Tears came to the eyes of one, the other’s face was like a thunderstorm. Despite the fact that the disaster had been in the air for a while, the relegation on Sunday came as a blow to players and staff of FC Groningen.
He held up all those months. On Sunday afternoon Dennis van der Ree succeeded again, although it was close. Tears visibly burned behind the eyes of the trainer, who learned more in six months than during the entire trainer course. With the knowledge of today, he started an impossible assignment in December. He never got his poor team to play football the way he wanted. Balance and quality were lacking for that. Van der Ree had to make do with a single bright spot, such as the only victory he booked against Excelsior.
No regrets
“It wasn’t good enough,” he said bitterly. “Of course I felt for a while that it was going to be very difficult. Still you hope that you can finish just above the line, but unfortunately that didn’t work out. Despite everything, I don’t regret getting into it. The demand from the club and the players was there during the winter break. I thought about it for a long time and I knew it was going to be a very difficult assignment that I started. But then I’m not going to cry now that I shouldn’t have stepped in and that it’s not good for my resume. That’s not important at all now. FC Groningen has been relegated. That should be the focus now.”
Last glimmer of hope
Before the game against Go Ahead Eagles, Van der Ree clung to the last glimmer of hope that was still there. “That’s why it really hit me like a blow. You may not see that, the emotion is still inside. Maybe later when I’m in the car I’ll knock out the front mirror, I don’t know yet. In any case, I am not going to speak to the press with tears in my eyes, I had intended that. I have seen people crying inside. Not only players, also other employees of the club. Some guys are completely down, are angry. I’ve seen all the emotions pass by.”
Forever on the retina
For Jorg Schreuders it was also an afternoon in several respects that will remain on his mind for the rest of his life. The 18-year-old midfielder was torn between his feelings. On the one hand there was the joy of his basic debut, a moment that you as a player live for years. On the other hand, it was his FC Groningen that he saw slide down to the first division. The club he has been a fan of since childhood.
Quiet and resigned
,,Everyone is very quiet and resigned”, Schreuders notes. ,,That also counts for me. It all has yet to sink in. It feels very different. That you make your basic debut in such a match in which the curtain finally falls. It makes you happy and sad at the same time. It is especially super painful, although of course we knew it could happen. It is and will continue to be a mess.”
He only knows that he is involved with FC Groningen. ,,I don’t dare put an age on it, but since I was a guppy, I’ve been in the stadium. As a very small boy I entered the youth academy and went through all the classes. Then this will of course not bother you. On the one hand it is fantastic that you can make your debut, but of course you hope for different circumstances, because they are terrible.”
A lot of pain
Luciano Valente has also grown with FC Groningen. The sadness was also visible on the face of the 19-year-old attacking midfielder. ,,Relegation hurts a lot”, the talent stammers. “I don’t even know what to say, I have no words. It’s my club, been walking around here all my life. First in the stands, now as a player. It’s very hard to see how things are going now.”
He held out hope to the last. “It’s hard for me to get it out of my mouth, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It is over. A harsh conclusion, but it’s the truth. I feel the pain extremely. Of course we saw it coming somewhere, but when it really comes, you really get the blow. Not just us. Also the supporters, all other people within the club and everyone who loves FC Groningen. This is terrible news for everyone involved. The pain I feel inside is actually indescribable.”