twente.html
KPN Eredivisie, 2000-2001: Club Profile
FC TWENTE: THE 'BEST OF THE REST' STRIKES BACK
On 24 May, 2001, over 30,000 Tukkers (people from the
eastern area called Twente) turned De Kuip red, supporting
their team in the Amstel Cup final against PSV. The score after
120 minutes of football was 0-0. Two Twente players missed from
the penalty spot, allowing the faultless PSV'ers to take a 3-1
lead in the shoot-out. It all seemed over. But then, on exactly
the right moment, Sander Boschker had his finest hour in his
goalkeeper's career. He saved three PSV attempts in a row. His
team-mates didn't fail. FC Twente became the winner of the
Amstel Cup (the Dutch Cup) of 2001.
It's hard to think of a more glorious comeback to the top of
Dutch football. In the shadow of the 'Big Three', no other club
in Holland finished so high on the table so frequently.
Vitesse's recent record is better, but only club can
historically claim to be 'the best of the rest': FC Twente,
even though they never won the national championship. One of
its predecessors did, by the way: Sportclub Enschede, back in
1926. But football in the eastern industrial city of Enschede
went down-hill after that, until Sportclub Enschede and its
local rivals, Enschedese Boys, grudgingly admitted that a
fusion was the only way to survive.
FC Twente was born on 14 April, 1965, and needed only a few
years to grow up. The arrival of legendary coach, Kees Rijvers,
marked the beginning of a truly unique era, although partially
overshadowed by Ajax' triumphs of the early 1970s. Twente
finished 3rd in 1969, 4th in 1970, 5th in 1971, 3rd again in
1972 and 1973, with a notorious team in which the key players
were characteristic local heroes: Eddy Achterberg, Kick van der
Vall, Theo Pahlplatz and Epi Drost, for example.
They reached the quarter finals of the predecessor of the
UEFA Cup in 1971, in which Juventus needed extra time in the
second leg to win. Two years later, Borussia
Mönchengladbach was too strong in the semi final. In those
years, FC Twente was totally accepted as one of Holland's big
sides - and the best was yet to come. In the Eredivisie of
1973-1974, FC Twente and Feyenoord battled for the title. On 5
May, 1974, a direct confrontation in the very last game, in De
Kuip, brought the decision. Feyenoord was the luckiest, 3-2. A
second place and a UEFA Cup ticket - that was all.
But the Tukkers made the most out of that UEFA Cup
ticket. The second clash with Juventus, in the semi finals of
1975, is still regarded as one of the highlights in club
history. A roaring Diekman Stadium saw Twente win and proceed,
after Zuidema had scored a legendary winner in Turin, two weeks
earlier. In the two-legged final, a 0-0 was notched away from
Borussia Mönchengladbach. A European trophy came extremely
close, but the game in Enschede was lost against the toughest,
most feared opponent in football: stage fright. After 90
minutes, the devastating score was 1-5.
After these amazing peaks, things went downhill, with a
dramatic relegation in 1982 as a result. The legendary FC
Twente of the 1970s in the First Division - it almost felt as
weird as seeing Ajax or Feyenoord go down. Twente was back a
year later, but things had changed. After having been famous
for attractive football in the 1970s, Twente manifested itself
as a somewhat gray side throughout the 1980s, becoming
particularly famous for a truly amazing number of 1-1 and 0-0
draws. It overshadowed the fact that FC Twente kept qualifying
for European tournaments regularly: five times since 1985.
That intangible extra, that 'spark' that seemed to have
disappeared, returned during the 1990s, in which German coach,
Hans Meyer, brought some of the good old days back to Enschede,
finishing third in the Dutch league of 1997 and reaching the
third round of the UEFA Cup the next season. FC Twente is more
alive than ever in 2001, thanks to the Cup victory and its good
eye for local talent: PSV's strikers, Jan Vennegoor of
Hesselink and Arnold Bruggink, both wore Twente's red a few
years ago. Recognizing local talent and building something good
with it? Leave that to the Tukkers. Didn't you know the
Wise come from the East? (MP)
FC TWENTE FACTS
Founded: 14 April, 1965 (fusion of Sportclub Enschede
and Enschedese Boys)
City: Enschede
Stadium: Arke Stadium
Capacity: 13,500
Honors:
- Dutch Cup winners: 1977, 2001
- Runners-up UEFA Cup: 1975
Ajax vs FC Twente, the last five Eredivisie seasons:
- FC Twente - Ajax 0-0
- Ajax - FC Twente 0-1
- Ajax - FC Twente 5-0
- FC Twente - Ajax 2-1
- Ajax - FC Twente 1-0
- FC Twente - Ajax 1-2
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