitely-offside looking  Andrej Sjevtsjenko. After the break Roda settle down to play some football while AC Milan seemed uninterested in making a match of it anymore. Tom Soetaers was brought on, which added a bit more punch up front, but it wasn't until the last few minutes of the match that the 'Kerkrade Crew' really piled on the pressure, and even had the visitors looking worried themselves, but their finishing just wasn't up to the job this evening. They were a bit unlucky to go down to that single offside-goal but it now looks like an almost impossible task for them next Thursday!

De Graafschap beat Roda 2 - 1

16 Feb 2002

De Graafschap lineup: Postma, Bot, Bakens, Berck Beelenkamp, Fränkel, Meerdink, Van den Brom, Van Leerdam, Turpijn, Valeev and Van der Haar.  Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vandenbroeck, Van Dessel, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. A valuable, if slightly lucky, win for the Doetinchemers which lifts them from 13th to 11th on 28 points from 22 played. The Limburgers were the 'better' side but failed where it matters most, in their finishing. Hans van der Haar, standing in for the injured Peter van Vossen, profitted from a blunder by Roda goalie Kalac (already in trouble with the club) tothe score in the 41st minute. Despite continuing to be the 'better' side after the break, and bringing in striker Garba Lawal for defender Vincent Lachambre, it was "The SuperBoeren"s Ilja van Leerdam who saw his shot deflected into the back of the net for the 2 - 0 in the 52nd. Yannis Anastasiou got one back with a spot-shot in the 61st but the home team held on till the whistle. The 'Kerkrade Crew' stay in 15th place on 25 points from 23 played.

Regillio Vrede to leave Roda this summer?

15 Feb 2002

Regillio Vrede is possibly set to leave Roda this summer and has been expressing a desire to try his luck in the English Premiership. The 29 year-old defender's current contract with the 'Kerkrade Crew' runs till 2003 but it's been known for some time that the club are prepared to let him leave transfer-free this summer. He was linked with a move to Sheffield Wednesday in the 1999/2000 season and another possible move to Glasgow Rangers last season fell through when Lorenzo Amoruso decided to stay with the Scottish side.

Garba Lawal set for Premiership move?

10 Feb 2002

Roda's Garba Lawal is currently in talks with Ipswich and Derby County about a move across the channel this summer when his contract runs out in Kerkrade. The Nigerian striker follows the English scene closely and would love to play in the Premiership, but France or Spain would be ok too! He impressed many watchers recently with his spirited performances during the African Nations Cup and scored Nigeria's only goal in their quarter-final win against Ghana.

Roda sign goalie Vladan Kujovic

08 Feb 2002

Roda have signed Yugoslavian goalkeeper Vladan Kujovic on a contract for 4 years - it's not known how much the Kerkrade club have paid for him. The 23 year-old was playing for Eendracht Aalst where he'd been since arriving from Yugoslavian side Radnicki Nis in 1997.

Torma can leave Roda transfer-free

07 Feb 2002

Hungarian striker Gabor Torma has been told he's transfer-free and can leave Roda whenever he likes. He moved to Groningen at the beginning of the season but a clause in the contract allowed the Oosterpark side to return him if they were unsatisified with his fitness (there was a knee problem). As a result the Limburgers missed out on €700,000 Euros!

Roda beat Utrecht 1 - 0

06 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Rudge, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Lachambre, Tchoutang, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard and Anastasiou. Utrecht lineup: Wapenaar, Vreven, Zwaanswijk, Touzani, Bosschaart, Jean-Paul de Jong, Tanghe, Van Mol, Van den Bergh, Kuijt and Gluscevic. Harald Wapenaar put in a tremendous performance tonight to stop Roda handing out any more punishment than the one goal by Sven Vandenbroeck goal in the 73rd. The home team were determined to erase their 5 - 0 defeat by Feyenoord at the weekend and attacked from the whistle. Bernard Tchoutang and Vandenbroeck had 1st half attempts go just wide and Anastasiou had his header saved. Utrecht got a couple of chances of their own but Dirk Kuijt was off target. After the break the 'Kerkrade Crew' continued to look sharper but Wapenaar was not to be passed, saving shots by Anastasiou, Nygaard and Tchoutang before Vandenbroeck's winner got through. Roda go into 15th on 25 points from 22 played while Utrecht drop to 6th on 34 from 22.

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, 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.

Roda beat Twente 2 - 1

26 Jan 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vicelich, Van Dessel, Nygaard, Soetaers, Anastasiou and Zafarin. Twente lineup: Boschker, Heubach, Pothuizen, Grujic, Ten Hag, Van der Laan, Van der Doelen, Booth, Van der Leegte, Caïro and De Gier. Regilio Vrede made himself unpopular (with the Kerkrade crew that is!) by giving away an own goal in the 2nd minute! The conditions were difficult for both teams with a strong wind blowing the length of the pitch. After the break Roda went enthusiastically, if scrappily, in search of an equalizer and were rewraded for their efforts in a swift one-two when Ivan Vicelich equalized in the 78th and Edrissa Sonko put them ahead in the 79th. Roda will be glad of the points, climbing to 13th on 22 from 20 while Twenteare 15th on 21 from 20 played.

Friendly Roundup

20 Jan 2002

Roda drew 3 - 3 with Cologne with goals by Sonko, Anastasiou and Nygaard.

Roda trial for Australian Steve Corica

18 Jan 2002

Roda have offered Australian Steve Corica a trial during the next few days - the 28 year-old midfielder currently plays for Japanese side San Frecce Hiroshima. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Marconi Stallions player will get a chance to impress coach George Leekens this Saturday when Roda play a friendly against Bundesliga side Cologne.

Roda lose friendly to Eindhoven 1 - 2

18 Jan 2002

Roda have surprisingly lost their friendly against Eerste Divisie Eindhoven 1 - 2 in a match which saw the return of Gabor Torma. He'd been 'sold' to Groningen after a string of injuries kept him out of action in Kerkrade but he failed to impress his new employers who made use of an escape clause in the contract and returned the striker to Roda.

Russian interest in Roda's Tchoutang

09 Jan 2002

Torpedo Moscow are interested in signing Roda's Cameroon striker Bernard Tchoutang. The 25 year-old impressed various Russian clubs during the UEFA Cup matches between Roda and Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the 1999/2000 season when the Kerkrade crew won 2-0 and 1-3, Tchoutang scoring an away goal. Earlier attempts to get him to make the move East have failed - the winter weather may have been a problem for the African?

Roda hire out Ramora to Helmond

09 Jan 2002

Roda are hiring out their Italian striker Paolo Ramora to Eerste Divisie side Helmond Sport for the rest of this season - he remains under contract with the Kerkrade crew till 2005. The 21 year-old arrived in Kerkrade in 1999 from Italian side Salernitana but a broken leg kept him on the sidelines for so long that he lost his place in the lineup.

Roda draw 1 - 1 with Ajax

15 Dec 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Rudge, Lawal, Van Dessel, Lachambre, Vicelich, Berglund and Anastasiou. Ajax lineup: Grim, Heitinga, Chivu, Bergdølmo, Maxwell, Yakubu, Van der Vaart, O'Brien, Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic and Wamberto. Ajax left two points behind in Kerkrade tonight. They were the better qualified team but failed to press home their technical  advantage. Yannis Anastasiou put the Kerkrade crew ahead with a spot-shot in the 23rd after Christian Chivu brought down Frederik Berglund in the box. The home team made up for their lack of skill by their motivation, something the Amsterdammers could learn from as they once more lacked the effort needed to win matches. Richard Knopper came on for Heitinga and Ajax began to bare their teeth - Knopper and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scrambled a rebound over the line for the equalizer in the 68th. Ajax stay in 2nd place on 33 points while Roda are happily just clear (points-wise) of the danger zone in 12th on 19 points.

AZ lose to Roda 1 - 2

08 Dec 2001

AZ lineup: Moens, Wolters, Opdam, Buskermolen, Lindenbergh, Kromkamp, Robbemond, Van Galen, Perez, Nelisse and Huiberts. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Van Dessel, Lawal, Berglund and Anastasiou. After qualifying for the next round of the UEFA Cup by beating Bordeaux on Thursday Roda end their best week of the season with an away win in Alkmaar which lifts them 4 places to 13th place. AZ got off to a good start with a goal by Jan Kromkamp in the 6th but it wasn't long before Mark Luijpers equalized in the 13th with a nicely taken, curling freekick. The home team played the better, attacking football but were sloppy in defence and failed to create thengs they should/could have. the match was pretty un-entertaining till Frederik Berglund got the match-winner for the Kerkrade crew in the 59th. AZ tried to come back in the remaining 30 minutes but failed to find the back of the net and pay the price - they now drop to 11th!

Roda send home trial players

07 Dec 2001

Roda have sent home two players who've been on trial in Kerkrade - Jens Bäumer from Germany and the American Ross Pauly failed to impress during a match with the reserve team on Thursday and are headed back to their respective countries. 25 year-old Pauly plays in Major League Soccer in the USA while Bäumer plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Roda beat Bordeaux 2 - 0

04 Dec 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Vrede, Senden, Sonkaya, F. Van Dessel, Luijpers, Lawal, Nygaard, Van Dijk, Anastasiou and Berglund. Bordeaux lineup: Rame, Basto, Roche, Jamillo,Sommeil, Smertine,Batlles, Dhorasoo, Costa, Pauleta and Christian.  Roda celebrate the first time they have reached the 4th round of the UEFA Cup - a nice early Christmas present. There was little to be seen of the attacking football promised by coach George Leekens and the frustrated fans (who've had precious little to get excited about this season) made clear their disapproval with a chorus of whistles. After the break everything changed when Lawal's header was hand-balled in the box by Batlles, who was sent off for the offence, and Anastasiou's spot-shot was first repulsed by keeper Ramé before the Greek striker was able to head in the rebound for the 1 - 0 in the 57th. Lawal's 65th minute goal was controversial, it being unclear if it actually crossed the line or not, but the referee relied on his linesman and allowed the goal. Roda held on till the final whistle while Bordeaux were unable to threaten during the remaining 25 minutes.

Berglund back against Bordeaux

04 Dec 2001

Frederik Berglund will be able to play for Roda against Bordeaux in the return of their UEFA Cup match his evening after recovering from a bout of flu. Coach George Leekens has said that he's going to increase the pressure on the Swedish striker to finally come up with the form which he's neglected to show so far in Kerkrade. Roda face the French side in an attempt to overturn their 1 - 0 away defeat without the help of the injured Tom Soetaers and Igor Tomasic.

RKC beat Roda 3 - 0

01 Dec 2001

RKC lineup: Van Dijk, Van Diemen, Nascimento, Van den Berg, Van Wanrooy, Petrovic, Govedarica, Fuchs, Yuri Cornelisse, Hoogendorp and Janssen. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Van Dessel, Lawal, Zafarin and Anastasiou. Roda were the better team in the 1st half but neglected to convert their chances into goals-in-the-back-of-the-net. Lawal and Anastasiou both failed to put them away while Rob van Dijk was showing good form in goal for RKC. Robert Fuchs gave the Waalwijkers a one goal advantage to take into the dressing room in the 44th. Carlos van Wanrooy scored the 2nd in the 59th and Dejan Govedarica made it 3 - 0 in the 72nd. They earn themselves 3 points but don't change position.

NAC lose Sérgio and Cristiano to Roda

30 Nov 2001

Bad news for NAC, and just as they're hitting a good run of form, is that their Brazilian duo Sérgio and Cristiano will be moving to play for Roda next summer. Both players were in conflict with the Breda club over new contracts but were thought to be close to a new deal so the latest news will be a bit of a shock. Trainer Henk ten Cate's future is now also in doubt as the Amsterdammer had said he would only stay on if certain key players remained in the side.

Roda beat Fortuna 1 - 0

28 Nov 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Senden, Luijpers, Vrede, Van Dessel, Nygaard, Gregoor van Dijk, Lawal,Tchoutang and Anastasiou. Fortuna lineup: Hesp, Emeran, Dirkx, Volmer, Hermans, Akerboom, Van Dieren, Gerritsen, Rook, Landerl and Cramb. Both teams are sunk at the bottom of the table and it was clear to see in the many mistakes made on pitch. Rolf Landerl and Mark Nygaard missed clear opportunities to score in the 1st half. After the break Fortuna looked to be slightly better than the home team but a Yannis Anastasiou goal in the 72nd gave the Kerkrade crew the points.

Vitesse beat Roda 2 - 0

24 Nov 2001

Vitesse lineup: Van Fessem, Nanu, Stefanovic, Kreek, Van Hintum, Van der Schaaf, Sikora, Martel, Peeters and Van Beukering Roda lineup: Roorda, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Van Dessel, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. Ronald Koeman's decision to field an attacking formation paid off with Vitesse's 7th win of the season which also maintains their unbeaten record at home. With 4 strikers up front it wasn't long before they found the back-of-the-net and Remco van der Schaaf put them ahead after only 7 minutes. Roda were unable to creat any threatening moves of their own and Vitesse were able to patiently bide their time looking for the chance to get a 2nd goal. After the break Bob Peeters was replaced by Mahamadou Diarra and the home team pulled back in defence in order to hold onto to their advantage. Roda's Regillio Vrede and Yannis Anastasiou missed a couple ofngs to even the score but the crowd were treated to a beauty of a goal in the  72nd minute by Victor Sikora to secure the points for Vitesse who are now on equal points with Ajax (the Amsterdammers have 2 games in hand) while Roda are in last-but-one position on 12 points.

Roda in injury problems against Bordeaux

19 Nov 2001

Roda have a tough job on their hands as they face Bordeaux tomorrow in the 1st leg of their UEFA Cup 3rd Round meeting and miss a whole bunch of players - Tom Soetaers (torn thigh muscle), Igor Tomassic (torn thigh muscle)

Roda's UEFA opponent Bordeaux - profile

19 Nov 2001

Bordeaux have plenty of experience to call on, this being their 23rd season of European football, and they were losing UEFA Cup finalists in 1996 (with Richard Witschge and  Zinedine Zidane in the lineup). In 1999 they were French Champions and ended the last two seasons in 4th place. In theng two rounds of this season's UEFA Cup they disposed of the Hungarians Debreceni (5-1, 1-3) and the Belgians Standard Luik (2-0, 2-0). They are especially dangerous up front with French international Christoph Dugarry, Brazilian Christian (ex-Paris Saint-Germain) and Portugal's Pauleta. In midfield they can call on the experience of French international Vikash Dhorasoo (played for Olympic Lyon last season) combined with the balance of Russian Alexei Smertin and Braziliaan Eduardo Costa (transferred from Grêmio last summer). In defence they have the experienced 34 year-old ex-international Alain Roche (with 70 European Cup matches under his belt) accompanied by David Sommeil in the centre with Kodjo Afanou on the right and Jerôme Bonnissel (ex-Deportivo La Coruña) on the left.

Willem II and Roda in 1 - 1 draw

17 Nov 2001

Willem II lineup: Martin, D. Mathijssen, Janssens, Van Nieuwstadt, Mariana, Landzaat, Victoria, Sektioui, Abdellaoui, Bombarda and Ceesay. Roda lineup: Roorda, Sonkaya, Rudge, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Tomasic, Gregoor van Dijk, Lawal, Tchoutang, Anastasiou and Soetaers. Both teams were fielding their reserve keepers, Christophe Martin for Geert de Vlieger and Zeljko Kalac (preparing for  Australia's match against Uruguay ) was replaced by Bas Roorda. After anng spell of Tilburg attacks Roda's Humphrey Rudge and Marc Luijpers were able to put Mariano Bombarda on a leash. Tom Soetaers and Yannis Anastasiou were the goal-getters for Roda but the duo was off the boil and it was close to halftime before the Greek headed a cross against the post and saw another go over the bar. The home team applied more pressure in the 2nd half, as the "Tricolores" put on a show of their famed attacking style - Bombarda put them ahead in the 53rd but they allowed the Kerkrade crew, who'd clearly come for the point, to go home with a point when Joris Mathijsen donated them a point with an own goal in the 60th.

Roda beat Groningen 3 - 1

04 Nov 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac - Sonkaya, Luijpers, Vrede, van Dessel - Tchoutang, Gregoor van Dijk, van der Luer, Lawal - Anastasiou, Soetaers Groningen lineup: Beukenkamp, Elshot, Van Gessel, Schoenmakers, Allach, Matthijs, Krstev, Broerse, Tuhuteru, Boussaboun and Robben. Goalie Roy Beukenkamp made several fine saves before Tom Soetaers gave Roda the lead in the 25th. Joost Broerse headed in the equalizer from a Paul Matthijs pass in the 43rd, Yannis Anastasiou scored with a spot-shot in the 53rd to put Roda back in front and added a 'real' goal in the 85th to give the Kerkrade crew a much needed confidence boosting 3 points. Groningen are sunk in 17th place after their 8th consecutive defeat, on equal points with Roda in 16th. They are only 3 points ahead of Fortuna who have two games in hand - the unfortunate Sittardians have returned to the bottom of the table position they inhabited for much of last season after momentarily being 17th after their win against Heerenveen yesterday.

Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Roda 2 - 1

01 Nov 2001

Maccabi lineup: Strauber, Vedzinsky, Strool, Ben-Halm, , Ben-Dayan, Shen, Zarfati, Biton, Nimni, Goldberg and Horvath. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Rudge, Van Dessel, Lawal, Van der Luer, Berglund, Luypers, Soetaers and Anastasiou. Roda took a 4 - 1 advantage with them to Israel and Gabar Lawal got them off to a fine start with a well struck goal in the 4th minute. The Israeli side played better combination football and were superior footballers than the Kerkrade side but couldn't convert that into goals. Biton scored two goals in the 36th and the 59th but Roda are through.

Marc Nygaard misses Maccabi match

01 Nov 2001

Roda will miss Marc Nygaard for their UEFA Cup match against Maccabi Tel Aviv tonight after it became clear that the midfielder wouldn't be recovered in time from a shin injury. Trainer Georges Leekens is cautious going into the match, despite the 1 - 4 win in Israel, knowing full well that the Israeli side can play much better football than they did at home.

Great 0 - 3 away win for Roda at Sparta

20 Oct 2001

Sparta lineup: Kooiman, Mendes, Winter, Van der Meer, Goossen, Bouchiba, Nielsen, Zij, Koevermans, Boukhari and Blinker. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Tomasic, Van der Luer, Rudge, Soetaers, Anastasiou and Berglund. Sparta had the match more or less under control during the 1st half but failed to profit from their advantage - instead it was Yannis Anastasiou who put the visitors ahead in the 44th. Roda were unable to impress once more in pure footballing terms - Eric de Luer starts to look rather tired, at 36 years of age, to maintain the service from midfield to the frontline. Sparta's Aron Winter looked much fitter, and more effective, a shame that Dave Koevermans and Nourdin Boukhari couldn't score from his passes. Tom Soetaers made it 0 - 2 for Roda in the 57th and Anastasiou got his 2nd for the 0 - 3 in the 81st. They will be glad to hand over the bottom of the table position to Fortuna!

Roda beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4 - 1

16 Oct 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Luijpers, Vrede, Rudge,Tomasic, Van Dessel, van der Luer, Berglund, Soetaers and Anastasiou.  Maccabi Tel Aviv lineup: Strauber, Shelac, Wedzynski, Banin, Nimny, Torjman, Levy, M. Shen, Goldberg, Ben-Dayan and Ben-Halm. Roda had an easy home win against an Israeli side who were very weak in defence. Two first half goals from Tom Soetaers (4th and 35th minutes) gave the home team a comfortable lead going into the dressing room. After the break they restarted rather nervously but settled down again and Frederik Berglund put away the 3rd goal in the 54th. The visitors got a goal back through substitute Ferenc Horváth in the 78th but Fatih Sonkaya put away the 4th for Roda 4 minutes later. Maccabi's s

Roda and Maccabi miss players

16 Oct 2001

Roda's new trainer George Leekens will be missing several important players as the Kerkrade side play host to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1st leg of their UEFA Cup tie. Marc Nygaard and Fredrik Berglund are both injured both be missing and it looks as if Regillio Vrede will also be missing due to a groin injury he picked up in Friday's match against PSV. The Israeli side have their own injury problems and will be missing internationals Gadi Brumer and Oren Zeituni, Baruh Dego is doubtful but star player Avi Nimni will probably start despite a slight virus infection.

Roda miss Nygaard for Maccabi Tel Aviv

16 Oct 2001

Roda will miss Mar

26 Mar 2002

Roda JC's Greek striker Yannis Anastasiou will be out of action for at least four weeks after injuring his ankle during Roda's 0-2 win over Groningen last Sunday. Roda's manager George Leekens was very pessimistic and believes his Greek star could be out for the rest of the season.

Groningen lose at home to Roda

25 Mar 2002

Roda JC gained 3 valuble points this afternoon helping them to steer clear of the playoff zone. In a match where Roda slightly dominated the goals were both scored in the last 5 minutes of the game by Roda's Swedish striker, Frederik Berglund.

Ramora on trial with Neuchâtel Xamax

20 Mar 2002

Roda's Paolo Ramora is on trial with Swiss Nationalliga A side Neuchâtel Xamax during the coming weeks. The 21 year-old Italian forward has never managed to establish himself in Kerkrade since he joined Roda from Italian side Salernitana in 1999 (playing only 4 games in his first season) and hopes he'll be able to impress the Swiss.

Roda target Nawaf Al-Temiyat

20 Mar 2002

Roda are targeting Saudi-Arabian player Nawaf Al-Temiyat and will be watching his performance closely as he plays in the friendly between Saudi-Arabia and South Africa. The Kerkrade club are hoping that he will not only be an asset for the team in footballing terms but that he will also create a "Shinji Ono" effect (the midfielder hasd up the Japanese market for Feyenooord since arriving in the "Kuip") and bring in lots of extra sponsor related income to the club.

PSV beat Roda 4 - 1

09 Mar 2002

PSV lineup: Waterreus, Bøgelund, Ooijer, Hofland, Bouma, Rommedahl, Van Bommel, Vogel, Lucius, Kezman and Vennegoor of Hesselink. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Rudge, Van Dessel, Vicelich, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. Both teams needed the points this evening. Roda in order to avoid relegation and PSV to keep their title aspirations alive. As the match got underway it soon became evident whhic team was going to pocket the points. Mateja Kezmand the score for PSV in the 18th minute. In the 29th minute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink made it 2- 0  and, 10 minutes, later 3-0 with his 20th goal of the season. In the dying seconds of the 1st half Dennis Rommendahl made it 4 - 0 with his 8th of the season. With Roda trailing 4 - 0 the second half was a mere formality, and far less entertaining than the goal-filled first 45 minutes. PSV were reduced to 10 men in the 60th when Kevin Hofland got a red card for an unnecessary foul. Roda reduced the deficit to 4 - 1 only 2 minutes later but failed to benefit further from their advantage in numbers during the remaining half an hour's play. After PSV's disappointing start to the season it now seems that Erik Gerets has got his team back on track!

Bremen target Roda's Zeljko Kalac

08 Mar 2002

Werder Bremen are interested in Roda's Australian keeper Zeljko Kalac - the Bundesliga side have been watching the out-of-favour goalie in several matches. Kalac has made himself unpopular in Kerkrade by making clear his intention to leave a.s.a.p., so it's likely the club will allow him to go if a sensible offer is made. The 'Kerkrade Crew' already has a replacement lined up in the form of Vladan Kujovic who they recently signed from Eendracht Aalst.

Leekens continues next season with Roda

07 Mar 2002

Georges Leekens has decided to continue next season as Roda coach after he buried the hatchet with the club's "sugar-daddy" and technical manager Nol Hendriks. Hendriks had been particularly negative in his criticism of the Belgian trainer in an interview for Holland's 'Voetbal International' magazine, calling the 'Kerkrade Crew's coach "weak and lazy". The timing was terrible as the article hit the shops the day before Roda's UEFA Cup 4th round, 2nd leg match against AC Milan. Leekens was furious and could have walked out there and then but, after talks with all concerned at the club, he's decided to carry on while warning that any repetition of the incident will result in him departing "tout suite".

Roda target Kevin Vandenbergh

06 Mar 2002

Roda are following with interest 18 year-old Belgian striker Kevin Vandenbergh, the son of former Belgian international Erwin Vandenbergh, who currently plays for Westerlo. He's scored 9 goals for the Jupiler League side this season and is also being targeted by Sef Vergoosen's RC Genk.

Roda lose to Vitesse 0 - 2

04 Mar 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Vrede, Rudge, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Lawal, Van Dessel, Vicelich, Tchoutang, Sonko and Anastasiou. Vitesse lineup: Van Fessum, Cornelisse, Stefanovic, Knol, Diarra, Laros, Fortes, Hofs, Sikora, Amoah and Mbamba. Vitesse stay on course for European football next season after this win against a hard working Roda. The 'Kerkrade Crew' were determined to show the fans that their performance in their UEFA Cup 4th round return leg adventure in Milan last Thursday wasn't a one-off! Sonko, Anastasiou and Liujpers all had good chances to score for them but failed to find the back while Vitesse were sharper in their counters and Emile Mbamba put them ahead in the 42nd minute. Roda worked even harder after the break but, despite the visitors being reduced to 10 men in the 68th when Mbamba got a red card, Matthew Amoah sealed the points in the 79th minute to lift the Arnhemmers past NAC into 5th place on 42 points from 25 played. Roda will not be pleased with the result and the speculation that trainer George Leekens will not stay beyond this season will undoubtedly continue. The 'Kerkrade Crew' stay in 15th place on 28 points from 25 played.

AC Milan beat Roda on penalties

28 Feb 2002

AC Milan lineup: Abbiati, Serghino, Albertini, Roque Junior, Laursen, Rui Costa, Pirlo, Gattuso, Contra, Shevchenko and Mari. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Van Dijk, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang.  When they left Holland for Italy noone would have wagered any money on Roda causing an immense upset. However, the seemingly impossible task of beating giants AC Milan started to look a distinct possibility when Luijpers put the 'Kerkrade Crew' ahead in the 71st minute, a great shot bouncing off the underside of the bar. The Italians finally woke up to the fact that they were supposedly the better team and launched a whole series of attacks in the last 15 minutes but just couldn't find the back of the net. Kalac had been strong in goal all through the match and made another great save just after Regillio Vrede was sent off in a controversial 'double-yellow' card drama in the 87th minute. Roda stood up well to the 'Italian stallion' and got through the 90 minutes and  extra time, thanks once again to the fine work of goalie Kalac. Time for penalties. Unfortunately Milan won the tense shoot-out. They put 3 spot-shot's away while Roda's Tom Soetaers, Mark Luijpers and Eric van der Luer all suffered from nerves and all missed. Roda exit the UEFA Cup but can still be proud of their performance, they worked and fought hard, and almost killed a giant tonight!

Roda sign Van Mieghem?

27 Feb 2002

According to a story which has appeared in several Belgian newspapers, Roda are close to signing Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen's Alain Van Mieghem. According to the reports the 19 year-old defender has been offered a contract for 5 years. He made his Jupiler League debut in the 1998/1999 season for Germinal Ekeren and has played 25 top-flight matches, scoring just once.

Roda beat Willem II 2 - 0

23 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lawal, Gregoor van Dijk, Van Dessel, Sonko, Tchoutang, Nygaard and Anastasiou. Willem II  lineup: De Vlieger, Jaliens, Van Nieuwstadt, Janssens, J. Mathijsen, Victoria, Landzaat, Sektioui, D. Mathijssen, Ceesay and Abdellaoui. Willem II started the season with some attractive, attacking football but have lost their touch since the winter break and are slowly sinking down the table. Roda continue to improve after a poor 1st half of the season and tonight's 3 points take them clear of the 'playoff-zone'. This was their 7th home win in a row and they are unbeaten in Kerkrade since October 12th's defeat by PSV. Bernard Tchoutangd the score for the 'Kerkrade Crew' with a lob over De Vlieger's head after only 4 minutes. Roda were later reduced to 10 men when Gregoor van Dijk got his 2nd yellow cards, and his marching orders, on the half-hour. It didn't prevent Roda from dominating a weak opponent who had little to contribute in this match. The home team got a 2nd goal and the points when Garba Lawal scored in the 59th minute. The win takes them into 13th place on 28 points from 24 games played while Willem II stay where they were in 12th place on 28 from 24 but just ahead on goal difference.

Fortuna want Roda's Dave Zafarin

22 Feb 2002

Fortuna would like to add Roda's Dave Zafarin to their squad. The right-winger's contract with the 'Kerkrade Crew' runs till 2004 but he has been told he can start looking for a new employer. The 23 year-old is a product of Roda's youth academy and has played in 106 matches for them.

Roda lose to AC Milan 0 - 1

19 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Senden,Van Dessel, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou, Tchoutang,  AC Milan lineup: Abbiati, Serghino, Albertini, Roque Junior, Laursen, Chamot, Pirlo, Gattuso, Contra, Shevchenko and Mari. Roda made a nervous start to the match, giving too many balls away with sloppy passing, seemingly in awe of their opponents. After a few worrying looking moments for the home team it looked like a question of time before the visitors would score. It came, Jose Marí putting away the only goal of the match for the Serie A giants in the 29th minute - the striker slotting home a neat back pass from a very-definitely-offside looking  Andrej Sjevtsjenko. After the break Roda settle down to play some football while AC Milan seemed uninterested in making a match of it anymore. Tom Soetaers was brought on, which added a bit more punch up front, but it wasn't until the last few minutes of the match that the 'Kerkrade Crew' really piled on the pressure, and even had the visitors looking worried themselves, but their finishing just wasn't up to the job this evening. They were a bit unlucky to go down to that single offside-goal but it now looks like an almost impossible task for them next Thursday!

De Graafschap beat Roda 2 - 1

16 Feb 2002

De Graafschap lineup: Postma, Bot, Bakens, Berck Beelenkamp, Fränkel, Meerdink, Van den Brom, Van Leerdam, Turpijn, Valeev and Van der Haar.  Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vandenbroeck, Van Dessel, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. A valuable, if slightly lucky, win for the Doetinchemers which lifts them from 13th to 11th on 28 points from 22 played. The Limburgers were the 'better' side but failed where it matters most, in their finishing. Hans van der Haar, standing in for the injured Peter van Vossen, profitted from a blunder by Roda goalie Kalac (already in trouble with the club) tothe score in the 41st minute. Despite continuing to be the 'better' side after the break, and bringing in striker Garba Lawal for defender Vincent Lachambre, it was "The SuperBoeren"s Ilja van Leerdam who saw his shot deflected into the back of the net for the 2 - 0 in the 52nd. Yannis Anastasiou got one back with a spot-shot in the 61st but the home team held on till the whistle. The 'Kerkrade Crew' stay in 15th place on 25 points from 23 played.

Regillio Vrede to leave Roda this summer?

15 Feb 2002

Regillio Vrede is possibly set to leave Roda this summer and has been expressing a desire to try his luck in the English Premiership. The 29 year-old defender's current contract with the 'Kerkrade Crew' runs till 2003 but it's been known for some time that the club are prepared to let him leave transfer-free this summer. He was linked with a move to Sheffield Wednesday in the 1999/2000 season and another possible move to Glasgow Rangers last season fell through when Lorenzo Amoruso decided to stay with the Scottish side.

Garba Lawal set for Premiership move?

10 Feb 2002

Roda's Garba Lawal is currently in talks with Ipswich and Derby County about a move across the channel this summer when his contract runs out in Kerkrade. The Nigerian striker follows the English scene closely and would love to play in the Premiership, but France or Spain would be ok too! He impressed many watchers recently with his spirited performances during the African Nations Cup and scored Nigeria's only goal in their quarter-final win against Ghana.

Roda sign goalie Vladan Kujovic

08 Feb 2002

Roda have signed Yugoslavian goalkeeper Vladan Kujovic on a contract for 4 years - it's not known how much the Kerkrade club have paid for him. The 23 year-old was playing for Eendracht Aalst where he'd been since arriving from Yugoslavian side Radnicki Nis in 1997.

Torma can leave Roda transfer-free

07 Feb 2002

Hungarian striker Gabor Torma has been told he's transfer-free and can leave Roda whenever he likes. He moved to Groningen at the beginning of the season but a clause in the contract allowed the Oosterpark side to return him if they were unsatisified with his fitness (there was a knee problem). As a result the Limburgers missed out on €700,000 Euros!

Roda beat Utrecht 1 - 0

06 Feb 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Rudge, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Lachambre, Tchoutang, Vandenbroeck, Nygaard and Anastasiou. Utrecht lineup: Wapenaar, Vreven, Zwaanswijk, Touzani, Bosschaart, Jean-Paul de Jong, Tanghe, Van Mol, Van den Bergh, Kuijt and Gluscevic. Harald Wapenaar put in a tremendous performance tonight to stop Roda handing out any more punishment than the one goal by Sven Vandenbroeck goal in the 73rd. The home team were determined to erase their 5 - 0 defeat by Feyenoord at the weekend and attacked from the whistle. Bernard Tchoutang and Vandenbroeck had 1st half attempts go just wide and Anastasiou had his header saved. Utrecht got a couple of chances of their own but Dirk Kuijt was off target. After the break the 'Kerkrade Crew' continued to look sharper but Wapenaar was not to be passed, saving shots by Anastasiou, Nygaard and Tchoutang before Vandenbroeck's winner got through. Roda go into 15th on 25 points from 22 played while Utrecht drop to 6th on 34 from 22.

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, 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.

Roda beat Twente 2 - 1

26 Jan 2002

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Lachambre, Vicelich, Van Dessel, Nygaard, Soetaers, Anastasiou and Zafarin. Twente lineup: Boschker, Heubach, Pothuizen, Grujic, Ten Hag, Van der Laan, Van der Doelen, Booth, Van der Leegte, Caïro and De Gier. Regilio Vrede made himself unpopular (with the Kerkrade crew that is!) by giving away an own goal in the 2nd minute! The conditions were difficult for both teams with a strong wind blowing the length of the pitch. After the break Roda went enthusiastically, if scrappily, in search of an equalizer and were rewraded for their efforts in a swift one-two when Ivan Vicelich equalized in the 78th and Edrissa Sonko put them ahead in the 79th. Roda will be glad of the points, climbing to 13th on 22 from 20 while Twenteare 15th on 21 from 20 played.

Friendly Roundup

20 Jan 2002

Roda drew 3 - 3 with Cologne with goals by Sonko, Anastasiou and Nygaard.

Roda trial for Australian Steve Corica

18 Jan 2002

Roda have offered Australian Steve Corica a trial during the next few days - the 28 year-old midfielder currently plays for Japanese side San Frecce Hiroshima. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City and Marconi Stallions player will get a chance to impress coach George Leekens this Saturday when Roda play a friendly against Bundesliga side Cologne.

Roda lose friendly to Eindhoven 1 - 2

18 Jan 2002

Roda have surprisingly lost their friendly against Eerste Divisie Eindhoven 1 - 2 in a match which saw the return of Gabor Torma. He'd been 'sold' to Groningen after a string of injuries kept him out of action in Kerkrade but he failed to impress his new employers who made use of an escape clause in the contract and returned the striker to Roda.

Russian interest in Roda's Tchoutang

09 Jan 2002

Torpedo Moscow are interested in signing Roda's Cameroon striker Bernard Tchoutang. The 25 year-old impressed various Russian clubs during the UEFA Cup matches between Roda and Ukranian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the 1999/2000 season when the Kerkrade crew won 2-0 and 1-3, Tchoutang scoring an away goal. Earlier attempts to get him to make the move East have failed - the winter weather may have been a problem for the African?

Roda hire out Ramora to Helmond

09 Jan 2002

Roda are hiring out their Italian striker Paolo Ramora to Eerste Divisie side Helmond Sport for the rest of this season - he remains under contract with the Kerkrade crew till 2005. The 21 year-old arrived in Kerkrade in 1999 from Italian side Salernitana but a broken leg kept him on the sidelines for so long that he lost his place in the lineup.

Roda draw 1 - 1 with Ajax

15 Dec 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Rudge, Lawal, Van Dessel, Lachambre, Vicelich, Berglund and Anastasiou. Ajax lineup: Grim, Heitinga, Chivu, Bergdølmo, Maxwell, Yakubu, Van der Vaart, O'Brien, Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic and Wamberto. Ajax left two points behind in Kerkrade tonight. They were the better qualified team but failed to press home their technical  advantage. Yannis Anastasiou put the Kerkrade crew ahead with a spot-shot in the 23rd after Christian Chivu brought down Frederik Berglund in the box. The home team made up for their lack of skill by their motivation, something the Amsterdammers could learn from as they once more lacked the effort needed to win matches. Richard Knopper came on for Heitinga and Ajax began to bare their teeth - Knopper and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scrambled a rebound over the line for the equalizer in the 68th. Ajax stay in 2nd place on 33 points while Roda are happily just clear (points-wise) of the danger zone in 12th on 19 points.

AZ lose to Roda 1 - 2

08 Dec 2001

AZ lineup: Moens, Wolters, Opdam, Buskermolen, Lindenbergh, Kromkamp, Robbemond, Van Galen, Perez, Nelisse and Huiberts. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Van Dessel, Lawal, Berglund and Anastasiou. After qualifying for the next round of the UEFA Cup by beating Bordeaux on Thursday Roda end their best week of the season with an away win in Alkmaar which lifts them 4 places to 13th place. AZ got off to a good start with a goal by Jan Kromkamp in the 6th but it wasn't long before Mark Luijpers equalized in the 13th with a nicely taken, curling freekick. The home team played the better, attacking football but were sloppy in defence and failed to create thengs they should/could have. the match was pretty un-entertaining till Frederik Berglund got the match-winner for the Kerkrade crew in the 59th. AZ tried to come back in the remaining 30 minutes but failed to find the back of the net and pay the price - they now drop to 11th!

Roda send home trial players

07 Dec 2001

Roda have sent home two players who've been on trial in Kerkrade - Jens Bäumer from Germany and the American Ross Pauly failed to impress during a match with the reserve team on Thursday and are headed back to their respective countries. 25 year-old Pauly plays in Major League Soccer in the USA while Bäumer plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Roda beat Bordeaux 2 - 0

04 Dec 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Vrede, Senden, Sonkaya, F. Van Dessel, Luijpers, Lawal, Nygaard, Van Dijk, Anastasiou and Berglund. Bordeaux lineup: Rame, Basto, Roche, Jamillo,Sommeil, Smertine,Batlles, Dhorasoo, Costa, Pauleta and Christian.  Roda celebrate the first time they have reached the 4th round of the UEFA Cup - a nice early Christmas present. There was little to be seen of the attacking football promised by coach George Leekens and the frustrated fans (who've had precious little to get excited about this season) made clear their disapproval with a chorus of whistles. After the break everything changed when Lawal's header was hand-balled in the box by Batlles, who was sent off for the offence, and Anastasiou's spot-shot was first repulsed by keeper Ramé before the Greek striker was able to head in the rebound for the 1 - 0 in the 57th. Lawal's 65th minute goal was controversial, it being unclear if it actually crossed the line or not, but the referee relied on his linesman and allowed the goal. Roda held on till the final whistle while Bordeaux were unable to threaten during the remaining 25 minutes.

Berglund back against Bordeaux

04 Dec 2001

Frederik Berglund will be able to play for Roda against Bordeaux in the return of their UEFA Cup match his evening after recovering from a bout of flu. Coach George Leekens has said that he's going to increase the pressure on the Swedish striker to finally come up with the form which he's neglected to show so far in Kerkrade. Roda face the French side in an attempt to overturn their 1 - 0 away defeat without the help of the injured Tom Soetaers and Igor Tomasic.

RKC beat Roda 3 - 0

01 Dec 2001

RKC lineup: Van Dijk, Van Diemen, Nascimento, Van den Berg, Van Wanrooy, Petrovic, Govedarica, Fuchs, Yuri Cornelisse, Hoogendorp and Janssen. Roda lineup: Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Van Dessel, Lawal, Zafarin and Anastasiou. Roda were the better team in the 1st half but neglected to convert their chances into goals-in-the-back-of-the-net. Lawal and Anastasiou both failed to put them away while Rob van Dijk was showing good form in goal for RKC. Robert Fuchs gave the Waalwijkers a one goal advantage to take into the dressing room in the 44th. Carlos van Wanrooy scored the 2nd in the 59th and Dejan Govedarica made it 3 - 0 in the 72nd. They earn themselves 3 points but don't change position.

NAC lose Sérgio and Cristiano to Roda

30 Nov 2001

Bad news for NAC, and just as they're hitting a good run of form, is that their Brazilian duo Sérgio and Cristiano will be moving to play for Roda next summer. Both players were in conflict with the Breda club over new contracts but were thought to be close to a new deal so the latest news will be a bit of a shock. Trainer Henk ten Cate's future is now also in doubt as the Amsterdammer had said he would only stay on if certain key players remained in the side.

Roda beat Fortuna 1 - 0

28 Nov 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Senden, Luijpers, Vrede, Van Dessel, Nygaard, Gregoor van Dijk, Lawal,Tchoutang and Anastasiou. Fortuna lineup: Hesp, Emeran, Dirkx, Volmer, Hermans, Akerboom, Van Dieren, Gerritsen, Rook, Landerl and Cramb. Both teams are sunk at the bottom of the table and it was clear to see in the many mistakes made on pitch. Rolf Landerl and Mark Nygaard missed clear opportunities to score in the 1st half. After the break Fortuna looked to be slightly better than the home team but a Yannis Anastasiou goal in the 72nd gave the Kerkrade crew the points.

Vitesse beat Roda 2 - 0

24 Nov 2001

Vitesse lineup: Van Fessem, Nanu, Stefanovic, Kreek, Van Hintum, Van der Schaaf, Sikora, Martel, Peeters and Van Beukering Roda lineup: Roorda, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Sonkaya, Van Dessel, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Lawal, Anastasiou and Tchoutang. Ronald Koeman's decision to field an attacking formation paid off with Vitesse's 7th win of the season which also maintains their unbeaten record at home. With 4 strikers up front it wasn't long before they found the back-of-the-net and Remco van der Schaaf put them ahead after only 7 minutes. Roda were unable to creat any threatening moves of their own and Vitesse were able to patiently bide their time looking for the chance to get a 2nd goal. After the break Bob Peeters was replaced by Mahamadou Diarra and the home team pulled back in defence in order to hold onto to their advantage. Roda's Regillio Vrede and Yannis Anastasiou missed a couple ofngs to even the score but the crowd were treated to a beauty of a goal in the  72nd minute by Victor Sikora to secure the points for Vitesse who are now on equal points with Ajax (the Amsterdammers have 2 games in hand) while Roda are in last-but-one position on 12 points.

Roda in injury problems against Bordeaux

19 Nov 2001

Roda have a tough job on their hands as they face Bordeaux tomorrow in the 1st leg of their UEFA Cup 3rd Round meeting and miss a whole bunch of players - Tom Soetaers (torn thigh muscle), Igor Tomassic (torn thigh muscle)

Roda's UEFA opponent Bordeaux - profile

19 Nov 2001

Bordeaux have plenty of experience to call on, this being their 23rd season of European football, and they were losing UEFA Cup finalists in 1996 (with Richard Witschge and  Zinedine Zidane in the lineup). In 1999 they were French Champions and ended the last two seasons in 4th place. In theng two rounds of this season's UEFA Cup they disposed of the Hungarians Debreceni (5-1, 1-3) and the Belgians Standard Luik (2-0, 2-0). They are especially dangerous up front with French international Christoph Dugarry, Brazilian Christian (ex-Paris Saint-Germain) and Portugal's Pauleta. In midfield they can call on the experience of French international Vikash Dhorasoo (played for Olympic Lyon last season) combined with the balance of Russian Alexei Smertin and Braziliaan Eduardo Costa (transferred from Grêmio last summer). In defence they have the experienced 34 year-old ex-international Alain Roche (with 70 European Cup matches under his belt) accompanied by David Sommeil in the centre with Kodjo Afanou on the right and Jerôme Bonnissel (ex-Deportivo La Coruña) on the left.

Willem II and Roda in 1 - 1 draw

17 Nov 2001

Willem II lineup: Martin, D. Mathijssen, Janssens, Van Nieuwstadt, Mariana, Landzaat, Victoria, Sektioui, Abdellaoui, Bombarda and Ceesay. Roda lineup: Roorda, Sonkaya, Rudge, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Tomasic, Gregoor van Dijk, Lawal, Tchoutang, Anastasiou and Soetaers. Both teams were fielding their reserve keepers, Christophe Martin for Geert de Vlieger and Zeljko Kalac (preparing for  Australia's match against Uruguay ) was replaced by Bas Roorda. After anng spell of Tilburg attacks Roda's Humphrey Rudge and Marc Luijpers were able to put Mariano Bombarda on a leash. Tom Soetaers and Yannis Anastasiou were the goal-getters for Roda but the duo was off the boil and it was close to halftime before the Greek headed a cross against the post and saw another go over the bar. The home team applied more pressure in the 2nd half, as the "Tricolores" put on a show of their famed attacking style - Bombarda put them ahead in the 53rd but they allowed the Kerkrade crew, who'd clearly come for the point, to go home with a point when Joris Mathijsen donated them a point with an own goal in the 60th.

Roda beat Groningen 3 - 1

04 Nov 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac - Sonkaya, Luijpers, Vrede, van Dessel - Tchoutang, Gregoor van Dijk, van der Luer, Lawal - Anastasiou, Soetaers Groningen lineup: Beukenkamp, Elshot, Van Gessel, Schoenmakers, Allach, Matthijs, Krstev, Broerse, Tuhuteru, Boussaboun and Robben. Goalie Roy Beukenkamp made several fine saves before Tom Soetaers gave Roda the lead in the 25th. Joost Broerse headed in the equalizer from a Paul Matthijs pass in the 43rd, Yannis Anastasiou scored with a spot-shot in the 53rd to put Roda back in front and added a 'real' goal in the 85th to give the Kerkrade crew a much needed confidence boosting 3 points. Groningen are sunk in 17th place after their 8th consecutive defeat, on equal points with Roda in 16th. They are only 3 points ahead of Fortuna who have two games in hand - the unfortunate Sittardians have returned to the bottom of the table position they inhabited for much of last season after momentarily being 17th after their win against Heerenveen yesterday.

Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Roda 2 - 1

01 Nov 2001

Maccabi lineup: Strauber, Vedzinsky, Strool, Ben-Halm, , Ben-Dayan, Shen, Zarfati, Biton, Nimni, Goldberg and Horvath. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Rudge, Van Dessel, Lawal, Van der Luer, Berglund, Luypers, Soetaers and Anastasiou. Roda took a 4 - 1 advantage with them to Israel and Gabar Lawal got them off to a fine start with a well struck goal in the 4th minute. The Israeli side played better combination football and were superior footballers than the Kerkrade side but couldn't convert that into goals. Biton scored two goals in the 36th and the 59th but Roda are through.

Marc Nygaard misses Maccabi match

01 Nov 2001

Roda will miss Marc Nygaard for their UEFA Cup match against Maccabi Tel Aviv tonight after it became clear that the midfielder wouldn't be recovered in time from a shin injury. Trainer Georges Leekens is cautious going into the match, despite the 1 - 4 win in Israel, knowing full well that the Israeli side can play much better football than they did at home.

Great 0 - 3 away win for Roda at Sparta

20 Oct 2001

Sparta lineup: Kooiman, Mendes, Winter, Van der Meer, Goossen, Bouchiba, Nielsen, Zij, Koevermans, Boukhari and Blinker. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Tomasic, Van der Luer, Rudge, Soetaers, Anastasiou and Berglund. Sparta had the match more or less under control during the 1st half but failed to profit from their advantage - instead it was Yannis Anastasiou who put the visitors ahead in the 44th. Roda were unable to impress once more in pure footballing terms - Eric de Luer starts to look rather tired, at 36 years of age, to maintain the service from midfield to the frontline. Sparta's Aron Winter looked much fitter, and more effective, a shame that Dave Koevermans and Nourdin Boukhari couldn't score from his passes. Tom Soetaers made it 0 - 2 for Roda in the 57th and Anastasiou got his 2nd for the 0 - 3 in the 81st. They will be glad to hand over the bottom of the table position to Fortuna!

Roda beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 4 - 1

16 Oct 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Luijpers, Vrede, Rudge,Tomasic, Van Dessel, van der Luer, Berglund, Soetaers and Anastasiou.  Maccabi Tel Aviv lineup: Strauber, Shelac, Wedzynski, Banin, Nimny, Torjman, Levy, M. Shen, Goldberg, Ben-Dayan and Ben-Halm. Roda had an easy home win against an Israeli side who were very weak in defence. Two first half goals from Tom Soetaers (4th and 35th minutes) gave the home team a comfortable lead going into the dressing room. After the break they restarted rather nervously but settled down again and Frederik Berglund put away the 3rd goal in the 54th. The visitors got a goal back through substitute Ferenc Horváth in the 78th but Fatih Sonkaya put away the 4th for Roda 4 minutes later. Maccabi's s

Roda and Maccabi miss players

16 Oct 2001

Roda's new trainer George Leekens will be missing several important players as the Kerkrade side play host to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 1st leg of their UEFA Cup tie. Marc Nygaard and Fredrik Berglund are both injured both be missing and it looks as if Regillio Vrede will also be missing due to a groin injury he picked up in Friday's match against PSV. The Israeli side have their own injury problems and will be missing internationals Gadi Brumer and Oren Zeituni, Baruh Dego is doubtful but star player Avi Nimni will probably start despite a slight virus infection.

Roda miss Nygaard for Maccabi Tel Aviv

16 Oct 2001

Roda will miss Marc

Roda lose to PSV 0 - 1

12 Oct 2001

Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Rudge, Van Dessel, Tomasic, Gregoor van Dijk, Vandenbroeck, Lawal, Soetaers and Anastasiou. PSV lineup: Lodewijks, Ooijer, Faber, Hofland, Heintze, Ramzi, Vogel, John de Jong, Bouma, Kezman and Bruggink. John de Jong scored the only goal of the match in the 17th minute for PSV and it was the only ball that found it's way to the back of the net. After taking the lead the visitors settled back to hold onto their precious advantage and cautiously played out the match. Roda seemed content to make things as difficult for the visitors as possible and only went on the attack for the last 15 minutes - by then it was too little, too late. It was a poor match in terms of performance by both teams and provided poor entertainment for the fans. Still it's PSV's first away win of the season and they climb from 14th to 9th place - it goes without saying that, after their 7th consecutive defeat, Roda remain firmly sunk at the bottom.

NAC beat Roda 2 - 1

09 Oct 2001

NAC lineup: Babos, Mensah, Penders, Schreuder, Gudelj, Risamasu, Fehér, Pacheco, Hersi, Cristiano and Bobson. Roda lineup: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, Van Dessel, Vandenbroeck, Gregoor van Dijk, Van der Luer, Soetaers, Nygaard and Anastasiou. The Kerkrade club are still struggling to regain their form and continue to disappoint so it was a real ray of hope when Yannis Anastasioud the score for them after only two minutes of play with a nice header. Unfortunately for them their opponents have the likes of Cristiano, Alfred Schreuder and Youssouf Hersi up front to put away goals! The diminutive Brazilian Cristiano equalized in the 10th and put the home team ahead in the 18th with his 2nd. NAC continued their calm, confident, attacking style in the 2nd half, creating the better chances and deserving the points.

Roda - Maccabi on 16th/Roda go to Israel

03 Oct 2001

The home leg of Roda JC and Maccabi Tel Aviv has been moved forward to Tuesday October 16th and kicks-off at 18.00. In the meantime there are two different stories circulating reagarding the return leg in Israel. One story is that Roda don't want to go because of the security problems arising out of the unrest in Israel and the Middle-East in general. The other is that club trainers Wim Vrösch en René Trost have flown over to Tel Aviv last weekend and declared that it's safe to play!

Roda don't want to go to Israel

02 Oct 2001

Roda have informed UEFA that they have no intentions of travelling to Israel to play the return leg of their UEFA Cup match against Maccabi Tel Aviv. The current situation in the Middle-East and the fact the Dutch Foreign Ministry have advised against travelling to that part of the world are their reasons for refusing to go. Glasgow Rangers recently were able to play their UEFA Cup match against Anzhi Makhachkala in Warsaw due to the dangerous situation in Dagestan and neighbouring Chechnya. FIFA's decision to force Austria to travel to Israel for their World Cup qualifier is a sign that Roda will be put under pressure to play in Tel Aviv. However, 9 Austrian players have meanwhile refused to travel and that could encourage the Dutch Ere Divisie side to resist any FIFA or UEFA directives.

Roda lose to Heerenveen 0 - 2

30 Sept 2001

Roda JC: Kalac, Sonkaya, Vrede, Luijpers, van Dessel, Zafarin, Gregoor van Dijk, van der Luer, Nygaard, Anastasiou and Soetaers. SC Heerenveen: Vonk, Venema, Klompe, Gérard de Nooijer, Edman, Talan, Radomski, Jensen, Nurmela, Allbäck and Denneboom. Roda are still not out of the woods yet and this afternoon had their noses rubbed in that fact by Heerenveen. The visitors dominated the flow of play with their ever stronger looking midfield and goals by Daniel Jensen and 'Mighty Swede' Marcus Allbäck in the 4th and 47th gave Heerenveen 3 away points to take home to Friesland and lift them into 4th place behind Feyenoord.

UEFA 2nd Round draw announced

28 Sept 2001

The draw for the next round of the UEFA Cup has been announced: Ajax meet FC Cagen, Roda meet Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Twente meet the Swiss team Grasshoppers and Utrecht will have the most difficult task of all as they try to get passed Parma.

Torma returns to Roda

28 Sept 2001

Gabor Torma is returning to Roda from Groningen who bought him during the summer but had a clause included in the contract allowing them to pull out before October 1st. The striker is suffering from a recurring knee injury and the northerners have decided to make use of the clause and returned him to the Kerkrade club.

Roda beat Fylkir in Iceland 1 - 3

25 Sept 2001

The Kerkrade team looked to have rediscovered themselves with a convincing 4 - 1 against Den Bosch at the weekend but were struggling again today. The match took place in a practically empty stadium and began with a pretty uninspiring 1st half - Tom Soetaers had a great chance and Yannis Anastasiou saw his header hit the bar. It was the Icelandic side that went ahead through Johanesson in the 57th minute but Roda came back quick with a Dave Zafarin strike in the 58th. Zafarin provided Frederik Berglund with the chance to tap away a 2nd in the 77th and Anastasiou blasted one in off the underside of the bar to make it 3 - 1 in the 88th.

Roda beat Den Bosch 4 - 1

21 Sept 2001

What a turn around - after a disastrous start to the season,  Roda have finally won 3 points at the expense of Den Bosch (the surprise team of the Ere Divisie so far). It's been an unhappy sight for all football-lovers in Kerkrade to see their team stuck at the bottom on one point. The situation led to coach Jan van Dijk's sacking and replacement by ex-Belgian national coach George Leekens. The visitors were content to let Roda come at them and wait for their chances via the counters - a strategy which has worked well for them so far this season. After settling down to enjoy the space their opponents gave them Roda gained in confidence, especially after two goals by Tom Soetaers in the 27th (nice header) and a 30 metre shot in the 36 minute gave them a much needed confidence booster. Garba Lawal and Anastasiou came close to increasing the score for Roda after the break while Bart van den Eede also had a chance for Den Bosch. Regillio Vrede knocked in the second of his 2nd half chances for a 3rd in the 65th while Anastasiou put away the 4th (his first of the season) in the 75th before Bart van den Eede scored a consolation goal in the 76th. Roda's forward line showed they've not forgotten how to score after all and the result is a great way for the new coach Leeskens to kickoff with.

Roda sack Van Dijk

19 Sept 2001

Jan van Dijk becomes the first managerial casualty of the season - he's been sacked by Roda JC. Van Dijk has only been with the Kerkrade club since March when he replaced Sef Vergoossen who took over at RC Genk. Roda's disastrous start to the season, they've only managed to earn one point out of their first 5 games, have led to calls for the coach's departure. A new coach has already been installed - Georges Leekens, the former Belgian national coach has signed a contract with Roda for 3 years. He was one of a number of candidates during the summer but dropped out of the running in a disagreement with the club over money.

Utrecht beat Roda 4 - 1

16 Sept 2001

UEFA Cup teams Utrecht and Roda have had a poor start to the new season, sitting in 17th and 18th place in the table. The visitors suffered a crushing defeat today at the hands of the Domstad team who continue to win on their home turf while having problems away. Roda's defence was a shambles and they're lucky that Utrecht were unable to put away more of the abundant opportunities that came their way. Igor Gluscevic put the home side ahead after 22 minutes and Tomasic equalized for Roda in the 36th. It didn't last long as a quick one-two by Tanghe in the 38th and Gluscevic in the 39th plus a 2nd for Tanghe in the 44th to make it 4 - 1 gave Utrecht a serious advantage to take into the dressing room at the break. Compared to the 1st 45 minutes the 2nd half was a goalless and unentertaining spectacle.

UEFA Cup Roda beat Fylkir 3 - 0

11 Sept 2001

Roda JC: Zeljko Kalac, Ger Senden (subst.75th minute - Fatih Sonkaya), Regillio Vrede, Gregoor van Dijk, Tom Soetaers, Marc Nygaard, Garba Lawal, Kevin van Dessel, Yannis Anastasiou, Mark Luypers, Paolo Ramora (subst.67th minute - Davy Zafarin). Fylkir FC: Kjartan Sturluson, Hreidar Bjarnason, Olafur Ingi Stigsson (subst.83th minute - Errol Edderson McFarlane), Sverrir Sverrisson, Finnur Kolbeinsson, Gunnar Thor Petursson, Thorhallur Johansson, Steingrimur Johannesson (subst.75th minute - Kristinn Tomasson), Saever Thor Gíslason (subst.75th minute - Theodor Oskarsson), Olafur Ingl Skulason, Alexander Högnason. UEFA had decided that despite the terrorist attacks in the United States there was no security risk in Europe which would prevent the show (football) going on but at least there was a minute's silence as a sign of respect. As for the match itself - Roda put on an unconvincing show against their Icelandic opponents. The team has had a poor start to the season (they're bottom of the table) and need a small miracle to inject the necessary self-confidence if they are to improve in the league or get past the next round of the UEFA Cup! Sixty minutes of shaky football with little to delight was heavy going - Regillio Vrede had a great chance after only 9 minutes to head one in but wasted it! Yannis Anastasiou and Tom Soetaers were equally off target with their chances. The Kerkrade side should be grateful that Fylkir's keeper Sturloson made some errors of judgement at crucial moments allowing the Kerkrade side to score - Marc Nygaard put them ahead after 27 minutes, Yannis Anastaiou added two more in the 65th and 70th minutes.

Roda trainer Van Dijk in trouble

11 Sept 2001

The chairman board of directors, Mr.Pickée, and the technical director, Mr.Hendriks, at Roda JC will be talking to trainer Jan van Dijk about his behaviour and remarks during/after the match against De Graafschap (he's since apologised for what he said). A section of the Roda support felt that Eric van der Luer should not have started on the bench and began calling for the midfielder's appearance. Van Dijk bought him on as a substitute in order to prove to them that they were wrong and indeed the Kerkrade side went on to lose the match 0 - 1. After the match he made some unwelcome remarks about the players and fans which have not exactly increased his popularity with the board, players or fans. The troubled trainer is severely disappointed by the team's poor start to the season (who wouldn't - they're sunk at the bottom of the table with 'un point') but obviously shouldn't be allowing himself to be taunted into making these kind of changes by sections of the Roda support!

Roda drop points to De Graafschap 0 - 1

08 Sept 2001

Roda lined-up:Kalac, Senden, Vrede, Luijpers, Gregoor van Dijk, Nygaard, Soetaers, van Desse, Lawal, Anastasiou and Berglund. De Graafschap lined-up:Postma, Bot, Vreman, Berck Beelenkamp, Fränkel, Meerdink, van Leerdam, van den Brom,Turpijn, van Vossen and Schulp. Roda held a pre-Berlin Wall Ajax to a 1 - 1 in the Arena in theirr, but got beaten by 2 Van Hooijdonk goals at home in their next match and lost 3 - 0 in Enschede to the "Tukkers". The Doetinchemersd with an easy 3 - 0  against AZ, lost 2 - 1 at Fortuna but held NEC to a 1 - 1 at home in their last match. Roda lost again tonight - they were off target and let the visitors go home with the points. A Roddy Turpijn goal in the 50th was enough for De Graafschap to win the match but they had to playout the match with ten men when René Bot got his 2nd yellow card in the 74th minute and headed for an early shower.

No Helmond move for Roda's Ramora

04 Sept 2001

Contarary to earlier reports Paolo Ramora will not be moving from Roda JC to join Helmond Sport. The 20 year-old, recently recovered from a knee injury, has not been able to agree terms with the First Division side. He joined the Kerkrade club from Italian side Salernitana 2 years ago and played 4 matches for them in the 1999/2000 season, failed to play for them last season and has little hope of doing so in the near future.

Roda's Ramora on loan to Helmond

30 Aug 2001

Roda are lending outside-right Paolo Ramora to Helmond Sport for the duration of this season. The 20 year-old Italian joined Roda 2 years ago from Salernitana but injured his knee at the beginning of last season and has been struggling to recover ever since. He's little chance of making his way back into the 1st team in Kerkrade but should be able to build up his match-rhythm in Helmond (once he's agreed terms that is!).

Twente win 3 - 0 against Roda

25 Aug 2001

Twente and Roda started the match on equal terms, both teams went on the attack which produced attractive football entertainment for the fans. The visitors gradually looked to gain the upperhand as the half progressed - both Fredrik Berglund and Yannis Anastasiou had early shots go wide or over the bar. In the 22nd minute Roda got their bestng but Sander Boschker pounced on the ball at Anastasiou's feet as the striker made a rush at goal. It began to look only a matter of time before they did score but it was, however, "The Tukkers" who went ahead - Arjan van der Laan headed the ball firmly behind goalie Kalac in the 30th and Chris de Witte added a 2nd in the 40th. Jan van Dijk brought on Eric van der Luer to try and add some extra creativity up front but it didn't help to change the balance. After Nygaard missed a great chance to head one in, and Houwing was replaced by the Austrian striker Roland Kollmann (making his debut), Patrick Pothuizen was awarded a disputed goal (did it cross the line or didn't it?!) to take the tally to 3 - 0 in the 73rd minute.

Roda happy with Icelandic UEFA opponent

24 Aug 2001

Roda have no objections to the 1st Round UEFA Cup opponents they've drawn - Icelandic Fylkir (who beat Pogon Szczecin to reach this stage of the tournament) is more or less equivalent to a Dutch top amateur side but not to be underestimated, after all amateurs often knockout top professional sides although Dutch clubs usually have no trouble dealing with Icelandic teams.

UEFA Cup First Round Draw

24 Aug 2001

The draw for the 1st Round of the UEFA Cup has been announced: Roda JC will play Fylkir, Utrecht will play Grazer AK, Ajax will play Apollon Limassol and Twente will play away to Polonia Warsaw. The first leg matches are on September 13th and the second leg matches will be on September 27th.

Roda say goodbye to Tchoutang and Lawal

21 Aug 2001

Past frustration with players leaving for international commitments in Africa and Asia have forced Roda JC to reconsider their position on signing new players - their new policy is not to buy African and Asian players who are unwilling to let go of their international careers. This has led not only to the breakdown of talks between the Kerkrade club and two players from Germinal Beerschot Antwerp (Iranian Mehrdad Minavand and Burkina Faso's Beli Moumouni Dagano) but also to Cameroen's Bernard Tchoutang and Nigeria's Garba Lawal being told that they can leave the club. The duo have too many international commitments and are consequently unavailable too often for Ere Divisie matches which disrupts the team's rhthym and chances of success. Any offers anyone?

Roda sign Vincent Lachambre

15 Aug 2001

Roda have signed Belgian youth international Vincent Lachambre from Belgian side KRC Zuid-West Vlaanderen, formerly known as RC Harelbeke. The 20 year-old left-back is the club's replacement for Ramon van Haaren (who signed for Feyenoord) and he has signed up for 5 years with the Kerkrade club.

Roda win friendly but miss players

08 Aug 2001

Roda had a simple 4 - 0 win against EVV from Echt. Fredrick Berglundd the score but missed a 1st half penalty. Tchoutang and Vicelich are still on the injured list and have been joined by Gregoor van Dijk who's got knee a problem and will be out for at least 3 weeks.

No Den Bosch contract for Roda's Brouwers

31 July 2001

Roel Brouwers has not impressed Den Bosch enough during his trial with the First Division champions to have earned himself a hire-contract with the newly promoted side. Roda's 19 year-old defender is one of several young players Roda would like to stall with other clubs in order to allow them to gain more experience. Bernard Tchoutang and Edrissa Sonko are two players who are generating interest from foreign clubs - Cameroen's Tchoutang has missed too many league matches beacuse of callups for internationals and Sonko hasn't been able to get a place in the Limburgers' team.

Roda win friendly 13 - 0

12 July 2001

Roda have won their first match under new trainer Jan van Dijk against LHC 13 - 0. Dave Zafarin got a hattrick and Yannis Anastasiou got two. Unhappy Marc Nygaard missed the match after receiving telephone threats from 'fans' who are 'unhappy' with his lack of loyalty (he'd been trying to leave the club). Jan van Dijk was, however, impressed with his motivation during the last week and upset that he had to leave him out of the team. He's determined to keep him out of harm's way and re-establish the player's confidence in the club.

Marc Nygaard stays with Roda

09 July 2001

Marc Nygaard has reported back for duty in Kerkrade after earlier asking the club to let him go. The Danish striker had even gone to arbitration in order to force the club to lower the €13,6 million Euro asking price which he felt was putting off prospective buyers from putting in a bid.

Roda sign Frederik Berglund

03 July 2001

Roda have paid IF Elfsborg circa €2 million Euros for Swedish international striker (3 caps) Frederik Berglund and signed him on a contract for 5 years. Roda hope he'll form a goal-hungry, goal-getting duo with Yannis Anastasiou. The tall 22 year-old  has scored 6 goals in the 11 matches played so far in the Swedish Allsvenskan and also becomes the 4th Swedish striker in the Dutch premier Division - Johan Elmander (Feyenoord), Marcus Allbäck (Heerenveen) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax) being the others.

Roda join forces with Patro Maasmechelen

02 July 2001

Roda JC have signed a cooperation pact with Belgian 2nd Division side Patro Maasmechelen. Both clubs hope to profit from the 5 year-deal... Roda can stall players in Belgium while Patro hope to benefit from Roda's experience.

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.