With your support, let’s make it a great season, says van Bronckhorst

Captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst had a personal message for the fans during the club’s open day Wednesday. Gio asked De Kuip – which was packed to the rafters – to get behind the club from the off this season. ‘I hope we can make a great season of it with your support. I’m proud to be captain of this team. I’ve been away for nine years, I’ve experiences some brilliant things, but it’s great to be back. Thanks to all of you for coming. The sun is shining on De Kuip today; hopefully that’s symbolic.’

Bert van Marwijk was given a very special welcome. It was of course not the first time the coach has experienced an open day at the stadium, but as he was quick to point out: ‘You never get used to this. This is always something special among its kind.’

The eight players flown in by chopper were all deeply impressed by the reception they were given. ‘I’ve experienced a lot with Bayern Munich, but I’ve never experienced anything like this,’ declared Roy Makaay. ‘The first day of training and the Chelsea match were brilliant, but this surpassed everything.’

The other newcomers described their feelings in similar terms, although Luigi Bruins did admit that the short hop by helicopter would not be his best memory from the day. ‘Thankfully we arrived in one piece. This is a brilliant experience.’

‘When you see this you understand why I didn’t retire,’ laughed Michael Mols, who was ecstatic with his reception. ‘This is why I came to Feyenoord. It’s unbelievable that I have been given the chance to experience this.’

Lifelong Feyenoord fan Tim de Cler knew all about the helicopter ritual, but actually taking part was something he will never forget. ‘It’s exceptional to be able to experience this in person. I’m delighted to be allowed to play here.’

Gio gets warm welcome

The now traditional arrival by helicopter of the club’s new signings was the high point of Feyenoord’s open day Wednesday. Giovanni van Bronckhorst was the last of the club’s eight signings to step out of the chopper and onto the turf at De Kuip and he was greeted by sustained applause.

The crowd roared as soon as it saw the helicopter emerge in the skies over the stadium around 3:30 pm. The pilot put his machine down on the centre spot a few minutes later and the new arrivals filed out one by one to an enthusiastic ovation from the stands and some stirring music from the sound system. Roy Makaay was first to emerge, followed by Luigi Bruins, Michael Mols, Nuri Sahin, Tim de Cler, Kevin Hofland, Andwelé Slory and last but not least Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The rest of the squad were then brought onto the pitch in a cortege of golf buggies. After a brief introduction the whole squad boarded a float for a lap of honour.

The crowd had already been worked on by De Kuip’s favourite singer Lee Towers, who belted out a version of Mijn Feyenoord that had the whole stadium on its feet.

Next up was the presentation of the new Feyenoord ambassador. This year’s incumbent is TV presenter Renate Verbaan.

Paul Bosvelt was then given the privilege of unveiling a large board counting down the minutes and hours to Feyenoord’s hundredth birthday on 19 July 2008. The board will be hung in the Maas building so that all supporters are able to keep an eye on the countdown.

he day inside the stadium began at 1 pm with a match in which a team of former Feyenoord favourites including Pierre van Hooijdonk, Peter Houtman, Arnold Scholten and Gaston Taument took on a Rotterdam celebrity team. The pros predictably waltzed over the stars 5-0 with goals by Gaston Taument (2), Arnold Scholten, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Peter Houtman.

Romeo Castelen in HSV switch

Romeo Castelen has agreed to join Bundesliga club HSV on a four-season contract. The Dutch international passed a medical Friday after the two clubs agreed terms. The remaining formalities were completed Monday morning, and Castelen immediately took part in training at his new employer. The transfer sum remains undisclosed.

Feyenoord recently offered Castelen an extension to his contract but the 24-year-old said he would like to talk with other clubs. Feyenoord gave the right-winger permission to speak with HSV, and he quickly agreed terms.

Romeo Castelen joined Feyenoord in 2004 from ADO Den Haag, blossoming immediately at De Kuip. The speedy winger quickly earned himself a starting jersey as part of a three-man attack with Dirk Kuyt and Salomon Kalou. It led to international recognition too and the player currently has ten Dutch caps, as well as a Euro 2006 under 21s winner’s medal.

His first two years were Castelen’s best in Rotterdam. Last season was less successful for both the Dutchman and a struggling Feyenoord team. Castelen missed the first part of the campaign due to a bad ankle injury. All told, Romeo Castelen played 79 competitive games for Feyenoord, scoring 21 times.

Feyenoord extend Ekramy deal

Feyenoord have exercised a clause in Sherif Ekramy’s contract to extend the international’s stay in Rotterdam by an extra two years. The Egyptian keeper is now under contract at De Kuip through 30 June 2010.

 

Ekramy arrived in Rotterdam in mid 2005 from Egyptian club Al-Ahly. The athletic shot-stopper has guarded the goals in Feyenoord colours in six competitive matches to date. Sherif Ekramy is one of the players in Feyenoord Talent Pool II.

Mols fills Feyenoord void

Feyenoord have signed veteran striker Michael Mols on a free transfer from ADO Den Haag to provide much-needed cover for their forward line.

The 36-year-old has signed a 12-month contract with the Dutch Eredivisie outfit and will support Roy Makaay, helping to fill the gap in the squad left by Angelos Charisteas’ departure and the retirement of Pierre van Hooijdonk. “We invested a great deal of energy searching for a striker,” said technical director Peter Bosz. “In Michael we now have an experienced, classy player to fall back on.”

Mols has had spells with Rangers FC, FC Twente and FC Utrecht and was expected to retire at the end of last season but said he did not want to end on a low note following Den Haag’s relegation.

Van Marwijk tempers delight

Bert van Marwijk was cautious to rein in expectations after training Saturday when thirteen thousand fans gave his new squad an enthusiastic reception at the first day of training. The coach admitted he was delighted that so many people had turned out to welcome him and his squad, but in characteristic style he wasn’t going to let it take his focus off the job at hand.

‘I understand the euphoria. This is all great and I’m enjoying it,’ said Van Marwijk. ‘But we haven’t got any points yet and it won’t be easy to catch up with Ajax, AZ and PSV in no time. You can’t just buy a successful team. One example is Chelsea, which hasn’t been able to buy the Champions League either. I’m not getting carried away with the high expectations, but we have to remain realistic.’

Van Marwijk spoke those words at the end of a fifteen-minute press conference in which the returning coach had made positive noises. His own return was, he admitted, ‘a bit like coming home’. Van Marwijk was also enthusiastic what he’d seen on the training pitch, including Nuri Sahin’s ball skills and the qualities of the club’s four latest signings. He was also delighted to see how the quartet was already showing a willingness to help the team develop. ‘It’s very early in the season, but today the young lads could see how eager players like De Cler, Hofland, Makaay and Van Bronckhorst are. “Gio” just went on holiday, but he’s at the first day of training anyway. He’ll be back at the training camp on 18 July, although he originally wasn’t due to come until 21 July. That shows how eager he is. A player of his stature doing that has a big impact in the group’

The coach also said a few words about further comings and going before the season proper kicks off. Van Marwijk admitted that he would like Castelen to stay, just as much as he would like to hold onto Royston Drenthe. But Van Marwijk was also realistic. ‘Basically Royston is not for sale, but if bids so high are tabled that the club cannot refuse, it’ll be difficult. In that case a loan-back would be nice. The most important thing is that he stays.’

‘We haven’t bought everyone we want,’ continued Van Marwijk, ‘But you never have at this level. We have to stay alert to what the market does and keep possible buys in mind. With only Makaay in attack, the front line is a little lightweight. We’re looking for one, maybe two strikers. We’re also keeping a look out for a controlling midfielder.’

Philippe Léonard reveals English offers

Phillipe Léonard claims to have two offers to move to England. After a bad year in Rotterdam, the Belgian international is now looking for a new challenge.

The 33-year-old joined Feyenoord last season, but has endured a nightmare time in Rotterdam, where he only played two Eredivisie matches. Léonard’s most painful moment this season was the match against arch rivals ajax, where he got substituted after 30 minutes in the first half. The Belgian international didn’t play a single match for Feyenoord ever since and didn’t see his contract renewed at the end of the season. Léonard played 25 matches for the Belgian national team and his career also includes a seven-year stint at AS Monaco. His other clubs were OGC Nice and Standard Liege.

Now Léonard says he has the chance to move to the Championship. “I have trial offers from two English second division sides and that interests me.” he told HNB. Earlier two French second division teams showed their interest.

“But a return to Belgium is an option as well.” says Léonard.

Greene out for six more weeks

Feyenoord defender Serginho Greene will miss the complete preparation of the new season due to a knee injury.

The 24-year-old player sustained the problem five minutes before time in the Eredivisie draw against AZ Alkmaar last season. Club doctor Robbart van Linschoten remains hopeful. “We’ve been working on Serginho’s recovery for over three months now. During the latest tests we had to decide Serginho needed surgery. It’s bad luck, but even with these six extra weeks the complete rehabilitation has been relatively short”, says van Linschoten on the official Feyenoord website.

Because of the injury, Serginho Greene had to miss todays training sessions. He will rejoin the group as soon as possible.

A new beginning

As of today, Feyenoord officially started the preparation for the next season with the first training day, traditionally a highlight for the Feyenoord legion. Over 20.000 fans have watched the first and/or second training. During both sessions the temporarily build up stands around the training field were fully packed. It was the first chance for the fans to welcome the new players.

Andwelé Slory (Excelsior), Tim de Cler (AZ Alkmaar), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (FC Barcelona), Kevin Hofland (VfL Wolfsburg), Roy Makaay (FC Bayern München), Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) and the new manager Bert van Marwijk; all new signings were present on the first training, except for Luigi Bruins (Excelsior). The former Excelsior player will join Feyenoord July 16th, together with Ron Vlaar and Royston Drenthe. The three youngsters were part of “Jong Oranje”, winning the U21 European Championship in June by beating Serbia in the finals with a score of 4-1.

Theo Lucius led the players onto the training pitch to loud applause. New coach Bert van Marwijk brought up the rear, with his technical staff. Stadium announcer Peter Houtman took on the role of compere, presenting the players one by one and it was new arrivals Tim de Cler, Kevin Hofland, Roy Makaay and Giovanni van Bronckhorst who garnered the most enthusiastic welcome.

The sun broke trough the cloud cover now and then as the players stretched their legs in the morning session under the watchful eye of new fitness trainer Egid Kiesouw. Assistant coach Dick Voorn was the other new face.

The session was extra special for Patrick Lodewijks, who took part in training in the white and green jacket of the technical staff for the first time. The former keeper then took goalies Henk Timmer, Sherif Ekramy and Erwin Mulder to one side to work on their keeping skills.

The ball arrived after an hour or so and the players looked happy to see it again after the summer recess. The session finished up with a game in which the aim was to hold onto the ball for as long as possible. Coach Van Marwijk brought the morning to an end at around eleven thirty.