The Groningen Courier
Squad14 Feb 2028
A one-man rearguard from Etienne Vaessen
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A falling-out at Groningen
Etienne Vaessen and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Feb 2028
David van der Werff signs a new deal
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” David van der Werff commits to Groningen for another 4 years.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Thijmen Blokzijl falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets14 Feb 2028
Door shut on Chinedu Geoffrey
Groningen asked and Krylya Sovetov said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market14 Feb 2028
One of our own: Marten Wijnaldum joins the Groningen first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Marten Wijnaldum is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market14 Feb 2028
Robin Simons steps up from the Groningen academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Robin Simons has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market14 Feb 2028
Groningen promote Teun Bergwijn from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Teun Bergwijn has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market14 Feb 2028
Joel Simons steps up from the Groningen academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Joel Simons has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Match Excelsior take the points off Groningen
- The dugout Daley Lang faces the questions
- The dugout Marvin Peersman gets picked when it counts