“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Ponferradina had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and TOP Oss waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Kaj Sierhuis and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gustav Arcos Sundqvist is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Jong Utrecht has been clear about where Emirhan Demircan stands, which is more than many ever get.
It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Jong Utrecht have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
The offer from Dender for Tijn den Boggende was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Kaj Sierhuis and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Gustav Arcos Sundqvist may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jong Utrecht, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Jong Utrecht people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Kaj Sierhuis 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.
Everyone has stopped pretending: FC Eindhoven will make the call about Mees Eppink this week. Jong Utrecht have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gustav Arcos Sundqvist was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
In brief
The dugoutOualid Agougil asks for a word with the manager
SquadNeal Viereck has seen what the next man earns
Add another name to the list: FC Eindhoven have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Mees Eppink. The answer from Jong Utrecht has not changed — yet.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
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.
Jorn Triep 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Jamie Schuldes has written the date down.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and Jong Utrecht have no good answer.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Ujpest waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Emirhan Demircan trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Viggo Plantinga signs something — a contract at Jong Utrecht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Oualid Agougil has written the date down.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Jong Utrecht have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Kaj Sierhuis and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad3 Jul 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gustav Arcos Sundqvist is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Jong Utrecht know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Position 20 and 30 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Kaj Sierhuis 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.
Add another name to the list: Haladas have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Donát Bárány. The answer from Jong Utrecht has not changed — yet.
Squad26 Jun 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gustav Arcos Sundqvist is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Add another name to the list: MVV Maastricht have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Mees Eppink. The answer from Jong Utrecht has not changed — yet.
The offer from Almere City for Jessey Sneijder was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Rayan el Miloudi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Jong Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Neal Viereck trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and Jong Utrecht have no good answer.
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Jong Utrecht have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jong Utrecht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Fehervar waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The offer from Helmond Sport for Mees Eppink was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Jong Utrecht know it.
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.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Jong Utrecht has been clear about where Geronimo Venloo stands, which is more than many ever get.
The offer from PSV for Jaygo van Ommeren was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Kenji Goes will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Jong Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Kaj Sierhuis and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
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.
Position 20 and 30 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jessey Sneijder will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Jong Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Shedrach Ebite and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jaygo van Ommeren was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Donát Bárány trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market29 May 2028
Donát Bárány returns from a loan that gave him nothing
2 appearances and 0 goals is not a season, it is a year somebody has lost. Whether that is his fault, the borrowing club's or the people who arranged it is the argument the next few weeks will have.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Jong Utrecht. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
0‑4 to Jong PSV, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
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.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Successful dribbles: 19. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Shedrach Ebite 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.
Squad8 May 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Jong Utrecht, another week without a signature from Joris van Overeem.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
In brief
The dugoutLuca Plogmann knocks on the manager's door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 May 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 88. VVV-Venlo had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Arnaut Strootman after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
14 times he got in the way of something. Centre-halves get written about when they make mistakes and ignored when they do not, so an afternoon like this needs saying out loud: he is the reason the scoreline reads as it does.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Viggo Plantinga did not need any: 7.74, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
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.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Jorn Triep has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Shedrach Ebite 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.
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.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Jong Utrecht pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jessey Sneijder will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Jong Utrecht the goodbyes have quietly begun.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Jong Utrecht can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
Squad27 Mar 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Dordrecht in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Jorn Triep has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Matyáš Havelka did not need any: 7.71, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
12 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.
Position 19 and 24 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Jong Utrecht have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Jong Utrecht is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Thijs van Ingen is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Shedrach Ebite and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jaygo van Ommeren was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings28 Feb 2028
Matyáš Havelka, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 7.90
A mark of 7.90 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
10 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.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Jong Utrecht they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
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.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Jong Utrecht pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑3 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Newcastle Jets had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Rayan el Miloudi did not need any: 7.65, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Bryan De Jongh is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Mees Eppink and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
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.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Mees Eppink
Position 19 and 22 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
8 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.
The phone has started ringing about Jaygo van Ommeren again, and this time the name on the line is Ajax. Jong Utrecht are listening politely and promising nothing.
Gustav Arcos Sundqvist and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Jaygo van Ommeren did not need any: 7.91, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
The offer from Telstar for Luca Neu was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
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.
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jong Utrecht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
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 Arnaut Strootman left the room before anybody could ask which.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Jong Utrecht has been clear about where Emirhan Demircan stands, which is more than many ever get.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Nikolas Panagiotou trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
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.
Neville Ogidi Nwankwo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Successful dribbles: 16. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout10 Jan 2028
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 0‑1 Arnaut Strootman left the room before anybody could ask which.
Gustav Arcos Sundqvist and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Half the programme played, position 17, 21 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Jong Utrecht know it.
Gustav Arcos Sundqvist 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.
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.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Arnaut Strootman after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Jong Utrecht that is a harder question to answer.
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.
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Noël Beulens and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Arnaut Strootman, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Jong Utrecht know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Viggo Plantinga, 20, plays like he has been here for years — 7.78
A mark of 7.78 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 20-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
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.
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Successful dribbles: 18. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout13 Dec 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Arnaut Strootman chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Willem II defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Successful dribbles: 29. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Player ratings6 Dec 2027
Jessey Sneijder, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.65
A mark of 7.65 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
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.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Gustav Arcos Sundqvist and Jong Utrecht agree another 5 years.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nikolas Panagiotou is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Arnaut Strootman chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
Something was said to Oualid Agougil and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Dordrecht? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
0‑5 to Emmen, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Jong Utrecht can pretend not to have heard.
Position 18 and 12 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Nov 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑5, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
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.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Thijs van Ingen and Jong Utrecht agree another 4 years.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Gustav Arcos Sundqvist and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Arnaut Strootman on a 1‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Björn Menzo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Mees Eppink and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
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.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Jong Utrecht will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Successful dribbles: 14. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jong Utrecht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Jong Utrecht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout25 Oct 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 0‑1 Arnaut Strootman left the room before anybody could ask which.
Matyáš Havelka 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.
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.
10 attempts, none of them in. He got into the right places all afternoon, which is the hard part, and did the easy part badly — and that is the version of a bad day a manager can live with.
Jaygo van Ommeren has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nikolas Panagiotou was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Neville Ogidi Nwankwo 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.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Arnaut Strootman kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and Jong Utrecht have no good answer.
Nobody at Jong Utrecht is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
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.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
Successful dribbles: 18. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout27 Sep 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
Noël Beulens and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Viggo Plantinga has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
Ninety specific minutes wanted a different sort of player, and the manager picked one. He is not out of form and he is not in the side, and both are true.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Arnaut Strootman chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Jong Utrecht has been clear about where Justin Eversen stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout20 Sep 2027
Oualid Agougil is playing like a man with something to prove
The oldest phenomenon in the sport: a new voice in the dressing room and suddenly everybody is available for everything. Oualid Agougil is training as though the last team sheet never existed, because as far as he is concerned it does not.
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Jong Ajax defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Oualid Agougil’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Jong Utrecht needing him to play as if none of it matters.
The words a physio says slowly. 17 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Gustav Arcos Sundqvist and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The words a physio says slowly. 25 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
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.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Jong Utrecht people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Three points for Jong Utrecht, 3‑1 the final word against FC Eindhoven in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Gustav Arcos Sundqvist has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
A mark of 7.76 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Successful dribbles: 21. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is 19 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
A 1‑1 draw with Den Bosch leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Arnaut Strootman was not hiding it after 1‑1, and nobody in the Jong Utrecht dressing room was either.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaygo van Ommeren is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 21 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Shedrach Ebite and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Arnaut Strootman after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
Nobody at Jong Utrecht is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
The offer from Vasas for Shedrach Ebite was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
Oualid Agougil is playing like a man with something to prove
The oldest phenomenon in the sport: a new voice in the dressing room and suddenly everybody is available for everything. Oualid Agougil is training as though the last team sheet never existed, because as far as he is concerned it does not.
Björn Menzo has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
Position 20 and 11 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Jong Utrecht are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
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.
5 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
In brief
The dugoutMees Eppink knocks on the manager's door
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jong Utrecht, and it is not being withdrawn.
Jaygo van Ommeren and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
In brief
The dugoutBjörn Menzo knocks on the manager’s door
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and Jong Utrecht have no good answer.
Mees Eppink and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Niklas Vesterlund and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
9 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
In brief
The dugoutNeal Viereck knocks on the manager’s door
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Matyáš Havelka and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Jong Utrecht will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Position 20 and 11 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Matyáš Havelka and Jong Utrecht agree another 5 years.
Jaygo van Ommeren 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
In brief
The dugoutNoël Beulens loses the manager who believed in him
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Jong Utrecht will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
0 appearances and 0 goals is not a season, it is a year somebody has lost. Whether that is his fault, the borrowing club's or the people who arranged it is the argument the next few weeks will have.
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Niklas Vesterlund keeps the shirt for now, at Jong Utrecht's convenience rather than his own.
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Position 20 on 11 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
13 times he got in the way of something. Centre-halves get written about when they make mistakes and ignored when they do not, so an afternoon like this needs saying out loud: he is the reason the scoreline reads as it does.
Nobody at Jong Utrecht is suggesting he is out of form. The manager simply wanted somebody with a different set of qualities for ninety specific minutes, and there is nothing a player can train to fix that.
Level with 86 minutes on the clock, after an afternoon Jong Utrecht had all but put away. Roda will call it a point earned; the home dressing room will call it two given away, and both of them are right.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Neal Viereck trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Jong Utrecht was different afterwards.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 23 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
0‑4 to VVV-Venlo, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad3 May 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
The dugout3 May 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑4 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jong Utrecht will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Jong Utrecht and Willem II, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 1‑5, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
1 error, one goal, and a night in front of the same three seconds. He will see it tonight, tomorrow and probably in February, and everybody who has played knows exactly which frame he keeps stopping on.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Jong Utrecht have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 25 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
18 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 10 goals between Jong Utrecht and Cambuur, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 17 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 14 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Jong Utrecht are no longer polite ones.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑5 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Viggo Plantinga signs something — a contract at Jong Utrecht or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Jong Utrecht know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
They sit in position 12 and they will be waiting. Away form is where a season shows its true character, and this side has a point to make about its own.
7 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.
At 18 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Jong Utrecht and Emmen, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Shedrach Ebite and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
In brief
The dugoutThe view from the dugout
The dugoutNeal Viereck asks for a word with the manager
15 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Jong Utrecht and ADO Den Haag, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
14 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
5 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.
5 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
Jaygo van Ommeren 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.
Match6 Mar 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
9 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and MVV Maastricht in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑9, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
13 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
0‑12 against RKC Waalwijk, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jong Utrecht this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match27 Feb 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
12 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and RKC Waalwijk in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
12 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
Boardroom22 Feb 2027
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Jong Utrecht know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
11 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Match13 Feb 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
11 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Vitesse in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
10 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Shedrach Ebite did not need any: 8.37, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 12 goals between Jong Utrecht and Almere City, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
It finished 3‑2, and it was Shedrach Ebite’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Jong Utrecht.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Shedrach Ebite has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 19 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
0‑9 against De Graafschap, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
9 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 8 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 9 goals between Jong Utrecht and De Graafschap, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
8 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 7 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match23 Jan 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
11 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and FC Eindhoven in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑11, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 15 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
7 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
6 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match16 Jan 2027
Nobody could stop scoring
15 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Den Bosch in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 16 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Jong Utrecht and Helmond Sport, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Mees Eppink 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.
Boardroom11 Jan 2027
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 14 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
5 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Jong Utrecht and Jong PSV, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Position 20, 1 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 26 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
18 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.
0‑8 to Roda, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match26 Dec 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
8 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Roda in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Mees Eppink 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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑8, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
In brief
The dugoutMees Eppink asks for a word with the manager
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 22 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
0‑10 against VVV-Venlo, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Position 20, 1 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
The terraces21 Dec 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 3 of the 5 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Match19 Dec 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
10 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and VVV-Venlo in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Mees Eppink 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.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 16 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Beaten 0‑7 by Willem II, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match12 Dec 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Willem II in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑7, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Neal Viereck trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Mees Eppink has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
“I am not asking anybody to be better than they are. I am asking everybody to be as good as they are, every week.” Said out loud, in front of everybody, and the room at Jong Utrecht was different afterwards.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Jong Utrecht and Dordrecht, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑7 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
Looking ahead30 Nov 2026
Jong Utrecht take on the side everybody is chasing
Cambuur arrive as leaders. A side at the top is beaten roughly once a month, and the club that does it gets a week it remembers for a year.
1 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Match21 Nov 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Emmen in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Jong Utrecht can tell you which week it ends in.
Boardroom23 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑7 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
“Nobody outside is coming to save us.” It was short, it was not comfortable, and by all accounts the Jong Utrecht squad were quieter afterwards than they had been all season.
Mees Eppink 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.
11 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.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 10 goals between Jong Utrecht and ADO Den Haag, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑10 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
In brief
The dugoutMees Eppink knocks on the manager’s door
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 14 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
0‑12 against MVV Maastricht, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Jong Utrecht are no longer polite ones.
Match31 Oct 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
12 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and MVV Maastricht in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑12, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
Neal Viereck is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
1 error, one goal, and a night in front of the same three seconds. He will see it tonight, tomorrow and probably in February, and everybody who has played knows exactly which frame he keeps stopping on.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Neal Viereck trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
9 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.
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 91. RKC Waalwijk had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Arnaut Strootman after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Jong Utrecht, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
“Nobody outside is coming to save us.” It was short, it was not comfortable, and by all accounts the Jong Utrecht squad were quieter afterwards than they had been all season.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 16 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
8 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.
6 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 12 goals between Jong Utrecht and TOP Oss, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
Nobody left the Jong Utrecht dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Mees Eppink 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.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Arnaut Strootman after 0‑12, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 29 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
7 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.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 8 goals between Jong Utrecht and Vitesse, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Mees Eppink 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.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑8 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 23 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
0‑12 against Almere City, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
6 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.
4 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Match26 Sep 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
12 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Almere City in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mees Eppink was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 22 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
0‑10 against Jong Ajax, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 5 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match19 Sep 2026
Nobody could stop scoring
10 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Jong Utrecht and Jong Ajax in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
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.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑10 defeat, delivered by Arnaut Strootman to a room that had heard them before.
At 22 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Jong Utrecht have a decision that made itself.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mees Eppink trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 14 goals between Jong Utrecht and De Graafschap, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Jong Utrecht training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mees Eppink is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
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 0‑14 Arnaut Strootman left the room before anybody could ask which.