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Twente
Anthem: "Dr ligt tusken Regge en Deenkel n laand"
Location of  Twente  (Yellow)
Capital		Enschede
Official language(s)		Dutch
Ethnic groups		predominantly north European
Population
-	2006 estimate	617.682
Currency		Euro3 (EUR)
Time zone		GMT+1
Drives on the		right
Calling code		+31

Twente (English: Twente or Twenthe, Dutch: Twente, Dutch Low Saxon: Twente) is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti,^[1] a Germanic tribe that settled in the area and was mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus.

The region's borders are defined by the Overijssel region of Salland in the northwest and west (the river Regge roughtly defines the western border), the German County of Bentheim in the northeast and east (the river Dinkel roughly defines the eastern border) and the Gelderland region of the Achterhoek in the south.

Twente has approximately 620,000 inhabitants, most of whom live in the three largest cities: Almelo, Hengelo and Enschede, the latter being the main city of the region.

Twente comprises fourteen municipalities: Almelo, Borne, Dinkelland, Enschede, Haaksbergen, Hellendoorn, Hengelo, Hof van Twente, Losser, Oldenzaal, Rijssen-Holten, Tubbergen, Twenterand and Wierden.

The whole of Hellendoorn and the western parts of both Rijssen-Holten and Twenterand historically belong to the cultural region of Salland, but to the city region of Twente.

Etymology[link]

Various sources provide several explanations of the name Twente. In his work Germania, the Roman historicus Tacitus mentions a tribe called Tvihanti, who lived near or in present-day Twente. This same name was found on two altar stones found in the ruins of Vercovicium, a Roman guard post on Hadrian's Wall near present-day Housesteads in Northern England. The Tvihanti served in a Roman-Frisian cavalry unit that was stationed there.

An other explanation of the origins of the name, is that Twente was part of the Oversticht, a Medieval administrative construction which included the adjacent shires of Twente and Drenthe. Some scholars believe that the names were probably derived from the local equivalents of the count nouns two (twee) and three (dree).

A third explanation is that the word may be derived from the local language's word for a two year old horse, namely a Twenter. Throughout history, horses have always played a significant role in Twents agriculture. Horses are a much cherished symbol for the people from Twente, and in fact for many people who claim to be of Saxon origin. The two legendary figures Hengist and Horsa (both named after horses), who were said to have conquered Great-Britain in the early Middle Ages, are commonly though disputably claimed to be of Twents origin, or from directly surrounding areas. The horse is featured in the Twents flag, and many inhabitants are involved in equestrianism.

Landscape[link]

Municipalities of the city region of Twente

Tower for salt-mining, near Twekkelo

Oostendorpermolen, near Haaksbergen

Although Twente is the most urbane part of the province of Overijssel, it is renowned for its scenic countryside. This is sometimes typefied as a bocage landscape, attracting many tourists from other parts of the country, with popular sights such as the Lutterzand on the meandering Dinkel, or the wide heather fields on the Frezenbaarg near Markelo. Twente is bisected from north to south by a range of hills in western Twente (Holterberg, Rijsserberg, Friezenberg, Nijverdalse Berg, Hellendoornse Berg), and hills in the east, with the Tankenberg near Oldenzaal being the highest point. The towns of Ootmarsum, and Oldenzaal to a lesser extent, are known for their scenic historical buildings, the latter of which has a noteworthy Roman-style church called 'Oale Grieze' (Old Grey one), which is the oldest Roman-style church in the Netherlands. Eight Twents towns have obtained city rights: Almelo, Delden, Diepenheim, Enschede, Goor, Oldenzaal, Ootmarsum, and Rijssen.

Since Twente's economy is for a considerable part reliant on agriculture, this leaves its marks on the landscape, with lots of meadows and pastures, alternated by, undergrowth, scrubs and copse. There are several fens, marshes and peat bogs, which long made Twente less accessible for the rest of the Netherlands, and which formed some natural defence. It also made the inhabitants of Twente to incline towards the east (Westphalia, and Münster, more precisely) for trade, politics and fashion, rather than to the more western parts of the Netherlands.

Geologically, Twente is one of the most interesting areas of the Netherlands. It has strata (earth layers) from various eras concentrated in a relatively small area. There is an open stone quarry at Losser, while there are several salt mines at Hengelo and Boekelo. The western Twente town of Nijverdal is the only place in the Netherlands where gold was ever found.

Economy[link]

Twente is largely reliant on agriculture, next to services, and to a lesser degree on tourism. The improved national image of Twente has stimulated an increase in regional products sales. One of the largest Dutch beer breweries, the Grolsch Brewery, is in Twente.

Twente has many construction companies, most notably in the town of Rijssen, which houses over twenty more or lesser known construction companies and related services, such as electricity, plumbing, and insulation. Some north-western Twents villages, such as Westerhaar-Vriezenveensewijk, are known for their many inhabitants being employed in road engineering. A number of construction companies have set up, or invested in offices in other continents, such as the US and Asia.

Next to aforementioned occupations, many Twents people are engaged in the transport sector. The second half of the twentieth century saw an explosive increase in the number of freight transportation companies.

Culture and folklore[link]

Twents gewelteekn

The flag of Twente is a bright red cloth with a white rampant horse, which is believed to be the Saxon Steed. The rampant horse is not uncommonly found in the coats of arms or banners of other regions with a Saxon heritage, such as the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, and County Kent in England.

Traditions[link]

In the more rural parts of Twente, a notion called Noaberskop, which may be roughly translated as neighbourship, is deemed of great importance. In short, noaberskop involves neighbours looking after each other, or giving good counsil whenever a neighbour asks for advice. For instance, it may include collecting each other's mail and watering plants and flowers while the other family is on holiday and looking after each other's pets. Noaberskop is regarded a matter of rights and obligations. A neighbour may for instance call on the other neighbours for help if something needs to be repaired or otherwise taken care of, but it is very indecent to refuse if the other neighbours then ask a favour in return. Neighbours are expected to help each other preparing wedding celebrations, funerals, birthday parties, etc. Though modern social security service has reduced the need for strong noaberskop bonds, some communities do appreciate newcomers to adapt to these old customs and to "make neighbourship" with the others, and not fulfilling noaberskop duties may be still regarded a grave offence.

A number of traditional cultural practices have been preserved in Twente, such as blowing mid-winter horns around Christmas, and burning Easter fires. Twente is also known for its considerable number of so-called klootsketersverennigings (Road bowling Associations), which is commonly considered the "local traditional sport".

In the small town of Ootmarsum, a tradition known as vlöggeln is practised annually around Easter. Firstly, a group of five young bachelors called Poaskearls (Easter Men) are selected. On Easter morning, the Poaskearls form a human chain by joining hands. They go through every single house of the town while singing psalms, after which the other inhabitants and other spectators may join the chain. After a while, the chain halts in the town centre, where fathers may lift their young children three times, while shouting halleluja. The gathering continues towards the fields, where a large Easter Fire has been built by the community. The gathering sings a psalm and then the Poaskearls light the bonfire. It is commonly believed to be a Roman Catholic adaptation of a pre-Christian fertility tradition.

An extravagant carnival is celebrated in Oldenzaal, which, like the most of eastern Twente has a considerable group of Roman Catholics. The west of Twente is mainly Protestant.

Today, Twente has one of the Netherlands’ largest exile communities of Syriacs (also known as Assyrians, Arameans and Chaldeans).

Food[link]

Although Twente has always been part of larger cultural areas, borrowing and adopting food traditions, there are a number of traditional "typically Twents" dishes and snacks. One of the nationally most-renowned foods from Twente is the kreantewegge. This is a type of currant bread, that is traditionally baked to celebrate the birth of children. The kreantewegge was usually a long loaf, sometimes extending over as much as one meter, cut into thick slices. It is currently still a popular accompaniment with a cup of coffee, though it is no longer exclusively linked to child birth.

Another typically Twents food is bakleaverworst (roughly translated as baked liver sausage), mostly abbreviated to bakworst. This is a spicey pork sausage, usually approximately 15 cm in diameter. The sausage is cut into 1 cm slices and baked. It is not usually served for dinner, but is often eaten for lunch, on a sandwich. It is mainly a seasonal product; as it is a hot and hearty snack, it is only available during the winters.

There are several dishes that are often termed "typically Twents", although they are hardly served today. Examples include Stip in de pan and balkenbriej.

Perhaps the best internationally known beverage from Twente is Grolsch lager. Though it is originally from the town of Groenlo which is in the adjacent Achterhook region, the brewery moved to Boekelo near Enschede. It is therefore currently often considered a Twents brand. A relatively new brand of lager, Twents Bier, is brewed in the town of Hengelo. Twente also has a longstanding tradition of distilling bitters. There are many locally distilled bitters, which are often produced and consumed for special occasions and celebrations. Often, they aren't for sale outside the home village.

Though Twents families traditionally ate potatoes, vegetables and meat for dinner, the influx of many immigrants from all over the world to Twente, who brought with them their own food traditions, has broadened the average Twenteman's nutritional horizon.

Architecture[link]

Office of Aan de Stegge, a construction company in the town of Goor

Twente is mainly a rural area with a number of urbane centres. The Saxon heritage of Twente is reflected in the design of more traditional farms and residential houses. Twente has the only remaining "Lös Hoes" in the Netherlands (lit. Loose House), a type of construction design that was previously common throughout the east of the Netherlands, and the north of Germany. A lös hoes consisted mostly of one room in which both humans and livestock lived together. The roofs, which are relatively large in comparison to contemporary houses, making up approximately 2/3 of the entire height, were mostly thatched, and supported by a frame of thick beams. The TwentseWelle museum in Enschede has reconstructed a lös hoes on their premises. Many contemporary houses are designed with "Twents" Saxon elements, such as thatched roofs, wooden planks to decorate the gables, and gewelteekns (gable signs), which are wooden planks shaped with several stylised symbols, such as a life tree, cross, anchor and heart, a sun wheel, and two rampant horses. These gewelteekns are mounted vertically onto the ridge of the house at the front and the back gable. The symbols are believed to either invoke prosperity or ward off misfortune.

Many construction companies have their origins, or main office, in Twente. Especially in the town of Rijssen, which houses over twenty more or lesser known construction companies next to companies that provide related services, such as plumbing, building insulation and electricity. This makes Twente an attractive place for architects.

An well-known piece of architecture is found in the town of Goor, where a construction engineering company has built their main office in the style of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who was known for using lively colours and natural forms.

Languages[link]

The local language variety is Twents. It is a dialect of the Westphalian branch of the Low German language group, which together with Limburgs is one of the two officially recognised regional languages of the Netherlands. Twents is spoken in all parts of Twente, but may vary per village in pronunciation or lexicon, though they are mutually intelligible, as they are part of the Low German dialect continuum. The dialect is often separated in two main categories, namely East-Twents and Twents-Groafskops, though the differences are largely insignificant. The dialects work as a certain shibboleth; minor accent differences help speakers define others' place of origin. As a result, speakers do not usually refer to their dialect by the umbrella term Twents, but rather by the name of their local variety. Speakers from Markelo, for instance, may call their dialect Maarkels, whereas speakers from Overdinkel may state that they speak Oaverdeenkels.

Although the dialect has been stigmatised for a considerable period over the last century, leading to a decline in use, interests in preserving and promoting the use of it are currently rising, resulting in initiatives such as dialect festivals, writing competitions and other culturally engaging projects. The municipality council of Rijssen-Holten holds one conference per year in dialect, and in 2008 declared their desk workers officially bilingual, to lower the threshold for the inhabitants of Rijssen who feel more comfortable in speaking Twents, rather than Dutch. Other municipality councils have recently indicated that they are willing to try dialect conferences, such as the municipalities of Hellendoorn and Wierden.

The former Van Deinse Instituut, which is now incorporated in the TwentseWelle museum, is involved in researching the past and present of Twente. It is located in Enschede and studies the regional culture, folk knowledge, language, cultural history and landscape of Twente. It also collects, maintains, studies and displays an extensive collection of material from the history of Twente, with a full-size historic Twents Lös Hoes (open house, a farm house without separate rooms, where both livestock and humans lived together) as one of its main attractions. The museum has designated a specific part of its premises for the Twentse Taalkamer (language room), where visitors may become (further) acquainted with the language.

Twents is largely mutually intelligible with dialects from surrounding areas, such as Achterhooks to the south, Sallaands in the west, Groafschupper Platt and Münsterlandic across the Dutch-German border.

Sports[link]

A group of friends practise Klootskeetn

On a professional level, Twente houses two football clubs that play in the national Eredivisie league; Heracles from Almelo, and FC Twente from Enschede, the latter which is one of the most successful sides of recent years having won the Eredivisie title in 2010 and the KNVB Cup in 2011. Twente is also the home region of Olympic Gold swimmers such as Marleen Veldhuis and Hinkelien Schreuder, and to internationally renowned equestrians (horse driving and horse jumping), such as Jeroen Dubbeldam, Gerco Schröder and Jos Lansink.

A number of well-known bicycle racing pros are from Twente, including Bram Tankink, Tom Stamsnijder and Joost Posthuma.

On an amateur level, many people participate for leisure in popular team sports with local clubs, such as waterpolo, basketball and volleyball.

A local traditional sport, klootskeetn, which is similar to Irish road bowling, has seen an increase in interest over the last decades. It is mainly practised for leisure or for cultural engagement. There are, however, a number of (semi)-professional klootsketer clubs. It is a popular activity for staff trips.

Places in Twente[link]

Aadorp -- Albergen -- Almelo -- Beuningen -- Boekelo -- Borne -- Bornerbroek -- Breklenkamp -- Buurse -- Daarle -- Daarlerveen -- Delden -- De Lutte -- Denekamp -- Deurningen -- Diepenheim -- Enschede -- Enter -- Fleringen -- Glanerbrug -- Goor -- Haaksbergen -- Hengelo -- Lattrop -- Lonneker -- Losser -- Mander -- Markelo -- Oldenzaal -- Ootmarsum -- Overdinkel -- Rijssen -- Rossum -- Saasveld -- Tilligte -- Tubbergen -- Twekkelo -- Usselo -- Vasse -- Vriezenveen -- Vroomshoop (partly Salland) -- Weerselo -- Wierden -- Zenderen

• See also Twentestad

References[link]

1. ^ Green, D.H. Language and History in the Early Germanic World. Cambridge University Press. 2000. 250. Accessed: 24-11-2011

Coordinates: 52°19′18″N 6°46′13″E / 52.32167°N 6.77028°E / 52.32167; 6.77028

v t e Regions of Overijssel Kop van Overijssel Salland Twente See also list of subregions of the Netherlands

Steve McClaren

McClaren in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Stephen McClaren
Date of birth	(1961-05-03) 3 May 1961 (age 51)
Place of birth	Fulford, York, England
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Twente (head coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1979–1985	Hull City	178	(16)
1985–1988	Derby County	25	(0)
1987	→ Lincoln City (loan)	8	(0)
1988–1989	Bristol City	61	(2)
1989–1992	Oxford United	33	(0)
Total		305	(18)
Teams managed
2001–2006	Middlesbrough
2006–2007	England
2008–2010	Twente
2010–2011	VfL Wolfsburg
2011	Nottingham Forest
2012–	Twente
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stephen "Steve" McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English football manager and former player, currently manager of Dutch team FC Twente.

His managerial career began at Middlesbrough in the Premier League, who won the League Cup in 2004 and finished as runners-up in the 2006 UEFA Cup. McClaren then served as manager of England from August 2006 to December 2007. He was sacked after England failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.^[1] In 2008 McClaren became manager of FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season. He then worked as manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011. After a short spell as manager of Nottingham Forest, he returned to Twente in January 2012.

Despite his successes at Manchester United, where he had been assistant manager to Alex Ferguson from 1999 to 2001, and Middlesbrough, he was vilified by the English media^[2] following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008. He was dubbed 'the wally with a brolly',^[3][4] after his use of an umbrella to protect himself from rain during his final game in charge. McClaren's time in charge at FC Twente saw his professional reputation recover somewhat after he managed them to the Eredivisie title.

Early life [link]

McClaren was born on 3 May 1961 in Fulford, York,^[5] the son of Margaret (née Bogg) and Brian McClaren who had married the previous year.^[6] Described as "Yorkshire born and bred", McClaren's ancestors worked variously as miners, brewers, cotton mill workers, labourers, farmworkers and in domestic service.^[6]

As a child, McClaren attended Nunthorpe Grammar School after passing his eleven plus exams, preferring it over a closer school because of the emphasis which was placed on sports.^[7] In order to attend he was forced to cycle a daily ten-mile round trip across York. This is cited as an example of his determination to succeed in sport.^[7] At school he played rugby, tennis, squash and was captain of the school's football team. He also played for York Boys under-15 team and represented the county of Yorkshire. Playing as midfielder, McClaren is remembered as being a "tiny" player but also "skilful on the ball" and "head and shoulders above the rest."^[7]

He is married to Kathryn with whom he has three sons called Joe, Sam and Josh.^[8] As of 2006, McClaren lived in the town of Yarm in Stockton-on-Tees. On becoming manager of Wolfsburg, McClaren moved with his wife and youngest son to Germany.^[9]

Playing career [link]

As a player, McClaren was a midfielder who spent most of his career in the lower leagues of English football. The bulk of his playing career was with Hull City, who he joined in 1979 at the age of 18 after leaving school, He went on to play 178 games scoring 16 goals before leaving in 1985. He then played for Derby County between 1985 and 1988 making 25 appearances, During 1987 he joined Lincoln City (on loan) making only 8 appearances. In 1988, he moved to Bristol City and played 61 times scoring 2 goals. His final club was Oxford United who he joined in 1989, he played 33 times before an injury forced him to retire in 1992.^[10]

Managerial career [link]

Coaching career [link]

After retiring from playing McClaren began his coaching career as a youth and reserve team coach at Oxford United, where Denis Smith was manager.^[10] He moved back to Derby County in 1995, where he was assistant manager to Jim Smith.^[11] The pair won promotion to the Premier League in their first season in charge and later enjoyed further consolidation in the top flight.

In early 1999, McClaren moved to Manchester United as assistant to Alex Ferguson, replacing Brian Kidd. At the time he was so unknown he was introduced by United chairman Martin Edwards as "Steve McClaridge".^[12] His first half-season was distinguished by United winning the Treble, consisting of the Premier League title, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. He developed the reputation as one of the most tactically astute coaches in the country,^[13] using modern methods such as video analysis and sports psychologists.^[12] United later won the League titles in 2000 and 2001, thus ensuring they won every title contested while McClaren was at the club.

In October 2000 McClaren was made a coach in the England national team by caretaker-manager Peter Taylor.^[14] He retained the position under permanent manager Sven-Göran Eriksson until November 2002, combining the job with his roles at club level.^[15] However, he returned to assist Eriksson as assistant manager shortly before Euro 2004 as Brian Kidd had undergone surgery for prostate cancer.^[16] He remained in the role up to and including the 2006 World Cup finals.

Middlesbrough [link]

At the end of the 2000–01 season McClaren began looking for a managerial job, having decided his chances of succeeding Ferguson at Old Trafford were slim.^[13] With a positive reputation and closely linked with three Premier League vacancies, Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson won the race to appoint him after McClaren turned down Southampton and West Ham United.^[17] In his first season, Middlesbrough reached the FA Cup semi-final, knocking out his previous employers Manchester United en route,^[18] but lost 0–1 to Arsenal.^[19] They finished 12th in the league, a small improvement on the previous season's 14th-place finish. The following season bought another modest improvement, this time finishing eleventh.

The 2004 Football League Cup Final between Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers at the Millennium Stadium

In the 2003–04 season, McClaren guided Boro to victory in the League Cup with a 2–1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the final.^[20] This was the club's first ever major honour and also guaranteed them qualification for a European competition for the first time in their 128-year history.^[21] In the following close season, McClaren was able to attract proven players Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Michael Reiziger and Mark Viduka to the Riverside Stadium.^[22] The signings paid dividends as the club reached the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup, having beaten more experienced sides such as S.S. Lazio,^[23] before being eliminated by Sporting Clube de Portugal.^[24] The club finished in seventh position in the Premier League—their best finish since 1975—ensuring qualification for the UEFA Cup for a second successive season.^[25]

The 2005–06 season proved to be the most eventful of McClaren's tenure at Middlesbrough.^[26] The club endured mediocre league form, humiliatingly losing at home to local rivals Sunderland^[26] (who went on to be relegated with a then record low points total) and suffering a 0–7 thrashing at Arsenal, putting the club in relegation form.^[27] During a 0–4 defeat at home to Aston Villa, a Middlesbrough fan ran onto the pitch and threw his season ticket at McClaren signifying his disgust at the club's performances.^[27] Boro eventually finished 14th but enjoyed greater success in the cup competitions, reaching the latter stages of both the FA and UEFA Cups.^[28] They lost 0–1 to West Ham United in the FA Cup semi-finals.^[26] In the UEFA Cup, Middlesbrough were losing on aggregate in the second legs of both the quarter and semi-final ties against FC Basel and FC Steaua Bucureşti respectively. After McClaren substituted defenders with attackers Boro produced two spectacular four goal comebacks in both ties to reach the final.^[25][29] In the final, however, Middlesbrough were outclassed by Sevilla and lost 0–4.^[30]

McClaren's five year tenure on Teesside saw him establish himself as Middlesbrough's most successful manager as he made the often difficult transition from coach to manager.^[29] He was also the most successful English manager of the early 21st century; he was the first Englishman to win a major honour since 1996 and first to reach the UEFA Cup final since 1984.^[31] However, many Boro fans were indifferent about his departure believing Steve Gibson, the club chairman, to be more important to their success.^[32] McClaren was accused by rival managers as having a "pot of gold" provided by Gibson to buy players, giving him an advantage over other teams when signing players.^[33] Despite this, towards the latter end of his tenure McClaren was criticised by supporters of using negative tactics and earning Middlesbrough the tag of a "dull" side.^[26][34] Some observers attributed Middlesbrough's success to the senior, experienced players in the side rather than McClaren's managerial ability.^[26]

England[link]

After Eriksson announced in January 2006 that he would leave as England manager after the 2006 World Cup finals McClaren was placed on the Football Association's shortlist to succeed him alongside Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, Martin O'Neill and Luiz Felipe Scolari.^[35] The FA first offered the position to Scolari,^[36] but he rejected the offer claiming that the role would mean excessive media intrusion in his life.^[37] McClaren was subsequently announced as Eriksson's successor on 4 May 2006 after signing a four year contract.^[38] The nature of his appointment earned him the nickname "Second Choice Steve".^[39] The appointment was praised by the likes of Alan Hansen,^[40] Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Trevor Brooking.^[41] However, the majority of England fans on the BBC's 6-0-6 messageboards were dissatisfied with the FA's choice.^[42] McClaren assumed control of the national team on 1 August 2006.^[43] He chose popular former England coach Terry Venables as his assistant,^[44] a move seen by some as an attempt to counter the lack of enthusiasm for McClaren.^[45] He also hired public relations guru Max Clifford to manage his relationship with the media.^[46]

McClaren's first decision was to choose the new England captain. He decided to give the arm band to John Terry, the Chelsea defender and captain who at the time had 24 England caps, saying "I'm convinced he will prove to be one of the best captains England has ever had."^[47] In his first squad, McClaren dropped many of the national team's older players including Sol Campbell, David James and former captain David Beckham, saying he was planning for "a different direction."^[48] However, McClaren stated that there was still a chance that Beckham could be recalled in the future.^[49] McClaren was blessed with a relatively weak European Championship qualifying group from which to qualify, which with the exception of Croatia and Russia, was a group England were expected to win outright. After initially starting well with three wins, England hit a poor run of form between October 2006 and March 2007 with only one goal scored in five matches. During a European qualifier match against minnows Andorra in March 2007, McClaren and the England team received abuse from supporters during a poor performance in a 3–0 win. McClaren walked out of the post-match press conference following the Andorra game after only two minutes of questions, saying, "Gentlemen, if you want to write whatever you want to write, you can write it because that is all I am going to say. Thank you."^[50] England had fallen to fourth in their qualification group.

In May 2007, McClaren made a U-turn by recalling Beckham into the England squad. England subsequently had a run of four wins from six matches, which boosted the country's hopes of qualification for Euro 2008 before a defeat against Russia in October 2007, causing England's qualification fate to fall out of their hands. The FA's chief executive, Brian Barwick, gave his backing to McClaren, despite the defeat.^[51] McClaren was also backed by players Phil Neville and Steven Gerrard, his predecessor Eriksson,^[52] and the chief executive of the League Managers Association John Barnwell.^[53]

The results of other matches in England's qualification group meant that England would qualify if undefeated in their final group match against Croatia. The match was played at Wembley on 21 November 2007 and England lost 3–2; coupled with Russia's victory over Andorra, this meant that England would not be at Euro 2008. It was the first time in 14 years that England had not qualified for a major tournament, and the first time in 24 years that they had not qualified for the European Championships.

The following day, the FA held an emergency meeting at which McClaren was removed from the post of England coach along with his assistant manager Terry Venables. McClaren's tenure was the shortest of any England manager to date, spanning just 18 games in 16 months. On 14 December 2007, it was announced his post had been taken up by Fabio Capello commencing from 7 January 2008. McClaren is the only England coach, other than Don Revie, to fail to take the national team to the finals of any major international tournament during his tenure.

After England[link]

McClaren announced in February 2008 he would consider managing in either the Championship or abroad in his next job.^[54] In May 2008, McClaren had a brief spell coaching then League Two side Darlington, assisting his former Derby County and Oxford United team-mate Dave Penney.^[55]

In April 2008, the BBC announced McClaren would join them as a pundit for Euro 2008, working as analyst and co-commentator for BBC Radio 5 Live, alongside Alan Green, one of his harshest critics as England manager. The decision to employ McClaren as an 'expert analyst' was met with much criticism,^[56][57] notably from former BBC pundit Ian Wright.^[58] McClaren's first commentary game was Austria v Croatia on 8 June 2008, Croatia having been the team chiefly responsible for England's non-qualification for the tournament, having beaten England twice in qualifying.^[59]

Twente [link]

In May 2008, McClaren was linked with a return to football as manager of the Dutch side Twente.^[60] He was in the crowd for a match against Ajax on 18 May 2008, seeing Twente qualify for the UEFA Champions League.^[61] In response to speculation, a Twente spokesman initially stated that the club had no intention of hiring McClaren.^[62] However, later that month it was reported McClaren had held talks with Twente Chairman Joop Munsterman and had toured the club, despite question marks from some Twente fans to his possible appointment.^[60][63] When he was initially offered the Twente managerial job, McClaren turned it down due to private issues and on 7 June 2008 he expressed an interest in the vacant managerial role at Blackburn Rovers.^[64][65] However, on 20 June 2008 he was confirmed as the new manager of Twente.^[66]

McClaren made a good start to the 2008–09 season. The club went on to secure second place in the Dutch league behind winners AZ Alkmaar,^[67] reached the final of the Dutch Cup (losing on penalties to SC Heerenveen)^[68] and on the European front, the club survived group stages in the UEFA Cup, having beaten amongst others Racing Santander and Schalke 04, managed by McClaren's predecessor at Twente Fred Rutten. It was the first time in 30 years that the club had remained in European competition beyond winter. Twente were eventually knocked out on penalties in the Round of 32 by Marseilles.^[69]

At the start of the 2009–10 campaign, McClaren's second season at FC Twente, there were question-marks over how well newcomers Bryan Ruiz and Miroslav Stoch would be able to replace the departed Eljero Elia and Marko Arnautović, who had been at the core of Twente's second place finish in the league the preceding year. However, McClaren led the team to some impressive results, with Twente reaching the top of the league in October and remaining top throughout the next few months. FC Twente, which had never won a Eredivisie title in its history, continued to top the league in the latter part of the season, holding off the likes of renowned competitors PSV and Ajax, and seriously emerged as title favourites. They also reached the first knockout round of the inaugural Europa League, where they were defeated by SV Werder Bremen. McClaren signed a one year extension to his contract in October 2009.

On 2 May 2010, FC Twente were crowned champions for the first time in their history after a 2–0 win away to NAC Breda. On winning the Eredivisie, McClaren became the first Englishman to manage a team to a top-level domestic league title since Bobby Robson with F. C. Porto in 1996 (Robson also won the Dutch title with PSV Eindhoven in 1991 and 1992).^[70][71] Robson had in fact been a major influence in McClaren's decision to go to Holland. According to McClaren, "The relationship I had with Bobby was very special. He was a good friend and was of big influence on my decision to join FC Twente. I'd like to think that he'll be watching from a cloud up above and wishes us the best as we play the last game in the league against NAC".^[72] Twente won 16 of 17 home matches in the Eredivisie league that season and lost just two away. Twente withstood immense pressure from Martin Jol's Ajax (who won their last 14 games in a row and had a goal difference of +86, more than double Twente's +40) during the second half of the season and trumped the Amsterdam side by one point difference on the last day of the league to claim the title.^[73][74] Upon winning the championship, McClaren stated "Winning the Carling Cup with Middlesbrough was special but this is pretty much right up at the top of anything I've ever done. To win a championship in a foreign country with foreign coaches, I think it's made me stronger."^[75]

At the end of the season, McClaren was awarded the Rinus Michels Award for Dutch manager of the season.^[76]

Wolfsburg [link]

Despite winning the Dutch league with Twente, McClaren left the Dutch champions on 11 May 2010 to take over as manager of Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, making him the first Englishman to manage a German top flight football club.^[77] Wolfsburg lost their first three league matches under McClaren – including a 2–1 injury time away loss to Bayern Munich on the opening day of the season, followed by a 4–3 home loss to Mainz having led 3–0 after thirty minutes – but got off the mark with a 2–0 home win against Hannover. Wolfsburg then won their next two matches convincingly to rise to sixth in the table.

Despite struggling in the league, on 23 December 2010 VfL Wolfsburg publicly showed a vote of confidence in McClaren. However, due to further poor results, on 7 February 2011 the board decided to sack McClaren with immediate effect.^[78]

Nottingham Forest [link]

McClaren succeeded Billy Davies as manager of Nottingham Forest on 13 June 2011. As manager of Nottingham Forest, McClaren made 5 signing by getting the returning Andy Reid from Blackpool on a free transfer, Ishmael Miller from West Brom Abion for worth £1.2 million, George Boateng and Matt Derbyshire (to revive his career after a miserable spell in Greece) and Jonathan Greening from Fulham for worth £600K. After Forest only won eight points from his first 10 league games in charge, McClaren resigned as manager, citing the club's refusal to sign two Premier League players on loan deals.^[79]

Return to Twente [link]

On 5 January 2012, FC Twente confirmed that McClaren has been appointed as the club's manager for the second time.^{[80] [81]} In the press conference after being unveiled as manager, McClaren claimed his return to FC Twente was 'an easy decision' to make and wanted to set his sights on winning the Eredivisie title.^[82]

McClaren made his first match back as manager for the second time when FC Twente hammered Waalwijk 5-0. His return was welcomed by the club's supporters, who wore 'Welcome Back Steve' T-shirts during Saturday's game^[83] In the January transfer window, McClaren caused controversy when he sold one of their best striker Marc Janko to Porto for worth about £5 million.^[84] Despite this, McClaren invested money to sign Wesley Verhoek from ADO Den Haag for £1.5 million (previously tried to sign Dutchman Verhoek while in charge at Nottingham Forest but the proposed deal fell through) and Glynor Plet from Heracles Almelo for £1.5 million.^[85] McClaren also signed Joshua John (not brother of Ola John) and Daniel Fernandes on a free transfer.

Honours [link]

As player

Derby County

• Football League Second Division (1): 1986–87

As assistant manager

Manchester United

• Premier League (3): 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1998–99
• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1999
• FA Cup (1): 1998–99

As manager

Middlesbrough

• Football League Cup (1): 2003–04

• UEFA Cup: Runners up 2005–06

Twente

• Eredivisie (1): 2009–10

Statistics[link]

Managerial[link]

As of 24 March 2012

Team	Nat	From	To	Record[86]
G	W	D	L	Win %
Middlesbrough		12 Jun 2001	11 May 2006	&10000000000000250000000250	&1000000000000009700000097	&1000000000000006000000060	&1000000000000009300000093	&1000000000000003879999938.80
England		1 Aug 2006	22 Nov 2007	&1000000000000001800000018	&100000000000000090000009	&100000000000000040000004	&100000000000000050000005	&1000000000000005000000050.00
Twente		20 Jun 2008	30 Jun 2010	&10000000000000101000000101	&1000000000000006400000064	&1000000000000002100000021	&1000000000000001600000016	&1000000000000006336999963.37
Wolfsburg		1 Jul 2010	7 Feb 2011	&1000000000000002100000021	&100000000000000050000005	&100000000000000080000008	&100000000000000080000008	&1000000000000002380999923.81
Nottingham Forest		13 Jun 2011	2 Oct 2011	&1000000000000001300000013	&100000000000000030000003	&100000000000000030000003	&100000000000000070000007	&1000000000000002307999923.08
Twente		5 Jan 2012	Present	&1000000000000001800000018	&1000000000000001000000010	&100000000000000030000003	&100000000000000050000005	&1000000000000005556000055.56
Total				&10000000000000421000000421	&10000000000000188000000188	&1000000000000009900000099	&10000000000000134000000134	&1000000000000004465999944.66

References [link]

External links [link]

• Steve McClaren management career stats at Soccerbase
• Official profile on TheFA.com
• Is this the poor man's Eriksson? Phil McNulty BBC Sport
• Lincoln City F.C. official archive profile

Marc Janko

Personal information
Full name	Marc Janko
Date of birth	(1983-06-25) 25 June 1983 (age 28)
Place of birth	Vienna, Austria
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Porto
Number	29
Youth career
1991–2002	Admira Wacker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2005	Admira Wacker	13	(2)
2005–2010	Red Bull Salzburg	108	(75)
2010–2012	Twente	45	(24)
2012–	Porto	8	(3)
National team‡
2006–	Austria	25	(11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 April 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Marc Janko (born 25 June 1983 in Vienna) is an Austrian football player, who currently plays for F.C. Porto.

Janko has in various seasons been known as a goal-getter, scoring 77 goals in 121 Austrian Bundesliga matches. He has played for Admira Wacker Mödling and Red Bull Salzburg.

He is the son of Eva Janko, who won a bronze medal in the women's Javelin event at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

Club career[link]

Red Bull Salzburg[link]

Janko is a very well known tall striker also known as 'das hert' who started his career playing at the traditional club Admira Wacker from Mödling, Lower Austria. After successful years he came to Red Bull Salzburg. He was one of the most important players for the team and in the end of the 2005 season he scored 11 goals in 10 matches.

2008–09 Season[link]

He started the 2008–09 season in great fashion, scoring 5 goals in the first 2 games. On 16 November 2008, Janko became the all-time club leader for goals scored in one season for Salzburg. His 25 goals in less than half a season, surpassed previous record-holder Oliver Bierhoff, who scored 23 during the 1990-91 season. Janko continued his scoring streak with a four goal performance against league rival Altach. On 6 December 2008, he surpassed Toni Polster as the all-time half-season scoring champion by registering 30 goals in 20 matches.

Janko receiving the top scorer award in 2009.

He scored 5 hat tricks in the league during the season, including a four-goal performance after coming on as a second-half substitute against SCR Altach (Salzburg won the game 4-3 due to his goals). In total he scored an impressive 39 goals (plus 9 assists) in only 34 games as RB Salzburg won the league.

Due to his 39 goals scored in the 2008-2009 season, he became the goal leader for all leagues worldwide during the year. His success caught the attention of several English Premier League clubs and Celtic, however, he signed a new contract with Red Bull on 30 January 2009, which would have kept him in Salzburg until June 2013, if it had been kept.

2009–10 Season[link]

Though there were constant rumors and speculation that Janko would sign with a different club, he stayed with the Red Bulls. Through 21 games that season, Janko scored 12 goals which currently puts him in second place in the Austrian Bundesliga behind teammate Roman Wallner. His best games were a 4-goal effort against FC Carinthia on October 4, and a pair of goals scored against Josko Ried on February 13, 2010.^[1]

Janko was also an integral part of the Salzburg team that enjoyed success in its pool play in the UEFA Europa League. He had a strong performance against Standard Liege on 19 February 2010, scoring his side's 2 goals in a 3-2 loss in the first tie of the Round of 32.^[2]

FC Twente[link]

Marc Janko signed a 4-year contract with FC Twente Enschede in the Netherlands on 21 June 2010 and was given the number 21 shirt previously worn by fellow countryman Marko Arnautović. Twente will pay Red Bull Salzburg an amount between 4 and 7 million euro.^[3] On 8 May 2011, Janko scored the winning goal of the 2011 KNVB Cup Final against Ajax in the 117th minute to seal a 3-2 victory.^[4][5][6]

FC Porto[link]

30 January 2012, it was announced that Marc Janko would sign for Porto. On 31 January 2012 it was announced that Janko was officially a player for Porto and was given the number 29 shirt, he signed a contract until June 2015. On 5 February 2012 he scored his first goal for Porto, against V.Setúbal with Porto winning the match 2-0.

Career statistics[link]

As of 1 April 2012^[7][8]

International career[link]

He made his debut for Austria in a May 2006 friendly match against Croatia and earned his second cap in October that year against Liechtenstein. In 2009, he scored one of Austria's two goals against Lithuania on October 10, 2009. Four days later, he scored Austria's lone goal against France. As of 2011, Janko has scored 11 goals in 25 matches for the team.

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	20 August 2008	Stade du Ray, Nice	Italy	2–0	2–2	Friendly
2.	6 September 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna	France	1–0	3–1	2010 World Cup qualifier
3.	15 October 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna	Serbia	1–3	1–3	2010 World Cup qualifier
4.	5 September 2009	UPC-Arena, Graz	Faroe Islands	2–0	3–1	2010 World Cup qualifier
5.				3–0
6.	10 October 2009	Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck	Lithuania	1–0	2–1	2010 World Cup qualifier
7.	14 October 2009	Stade de France, Saint-Denis	France	1–2	1–3	2010 World Cup qualifier
8.	7 October 2011	Dalga Arena, Baku	Azerbaijan	2–0	4–1	Euro 2012 qualifier
9.				3–0
10.	15 November 2011	Arena Lviv, Lviv	Ukraine	1–1	1–2	Friendly
11.	29 February 2012	Hypo-Arena, Klagenfurt	Finland	1–0	3–1	Friendly

Honours[link]

Club[link]

• Red Bull Salzburg
  • Austrian Football Bundesliga: 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10

• FC Twente
  • KNVB Cup: 2011
  • Johan Cruijff Schaal: 2011

• FC Porto
  • Primeira Liga: 2012

Individual[link]

• Austrian Football Bundesliga Topscorer: 2008-09 (39 goals)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website - Marc Janko
• Player profile - Red Bulls Salzburg
• Marc Janko at National-Football-Teams.com

Bryan Ruiz

Personal information
Full name	Bryan Ruiz González
Date of birth	(1985-08-18) 18 August 1985 (age 26)
Place of birth	Alajuela, San José, Costa Rica
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Fulham
Number	11
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2006	Alajuelense	66	(21)
2006–2009	Gent	78	(26)
2009–2011	Twente	65	(35)
2011–	Fulham	30	(2)
National team‡
2005–	Costa Rica	46	(9)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:26, 8 April 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 February 2012

Bryan Ruiz González (born 18 August 1985 in Alajuela) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays for Fulham in the Premier League. He is a left sided forward,^[1] with good ball control, heading and passing,^[2] who can play as either a winger or a second striker.

Club career [link]

Liga Deportiva Alajuelense [link]

He began his professional career at 18 playing for Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, in Costa Rica's top division. He formed a trio with 2 strikers, Rolando Fonseca and Froylan Ledezma, where he built a reputation as a goalscorer and a play maker.^{[citation needed]} In Alajuelense, Bryan was nicknamed "la comadreja" (the weasel), for his ball-control ability.^{[citation needed]} He was on the team when it won regional titles such as the UNCAF Cup and the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.^{[citation needed]}

Gent [link]

In the summer of 2006, Ruiz was signed by K.A.A. Gent in a 4-year deal along with Randall Azofeifa from Deportivo Saprissa and Roy Myrie from Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.^{[citation needed]}

He scored his first hat trick playing for the Gent on December 8, 2007 against Lokeren. In that season in the Belgian League, he was the captain and top scorer for the team.^[3]

Twente [link]

On July 15, 2009, the Dutch club FC Twente announced that they had signed Ruiz for around five million Euro and agreed to receive a percentage of a subsequent transfer. Ruiz signed a 4-year deal with the Eredivisie side.^[4] Ruiz made his debut for the new club by scoring the second goal of the match, with an assist from another newcomer, Miroslav Stoch.^[5][6] Ruiz's goal against Sporting on 12 December 2009 marked the 10th consecutive match in which he had scored.^[7] On March 27, 2010, Ruiz made one of the quickest hat tricks ever^[8] against Sparta Rotterdam, with goals in the 46th, 49th and 50th minutes.^{[citation needed]}

On May 2, 2010, FC Twente were crowned champions of Eredivisie for the first time in their history, with a 2–0 win at NAC Breda; Ruiz scored the first goal of the match during the 23rd minute of play.^{[citation needed]} Ruiz finished the season as top scorer for Twente with 24 goals in Eredivisie play.^{[citation needed]} In August 2011, Ruiz was being watched by scouts from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, however on 18 August 2011 Ruiz claimed that Fulham was in talks with him. Ruiz stated to a local source "Fulham is a serious option for me. "That is also a Premier League side and it is a fantastic league. "Fulham already contacted my agent. If Fulham does become serious, we will definitely talk."^{[citation needed]}

Fulham [link]

On August 31, 2011, in the last hour of the Barclay's Premier League transfer window, Ruiz signed with Fulham for a reported £10.6 million.^[9] His debut was on Sunday, 11 September 2011 at home to Blackburn Rovers. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 3–1 defeat against Everton on 23 October 2011. He scored his second Premier League goal of the season with a "delicate chip" over Jussi Jääskeläinen, coming in a 2-0 home win over Bolton on 17 December. Against Bolton, he also made a pass to Clint Dempsey with his left foot, and Dempsey then scored off his head. ^[10] However, in the return fixture win at the Reebok Stadium on the 7th of April, Ruiz broke a bone in his foot, leading to a stretcher taking him off, ending for him what has been a mixed debut season in the Premiership. ^[11]

International career [link]

Ruiz has played for Costa Rica's under-20 teams and has also been capped for the full Costa Rican national side on several occasions, most notably the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.^{[citation needed]} He played in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and in the qualifiers for World Cup 2006. However, at the World Cup itself, he was not part of the team. ^[12]

In the qualifiers for World Cup 2010, Ruiz was a member of the starting team and he scored six goals, which tied him with Álvaro Saborío as top scorers.^{[citation needed]} Costa Rica was defeated in the play-off against Uruguay and thus didn't qualify for the World Cup in South-Africa.

International goals[link]

Scores and results list. Costa Rica's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	July 6, 2005	Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, USA	Honduras	2–3	2–3	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2	March 24, 2007	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	New Zealand	4–0	4–0	Friendly
3	June 2, 2007	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Chile	2–0	2–0	Friendly
4	June 21, 2008	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Grenada	2–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
5	September 6, 2009	Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San José, Costa Rica	Suriname	7–0	7–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
6	September 10, 2008	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, HAI	Haiti	0 - 1	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
7	September 10, 2008	Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, HAI	Haiti	0 - 2	1–3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
8	October 14, 2009	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., USA	United States	0 -1	2 - 2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)
9	October 14, 2009	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., USA	United States	0 -2	2 - 2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)