The Groningen Courier
Squad20 Dec 2027
Etienne Vaessen stands alone
10 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Match18 Dec 2027
The wait goes on for Groningen
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Groningen
Marvin Peersman was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match18 Dec 2027
3 matches without a goal for Groningen
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match18 Dec 2027
Ajax take the points off Groningen
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
No hiding place for Marvin Peersman
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marvin Peersman, and the manager let it.
Squad20 Dec 2027
A muscle injury sidelines Rick Blind for 14 days
Nobody makes a documentary about a hamstring and everybody in the game fears one. Groningen will be careful with the return date, because the second one is always worse than the first.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Cody Clasie left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Marvin Peersman gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Marvin Peersman is on it.
In brief
- The dugout Somebody else is better right now than Mats Seuntjens
- Looking ahead A reunion for Sherel Floranus
- Market Tyrique Mercera placed on the list