netherland league News
Exciting finish
PSV Eindhoven clinched the Dutch title for the third season in a row thanks to a goal difference. PSV began the final day of the 2006/07 campaign level on 72 points with AZ Alkmaar and Ajax, with an inferior goal difference to both, but a 5-1 home victory over Vitesse moved them on to +50. Ajax finished the season with +49 in goal difference after they could only win 2-0 at Willem II. AZ Alkmaar, who had started the day in pole position, suffered a 3-2 defeat at lowly Excelsior to finish third. So, AZ Alkmaar, Twente and Heerenveen played the play-offs for the Netherlands' second UEFA Champions League spot.
- Champions: PSV Eindhoven (Champions League)
- Runners-up and Dutch Cup winners: Ajax (Champions League 3rd q. round)
- Third place: AZ Alkmaar (UEFA Cup)
- Fourth place: Twente (UEFA Cup)
- Fifth place: Heerenveen (UEFA Cup)
- Eight place: Groningen (UEFA Cup)
- Ninth place: Utrecht (Intertoto Cup)
- Relegated: Waalwijk, Den Haag
- Promoted: De Graafschap, Venlo
Ajax won the Dutch UEFA Champions League play-off tie for the second season running as a 3-0 victory against AZ Alkmaar in Amsterdam earned them a 4-2 aggregate win. The Dutch giants overhauled a 2-1 first-leg deficit and progress to this summer's third qualifying round. Alkmaar will play in the UEFA Cup for the fourth season in a row. Waalwijk dropped to the second division and Excelsior retained their top-flight spot, both following a relegation play-off. Den Haag were relegated automatically.
| teams | titles | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | 29 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Feyenoord | 14 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Sparta | 6 | - | - | - | 14 | 13 |
| Willem II | 3 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 15 |
| Heracles | 2 | - | - | - | 13 | 14 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 1 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| NAC Breda | 1 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 11 |
| Heerenveen | - | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Roda | - | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Twente | - | 12 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| Utrecht | - | 8 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 9 |
| NEC Nijmegen | - | 5 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| Groningen | - | 15 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 8 |
| Vitesse | - | 14 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Excelsior | - | 17 | - | - | - | 16 |
| De Graafschap | - | 18 | - | 17 | - | - |
| Venlo | - | - | - | - | - | - |
* The table shows the overall number of titles for each club in Dutch First Division (Holland Casino Eredivisie) since 1897, and their league standings in the last five seasons.
Return home
Feyenoord have strengthened their team ahead of the 2007/08 season with several new players, including experienced Roy Makaay, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Kevin Hofland. Striker Makaay has left Bayern Munich after the two clubs agreeing undisclosed terms for his move back to the Netherlands. The 32-year-old Dutchman, who has scored 102 goals in 178 competitive games for Bayern, signed a three-year contract in Rotterdam. Barcelona have also agreed to release Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst, 32, from his contract to allow him to join his first club on a three-year deal. Dutch defender Hofland, 28, has signed a four-year contract with Feyenoord after the club paid Wolfsburg an undisclosed fee for his services.
This page is introduction to the 2007/2008 Dutch First Division season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > Netherlands page.
Bert van Marwijk is also returning for a second stint as coach of Feyenoord, the club he led to the UEFA Cup in 2002. He coached the Rotterdam team from 2000 to 2004, then left to take over at Borussia Dortmund but was dismissed by the German club in December 2006. Van Marwijk has signed a two-year contract following the departure of Erwin Koeman, who resigned after they finished a disappointing seventh in the Dutch First Division, their worst season since 1991.
| # | team | points | g.dif. | win-draw-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV Eindhoven | 75 | 50 | 23-6-5 (34) |
| 2 | Ajax | 75 | 49 | 23-6-5 (34) |
| 3 | AZ Alkmaar | 72 | 52 | 21-9-4 (34) |
| 4 | Twente | 66 | 30 | 19-9-6 (34) |
| 5 | Heerenveen | 55 | 17 | 16-7-11 (34) |
| 6 | Roda | 54 | 11 | 15-9-10 (34) |
| 7 | Feyenord | 53 | -10 | 15-8-11 (34) |
| 8 | Groningen | 51 | 0 | 15-6-13 (34) |
| 9 | Utrecht | 48 | -3 | 13-9-12 (34) |
| 10 | NEC Nijmegen | 44 | -8 | 12-8-14 (34) |
| 11 | NAC Breda | 43 | -11 | 12-7-15 (34) |
| 12 | Vitese | 38 | -5 | 10-8-16 (34) |
| 13 | Sparta | 37 | -26 | 10-7-17 (34) |
| 14 | Heracles | 32 | -32 | 7-11-16 (34) |
| 15 | Willem II | 31 | -33 | 8-7-19 (34) |
| 16 | Excelsior | 30 | -22 | 8-6-20 (34) |
| 17 | Waalwijk | 27 | -27 | 6-9-19 (34) |
| 18 | Den Haag | 17 | -32 | 3-8-23 (34) |
* The table displays Holland Casino Eredivisie standings for season 2006/2007.
Ronald Koeman will remain as coach of PSV Eindhoven this campaign, ending speculation he would leave after winning the Dutch league in his first season in charge. His position had been in doubt after a dispute with club chairman Frits Schuitema.
Coach Louis van Gaal has agreed a new two-year contract with AZ Alkmaar, which will keep him with the club until 2010. Included in the contract is a clause that the 55-year-old can leave the team if he is offered a job as national coach of Argentina, Germany, Spain, England or the Netherlands. Van Gaal took over as AZ Alkmaar coach in 2005. Last season, he led the club to a third -placed finish in the Dutch league.
Willem van Hanegem has signed a two-year contract to coach Utrecht, returning to the club for a third spell. The 63-year-old, a former assistant coach with the Netherlands national team, succeeds Foeke Booy, who left after a four-year spell to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Van Hanegem has also coached Feyenoord, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ Alkmaar.
| team | odds | team | odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax | 2.7 | PSV Eindhoven | 2.7 |
| Feyenoord Rotterdam | 5.5 | AZ Alkmaar | 6 |
| FC Twente | 40 | Heerenveen | 50 |
| Groningen | 65 | Roda | 100 |
| Vitesse | 125 | Utrecht | 125 |
| NAC Breda | 200 | NEC Nijmegen | 200 |
| Heracles | 250 | Willem II | 250 |
| Sparta Rotterdam | 500 | De Graafschap | 750 |
| Venlo | 1000 | Excelsior | 1000 |
Dutch Cup finals in last five years
2003 Utrecht - Feyenoord 4:1
2004 Utrecht - Twente 1:0
2005 PSV Eindhoven - Willem II 4:0
2006 Ajax - PSV Eindhoven 2:1
2007 Ajax - AZ Alkmaar 1:1 (8:7 on penalties)