FC Twente

FC Twente emblem
Full name	Football Club Twente
Nickname(s)	The Tukkers The Reds Pride of the East
Founded	July 1, 1965; 46 years ago  (1965-07-01)
Ground	De Grolsch Veste Enschede (Capacity: 30,205)
Chairman	Joop Munsterman
Manager	Steve McClaren
League	Eredivisie
2010–11	Eredivisie, 2nd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

FC Twente (Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseɪ̯ ˈtʋɛntə]) is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Eredivisie Champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys. They are the current holders of KNVB Cup and Johan Cruijff Schaal trophies, and were Eredivisie champions in the 2009–10 season; the team have also finished as Eredivisie runners-up thrice, were runners-up in the UEFA Cup 1974–75, and have won the KNVB Cup three times. Twente's home ground since 1998 is De Grolsch Veste.

History[link]

Foundation and early years[link]

The club was formed in 1965 as a merger of two professional clubs, Sportclub Enschede and the Enschedese Boys. One of such predecessors, SC Enschede, had also won a single Eredivisie title in 1926.

The first successes of the club started just after the merger of 1965, under the innovating coach Kees Rijvers. Twente finished third in 1969, fourth in 1970, fifth in 1971, third in 1972 and once again in 1973. The team's key figures were local heroes, such as Epi Drost, Eddy Achterberg, Kick van der Vall and Theo Pahlplatz. Their finest Eredivisie season was 1973–1974, in which Twente battled for the Dutch championship with Feyenoord. A head-to-head confrontation in the very last game of the season, in Rotterdam, had to bring the decision. Feyenoord were slightly luckier: 3–2. A second slot and a UEFA Cup ticket—that was all for FC Twente.

However, the Tukkers (as people from the Dutch region of Twente are generally called) almost made the very most out of that UEFA Cup ticket. After beating Juventus in the semi-finals, FC Twente lost to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in the finals (0–0, 1–5).

In 1977 FC Twente wins its first trophy; the KNVB cup after beating PEC Zwolle 3–0.

The 1980s and 1990s[link]

After enjoying some success in the 1970s, things went downhill for Twente and the club was even relegated to the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) in 1983. Twente returned to the top flight a year later, but the club soon became known for their amazing number of 1–1 and 0–0 draws. Their new reputation 'boring Twente' overshadowed the fact that the club kept qualifying for European football on a fairly regular basis: five times since 1985.

Re-establishment then followed in the 1990s: German coach Hans Meyer led Twente to the third slot in the Eredivisie of 1997 and to the third round of the UEFA Cup the next season. On 24 May 2001, Twente clinched their second triumph in the KNVB Cup, beating PSV in the final after being 3–1 down in the penalty shoot-out. The season thereafter Twente crashed out of the cup against the teenagers of Ajax's second team, whereas results in the league were poor and the hardcore Twente fans Ultras Vak-P went on a rampage at the club's brand-new stadium out of frustration.

From bankruptcy to national champions (2002–present)[link]

Steve McClaren, the first manager to win the title for FC Twente.

The club's mother corporation (FC Twente '65) was declared bankrupt in the 2002–03 season, almost leading to the end of the club's existence. The club, now chaired by ambitious businessman Joop Munsterman, survived such problems and made it to another KNVB Cup final in 2004, and then finishing in fourth place in 2006–07. In the season 2007–08, FC Twente placed fourth and won the play-offs for a ticket to the Champions League Qualifiers by defeating Ajax in the play-off finals.

In the 2008–09 season, FC Twente hired former England manager Steve McClaren as new boss: under his tenure, unseeded Twente entered the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, being drawn against seeded Arsenal. The two legs were played at home on 13 August and away on 27 August 2008. Twente lost 6–0 on aggregate, resulting in their elimination from the Champions League and subsequent entry of the UEFA Cup first round. At domestic level, FC Twente placed second in the Eredivisie (11 points below the league's champion AZ Alkmaar) and again gained entry to the Champions League qualifying rounds as Dutch runners-up, as well as KNVB Cup finalists (then defeated by SC Heerenveen).

The 2009–10 season started with Twente being knocked out of the Champions League third qualifying round after a 1–1 aggregate draw against Sporting CP, which sent the Portuguese side through on away goals.^[1] The club was then admitted to the Europa League, where it enjoyed a relatively successful path which ended in a 4–2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen in the round of 32. At domestic level, Twente won its first Eredivisie title at the end of a campaign in which they lost just twice, winning 16 of 17 at home. The championship was confirmed on the final day of the season when they beat NAC 2–0 away,^[2] making Steve McClaren the first Englishman to guide a Dutch team to a national title since Bobby Robson in 1992.^[3] The victory qualified Twente for the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Group Stage onwards, the club's first appearance in the competition. At the end of the season Steve McClaren resigned as the manager, moving to German side VfL Wolfsburg, and was replaced by Belgian Michel Preud'homme. Twente continued their success by having a great run during the 2010–11 KNVB Cup. Twente reached the final on 8 May 2011 at De Kuip.^[4] Twente recovered from 2–0 down to defeat Ajax 3–2 in extra time with a winner from Marc Janko,^[5] which claimed the club's third KNVB Cup title.^[6] One week later, the two teams faced each other in Amsterdam in the final round of matches in the Eredivisie, with Twente leading by a point. However, Ajax gained revenge for the cup defeat by winning 3–1 to claim their first title in seven years.^[7] The start of the 2011/2012 season, under new coach Co Adriaanse who succeeded Michel Preud'homme, had another clash between the duo in the Amsterdam ArenA, with this time Twente winning 2–1 in their 2nd successive Dutch Super Cup 'Johan Cruijff Schaal' victory. ^[8]

Satellite clubs[link]

The following clubs are affiliated with FC Twente:

• Dayton Dutch Lions^[9][10][11]
• FK Qarabağ^[12][13][14]
• Kozármisleny SE^[15]
• Heracles Almelo^[16]
• Go Ahead Eagles^[16]

Stadium[link]

The gate at the stadium symbolizes the history.

De Grolsch Veste, formerly named Arke Stadion, is the official stadium of FC Twente and is owned by the club. It is located at the Business & Science Park, near the University of Twente and between the city centers of Enschede and Hengelo. It has a spectator capacity of 30,205 with a standard pitch heating system and has a promenade instead of fences around the stands.

De Grolsch Veste corner from the outside.

De Grolsch Veste replaced the old Diekman Stadion as Twente's home ground on 22 March 1998. Initially plans had been afoot to expand and renovate the old and now demolished Diekman stadium. However, with a growing fan capacity and with arguments that the location of the Diekman stadium was not strategic enough, the idea was conceived to build a new arena for the Twente fans. The Diekman ground also faced problems with its seating plans as a result of the FIFA regulations which imposes a requirement to construct a seating stand behind each goal.

The cost of the construction is estimated to be around 33 million guilders and took fourteen months to complete, with its foundation stone having been laid on 31 January 1997. Due to the tight budget available, the layout of the stadium was constructed so that future expansions are possible without the necessity to tear down entire existing stands.

On 10 May 1998 the first match played at the stadium resulted in a 3–0 victory by the home team against PSV in an Eredivisie match.

Initially the Grolsch Veste had a capacity of 13,500 spectators which was later reduced to 13,250. As of the start of the 2008/09 season the stadium has been expanded with a partial second ring increasing the capacity to the current 24,000 seats. After a second expansion, completed in 2011, the capacity became 30,205.

The recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Gerry & the Pacemakers is sung along in the whole stadium before every kick-off.

On 7 July 2011, a section of the stadium roof collapsed whilst expansion work was taking place at the stadium, killing two people.^[17]

Players[link]

First-team squad[link]

As of 5 February 2012.

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Sander Boschker 2 DF Tim Cornelisse 3 DF Nicky Kuiper 4 DF Peter Wisgerhof (captain) 5 DF Rasmus Bengtsson 6 MF Wout Brama (vice-captain) 7 MF Denny Landzaat 8 MF Leroy Fer 9 FW Luuk de Jong 10 FW Glynor Plet 11 FW Emir Bajrami 12 FW Wesley Verhoek 13 GK Nikolay Mihaylov

No. Position Player 14 MF Willem Janssen 15 DF Roberto Rosales 16 GK Nick Marsman 17 MF Andrej Rendla 18 MF Thilo Leugers 19 DF Douglas 20 DF Dwight Tiendalli 22 FW Nacer Chadli 23 DF Bart Buysse 25 GK Daniel Fernandes 26 FW Joshua John — MF Gladstony — MF Dusan Tadic

For recent transfers, see List of Dutch football transfers winter 2010–11 and List of Dutch football transfers summer 2011.

Reserve squad[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 30 GK Filip Bednarek 31 DF Nils Röseler 33 MF Chris David 34 FW Cas Peters 35 DF Thijs Bouma 37 DF Mitch Stockentree 40 DF Stefan Thesker 41 DF Bryan Ottenhoff

No. Position Player 42 MF Theo Vogelsang 45 DF Sander van Aken 49 FW Joey Pelupessy 52 FW Mirco Born — DF Mark Engberink — MF Tuomas Rannankari — MF Jurjan Mannes — MF Quincy Promes

Out on loan[link]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — MF Alexander Bannink (to FC Zwolle) — FW Steven Berghuis (to VVV-Venlo)

Notable players[link]

For all FC Twente players with a Wikipedia article see: FC Twente players

Topscorers[link]

Blaise Nkufo with 114 goals is the all-time topscorer of the club.

Season	Name	Goals
1965/66	Hans Roordink	11
1966/67	Jan Jeuring	10
1967/68	Dick van Dijk	22
1968/69	Dick van Dijk	30
1969/70	Antal Nagy	17
1970/71	Jan Jeuring	17
1971/72	René van de Kerkhof	10
1972/73	Jan Jeuring	13
1973/74	Johan Zuidema	14
1974/75	Johan Zuidema	10
1975/76	Jan Jeuring	20
1976/77	Arnold Mühren	13
1977/78	Ab Gritter	15
1978/79	Ab Gritter	14
1979/80	Hallvar Thoresen	11
1980/81	Hallvar Thoresen	15
1981/82	Manuel Sánchez Torres	15
1982/83	Martin Koopman	7
1983/84	Billy Ashcroft	21
1984/85	Willy Carbo	15
1985/86	Martin Koopman	8
1986/87	Ulrich Wilson	8
1987/88	Piet Keur	17
1988/89	Piet Keur	16
1989/90	Claus Nielsen	14
1990/91	Claus Nielsen	16
1991/92	Youri Mulder	18
1992/93	Prince Polley	11
1993/94	Edwin Vurens	10
1994/95	Michel Boerebach	12
1995/96	Arnold Bruggink	11
1996/97	John Bosman	20
1997/98	John Bosman Jan van Halst Antti Sumiala	6
1998/99	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink	21
1999/00	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink	19
2000/01	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink	15
2001/02	Jack de Gier	6
2002/03	Ellery Cairo	7
2003/04	Blaise Nkufo	14
2004/05	Blaise Nkufo	16
2005/06	Blaise Nkufo	12
2006/07	Blaise Nkufo	22
2007/08	Blaise Nkufo	22
2008/09	Blaise Nkufo	16
2009/10	Bryan Ruiz	24
2010/11	Marc Janko	15
2011/12	Luuk de Jong	25

Managers[link]

Honours[link]

National[link]

• Eredivisie
  • Winners (1): 2010
  • Runners-up (3): 1974, 2009, 2011
• KNVB Cup
  • Winners (3): 1977, 2001, 2011
  • Runners-up (4): 1975, 1979, 2004, 2009
• Johan Cruijff Shield
  • Winners (2): 2010, 2011
  • Runners-up (1): 2001

International[link]

• UEFA Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1975

Domestic results[link]

Below is a table with FC Twente's domestic results since the introduction of the Eredivisie in 1956.

Women's section[link]

The women's section of Twente was founded in 2007 for the creation of the Eredivisie as new top level league in the Netherlands. Twente played the opening match of the league. After three midfield positions in the first three years, Twente won the championship in 2010/11 and plays the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2011/12.

See also[link]

• Dutch football league teams
• Derby of Twente

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: FC Twente

Official websites

• FCTwente.nl Official website of FC Twente (Dutch) / (English) / (German)
• FC Twente TV Official website FC Twente TV (No membership required)
• UEFA.com The FC Twente Story

General fan sites

• FC Twente Online (Dutch)
• FC Twente Online English Section
• Vak-P (Dutch)
• Twentefans (Dutch)
• FC Twente.nu (Dutch)

News sites

• SkySports.com / FC Twente
• Goal.com / FC Twente
• Football-Lineups.com / FC Twente

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

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 counsel 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 urban 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.

A 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, folklore, 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 Almelo 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	(28)
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.^[54] 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.^[1][3] 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.^[55] 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.^[56]

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,^[57][58] notably from former BBC pundit Ian Wright.^[59] 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.^[60]

Twente[link]

In May 2008, McClaren was linked with a return to football as manager of the Dutch side Twente.^[61] He was in the crowd for a match against Ajax on 18 May 2008, seeing Twente qualify for the UEFA Champions League.^[62] In response to speculation, a Twente spokesman initially stated that the club had no intention of hiring McClaren.^[63] 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.^[61][64] 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.^[65][66] However, on 20 June 2008 he was confirmed as the new manager of Twente.^[67]