Much seems forgiven on Sunday evening at the party on the field just in front of the hard core in De Kuip. Feyenoord coach Robin van Persie, face to face with the same fans in December after the loss to SC Heerenveen in the cup, receives applause. ‘Dennis thanks’ sounds like outgoing general and technical director Dennis te Kloese this season harassed by phone and threatened due to the poor results, being pushed forward by the trainer.
Even the name of English attacker Raheem Sterling, often the target of criticism since his surprising move to Feyenoord in February, is briefly sung. Although there is a good dose of sarcasm in it.
Securing second place with the 1-1 against AZ makes up for a further lost season for Feyenoord. The main goal, direct qualification for the lucrative Champions League, has been achieved. Van Persie spoke of “relief”, “joy” and “proud”, saying at least four times that it has been a “long and tough” season. “Has it been a good year? No, certainly not. It was full of challenges on all levels.”
Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda in a duel with AZ defenders Alexandre Penetra and Wouter Goes, on Sunday in De Kuip.
Photo BAS CZERWINSKI / ANP
Under his leadership, Feyenoord has not managed to beat a top six club this season – i.e. PSV, FC Twente, NEC, Ajax, AZ. It is thanks to the failing competitors – mainly Ajax – that Feyenoord was able to finish second. Although Van Persie sees it differently. “If there is a club that deserves it, it is us,” he said without any modesty about the Champions League placement. „By farrightly so.” While the poor season was full of personnel problems and there was hardly any development.
If Feyenoord loses or draws at PEC Zwolle in the final round next Sunday, it will become the worst number two ever in the Eredivisie in terms of points. If they do win, they will share the negative record of 65 points with Willem II (1999), PSV (1985) and Fortuna ’54 (1957).
Deeper problems
In his first full season as head coach of Feyenoord, Van Persie remained far removed from other goals – European ‘hibernation’, winning the KNVB Cup. The match against AZ on Sunday exposed the deeper problems. The positional play, with faltering build-up, was dramatic, especially in the first half. AZ dominated the field game, Feyenoord could almost only become dangerous by capturing the ball.
If this is the blueprint for next season, Feyenoord has little interest in the Champions League. Although no one seemed to care about that afterwards. Van Persie did say: “The game must be better, I am the first to acknowledge that.”
Anis Hadj Moussa (left), Tobias van den Elshout (middle) and Luciano Valente (right) celebrate Hadj Moussa’s 1-1 against AZ.
Photo BAS CZERWINSKI / ANP
The club management has done a lot to keep Van Persie in position this season. In the most critical period, around the winter break, he received a lot of credit from Te Kloese and chairman of the board Toon van Bodegom.
During a conflict between Van Persie and former captain Quinten Timber, the latter left. With Sterling, Mats Deijl and Jeremiah St. Juste, experienced players were added, partly at the suggestion of Van Persie, to strengthen the hierarchy in the team. At the end of the season, the often impulsive, naive Van Persie was given a technical advisor in Dick Advocaat, after which Feyenoord started playing more compactly. With some success, since the arrival of Advocaat there has been no loss (two wins, four draws).
Lots of changes
It is a very thin foundation to build on. Especially at a time when the top of the club is facing many changes. The directors who supported Van Persie will leave. Te Kloese will become sporting director at Mexican side Monterrey from July 1 and will therefore no longer make any major decisions.
Van Bodegom will legally resign at the beginning of 2027 after two terms. He still plays an important role in the evaluation and plans for next season. Van Bodegom sat in a skybox at De Kuip on Sunday with technical commissioner Sjaak Troost, who already announced in February that he would be resigning – his replacement is still pending.
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Van Persie said he hopes that the new management will start “as soon as possible”. Former AZ director Robert Eenhoorn is the main candidate for the position of general manager, he is available and would be open to it, according to various media. The Belgian Dévy Rigaux is in the picture as technical director, now working in a similar role at Club Brugge.
Undeniably, Van Persie is using the power vacuum at the top of the organization to strengthen his position. In the coming weeks, he said on Sunday, he and his staff will “assess” the players to clarify who will have a place in the selection next season. “I and my staff will also look at players from other clubs to get a clear idea of whether they fit or not.” Normally this is the domain of the technical management of a club.
This will “ultimately go hand in hand” with the new management members, he added. But it is clear that Van Persie – as if his position has never been vulnerable – is already making an advance on next season before the new management members have started.
He emphasized that his contract runs until mid-2027. “So I will be the trainer of Feyenoord next season,” he said in the press conference. To the Rijnmond reporter, who asked: “I think that’s the quote you were looking for? I’ll give you a helping hand.”
Van Persie thus speaks out of turn. There will first be an evaluation of this season – in which so much went wrong in terms of management. At the NOS advised In Kloese, his successors are already continuing with Van Persie. The question is whether the new management members, who will be responsible for the trainer’s performance, also think the same.
