Football Season Guide

Volendam failed in their bid to stay up last season in the Eredivisie even if they were actually quite a decent outfit for the most part and played some solid football. But they lacked a bit of punch in attack and enough defensive assurance to win the points needed to escape the bottom three. They still seemed to have done enough after beating Willem II on the road in the first leg of their relegation play-off but then undone in the home game and suffered a loss on penalties. It was pretty agonising for the Oranje at the end but they need to build themselves up and go again this season. They have Erwin van der Looi as a new manager, a much travelled and quite experienced manager, who has done well at his previous clubs in the Netherlands and can certainly win matches at this level. The squad looks a bit short on numbers and experience in a few areas but that is only natural after relegation and the loss of a number of players who have been on loan. The team also made a few impressive sales, with goalie Kayne van Oveleen moving to the Premier League as he signed for Ipswich, while Robin van Cruijsen is heading to Sparta in the Eredivisie. The most eye-catching signing of the summer is winger Nick Doodeman, a very reliable and useful winger who gets a lot of assists every season and should be a really good foil for veteran striker Henk Veerman. Daan Huisman may well become a smart addition in midfield after joining from Eindhoven while veteran Erik Schouten comes to solidify the back line but the question remains how durable he is given his age. Volendam also retain the likes of Yannick Llielendaal and Nordin Bukala and they have what it takes to become big players for the side. As a whole, Volendam do look pretty formidable and stacked with some experienced options but th elk of defensive and midfield depth may become an issue as the long season goes on.