FC Groningen has long been a staple of Dutch football. Founded in 1971, not only can they claim to have kickstarted the careers of legendary Dutch players such as Ronald Koeman, Arjen Robben, and Virgil van Dijk but they are also one of the best-supported clubs in the whole country.
Although success is not synonymous with the team, having never won the league title and winning a single KNVB cup in 2015, FC Groningen still is the sixth best-supported club in the Netherlands in terms of memberships in the supporter’s association. They only trail only historic clubs such as Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord to name a few.
In the North of the country, there is no question that FC Groningen reigns supreme as the team to support, the iconic green-and-white colors of the team represent the colors of the place it calls its home and can be seen on jerseys, scarves, and hats all over the city.
With such fervent support, a huge 22,000-capacity-seat stadium, and finishing 12th the season before, a mid-table finish was once again expected by fans heading into the 2022-23 season. Relegation was not even a possibility.
“Never, never, never, never crossed my mind that we would get relegated,” John de Jonge told The Northern Times. De Jonge is the chairman of FC Groningen’s supporter’s association (Supportersvereniging FC Groningen), having held the role for the past six years. De Jonge moved to Groningen in 1986 to study and “got hooked on the green and white colors,” after watching them play in the UEFA Cup.
That reality seems so far away for De Jonge, who first watched his beloved team battle it out against the very best in Europe, but will now have to suffice with watching the club nicknamed The Pride of the North in the Keuken Kampion Divisie, the Netherland’s second division.
“The biggest loss [from last season] was relegation,” admits De Jonge.
A sucker punch no one saw coming
“The old coaches, they warned us already, they said ‘this squad is too young, they don’t have experience’ ”, admits De Jonge. “Maybe as supporters, we were too optimistic. We never thought it would happen,” he says.
It isn’t uncommon for fans to be blinded by their love towards their football team, often ignoring clear red flags that would indicate disaster is on the horizon. But that couldn’t happen to FC Groningen. They had been in the Eredivisie since the 2000/01 season and were never truly at risk of going down since their return 20 years ago.
For De Jonge, this relegation meant that he suffered his worst season as a fan since he began sporting the green and white jersey.
“We got relegated back in 1998 but then back then, financially, we were not that strong. It could have always been a possibility. It’s always unexpected but then it was in your mind. Now, we weren’t even thinking about it.”
Although expectations were not through the roof, as no one expected FC Groningen to be challenging for the title, warning signs that even the stability of mid-table was slightly out of reach started appearing for those willing to see them.
The team began in decent form, winning two, drawing two, and losing two of their first 6 matches. Following a win over SC Cambuur in September, FC Groningen would fail to pick up a point until they somehow shocked PSV at the Euroborg for a 4-2 win in late October.
If that moment provided any optimism, it would soon prove to be false hope. Groningen would not win another match for the next 13 games, including a seven-match losing streak that all but confirmed that relegation was truly in sight.
“In January, we had three matches against Emmen, Excelsior, and Volendam. We lost all three. Those were our opponents in our area [of the table],” said a disappointed De Jonge. “After that, we knew we had to win against Ajax or Feyenoord or PSV, maybe all three. And you know that won’t be happening because we only won 4 [matches] in total.”
It all comes crashing down
After that torrid period, it seemed almost inevitable that FC Groningen would be in a fight for survival. It also appeared that the players and fans had succumbed to the negative atmosphere that surrounds a relegation battle.
“An away match against Fortuna [Sittard]. You knew we had to win now because Excelsior was still rather close, Emmen was close, Cambuur was close, and Volendam was close [to Groningen in the league table]. We knew if we won, we could close the gap and for the mindset, it is a good thing,” said De Jonge, “After 3 minutes, a big mistake and we were 1-0 down. I didn’t see a fighting team.”
Although De Jonge does not believe the team ever gave up, he does believe that the squad was unable to give it their all due to “inexperience and quality.”
As things turned gradually more sour on the pitch, matters away from it were not making it any better. Fans began turning on their players, so much so that in a match against hated rivals SC Hereenveen, players and ultras got into a scuffle during the middle of the match.
Flares and drinks were thrown on the pitch and violence became a more regular theme at FC Groningen matches. The atmosphere became so toxic that FC Groningen fans were banned from their final two home matches in the Eredivisie.
All they could do was watch from home as FC Groningen’s relegation was confirmed, failing to win any of their remaining 10 matches as the club’s free-fall finally hit the hard ground.
“We really lost the connection to the players,” says De Jonge. He attributes the presence of supporters of the turf and the throwing of flares to the disappointing results. Nothing of the sort happened when they were within the top 10 of the league table.
But who is to blame?
When something as catastrophic as FC Groningen crashing into the second division happens, fingers will always be pointed. Although the blame is often shared around, there is no question as to who had the biggest target on his back for last season’s failure.
“For us, it was the fault of the technical director. He composed the squad. We warned him so much, so many times. But he said no, it will be fine,” said De Jonge.
Although Marc Jan Fledderus is a notoriously good seller, often getting a couple more millions than the club should for players, it was his poor squad building that De Jonge believes ruined the team’s chances.
“He’s responsible for the composition of the team. I remember when he came to the club. He had a presentation saying he needed a squad of 5-7-5. 5 players that are talented enough but need more first-team experience. 7 players from 20 to 28 [years old], experienced players, good for the Dutch League. Five more, a little bit older that have experience.”
If that was Jan Fledderus’s idea for the squad, it was far from realized on the pitch. FC Groningen’s team had an average age of 23, the second youngest in the whole league, and at times played matches where the average age was just over 20 years old.
“He didn’t compose a team from his own vision. And that’s stupid. If you have a vision, why not stick to that? That’s strange.”
De Jonge believes that poor squad building, which included too many inexperienced players with an out-of-depth head coach, was the nail in the coffin that assured Groningen’s relegation.
“The atmosphere was terrible around the team.”
Getting the Groningen DNA back
Much to the shock of no one, Jan Fledderus was let go from his position. Head coach Dennis van der Ree, who was never going to be more than a stop-gap, was also given his marching papers.
Walter Gudde, Groningen’s general manager since 2019, has now taken the vacant role of technical director and had to hit a home run with his newest coach.
“We talked with the board, we need more Groningen DNA. We can’t identify with the team anymore,” said De Jonge.
“Groningen is fighting. Give everything you have. We want to see players who really come here because they want to play for us and for the club,” De Jonge said when asked to explain what he considers to be Groningen DNA.
The man who will be in Groningen’s hot seat is Dick Lukkien, the former coach of FC Emmen. Lukkien was born in the province and it seems that fans are ready to pledge their full support to their new man.
“He is Groningen,” said De Jonge.
It’s not just Lukkien’s appointment that has brought back the much-needed connection between fans, players, and the city.
Lukkien’s number 2 is also proving to be a huge hit. He’s none other than Groningen-born Marcel Groninger. The former Netherlands under-21 manager not only used to play for the FC Groningen himself but he even bears the name of the city as his surname.
It cannot get more FC Groningen than that.
FC Groningen fans rise to the occasion
With the team having lost its identity, results getting worse by the week, and the atmosphere surrounding the club at an all-time low, you wouldn’t blame fans for turning their back on their beloved team.
That is the wonderful thing about football. Even when clubs hit rock bottom, they can still rely on the love and support from their loyal fans. This is even more applicable for FC Groningen, a club so intertwined with the city.
“The supporters make the club. It’s not the players or the board. No, we made it,” states De Jonge.
A total of 12,022 season tickets have been sold for the new season, a staggering amount for a second-division club. Only Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV, and FC Twente have managed to sell more throughout the whole country.
“There’s expectations that it could be a special season,” says De Jonge. “We will win more, hopefully!” he chuckles.
Couple that with the Friday evening games that are a staple of the Keuken Kampion Divisie and you get a sold-out Euroborg. But it’s much more than just expecting success and an occasion to do something on a Friday night.
The people of Groningen, according to De Jonge, want to be there for the whole journey. They want to show their club, and the rest of the country, that FC Groningen is far from finished as a top team.
Support is high. So are expectations.
It is no secret that a club of FC Groningen’s stature stands out like a sore thumb in the second division. That’s why anything other than direct promotion back to the Eredivise will be deemed a disappointment.
“Promotion is number one, the championship is a bonus. We have to go back up again,” states De Jonge.
It is not just about going back to the top but rather the consequences that come with multiple seasons at a lower league.
“You have to go back in one year. Otherwise, we lose even more television money. Lots of players will start to think oh, the second year in the Keuken Kampion Divisie so it will be less attractive to stay here,” says De Jonge.
“I think its [finishing] 1st, 2nd or its a failure.”
Thankfully, FC Groningen are off to a flying start. They defeated Jong Ajax 4-1 in their first game back to prove that they are not here to stay. That will certainly help ease the tension surrounding the team but there is still a long way to go.
“The biggest pressure is on Groningen this season,” admits De Jonge. “We need a good start.”
FC Groningen next face Jong Utrecht FC on Monday the 21st of August. Another convincing victory will surely cement Groningen as an early favorite to get back to the Eredivisie. And get the Euroborg jumping once again.
