May
4
Historic Triumph for FC Twente
Filed Under General | Leave a Comment
It was a week of firsts in Europe, with Roy Hodgson leading Fulham to their first ever Europa Cup final, but another English manager that achieved history was Steve McLaren with Dutch side FC Twente. After being sacked by England for failing to qualify the country for the Euro 2008 finals, few would have predicted such great success for him so soon, but he has now won Twente’s first ever league title in their 45-year history.
Their clinched the title with a 2-0 victory over NAC Breda on the final day of the season, just about edging out Martin Jol’s Ajax. With this they make amends for finishing 2nd last season, and show just how big of an effect McLaren has had on the team.
Many of his critics also forget that before he took the English job he also lead Middleborough to their first UEFA (Europa) Cup final, another grand achievement, considering the club now find themselves lingering in the Championship. I think it goes to show that McLaren is definitely a great coach, but his shortcomings come when dealing with big superstar players, such as the England squad. For such a team you need a man with great discipline and a no-nonsense personality, which is just what Capello has brought to the plate.
With their victory, Twente will play in the Champions League group stages for the first time, and it will be interesting to see how far they can reach there too.