From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Dec 2026
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match12 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for Zwolle
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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Adam Maher, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Marked 8.74 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Marked 8.67 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match12 Dec 2026
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The terraces14 Dec 2026
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Thijs Oosting 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.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Marked 8.83 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Nick Fichtinger
“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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Toby Castagne has had enough of the bench
“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 Zwolle will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Match5 Dec 2026
It needed Thijs Oosting to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Feyenoord, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jamiro Monteiro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Market7 Dec 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad30 Nov 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Nov 2026
Zwolle come up short against PSV
PSV left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Facinet Conté, and the manager let it.
Squad30 Nov 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Tom de Graaff knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Toby Castagne knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Toby Castagne trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Nov 2026
Every point is an argument now for Zwolle
Position 16 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Sem Westerveld, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
He is 21, he is averaging 7.01, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Match21 Nov 2026
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“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.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.38, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Zwolle, and it is a cruel one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match11 Nov 2026
Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Jan Faberski obliged against Feyenoord. 1‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Zwolle.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 34, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad16 Nov 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
A performance of 9.08 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Adam Maher, and the manager let it.
Match14 Nov 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Thijs Oosting. 1‑0 against Vitesse, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Nov 2026
7 matches without a win for Zwolle
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zwolle are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Match7 Nov 2026
A bad afternoon for Zwolle against AZ
0‑2 to AZ, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Sem Westerveld
“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.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market9 Nov 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 35. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match31 Oct 2026
6 matches without a win for Zwolle
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zwolle are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Nov 2026
34 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Koen Kostons 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.
Match31 Oct 2026
Tristan Gooijer scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Cambuur, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Marked 8.45 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“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.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
4.08 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 31. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match26 Oct 2026
Zwolle sink to position 16
8 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad26 Oct 2026
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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match24 Oct 2026
5 matches without a win for Zwolle
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zwolle are no longer polite ones.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Thijs Oosting 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.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tom de Graaff knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Tom de Graaff trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Oct 2026
4 matches without a win for Zwolle
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zwolle are no longer polite ones.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Oct 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Sem Westerveld knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Simon Graves in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match17 Oct 2026
A bad afternoon for Zwolle against Twente
1‑2 to Twente, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.51 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 35. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
He is 21, he is averaging 7.00, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“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; Zwolle are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Younes Namli gets it from the manager
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad5 Oct 2026
The medical room confirms 65 days on the sidelines for Nick Viergever, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Adam Maher
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 34. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.52 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“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.
Match26 Sep 2026
Zwolle share the spoils with Roda
A 1‑1 draw with Roda leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Elias Sørensen knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zwolle, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
A defender's afternoon for Simon Graves
Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match19 Sep 2026
A 2‑0 win over Heracles, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.19, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“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 Sep 2026
Ryan Thomas asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Koen Kostons is not enjoying his job description
Played out of position, hooked on the hour, asked to be somebody he is not — the details vary and the mood does not. Zwolle have a player doing his work under protest.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Simon Graves 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Nick Viergever
“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.
Match12 Sep 2026
Willem II left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Zwolle, and it is a cruel one.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
The one thing Facinet Conté could not do
Shots: 7, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Santiago Córdoba trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market14 Sep 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Zwolle, another week without a signature from Sherel Floranus.
Squad14 Sep 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Zwolle would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Sep 2026
Simon Graves in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match5 Sep 2026
Ajax take the points off Zwolle
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Adam Maher, and the manager let it.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.19, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
123% of the income goes out in wages at Zwolle
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sander Sybrandy commits to Zwolle for another 4 years.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Zwolle, and it is a cruel one.
Market7 Sep 2026
The Naj Lulić conversation is coming
Everyone has stopped pretending: Roda will make the call about Naj Lulić this week. Zwolle have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 36. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zwolle have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match29 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Toby Castagne, and the manager let it.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Shots: 12. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Adam Maher knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zwolle, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Every debut is a small story about the future: Björn Mellema, 19 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
A mark of 5.34 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 27, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Market24 Aug 2026
“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 ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.04, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match22 Aug 2026
A 1‑0 win over Groningen, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simon Graves, and the manager let it.
Squad24 Aug 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Market17 Aug 2026
Utrecht come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zwolle did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match15 Aug 2026
Utrecht left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“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.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.82, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Marked 8.08 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Younes Namli and Zwolle agree another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Zwolle
Younes Namli 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zwolle have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Younes Namli, and the manager let it.
Market10 Aug 2026
Georginio Simons is 16, and Zwolle have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Market10 Aug 2026
Cody Dijks is 16, and Zwolle have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nick Viergever and Zwolle agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Younes Namli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zwolle this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Younes Namli asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market3 Aug 2026
No place for Dylan Ruward in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Dylan Ruward has his answer from Zwolle; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Market3 Aug 2026
At 34, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.
Market3 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Zwolle, another week without a signature from Ryan Thomas.