112-555: (Redirected from Little General ) Little General may refer to: Dick Advocaat (born 1947), Dutch football manager and former player Garnet Campbell (curler) (1927–2011), Canadian curler Avery Johnson (born 1965), American basketball player and coach Stacey Jones (born 1976), New Zealand rugby league footballer Ron Lancaster (1938–2008), an American-Canadian football player and coach Allan Langer (born 1966), Australian rugby league footballer Óscar Pareja (born 1968),
224-480: A scouting system . In 1973–74 , Groningen ranked bottom and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie; during the season, the team lost 9–0 to Ajax , Groningen's record defeat. The club came close to bankruptcy but was saved by Groningen City Council. In 1974–75 , Groningen finished runners-up to NEC Nijmegen because of an inferior goal difference , although Groningen qualified for the play-offs which determined
336-505: A 1–0 victory over Newcastle United in the Tyne–Wear derby on 5 April 2015. Following a 4–1 home defeat to Crystal Palace , Advocaat oversaw a turnaround in Sunderland's form with a 1–1 draw at Stoke City , and back to back wins against Southampton and Everton . Advocaat guided Sunderland to Premier League safety on 20 May 2015 with one match remaining after a 0–0 draw at Arsenal, and
448-512: A 2–0 loss against Switzerland , while France defeated Togo 2–0 to advance to the next round. Following Korea's exit from the World Cup, Advocaat resigned. In December 2005, gas giant Gazprom took over as owners of Russian Premier League team Zenit Saint Petersburg . After a mediocre start to the season, manager Vlastimil Petržela was sacked in the summer. On 26 June 2006, Advocaat was appointed in his place, signing an 18-month contract with
560-526: A 2–2 draw with West Ham, Advocaat resigned on 4 October 2015. His only win in the 2015–16 season was a 6–3 victory against Exeter City on 25 August 2015 in the League Cup . At the time of Advocaat's resignation, Sunderland were in 19th place and in the relegation zone. He finished with a record of four wins, six draws and nine losses. On 17 August 2016, Advocaat signed a one-year contract with Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe . His first match in charge
672-411: A 7–1 home victory against Willem II in the 2010–11 Eredivisie. The club's largest defeat is a 9–0 loss to Ajax in the 1973–74 Eredivisie. The highest transfer fee received by Groningen is the €11 million from Celta de Vigo for Norwegian striker Jørgen Strand Larsen in 2022, while the highest transfer fee paid by the club was for Nigerian midfielder Oluwafemi Ajilore from Midtjylland in 2008; he
784-502: A Colombian professional football manager Aimé Picquet du Boisguy (1776–1839), a French chouan general during the French Revolution Lars-Erik Sjöberg (1944–1987), a Swedish ice hockey player Frederick Traill-Burroughs (1831–1905), a British Army officer Andre Turner (born 1964), an American basketball player See also [ edit ] Eddie LeBaron (1930–2015), American quarterback known by
896-514: A capacity of around 12,500. In 2003, Groningen started with the building of Euroborg, designed by Wiel Arets . The stadium was opened on 13 January 2006 with a match against Heerenveen, which Groningen won 2–0. It hosted the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final, in which the Netherlands defeated Serbia 4–1. In 2014, Groningen became the first Dutch club to have its own solar power plant; more than 1,000 solar panels were placed on
1008-477: A coach, including three stints with the Netherlands national team. He has coached a number of clubs in the Netherlands and abroad (including the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg , with which he won the 2008 UEFA Cup Final ), as well as the national teams of a number of countries, including South Korea , Belgium and Russia . His nickname is "The Little General", a reference to his mentor Rinus Michels . Advocaat
1120-453: A competition to design a crest for the club. The draft of 21-year-old Reint Rozema, a designer at a local printing house, was chosen: an abstract letter "G", referring to Groningen. In 1993, board member and commercial manager Jos Smulders added a Pegasus to the badge to give Groningen a more "dynamic and aggressive" image; in 1996, the Pegasus was removed after criticism from the club's fans and
1232-600: A deal to become manager of the Australia national team , however when Zenit offered him a new US$ 4 million contract extension in November, Advocaat reneged on the deal with Australia. In Europe, Zenit qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Cup. Zenit finished third in their group and advanced to the last 32 of the competition. They progressed to the quarter-finals coming through matches against Villarreal and Marseille on
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#17328474984311344-563: A draw against Sweden and a victory against Serbia . In early 2006, during the break between domestic seasons, Advocaat took a 23-man squad of players from the K-League and J-League and embarked on a five-week, ten-match tour. It started with an Advocaat's first defeat as manager against the UAE. From there they travelled to Riyadh , Saudi Arabia, where they drew with Greece and won against Finland . Then they travelled to Hong Kong to take part in
1456-507: A four-year contract. Advocaat's side began their qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 with an unexpected defeat at home to Slovakia . However, Russia managed to win their group and secure automatic qualification to the Euro 2012 finals. Russia began the participation of Euro 2012 ( Group A ) promising by defeating the Czech Republic 4–1 and playing a 1–1 draw against hosts Poland . However,
1568-428: A green and white kit , the colours of the city's coat of arms. Groningen lost their first league game 1–0 at home against FC Utrecht in front of 13,000 spectators. The team recorded their first league victory on the 10th matchday—a 2–1 win at Vitesse —and finished the 1971–72 Eredivisie season 12th out of 18 sides. The club was still mired in financial difficulties; to cut transfer expenses, Groningen established
1680-587: A harrowing encounter, losing 1–0 in the first leg in Scotland. Advocaat was criticised by the Dutch media so much so that several of the team's players refused to speak to the media even after the comfortable and inspired 6–0 victory in the return leg at the Amsterdam Arena . Despite taking Netherlands to the semi-finals of Euro 2004, the Dutch media were critical of Advocaat. Netherlands were beaten 2–1 by Portugal in
1792-498: A record £12 million, Rangers failed to win any trophies, as Celtic under new manager Martin O'Neill won the domestic treble. Advocaat branded some of his players "fat-necks" in the press. In Europe, Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions league for the second consecutive season after two qualifying rounds. They were drawn alongside Sturm Graz , Galatasaray and Monaco . After good results against Sturm Graz and Monaco,
1904-582: A shock 3–0 victory in the return game, winning 4–2 on aggregate . They faced Inter Milan in the second round; Groningen won 2–0 at Oosterparkstadion but lost 5–1 in Italy and were eliminated from the competition. Groningen competed in European competition again on five occasions from 1986 until 1992, reaching the third round in the 1986–87 UEFA Cup and in the 1988–89 UEFA Cup . As a result of their successful spell, Groningen became almost fully professional during
2016-497: A verbal agreement with Advocaat to finish the 2018-2019 season, after their previous manager had been sacked after 4 games. On 30 October 2019, Feyenoord announced that Dick Advocaat was appointed as the club's coach for the remainder of the 2019–20 Eredivisie season after their previous manager Jaap Stam had resigned. On 3 November 2019, Feyenoord played their first game under Dick Advocaat, winning 3-0 in an away game against VVV-Venlo . On 21 April 2020, Feyenoord announced that
2128-606: A visibly moved Advocaat was pictured in tears after the final whistle. Sunderland finished the season in 16th place, two spots and three points above the relegation zone. He left the club a week later, announcing the end of his managerial career, but reversed his decision to retire on 4 June 2015, signing a one-year contract with Sunderland. During the summer transfer window, the club made two major signings in winger Jeremain Lens , who previously played under Advocaat at PSV, and striker Fabio Borini , who played for Sunderland on loan during
2240-528: A win in 6 games, with 4 draws and 2 losses. He resigned on 23 November 2021. On 28 November 2022, Advocaat was appointed as the new manager of a struggling ADO Den Haag side, after former manager Dirk Kuyt had been fired after an unsuccessful spell at the club. Advocaat retired as a coach at the end of the 2022–23 season as ADO Den Haag finished the season in mid-table of the second-tier Eerste Divisie . FC Groningen Football Club Groningen ( Dutch pronunciation: [ɛfˈseː ˈɣroːnɪŋə(n)] )
2352-515: A win in the show competition 2012 Polish Masters , followed up by beating Ajax 4–2 to secure the 2012 Johan Cruyff Shield . The 2012–13 Eredivisie campaign under Advocaat began with a shock defeat to RKC Waalwijk . At the winter break, PSV were leading the league table on goal difference over Twente . In the Europa League , PSV finished third in Group F . After finishing second to champions Ajax in
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#17328474984312464-697: Is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen , Groningen province . Founded in 1971 as the successor of GVAV , Groningen compete in the Eredivisie , the first tier of Dutch football , following promotion from the 2023–24 Eerste Divisie . Groningen played in the Eredivisie during their first three seasons, before the side were relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1973–74 as they got into financial difficulties. Groningen were promoted back to
2576-466: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Dick Advocaat Dirk Nicolaas " Dick " Advocaat ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɪk ɑtfoːˈkaːt] ; born 27 September 1947) is a Dutch former football player and coach. He is the current manager of the Curaçao national football team . Advocaat was successful as a football player and as
2688-480: Is held by Jan van Dijk, who played 537 games between 1975 and 1992. The club's top goal scorer is Peter Houtman, who scored 128 goals in three spells for Groningen. He also holds the club record for the most goals scored in a season, when he netted 31 times in 1977–78. The youngest player to make an appearance for Groningen is Richairo Živković , who was aged 16 years and 88 days on his debut against Heracles Almelo in 2012. The oldest player to make an appearance for
2800-523: The 1983–84 UEFA Cup , when they defeated Atlético Madrid on aggregate in the first round, but were eliminated by Inter Milan in the following round. Erwin Koeman , Ronald Koeman , Arjen Robben and Virgil van Dijk started their careers at Groningen, while it was Luis Suárez 's first European club. The team's first home ground was Oosterparkstadion ; since 2006, they have played their home games at Euroborg . Groningen's home kit colours are based on
2912-506: The 1991 play-offs . SVV had finished 16th the previous season, but remained in the Eredivisie after winning their relegation play-off. The two teams competed as SVV/Dordrecht '90 during the 1991–92 season , where they finished in 15th place. and became FC Dordrecht the following season, after Advocaat had left. Despite success at both clubs, Advocaat was criticised in his initial coaching years for playing defensive football. In 1990, Advocaat once more became an assistant to Michels, who
3024-474: The 1994 World Cup . However, talks between Cruyff and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) broke down at the last minute and Advocaat retained his position, causing Gullit to remain in retirement although he initially joined the Dutch squad for the 1994 World Cup . In 1993, the Dutch national team had a record of five wins and two draws. At the World Cup, Advocaat led the Dutch to
3136-405: The 2013–14 season . The club also signed several defenders and secured the loan signings of Yann M'Vila , DeAndre Yedlin and Ola Toivonen , the latter having also played under Advocaat at PSV. Despite the additions, Sunderland made a poor start to the season with a 4–2 away defeat at Leicester City on 8 August and a 1–3 home defeat to newly promoted Norwich City the following week. Following
3248-525: The Carlsberg Cup , where they defeated Croatia before losing in the final to Denmark . They then travelled to America where they lost to Costa Rica , won against Major League Soccer (MLS) side LA Galaxy and Mexico . The tour finished in Aleppo , Syria, on 22 February 2006 with an Asian Cup qualifying match against Syria which they won 2–1, ending the tour with six wins, one draw and three losses. In
3360-461: The Eredivisie , and losing the cup final to AZ, Advocaat announced his retirement from club coaching at the end of the 2012–13 season. However, on 15 October 2013, he returned to AZ to succeed the sacked Gertjan Verbeek . He was replaced at the end of the season by Marco van Basten . AZ finished the season in eighth place. He also reached the semi–finals of the KNVB Cup and the quarter–finals of
3472-489: The Tax and Customs Administration . Groningen were saddled with debt and again came close to bankruptcy. Despite the financial situation, Groningen recorded their highest-ever league finish in 1990–91 : third place. Managed by Hans Westerhof , Groningen competed for the league title with Ajax and PSV until the latter part of the season, when suspensions and injuries to first-team players saw them drop points. Groningen's Henny Meijer
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3584-699: The UEFA Champions League the following year . In June 1998, Advocaat left the club. PSV also won the Johan Cruyff Shield , the Dutch Super Cup, in 1996 and 1997 . In 1998, Advocaat accepted the invitation from Rangers chairman David Murray to become the Scottish Premier League (SPL) team's new manager. Walter Smith was still in the job but had announced his departure in advance. When Advocaat took charge of Rangers, he became
3696-423: The UEFA Champions League , having beaten UEFA Cup winners Parma in the third round qualifier. However, Rangers went out of the group stage after being drawn alongside Bayern Munich , PSV and Valencia . The club then lost to Borussia Dortmund in a penalty shoot out in the UEFA Cup. Advocaat's third season at Rangers was less successful. Despite investment in the team with players such as Tore André Flo for
3808-572: The United Soccer Association as part of an effort to make the sport more popular in the United States. It was the following season that Advocaat won his only honour as a player, the KNVB Cup , in 1968. In the 1969–70 season , he became a regular in the side, making 29 appearances and scoring his first goal for the club. He made 33 appearances the season after that . From the 1971–72 ,
3920-514: The away goals rule . Prior to the start of the 2008 domestic season , as league winners, Zenit faced Russian Cup winners Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Super Cup on 9 March 2008; Zenit won the match 2–0. Continuing in the UEFA Cup, Zenit were victorious against German clubs Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich to reach the final against Rangers, Advocaat's former club. In the final , played on 14 May 2008, Zenit won 2–0 to become only
4032-592: The play-offs of the Europa League the following season. On 7 November 2008, Advocaat signed a one-year extension that contracted him to the club until the end of 2009. In December, Advocaat was named Trainer of the Year in Russia. In January 2009, Arshavin was heavily rumoured to move again. Towards the end of the winter transfer window , the Russian threatened to strike if he was not sold. Arshavin transferred to Arsenal at
4144-430: The quarter-finals , where they lost 3–2 to eventual winners Brazil . Following the World Cup, Advocaat returned to manage at club level. His final match was a 5–0 win against Luxembourg . Advocaat returned to coaching at club level with PSV on 16 December 1994, taking over from interim manager Kees Rijvers . His first match was 1–0 loss against Ajax on 1 January 1995. PSV finished third that season . Coming to
4256-434: The 1930s. The Netherlands national team played two international matches at Oosterparkstadion: against Cyprus in 1981 and in 1983 against Iceland . In 1985, Groningen recorded their largest attendance at the stadium during a 1–1 draw against Feyenoord, when 21,500 spectators attended. The club first expressed an interest in building a new stadium away from Oosterparkstadion in 1996 as it had become outdated and had only
4368-477: The 1980 NASL season, Advocaat moved to Sparta Rotterdam to play the remainder of the 1980–81 season . He spent 18 months at the club, scoring six goals and making 61 appearances. Following that, Advocaat moved to Belgium and played in the second division for K. Berchem Sport . However, he only made ten appearances there before moving back to the Eredivisie to join Utrecht , where he made 39 more appearances before
4480-473: The 1988–89 season. Haarlem were eliminated in the second round of the KNVB Cup in both seasons. Advocaat then moved to Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging (SVV) as manager. At SVV, alongside technical director Wim Jansen , Advocaat led the team to become Eerste Divisie champions in the 1989–90 season to win promotion to the 1990–91 Eredivisie , winning by 15 points. In 1991, SVV merged with neighbouring club Dordrecht '90 , which failed to win promotion to
4592-472: The 2023–24 Eerste Divisie and returned to the Eredivisie at the first attempt. Groningen have won the KNVB Cup once, in 2014–15 , and were runners-up in 1988–89 . Groningen achieved their highest league finish in 1990–91 when they ranked third in the Eredivisie, competing for the league title until the latter part of the season. The side have participated in several European competitions ; Groningen's first participation in European competition came during
Little general - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-416: The 3–1 home defeat against Denmark on 14 November 2014. Following the sacking of manager Gus Poyet , Advocaat was appointed manager of English Premier League club Sunderland on 17 March 2015 until the end of the season. Initially, Advocaat was appointed on temporary basis. His first match in charge was a 1–0 loss to West Ham United four days later. His first win as manager came from his second match,
4816-401: The Eredivisie as champions in 1979–80 with a squad composed mostly of players who were recruited from the club's youth academy, remaining in the top flight for 18 seasons before they dropped to the second tier in 1997–98 . The team won promotion back to the Eredivisie in 1999–2000 , where they remained for 23 seasons before suffering relegation in 2022–23 . Groningen finished as runners-up in
4928-406: The Eredivisie in 1999–2000 following a first-place finish in the promotion play-offs group. During the season, Groningen set several club records: they scored 81 goals, won 10 matches in a row and recorded their largest victory—10–1 against DVS '33 in the KNVB Cup . In December 2000, 16-year-old Arjen Robben made his professional debut under coach Jan van Dijk; Robben, later regarded as one of
5040-516: The Europa League. In July 2014, Advocaat was named the new manager of the Serbia national team . As the beginning of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying , Serbia earned just one single point in three matches: Serbia drew 1–1 with Armenia ; forfeited (3–0 loss) their match against Albania because of stadium incidents during the match; then lost 3–1 to Denmark. Advocaat agreed to terminate his contract following
5152-663: The League Cup final. The club also had a short run in the UEFA Cup , where they reached the round of 16. In the following season, the club won the SPL by an SPL record 21-point margin, and also won the 1999–2000 Scottish Cup . Rangers fans paid tribute to Advocaat and the Dutch Rangers players at the 2000 Scottish Cup Final by wearing replica orange Netherlands international tops and other orange merchandise. Advocaat also guided Rangers into
5264-552: The Soviet Union was disbanded. Zenit won by two points over second–place Spartak Moscow . Andrey Arshavin stood out as the star player of the season, being the only member of the team to start all 30 league matches. Advocaat became the first foreign coach to win the Russian championship and, by winning the league, Zenit qualified for the group stage of the Champions League the following season. In August, Advocaat had signed
5376-536: The UAE, Advocaat was manager for two matches at the 1st International Arab Friendly Tournament in Switzerland. UAE won the first match against Kuwait 7–6 on penalties after the match had finished 1–1. They then lost the final to Egypt 4–5 on penalties, following a 0–0 draw in normal time. Advocaat's first match in charge of South Korea was a friendly against Iran on 12 October 2005, which South Korea won 2–0. Two more friendlies were played that year in November,
5488-598: The United States to play with the Chicago Sting in the North American Soccer League (NASL). That season , he made 24 appearances, scoring two goals. In 1979 , he scored three more goals in 28 appearances and for the 1980 season , he scored one further goal from 29 appearances. During the break between the 1979 and 1980 NASL seasons, Advocaat returned to the Netherlands and made 11 appearances, scoring one goal, for his former club, FC Den Haag. Following
5600-613: The best players of his generation, was soon sold to PSV for a fee of 3.9 million euros . Groningen avoided relegation during their first seasons back in the Eredivisie; under coach Ron Jans , appointed in 2002, Groningen began to return into the top half of the league. In January 2006, Groningen moved from the outdated Oosterparkstadion—the club's first home stadium—to the newly-built Euroborg . The club's average home attendance increased from approximately 12,000 in Oosterparkstadion to around 20,000 in its new stadium. Groningen went
5712-513: The city's coat of arms: green and white. The club is nicknamed "Trots van het Noorden" ( lit. ' Pride of the North ' ), and has a rivalry with Frisian side Heerenveen , with whom it contests the Derby van het Noorden ( lit. ' Derby of the North ' ). GVAV , established in 1921, were founder members of the Eredivisie in 1956, the first tier in Dutch football . GVAV were one of
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#17328474984315824-539: The club and Advocaat had reached an agreement for Advocaat to continue being the club's coach for the 2020–21 season . On 12 September 2020, Advocaat become the oldest coach in the history of the Dutch Eredivisie at 72 years and 351 days old. On 1 August 2021, he was unveiled as the new head coach of Iraq national football team to lead them in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers . However, he didn't manage
5936-453: The club failed to qualify for the next phase of the competition, finishing third behind Galatasaray on goal difference. Rangers then lost 3–0 to 1. FC Kaiserslautern in the UEFA Cup. In his last season at Rangers, with Celtic leading the SPL by 12 points, Advocaat resigned from the manager's position on 12 December 2001. His final match was a 1–1 draw against Hibernian . Alex McLeish was appointed as his successor, with Advocaat moving to
6048-467: The club is goalkeeper Peter van der Vlag , who played his last match aged 37 years and 163 days against NAC Breda in 2015. In 1991, Hennie Meijer won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award, the first and to date only time a Groningen player achieved this. Groningen's largest victory has been a 10–1 win against DVS '33 in the 1999–2000 KNVB Cup . The club's largest win in league football has been
6160-426: The club merged with Holland Sport to become FC Den Haag. That season , his final one for the club, Advocaat made a further 66 appearances and scored 6 goals. In total, he made 147 appearances and scored 7 goals for the club. From 1973, Advocaat's playing career continued for Roda JC until he moved to VVV-Venlo during the 1976–77 season . With Roda JC, Advocaat made 121 total appearances and scored 2 goals. When
6272-400: The club was to be discontinued in 2009, Goal.com described him as their most famous player. In his first season with VVV-Venlo, Advocaat scored 2 goals in 20 appearances. He made 33 appearances in the 1977–78 season , scoring four goals, and made a further 21 appearances in his final season at the club. In total, he made 74 appearances and scored 6 goals. In 1978, Advocaat made the move to
6384-412: The club, Advocaat coached existing players Ronaldo and Luc Nilis , and in 1995–96 , Advocaat's first full season with the club, he led PSV to second place in the Eredivisie. They also won that year's KNVB Cup, which qualified them for the following years UEFA Cup Winners' Cup . Over the summer, Advocaat signed Jaap Stam , and in the 1996–97 season , PSV won the Eredivisie title and qualified for
6496-477: The end of his playing career. In addition to playing football, Advocaat was a physical education teacher and became involved in coaching in 1981 when his older brother Jaap was offered a job running amateur Saturday football side Door Samenwerking Verkregen Pijnacker (DSVP). Jaap did not take the role but recommended Dick for the job. Advocaat coached this side during the final four years of his playing career with Sparta Rotterdam and Utrecht. In 1984, Advocaat
6608-435: The end of the season. On 22 April 2010, it was announced that Gertjan Verbeek would take over as AZ manager for the following season. Under Advocaat, AZ finished fifth in the league , entering the third qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League . On 17 May 2010, Advocaat was named the new manager of the Russia national team. He began his contract on 1 July, succeeding compatriot Guus Hiddink . Advocaat signed
6720-408: The first 15 league games unbeaten at Euroborg, and the stadium was soon nicknamed "De Groene Hel" ( lit. ' The Green Hell ' ). Groningen finished the 2005–06 season in fifth place and qualified for the play-offs which determined a place in the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League . Groningen reached the final but were narrowly beaten by Ajax on aggregate, after Ajax scored in
6832-469: The first foreign manager to do so and only the tenth manager in the history of the club. The previous season was the last of seven under Walter Smith, and the first time the club had finished without a trophy in 12 years. Long-term members of the squad that had won nine league championships in a row left, including Ally McCoist , Ian Durrant , Andy Goram and Stuart McCall . With financial backing from chairman David Murray, Advocaat invested heavily in
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#17328474984316944-425: The first time following a 5th-place finish, meaning that the side would enter the 1983–84 UEFA Cup . Key player Ronald Koeman left the club during the off-season in 1983 and joined Ajax, while his brother Erwin remained at Groningen; both players had made their debut at Groningen. The team's first European game was an away match against Atlético Madrid , losing 2–1 after being 1–0 ahead. Groningen recorded
7056-585: The following weekend, a 3–0 win against ADO Den Haag. Belgium lost to Croatia on 3 March 2010. On 15 April 2010, Advocaat left as manager of the Belgian national team after breaking his contract with the Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB) amid speculation he was to become coach of the Russia national team . Advocaat was later appointed Russia manager and announced his intention to leave AZ at
7168-443: The foundation of a new professional team representing Groningen. Several other local amateur clubs supported Brink's idea, and local businesses and Groningen City Council were willing to remit the debt of Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV. In September 1970, the majority of GVAV's members voted in favour of the plans. GVAV won promotion to the Eredivisie after a one-year absence, and Football Club Groningen were founded on 16 June 1971 as
7280-467: The foundation's shareholders; GVAV's finances remained in a weak position and their future as a professional side was uncertain, as was the prospect of professional football in the city of Groningen, with GVAV the only remaining professional team left. The club remained in the Eredivisie until it was relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1969–70 . In February 1970, Harm Brink, the chairman of amateur club GRC Groningen [ nl ] , suggested
7392-512: The four professional teams from the city of Groningen , the others being Be Quick , Velocitas and Oosterparkers [ nl ] . During the early 1960s, GVAV became mired in financial difficulties. This led to the establishment of "Stichting Betaald Voetbal GVAV" ( lit. ' Professional Football Foundation GVAV ' ) in 1963, a triumvirate of GVAV, Groningen City Council and an organisation representing local businesses. The three parties paid 300,000 Dutch guilders each to be
7504-408: The group in bottom place. In 2019, Hans Nijland [ nl ] —Groningen's CEO since 1996 and the longest-serving director in Dutch professional football—stepped down and was replaced by Excelsior's Wouter Gudde . In 2022–23 , Groningen finished the season in bottom place, winning only 4 times in 34 matches, and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie for the third time. Before the start of
7616-552: The helm. His final match was 1–1 draw against Mainz 05 on 16 April 2005. He finished with a record of four wins, six draws, and eight losses. In July 2005, Advocaat signed a one-year contract to become coach of the United Arab Emirates national team , but he terminated this contract in September to become manager of South Korea's national team from 1 October 2005 until the end of the 2006 World Cup . During his tenure with
7728-414: The last minutes of the second leg; the side qualified instead for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup in which they were eliminated by Partizan Belgrade in the preliminary round. Groningen again qualified for the UEFA Cup preliminary round the following season , but were eliminated by Italian side Fiorentina after a penalty shootout . In 2010, Jans left the club and went to local rivals Heerenveen ; his successor
7840-462: The last-minute for around £16.9 million. In February, Zenit's UEFA Cup continued and Zenit progressed to the last 16. They failed to reach the quarter-finals, though, losing to Udinese 2–1 on aggregate. In the domestic season , Advocaat fielded seven foreign players in a team selection (one more than the league rules allow) against Lokomotiv Moscow in April 2009. Advocaat admitted he was at fault for
7952-402: The lead up to the World Cup, South Korea played five more friendlies, winning two, drawing two and losing one. At the World Cup, South Korea opened their campaign with a 2–1 victory over Togo . In their second group match, they scored a late equalizer to draw 1–1 against France , putting them in a position to qualify from Group G . However, South Korea failed to make it into the last 16 after
8064-419: The local press, and the original crest was restored. Groningen's colours have been green and white since the club's foundation, derived from the city's coat of arms. During the first seasons, the team also played several matches in a purple kit. Groningen's jerseys were manufactured by local companies until 1975, when Adidas became the first to have its logo on the club's shirt. The team's first kit sponsor
8176-503: The match with two assists. The Czechs seized the opportunity to capitalize on it and scored the decisive goal. Shortly after the tournament, with mounting pressure and even death threats, Advocaat quit his job as head coach on 6 July 2004. Advocaat then went briefly back into club management. He was hired by German club Borussia Mönchengladbach on 2 November 2004. His first match was a 1–1 draw against Mainz 05 on 6 November 2004. He resigned on 18 April 2005 after less than six months at
8288-425: The mid-1980s—only Jan van Dijk and Adri van Tiggelen remained semi-professionals. The club also recorded the fourth highest average home attendances in Dutch football—behind Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord —as it attracted more than 10,000 fans for each match. In 1989, Groningen reached their first KNVB Cup final , but lost 4–1 against PSV. During the same year, Groningen chairman Renze de Vries [ nl ]
8400-457: The mistake and the club were fined but not deducted points. In May 2009, Advocaat agreed to become manager of the Belgium national team when his contract with Zenit expired on 1 January 2010. However, on 10 August 2009, after run of poor results, he was sacked by the club with Zenit seventh in the league. His final match was a 2–0 loss to Tom Tomsk on 9 August 2009. Zenit were in seventh place at
8512-547: The most successful Netherlands manager in terms of winning, with a total number of 37 victories, a record previously held by Bob Glendenning for 77 years. On 25 December 2017, Sparta Rotterdam announced that Advocaat would be the club's new manager for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. On 20 May 2018 Sparta was relegated to the Eerste Divisie following a 1–3 loss to FC Emmen in the Promotion/relegation play-offs . On 12 September FC Utrecht announced they had
8624-537: The national team to the 2002 World Cup in January 2002 and presided over the Netherlands qualification for Euro 2004 via the playoffs. His first match was 1–1 draw against England. The Oranje had finished second in their group behind the Czech Republic and therefore went into a playoff in order to qualify for Euro 2004. They managed to achieve this after a 6–1 aggregate win over Scotland but not before surviving
8736-550: The national team. His first match in charge was the World Cup qualifier at home against Luxembourg on 9 June, which the Netherlands won 5–0. He was joined by Ruud Gullit as his assistant, whom Advocaat previously clashed with in his first spell in charge of the Oranje . After failing to qualify to the World Cup, Advocaat stepped down following the November friendlies against Scotland and Romania . With victories in both matches, he became
8848-481: The nickname "Littlest General" Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Little general . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_general&oldid=1143478416 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
8960-489: The option of a one-year extension. Zenit finished the 2006 season in fourth place, earning a place in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup second qualifying round . In December 2006, the Russian Premier League transfer record was broken twice, first with the signing of Pavel Pogrebnyak and then again when Zenit bought Alejandro Domínguez . For the 2007 season , Advocaat led Zenit to their first domestic league title since
9072-513: The player's strong desire to leave the club. On 29 August 2008, Zenit contested with Champions League winners Manchester United for the European Super Cup . Zenit won the match 2–1 with new signing Danny scoring the decisive goal. In Europe, Zenit failed to advance from their Champions League group but finished third which meant they entered into the last 32 of the UEFA Cup . That year, Zenit finished fifth domestically, qualifying for
9184-470: The position of general manager. Advocaat eventually left Rangers for the Netherlands national team. More than a decade later, in March 2012, Advocaat's reign as manager came under scrutiny as Rangers entered administration . Advocaat defended the money spent on transfer fees and said he did not think the club would go bankrupt. Advocaat rejoined the national team set-up following Louis van Gaal 's failure to take
9296-461: The promotion play-offs in 1977–78 , despite Peter Houtman scoring a club record 31 goals during the season. Groningen finished runners-up to Excelsior in 1978–79 , but returned to the Eredivisie as champions in the following season under coach Theo Verlangen [ nl ] , losing only 4 of 36 matches. Most of the squad came from Groningen's youth academy. In the 1982–83 season , Groningen qualified for European competition for
9408-595: The province of Groningen, the team lack rivalries. Until SC Veendam from Groningen province was dissolved in 2013, Groningen contested the Groningse derby [ nl ] with the club. The sides met only four times in the Eredivisie—in 1986–87 and 1988–89 , with both teams winning once—as Veendam spent most of their existence in the lower divisions. During the 1990s, Groningen contested heated matches with Twente as hooligans of both clubs often clashed. During
9520-650: The provinces of Groningen and Drenthe . During their early years, Groningen, and their predecessor GVAV, also had a decent following in Friesland as they were the only northern team in the Eredivisie, which earned them the nickname "Trots van het Noorden" ( lit. ' Pride of the North ' ). During the late 1970s, an ultras group known as the Z-side emerged from within Groningen's fanbase. The Z-side and other Groningen ultras groups have had long-standing friendships with
9632-468: The qualifying campaign, a 2–0 victory against Turkey and a 2–0 defeat to Estonia . In the remainder of 2009, Belgium won in friendly matches against Hungary and Qatar . Belgium lost their first match of 2010 in a friendly against Croatia. On 6 December 2009, it was announced Advocaat would function as manager of both the Belgium national team and Dutch club AZ . Advocaat succeeded Ronald Koeman , who
9744-635: The roof of Euroborg to make Groningen "more eco-friendly". Euroborg's current capacity is 22,525, and is nicknamed "De Groene Hel" ( lit. ' The Green Hell ' ) and "De Groene Kathedraal" ( lit. ' The Green Cathedral ' ). The stadium consists of four stands: the Tonny van Leeuwen Tribune, the Piet Fransen Tribune, the Koeman Familie Tribune and a stand containing skyboxes . Groningen's supporters are mainly drawn from
9856-476: The same period, a local rivalry between Groningen and Frisian club Heerenveen developed—known as the Derby van het Noorden ( lit. ' Derby of the North ' )—following Heerenveen's first-ever promotion to the Eredivisie in 1989–90 . Groningen went down to the Eerste Divisie in 1998, and by 2000, they were surpassed in results by Heerenveen. During the 2000s, the rivalry reached its peak and fans of both clubs pulled pranks, such as Groningen fans painting
9968-521: The season, the German Frank Wormuth was appointed coach. He was sacked in November 2022, after which Wormuth labelled the working conditions as "mentally unsafe". Under his successor, Dennis van der Ree , Groningen won only once in 21 matches, and were eliminated from the KNVB Cup at home by amateur club SV Spakenburg . During the season, director of football Mark-Jan Fledderus was sacked, and two board members stepped down. Gudde concluded
10080-410: The second Russian team to ever win a European trophy. On 24 August 2008, Dynamo Moscow player Danny transferred to Zenit for a Russian record transfer fee of €30 million ( £ 23 million). The arrival of Danny increased speculation that Arshavin was to leave the club, but the club rejected substantial bids from both Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window , despite
10192-415: The second and final team to gain promotion to the Eredivisie. They finished second behind FC Eindhoven and remained in the second tier. In 1975, Groningen established a youth boarding school as the club tried to rebuild the squad with youth players. The side placed eighth in the 1976–77 Eerste Divisie —Groningen's lowest league finish—before they missed promotion to the Eredivisie on goal difference in
10304-466: The second qualifying round. Groningen claimed their first major honour during the season, however, defeating PEC Zwolle 2–0 in the 2015 KNVB Cup final . They became the third Groningen-based team to win a major honour, after Be Quick ( 1919–20 Dutch League Championship ) and Velocitas (1933–34 KNVB Cup). By winning the cup, Groningen qualified for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage. They gained only two points from six matches and finished
10416-460: The semi-finals of Euro 2004 after a dismal performance. The team also made several criticisms of his tactics, especially those in the team's shock loss to the Czech Republic in the second match of the first round of the tournament. In that match, Advocaat made a tactical change that shocked even his own players, as he brought on the aging Paul Bosvelt in midfield to replace crowd favourite Arjen Robben , who had been contributing immensely throughout
10528-431: The side won promotion back to the top flight under Jan van Dijk in 1999–2000. Erwin van de Looi led Groningen to their first major honour: the 2014–15 KNVB Cup . The German Frank Wormuth became the club's first foreign coach when he took the post in 2022. Under Dick Lukkien , Groningen won promotion back to the top flight in 2023–24. The record for the most first team appearances in all competitions for Groningen
10640-545: The squad was unfit, unbalanced, and lacked quality and "personality". Under coach Dick Lukkien , Groningen finished runners-up in the Eerste Divisie the following season and were promoted back to the Eredivisie with a squad composed of many players who were recruited from Groningen's youth academy; the team defeated direct rivals Roda JC 2–0 on the last matchday to take second place from them. Shortly after Groningen were founded in June 1971, Nieuwsblad van het Noorden organised
10752-525: The statue of Heerenveen's Abe Lenstra in green-white colours. The rivalry faded during the mid-2010s as another Frisian club, Cambuur , won promotion to the Eredivisie; Heerenveen regard Cambuur as their main rivals. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Source: Ron Groenewoud
10864-623: The successor of GVAV, who returned to amateur football. During the 1970–71 season, GVAV goalkeeper and Netherlands international Tonny van Leeuwen conceded only seven goals; no goalkeeper conceded fewer during the season, and Van Leeuwen was honoured with an award by the Royal Dutch Football Association in Rotterdam . On his way back home, Van Leeuwen died in a car accident, one day before Groningen's foundation. Groningen played their first match on 17 July 1971, defeating German Regionalliga side TSR Olympia Wilhelmshaven 6–0. Groningen played in
10976-452: The team ultimately failed to pass the group stage after losing to Greece 1–0 in the last match. It was already decided before the tournament that Advocaat would leave to take charge of PSV. Advocaat signed a contract with Dutch giants PSV. The contract began on 1 July 2012. He replaced Fred Rutten , who was sacked in March 2012. For Advocaat, it was a return to the club from which he had his first success. Advocaat began his new job with
11088-467: The team. Big money signings such as Giovanni van Bronckhorst , Arthur Numan and Andrei Kanchelskis were among Advocaat's first as Rangers tried to regain the league championship. In Advocaat's first season, 1998–99 , Rangers won the domestic treble, finishing six points above second-place Celtic in the league, defeating Celtic 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final, and defeating St. Johnstone 2–1 in
11200-421: The time of the dismissal. Before his dismissal from Zenit, Advocaat had already agreed a two-year, US$ 1,688,400 contract as manager of Belgium to start in 2010. However, when Belgium failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup , Franky Vercauteren resigned as manager and Advocaat's contract was brought forward to commence on 1 October 2009. Advocaat's first two matches in charge were the remaining fixtures in
11312-467: The ultras and hooligans of AS Roma , Beerschot and Rot-Weiß Erfurt . The club's fans also have had a long-standing friendship with supporters of Scottish team Hibernian since the 1990s. Several Groningen and Hibernian fans regularly make an overseas journey to visit each other's matches. As Groningen are one of the few professional sides in the Northern Netherlands and the only team from
11424-413: Was AGO in 1982. Since then, the club has had a variety of kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors. Until the early 1990s, Groningen used various permutations of green and white on their home kits, when the club adopted a white shirt with two vertical green stripes. Groningen have played their home matches at Euroborg since January 2006, which replaced Oosterparkstadion, the home of GVAV and Groningen since
11536-420: Was a 2016–17 UEFA Europa League home tie against Grasshopper , which Fenerbahçe won 3–0. On 3 November, Advocaat led Fenerbahçe to a 2–1 win at home against Manchester United in the fourth group stage match of the Europa League and finished the group stage in first place, above United, with 13 points. On 9 May 2017, Advocaat was revealed as the new manager of the Netherlands, his third spell in charge of
11648-621: Was born in The Hague and was a defensive midfielder during his playing days. His career began as an 18-year-old with Hague club ADO Den Haag , and he made his professional debut with the club on 21 May 1967 in a 3–0 win against GVAV . He only featured for Den Haag once more that season , and that summer, the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales franchise imported the Den Haag team, which included Advocaat, to play for six weeks in
11760-515: Was dismissed the previous day, and his contract ran until the end of the 2009–10 season . Advocaat only watched AZ's final group match of the Champions League on 9 December 2009, which Martin Haar managed. He was officially presented to the media the following day. His first match in charge was against PSV in the Eredivisie on 12 December 2009; AZ lost 1–0. His first win managing the club came
11872-438: Was former Groningen player Pieter Huistra . Under Huistra, the team finished 5th in 2010–11 and reached the European competition play-off final; Groningen turned around a 5–1 deficit against ADO Den Haag but lost after a penalty shootout. In 2013–14 , Groningen won the European competition play-off final under coach Erwin van de Looi and qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League , but were eliminated by Aberdeen in
11984-553: Was found guilty by the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) of embezzlement and the use of dirty money to sign several players between 1984 and 1989. De Vries, Groningen's chairman since 1980, stepped down and spent several days in prison. Several other Eredivisie clubs were also investigated and punished by the FIOD during this period, with Groningen receiving an additional assessment of 700,000 Dutch guilders from
12096-452: Was having his fourth spell as coach of the Dutch national team and looking to qualify for UEFA Euro 1992 . At Euro 1992, it became apparent it would be Michels' last job, and following the tournament, Advocaat took over as national coach. Advocaat lost his first two matches in charge, a friendly against Italy and a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Norway . During the qualifying campaign, Advocaat and Ruud Gullit fell out; Gullit
12208-413: Was named Dutch Footballer of the Year after the season ended. Although Groningen recorded a 5th-place finish in 1991–92 and qualified for the 1992–93 UEFA Cup , the team began to slide down the league table; they were eventually relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 1997–98 . Groningen had little financial resources left, and made many managerial changes in a search for success. The side returned to
12320-439: Was the club's first coach; he was relegated with Groningen to the Eerste Divisie in 1974 and remained in charge until 1975. Groningen won the Eerste Divisie title in 1979–80 under coach Theo Verlangen [ nl ] , who also led them to qualification for their first-ever European campaign in 1983. Groningen recorded their best league finish under Hans Westerhof : third in the 1990–91 Eredivisie. After relegation in 1998,
12432-430: Was unexpectedly appointed as assistant to Netherlands national team head coach Rinus Michels . Advocaat became a protégé of Michels, whose sobriquet was "The General". In reference to this, Advocaat acquired the nickname "The Little General". In 1987, Advocaat became manager of his first professional club, HFC Haarlem , which he led for two years. Haarlem finished in ninth place in the 1987–88 season and tenth place in
12544-435: Was unhappy with Advocaat's tactics in the World Cup qualifier against England and was eventually substituted. Following this, Gullit retired from international football, but was widely expected to return with a change of administration in the summer. Advocaat qualified for the World Cup, following a crucial win against qualification rivals England. Despite the result, Advocaat was scheduled to lose his job to Johan Cruyff for
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