sports betting news
PSV 23.6.09
Engelaar swaps Schalke for PSV
Netherlands midfielder Orlando Engelaar has left Schalke and opted to join PSV Eindhoven for an undisclosed fee. The signing reunites the 29-year-old with new PSV coach Fred Rutten, who coached the midfielder at Twente and Schalke. Engelaar, who endured a disappointing season in the Bundesliga following his transfer from Twente last summer, has penned a four-year contract with the Dutch side.
Twente 16.6.09
Kuiper fills Braafheid gap at Twente
Twente have signed left-back Nicky Kuiper from league rivals Vitesse as a replacement for Edson Braafheid, who joined Bayern Munich last week. The 20-year-old has agreed a five-year deal with Twente, but financial terms were not disclosed. Kuiper, who came through the youth ranks at Vitesse, made 15 league appearances in his first competitive season with the Arnhem side this term.
Heerenv. 16.6.09
Michal Papadopulos signs for Heerenveen
Heerenveen have completed the transfer of striker Michal Papadopulos from Mlada Boleslav for an undisclosed fee. The Czech Republic international has agreed a five-year contract with the Dutch side. Papadopulos, 24, scored 10 goals in 29 matches for Mlade Boleslav last season, his first campaign since returning home following a spell in Germany, where he played for Bayer Leverkusen and was loaned to Energie Cottbus.
Ajax 26.5.09
Ajax name Martin Jol as head coach
Ajax have appointed Martin Jol as coach after reaching an agreement with his current club Hamburger. The 53-year-old Dutchman replaces Marco van Basten, who resigned three weeks ago after leading Ajax to third place in his sole season in charge. Jol has signed a three-year contract with Ajax. The former Roda, Waalkwijk and Tottenham coach moved to Hamburg last summer and led them to the UEFA Cup and German Cup semi-finals. They finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the new Europa League.
PSV 21.5.09
Andre Ooijer rejoins PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven have secured the signature of defender Andre Ooijer on a one-year free transfer deal. The 34-year-old Dutchman will return to his former club after playing his final game for Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, against Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park. Ooijer joined Blackburn from PSV in 2006 for a fee in the region of €3.1m, after spending nine seasons with the Eindhoven club.
Alkmaar 18.5.09
Koeman succeeds Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar
Ronald Koeman has signed a two-year contract to become coach of Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar. The 46-year-old succeeds Loius van Gaal, who will take over at Bayern Munich in July. Koeman was fired by Valencia in April 2008 after just five months in charge despite leading the team to the King's Cup title. He joined Valencia after winning the Dutch league title with PSV in 2007. He also won two league crowns with Ajax.
Ajax 7.5.09
Van Basten resigns as Ajax coach
Marco van Basten has resigned as coach of Ajax after the club failed to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League. The 44-year-old made his decision after the Amsterdam giants were stunned 4-0 last weekend at lowly Sparta Rotterdam. This result coupled with Twente's 3-0 victory over newly-crowned champions AZ Alkmaar meant Ajax could finish no higher than third in the Dutch top flight. Assistant coach John van't Schip will take over for Sunday's final game of the season at home to Twente, with the team needing a point to guarantee third place and a berth in next season's UEFA Europa League play-offs.
| PSV Vitese Breda Sparta Groningen Ajax Alkmaar Twente DeGraaf. Volendam Haag Roda Willem II Heerenv. Nijmegen Feyenord Heracles Utrecht |  |
| Alkmaar Ajax Twente Heerenv. PSV Groningen Feyenord Utrecht Vitese Breda Sparta Heracles Nijmegen Volendam Roda Willem II Haag DeGraaf. |  |
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| Alkmaar Twente PSV Breda Ajax Groningen Heerenv. Nijmegen Willem II Utrecht Feyenord Vitese Haag Roda Sparta DeGraaf. Volendam Heracles |  |
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| Alkmaar Twente Ajax PSV Groningen Heerenv. Breda Utrecht Feyenord Vitese Nijmegen Willem II Sparta Haag Heracles Roda DeGraaf. Volendam |  |
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| # | team | points | g.dif. | win-draw-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alkmaar | 80 | 44 | 25-5-4 (34) |
| 2 | Twente | 69 | 31 | 20-9-5 (34) |
| 3 | Ajax | 68 | 33 | 21-5-8 (34) |
| 4 | PSV | 65 | 38 | 19-8-7 (34) |
| 5 | Heerenv. | 60 | 9 | 17-9-8 (34) |
| 6 | Groningen | 56 | 17 | 17-5-12 (34) |
| 7 | Feyenord | 45 | 8 | 12-9-13 (34) |
| 8 | Breda | 45 | -10 | 13-6-15 (34) |
| 9 | Utrecht | 44 | -3 | 11-11-12 (34) |
| 10 | Vitese | 43 | -7 | 11-10-13 (34) |
| 11 | Nijmegen | 42 | 1 | 9-15-10 (34) |
| 12 | Willem II | 37 | -23 | 10-7-17 (34) |
| 13 | Sparta | 35 | -20 | 9-8-17 (34) |
| 14 | Haag | 32 | -17 | 8-8-18 (34) |
| 15 | Heracles | 32 | -18 | 7-11-16 (34) |
| 16 | Roda | 30 | -20 | 7-9-18 (34) |
| 17 | DeGraaf. | 30 | -34 | 7-9-18 (34) |
| 18 | Volendam | 29 | -29 | 7-8-19 (34) |
last results
| 31.5 | Groningen - Breda | 0 : 2 |
| 28.5 | Breda - Groningen | 1 : 1 |
| 21.5 | Feyenord - Breda | 0 : 4 |
| 21.5 | Groningen - Utrecht | 4 : 0 |
| 16.5 | Utrecht - Groningen | 3 : 3 |
| 16.5 | Breda - Feyenord | 3 : 2 |
| 10.5 | DeGraaf. - Volendam | 2 : 2 |
| 10.5 | Willem II - PSV | 0 : 3 |
| 10.5 | Feyenord - Roda | 2 : 3 |
home win - draw - away win (1-x-2)
Dutch First Division : 48% - 25% - 27%
League format : Soccer / Football : Netherlands : First Division 2008/2009
There are two professional football leagues in the Netherlands, the First Division (Eredivisie) and the Second Division (Eerste or Gouden Gids Divisie). The Dutch First Division consists of 18 teams. Each team faces every other team twice during the season, once at home and once away. At the end of the campaign, the first placed team in the Dutch First Division automatically advances to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, while the runner-up plays the qualifying rounds to enter the competition. The third, fourth and fifth placed teams are qualified for the UEFA Cup, together with the Dutch Cup winner.
At the foot of the table, only the 18th placed team is automatically relegated to the Second Division. This team will be replaced by the Second Division champion. The 16th and 17th-place clubs in the First Division have to play promotion/relegation playoff (Nacompetitie) that includes six high-placed teams from the Second Division. There are two pools containing four teams. Each group has one First Division club and three teams from the Second Division. In both playoff groups, each club plays each other home and away. The group winners qualify for to the First Division, with the other six teams going to the Dutch Second Division.
Dutch First Division pages
Dutch First Division statistics, news and predictionsDutch First Division standings
Dutch First Division transfers
Season 2008/2009 preview - key players, 2008 standings
