Who will be the new coach of Vitesse? That’s the big question in Arnhem. Will it be someone from the outside? Will assistants Chris van der Weerden, Theo Janssen and Raimond van der Gouw take care of it until the winter break, or will it be club player Edward Sturing again?
The crisis for the yellow-blacks has gotten a little worse since Saturday, following the 3-1 home defeat to SC Heerenveen and the resignation of Cocu. Vitesse is still awaiting approval from the KNVB for the takeover of American Coley Parry. Things aren’t going well from a sporting perspective either, as the club sits bottom of the Premier League with just two wins from 12 games.
And the final result on Monday will be training again at the Papendal sports center, despite the international break. That is, without Phillip Cocu. His assistants will take over for now until the Arnhem club announces a new name.
“We assume we will find a solution at this international stage, but it is not today or tomorrow,” a club spokesman said on Monday morning.
Edje Temporary
The name of Edward Sturing, 60, currently coaching at Vitesse, echoes around the Gelredome and Papendal Stadium as the club finds itself in trouble again. He was a lifeguard most of the time when there was no coach there.
“I think I’ve done this six times in the 23 years I’ve been at Vitesse. “This is a common thread in my football life,” club player Omroep told Gelderland.
There is nothing wrong in remembering his nickname “Edje-interim”. He served as the interim coach of the group in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (because coach Thomas Letsch and his team tested positive for Corona at that time, editor’s note). He also served as a “regular” head coach at Vitesse between 2003 and 2006.
The association spokesman said internal candidates were also interviewed. Sturing told NOS on Monday that he had heard nothing and therefore had nothing to report.
“This guy has been around for so long it’s no surprise.”
Maikel van der Werff, who worked with him as assistant and interim coach at Vitesse and head coach at FC Volendam, says it makes sense to sign Sturing. “He had done this before and had been at Vitesse for a very long time. With Theo Bos he became Mr. Vitesse, so it is no surprise that he is remembered.”
The defender, who is working on his coaching degree, believes Sturing also has the qualities to get groups of players moving again. Van der Werff: “It always goes right back to the basics. It requires thorough training, it requires concentration, and it doesn’t overcomplicate things. I don’t want to say Cocu didn’t do that, but when a coach leaves, things go wrong. I don’t feel comfortable in a group. Then you have to start again, and Sturing does that well.”
He is a coach who also talks a lot with the players. “He’s a real person, he does his job well.”
Marc van Hintum, currently VVV’s interim technical director, worked a lot with Sturing at Vitesse. Van Hintum named the 60-year-old Pride Cup interim coach in 2019.
“Edward is outspoken, wants clarity and keeps the overview. “These are good qualities for a coach.” Van Hintum knows Sturing would prefer not to work as a coach. “He wants to be a coach now. “After all these years at Vitesse, I understand this.”
Captain Marco van Ginkel described Cocu’s departure as a blow:
German coach Benjamin Schmedes needs to work in the coming days. The club has little money to spend after the KNVB did not approve American Coley Parry’s takeover of Vitesse.
It therefore seems logical to first take a look at internal candidates and ask whether external trainers are currently finding it attractive to join Vitesse.
It is not possible to continue the current trio of the group. None of the three have the necessary documentation and can therefore only be used for one month with an exceptional permit.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
