Other Eredivisie Teams

[Ayman]

Its 4-1!!!!! GO NIJMEGEN

[DrDuncan]

Thanks NEC, your comeback keeps us in the top 5 for at least another week ... unless Groningen win by 20! (I doubt it)

[carcajou]

Paris Saint Germain is interested in Kuyt and Castelen. Leaving Holland' Kakkerlaken Club for France's Kakkerlaken Club. They would feel at home ;)

[DrDuncan]

This may not be the right thread for this, though 2 of these teams could be in the Eredivisie next season.

There's been some exciting last match action (of the regular season) in the Eerste Divisie tonight. Seems to me that the teams that will be challenging Willem II and one other in the play-offs are Volendam, Zwolle, TOP Oss, Haarlem, Cambuur Leeuwarden (the period champions) plus VVV Venlo, Helmond Sport and De Graafschap.

But it shows how mad these play-offs are when the teams that finish 6th, 8th and 9th don't qualify, but those who are 11th, 12th and 15th do.

[dws]

Heerenveen V's Fudnoord ... 1:1 ... Van Hooijdonk for Fud's after Heerenveen had taken lead through Tarvajarvi. Less than 4 to play. Nice stream on tvants. :D

[DrDuncan]

Just to correct my previous post... AGOVV Apeldoorn were the last of the period champions, not Cambuur. I had thought last night's results counted in the last period, but apparently not.

It doesn't change the point about the play-offs though - AGOVV were 10th, Cambuur 15th.

[Kowalczyk]

Here is the (really compliacted) schedule for the promotion/relegation play-offs. It appears that certain teams enter the competition in later round...

First round
Tuesday 11 April
A: FC Zwolle vs FC Haarlem
B: TOP Oss vs AGOVV Apeldoorn
(Return legs: Friday 14 April)

Second round
Friday 21 April
C: Winners A vs Eredivisie #17
D: De Graafschap vs VVV-Venlo
E: Helmond Sport vs FC Volendam
F: Winners B vs Eredivisie #16
(Return legs: Monday 24 April)

Third round
Friday 05 May
G: Winners C vs Winners D
H: Winners E vs Winners F
(Return legs: Monday 08 May)

The winners of the third round confrontations (G and H) will play in the Eredivisie next season.

To make things a bit more complicated: all of the confrontations are 'best-of-3'. Which means: no extra time or penalties after the second leg (like in UEFA competition), but a third, decisive game. The dates for these extra games (if necessary) are, for each round:

First round: Monday 17 April
Second round: Friday 28 April
Third round: Friday 12 May

Any questions...?

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Any questions...?

I have a question myself...

The four teams in round 1 (Zwolle, Haarlem, TOP and AGOVV) play an extra round. Why is that? They're period champions, just like for example Volendam, but they enter in the second round...

I don't get it. Does anyone know? Is it simply because out of all the period champions they are the four lowest on the table?

K.

[Feest]

2 VVV-Venlo 38 20 8 10 68 53 - 34
3 FC Volendam 38 19 9 10 66 59 - 43
4 Helmond Sport 38 19 7 12 64 62 - 55
5 De Graafschap 38 17 11 10 62 63 - 51


You figure it out, Sherlock Ko. ;)

[DrDuncan]

That's right, the seedings are based on position in the final table. The period champions who finished way down the league are seeded lowest.

But the way the draw has panned out, there is a possibility of 2 extra local derbies for us next year, Volendam and Haarlem - only an outside chance in Haarlem's case I think, but you never know...

[Frans]

To make things a bit more complicated: all of the confrontations are 'best-of-3'. Which means: no extra time or penalties after the second leg (like in UEFA competition), but a third, decisive game. The dates for these extra games (if necessary) are, for each round:

First round: Monday 17 April
Second round: Friday 28 April
Third round: Friday 12 May

Any questions...?

K.

Will the third game (if required) be played at a neutral stadium?

[GangstaRiB]

That's right, the seedings are based on position in the final table. The period champions who finished way down the league are seeded lowest.

But the way the draw has panned out, there is a possibility of 2 extra local derbies for us next year, Volendam and Haarlem - only an outside chance in Haarlem's case I think, but you never know...

Naaahh.. Volendam and Haarlem are not good enough. I wish for them a promotion, but its not realistic. If they are drawn with Willem 2, they don't stand a chance. Willem 2 is far to strong.

And have you ever seen the stadium of Haarlem? If someone told me that they played in the 4th class of an amateur leaugue, I would believe him. Its really terrible. And they have the lowest budget of all the Dutch proffesional clubs.

Volendam on the other hand, have a slightly better side, but still not good enough. If they manage to reach the Eredivisie, they will be the number 18 next year with only 10 points in a complete season. They are like sitting ducks in the Eredivisie.

[SE6Ajacied]

Volendam on the other hand, have a slightly better side, but still not good enough. If they manage to reach the Eredivisie, they will be the number 18 next year with only 10 points in a complete season. They are like sitting ducks in the Eredivisie.

Well, I'd more or less agree with you on that, but didn't we say the same last time around about Heracles....? It can't all be down to the plastic pitch.

I liked Haarlem's ground btw. I've not seen a game there but passed by the ground last year. I'm sure the facilities aren't the best but it's good to see a traditional football ground that looks like a football ground ought to rather than some of the 'mmon landing pods' that are going up these days...(I suppose that you can't beat the view/facilities at the ArenA and some of the other new stadiums but I bet HFC have a load more atmosphere than we do.....(could be wrong on that one, just making a general point in the "where did all the atmosphere at football go" debate!)

[GangstaRiB]

Volendam on the other hand, have a slightly better side, but still not good enough. If they manage to reach the Eredivisie, they will be the number 18 next year with only 10 points in a complete season. They are like sitting ducks in the Eredivisie.

Well, I'd more or less agree with you on that, but didn't we say the same last time around about Heracles....? It can't all be down to the plastic pitch.

I liked Haarlem's ground btw. I've not seen a game there but passed by the ground last year. I'm sure the facilities aren't the best but it's good to see a traditional football ground that looks like a football ground ought to rather than some of the 'mmon landing pods' that are going up these days...(I suppose that you can't beat the view/facilities at the ArenA and some of the other new stadiums but I bet HFC have a load more atmosphere than we do.....(could be wrong on that one, just making a general point in the "where did all the atmosphere at football go" debate!)

About Heracles-Volendam: Heracles invested in some fine experienced players. They came from topclubs from outside Holland. Pieckenhagen came from HSV, Hoogma too.
That kind of players are not comming to Volendam. Volendam has a tradition of bringing many many youthplayers into their first squad. But with only teenagers you won't make it in the Eredivisie. That's the problem of Volendam.

About the ground of Haarlem: I am a fan of old-fashioned grouds. Grounds that let you sit right aside of the pitch. Well, that's the case with Haarlem. Only at Haarlem 2 of the 4 stands are closed down, because it could fall apart! :D
I even wonder if they have warm water running in the showers.....

[SPL]

Didn't Ko say Haarlem are having a new ground??

[GangstaRiB]

Didn't Ko say Haarlem are having a new ground??

Yeah but that's gonna take at least 2 years.

[SE6Ajacied]

Only at Haarlem 2 of the 4 stands are closed down, because it could fall apart! :D
I even wonder if they have warm water running in the showers.....

Ah, I didn't know that, like I said, a nice traditonal looking ground.

[SPL]

Looking at the teams in the playoffs as listed by Ko above I looked up the final table and notice that Emmen and Den Bosch finished 6th and 7th but do
not get into the play offs whereas Topp Oss and Zwolle 11th and 12 th do.

The postings above make it clear but it does seem a strange system whereby the 12th placed club could be promoted.

Strange I mean ridiculous!!!

And of course AZ who will finish 2nd in the Ere Divisie might end up not
being in UEFA Cup.

Complicated and Mad!!!.

For what it is worth I will hope that Volendam get promoted as I have been to this beautiful town and Ko will have a nice day out to look forward to eating fresh herrings on the quayside.

[AjaxPDX]

Bottom line...

... the playoff(s) system is a horrible, terrible, horrible, disgraceful, horrible, embarrassing, horrible, and pathetic (did I mention horrible?) addition to the league landscape.

The final league table should detemine who goes to the CL, UEFA Cup, gets promoted, etc. End of story. That's why you f*cking play the league games in the first place.

[Kowalczyk]

The first games have been played...

First round
Tuesday 11 April
A: FC Zwolle vs FC Haarlem: 1-1
B: TOP Oss vs AGOVV Apeldoorn: 3-0
(Return legs: Friday 14 April)

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Update...

First round
Tuesday 11 April
A: FC Zwolle vs FC Haarlem 1-1
B: TOP Oss vs AGOVV Apeldoorn 3-0

Return legs: Friday 14 April
A: FC Haarlem vs FC Zwolle 1-3
B: AGOVV Apeldoorn - TOP Oss 0-2

Second round
Friday 21 April
C: FC Zwolle vs Willem II
D: De Graafschap vs VVV-Venlo
E: Helmond Sport vs FC Volendam
F: TOP Oss vs Eredivisie #16
(Return legs: Monday 24 April)

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Some 2005-2006 trivia...

For the first time in history the games in a season of Eredivisie football were attended by more than 5 million people. 5,137,486 spectators, to be precise. The most popular season so far was 2002-2003: 4,974,966 spectators.

RBC Roosendaal were the poorest team the Eredivisie ever saw. The Roosendaal outfit grabbed 0.26 point per game on average, thereby breaking the old record of the great De Volewijckers from Amsterdam North. In 1962-1963 they grabbed 0.33 point per game.

912 goals were scored this season, which is less than last season (948).

K.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Some 2005-2006 trivia...

For the first time in history the games in a season of Eredivisie football were attended by more than 5 million people. 5,137,486 spectators, to be precise.

The KNVB will say that this was to do with having the playoffs this season - Personally hate the playoffs but they have added to the excitement this season for the likes of FC Ugly, Gronningen etc.

[Kowalczyk]

The KNVB will say that this was to do with having the playoffs this season - Personally hate the playoffs but they have added to the excitement this season for the likes of FC Ugly, Gronningen etc.

And don't forget the teams below them. There are three four different play-off competitions: 2-5 (1 CL slot and 2 UEFA slots), 6-9 (1 UEFA slot), 10-13 (1 Intertoto slot) and the promotion/relegation play-offs (2 Eredivisie slots).

Which means that, on the last day, almost every team still had something to play for. Which was - it must be admitted - quite exciting. Almost every game was still important one way or the other. Normally the last matchday is a bit lame; now we had huge drama because Vitesse equalized in the last minute of the derby against NEC, so that NEC dropped out of the '6 to 9' play-offs. At the same time, two teams were celebrating in Enschede: Groningen because they grabbed a point while Utrecht lost, which means they're in the '2 to 5' play-offs. Twente's late equalizer against Groningen didn't hurt Groningen, but meant the world to Twente, who leapfrogged NEC and can now play for 1 UEFA Cup ticket.

There really was a lot going on. Very exciting. Yet, there are more good reasons to be against the play-offs, though.

K.

[Manneken Pis]

At the same time, two teams were celebrating in Enschede: Groningen because they grabbed a point while Utrecht lost, which means they're in the '2 to 5' play-offs. Twente's late equalizer against Groningen didn't hurt Groningen, but meant the world to Twente, who leapfrogged NEC and can now play for 1 UEFA Cup ticket.
K.

Can anybody say "W. Germany v. Austria in '82".
It's unlikely it was fixed, but these over engineered formulas where both teams stand to gain from a draw are (potentially) awful.

K.I.S.S.