It’s just over halfway through the season proper in the Jupiler Pro League but as the ‘end-of-season playoffs’ count for 40% of points overall (points gained by the end of the classic season are divided by two), we’re just getting started in Belgium. No one likes the current system and this is probably the last… Read More »
So it was not to be. Anderlecht played well for 45 minutes and then failed to concentrate at the beginning of the second half. A goal from AC Milan’s Stephan El Shaarawy and a wonder strike from Philippe Mexès sealed Anderlecht’s fate. Now they most hope that results work out for them on the final… Read More »
There will be 20, 783 spectators in the Constant Vanden Stock stadium tonight and all but 1,085 will be hoping for a home victory. Hopes have not been so high for a decade or more, when Jan Koller and Tomasz Radzinski were demolishing defences, including that of Manchester United. The new coach John Van den… Read More »
Tonight, Lokeren play Standard Liege and the Belgian media has been focusing on a young South African, Ayanda Patosi, who plays for the Flemish club and who was relatively unknown until a few weeks ago. But, in football, one man’s dream opportunity can lead to someone else’s big break. Last summer, Genk centre forward Christian… Read More »
In September, Club Brugge were sitting on top of the Jupiler League and Georges Leekens was looking a tad smug after leaving the Belgium national team setup for the ‘club of his heart’. Tonight they will face Newcastle United in the Europa League having lost their last five games in all competitions. The last game… Read More »
On Sunday night I drove to Brugge to watch Georges Leekens’ Club Brugge play Zulte Waregem. I went with the specific aim of watching four players: Thorgan Hazard and Franck Berrier of Zulte Waregem, together with Vadis Odjidja and Carlos Bacca of Club Brugge. Obviously you can’t judge a player on one performance but I… Read More »
At the beginning of the season, no one would have put money on – in a two week period – four coaches being sacked (three from the Big Five), Zulte Waregem going to the top of the table and Anderlecht’s Tom De Sutter scoring five goals in two games. But all those things came to… Read More »
Last night, Anderlecht thrashed Gent 5-0. The Brussels team played well but there was no opposition to speak off. Gent are imploding as a football club, they have sacked their coach, sold key players and those remaining have lost their way. John Van den Brom doubtless gave the Anderlecht players a kick up the backside… Read More »
With the Belgium U17 team having already qualified for the next stage of the Euros, with Charly Musonda Jr., Zakaria Bakkali and Andreas Pereira on the pitch and with Marc Wilmots in the stands, the stage was set for a big party last night in the far-flung reaches of Eeklo. The Netherlands U17s were the… Read More »
Standard Liege play Cercle Brugge tonight and it’s a big game at Sclessin for all the wrong reasons. Coach Ron Jans was fired after Standard lost at Kortrijk. Their fifth defeat in six matches. The senior players then came out in support of Jans, basically saying that they liked him without admitting that they were… Read More »