FC Groningen can finally close the black book of the 2022-2023 disaster season this weekend. Trainer Dennis van der Ree looks back and looks ahead. “I’m proud of being myself.”
Sparta at home in an empty Euroborg stadium. It is the last black chapter for Dennis van der Ree after a dramatic second half of the season. The trainer had imagined it all very differently when he became the successor to the dismissed Frank Wormuth in December, first temporarily and later permanently.
Only one win was credited to the 44-year-old head coach, on February 25 against Excelsior when it became 3-0 in the green cathedral and relegation did not seem to be an issue. Perhaps another one will be added during the final game against Sparta. The team from Rotterdam is undoubtedly already thinking about the first play-off match for European football against FC Utrecht next week. ,,In any case, I don’t want to go 6-0 like last week against Vitesse”, Van der Ree quotes the most recent low point he was confronted with.
Theory booklet
One thing is certain, the trainer has learned an incredible amount in a few months. The lessons as a technical final boss of a drifting FC Groningen contained practice material that does not appear in any theory booklet in Zeist. ,,I have experienced good and less good things, made good and less good choices myself. I’ve put everything down on paper, a big pack that I’ll read through from time to time. Anyway, I’m glad I’ve always remained the person I am. When things aren’t going well, people sometimes want you to go crazy or deviate from your normal path, but I’m proud that I’ve always stayed true to myself.”
Another plus: everyone in football now knows his name and knows under what difficult circumstances he has had to survive in the North. Perhaps that is why Van der Ree already has two offers in his pocket for next season: one as assistant and one as head coach. He does not yet want to say which clubs it concerns.
End of Latin
,,First try to close this last match with FC Groningen in a good way, although I notice that many players are at the end of their tether”, says Van der Ree, who is also in dire need of a holiday and after packs his bags with his family on Sunday. It is still a guess for Van der Ree about a line-up for the last game due to the number of doubtful cases. One thing is certain, third keeper Jan de Boer will defend the goal after Peter Leeuwenburgh’s red card and Michael Verrips’ injury, who will also be under the bar at FC Groningen next season. ,,Anyway, we want to play another match against Sparta that is okay. Then we say goodbye to each other and it’s over.”
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