Helmond Sport - Hometown Glory

HS Fanatics – Number 1

The cover of the very first Helmond Sport Magazine. Credits to our English GFX man Tallery

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An Introduction

Welcome readers, to the very first HS Fanatics, a magazine composed by fans of our club. This magazine will be full of interviews with players, articles by fans and everything you need to know about the club. Magazines can be bought at the stadium before matches, while season ticket holders will automatically get the magazine sent by post, for free.

Today, we’ll be interviewing striker Serhat Koç, who has been instrumental for Helmond in the first four matches. Furthermore, Helmond Sport fan Zed gives his opinion about the new manager, the start of the season and more subjects.

Serhat Koç – Helmond’s Deep Striker

In this very first edition of HS Fanatics, we interview cover star Serhat Koç. He’s been a very good player for the club so far, scoring 4 goals in 7 matches. Koç is Turkish, but he’s lived and played in Holland for most of his life.

You and your team have made a great impression in the start of the season, what do you think is the cause of the team playing so well?
We’ve got a great squad, which has been together for a couple of years now – there are only a few new faces. Our squad is very balanced, in my opinion, we’ve not got a big squad, but all players are very talented for Jupiler League means. Also, with Wilfred Bouma as our manager, we have a very experienced footballer, and he’s been able to transfer this knowledge and experience to us. Our former managers haven’t been very experienced as footballers, and I believe that that has made the difference so far.

After this good start fans will want your team to challenge for the championship, do you think your team can do that?
Form is not something that lasts all season, but I believe this is something more than form. So yes, I think we can challenge for the title, however we’ll need to be very focused and determined, because the opponents in the league are strong, maybe even stronger than us. Also, due to our performances in the first period of the season, we’re already qualified for the play-offs, which means that even if our form drops dramatically, we’ll have a play-off spot. But, I don’t think that our form will go away; we’ve been very good these first eight matches, and we’ll keep fighting till the end.

Who are those strong opponents in the league?
In my opinion, the three relegated teams, RKC, NEC and Roda JC, are always main contenders for the championship. They’ve got a lot of cash to invest, and a very strong for Jupiler League means. Besides those three teams, I think Sparta can really raise a few eyebrows. Sparta, in my opinion, belongs in the Eredivisie, with the history they’ve got. Also, they’ve got a good squad and fanatic supporters.

Just how pleased have you been with your own performance?
Quite pleased, I’d say. I’m pleased with my finishing so far, but I should’ve probably created more chances for myself, as I’ve had the ball a lot, but I quickly passed it to somebody else or I lost the ball. That is a point I have to work on. But in terms of efficiency, I’m very happy with my campaign so far, it’s been pleasing to score four goals and give one assist.

Who would you say has been the key to success these eight matches?
For me, it has to be our centre-back Koen Weuts. He’s consistently been a rock at the back, making great tackles and interceptions. Besides that, Koen has been great in front of goal, better than me frankly! He’s scored some very important, late goals for us. If he can continue his performances, I can see a big future for him. He’s a very determined and concentrated lad, so I’m sure he will play in the Eredivisie soon, maybe for Helmond, maybe for another club.

What are your impressions of new manager Wilfred Bouma?
Wilfred has been a great player, and he’s a great guy. I personally feel that if you have a young trainer who has lots of experience in football, you can relate to him better; the difference in age isn’t that big. Also, I think his tactical knowledge is great, the way he’s made this team play is beautiful to watch, and we’re very happy that it’s coming off very well. Another thing he’s impressed me with are his signings, as we really needed an experienced player, and he’s brought in exactly that kind of player with Marcel Meeuwis.

How is the atmosphere in the team?
It’s absolutely great! Everybody likes everybody, and there are not a lot of foreigners so it’s easy to communicate with one another. Off the pitch, we’ve been bowling together and we’ve worked on our team spirit a lot. I haven’t been at many clubs, but this definitely has to be the best bunch of players I’ve met. This strong bond also helps on the pitch, as everybody is willing to pass to each other, and is willing to listen to each other.

A Fan’s Opinion

This season it has so far been amazing to be a Helmond Sport fan. Not only have we collected 20 points from 8 games, the team has also played some outstanding football to go with that: we’ve been the dominating team every game of the season, possession-wise and shots-wise. And that has made me, and many other fans, very happy. I’ve noticed that the stadium is getting fuller bit by bit, and the fans are making more noise, which is nice to see after years of boring football with mixed results. This time the results are good, and the football is also good. But, the most pleasing thing is that we’ve already secured a play-off spot due to us winning the Periodetitel.

One thing that worries me is our home form: away from home we’ve thus far won four matches from the four matches played, but at home we’ve only won one of our three matches. The other ones ended in draws. Our playing style hasn’t been much different, but the finishing has been much worse. I don’t know how this is happening, but I’m sure Bouma will eventually iron that out. The manager has really impressed me so far, as he’s completely changed the changing style, in the space of about 4 months.

The players have all performed very well so far, especially defender Koen Weuts and winger Stanley Elbers. Elbers joined Helmond Sport from ADO Den Haag, where he couldn’t impress, this season. In Helmond, he’s been putting in good performances regularly, resulting in an impressive start for the club: 8 matches, 4 goals, 4 assists. One of the only players who I haven’t been too impressed with is new signing Marcel Meeuwis. He’s a great leader on and off the pitch, but due to his age he hasn’t been able to contribute to the play as much as I’d have liked to see.

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The full Jupiler League table

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Helmond Sport – The Streak Has Ended

The four matches Helmond Sport have played.

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A pundit’s View:
With the high expectations of fans and pundits, including me, Helmond started this set of matches with an away match to amateur side SVBO. The hosts were dominated by Helmond, but in the 51st minute the home team the lead. Helmond quickly equalised, and about 10 seconds before the match would end, Helmond got awarded a penalty. Davy Brouwers smashed it home, and the away fans celebrated their late victory. Although the scoreline doesn’t look too good, Helmond were in control of the match; they had 13 shots, SVBO had only 3, one of which on goal. In the next round Helmond will play Eredivisie-side Heracles Almelo.

Only three days after the cup game, Helmond had to play again, against supposedly overachieving MVV, who were 5th. The stadium was well filled for this important match, and Helmond Sport started off well: Serhat Koç put the hosts in front after only 27 minutes. At the end of the match, Helmond’s stats were much better than MVV’s: 6 shots for the home team, only one for the away team. Also, Helmond had 61% possession, showing that their form was slowly turning into something permanent.

But after their progression in the cup, for the first time in three years, and the convincing win against MVV it went wrong for Helmond, as they lost in a seemingly easy home match against mid-table team FC Oss. Helmond once again were the better team, but in the end FC Oss snuck away with a 1-0 win, after an early second-half goal. This was Bouma’s first loss at Helmond, and he wasn’t happy after the match, claiming that his team weren’t as efficient as they should’ve been.

However, the last match, the most important one of the four, was won by Helmond. It was an away match against league rivals Almere City, who were 2nd before the match. Helmond were 2-0 ahead after only 50 minutes, but Serrarens scored the 2-1 only a minute after Helmond’s 2-0, bringing the tension back in the game. Five minutes after that goal, in the 56th minute, youth product Jeffrey van Nuland decided the match: 3-1. Serrarens scored the 3-2 in the 75th minute, but Almere didn’t push through, and the match ended in 3-2. A very important victory for Bouma.

Bouma’s View:
This was an important batch of matches for us, as a place in the 3rd round of the cup was on the line, and also we had three important matches in the league, including an away match to numbers two on the table Almere City FC. We started off against non-league team SVBO in the cup, where we had the chance to progress to the next round of the cup for the first time in three years. We had a hard match, but in the end our 2-1 victory was deserved. We didn’t play our best, most efficient football but considering I fielded a weaker team, I was happy with the win.

Next were three matches in the Jupiler League, two of which at home. The most important one was the one against Almere, who were 3 points behind us. We started off well against MVV, winning 1-0. Another clean sheet for our defence, and another goal for Koç. We dominated the match, and our streak continued. I was happy with the win and the performance, but I knew we would have to start to create more chances if we wanted to keep winning.

Following the good victory against MVV, we lost our first match of the season, against Almere City. We were better than Almere all match long, but an early second-half goal made the efficiency of my half-time team-talk vanish. I sent everybody forward, but it didn’t help and we lost 1-0, also due to our poor finishing on some occasions. I gave the team a real talking to after the game, as I wasn’t at all happy with how they played the match, but it wasn’t reason for me to lose confidence in our own quality, as I knew we had a team capable of challenging for the championship.

My point was proven in the next match, as we won in a hard away match against Almere City. We needed to win in this match: a loss would mean we lost our three-point lead on Almere, but a win would mean we went top by six points. After a good start, Almere got one back through a good goal, but we eventually managed to win 3-2, the most important three points thus far. Certainly after the disappointing loss to FC Oss, this win was vital to not completely lose the edge we had built up this season.

Player Spotlight:
Young goalkeeper Wout van der Steen has been one of the reasons Helmond have only conceded four goals in four matches. Pulling off ten saves in those four games, Van der Steen has been vital for Helmond Sport so far.

HS Fanatics – Number 2

The cover of the second Helmond Sport Magazine, showing off the new logo.

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Our New Logo

In 1967, Helmond Sport was founded. One thing, however, was missing: a logo. Our club’s founder didn’t have a lot of time before they submitted the club plans to the KNVB, so he had to quickly draw up a logo:

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It was a simple logo with nothing more than HS. Many people think that it looks like a stop sign, we wouldn’t disagree with them. After years of Helmond sticking with it, hoping it’d grow in the fans, they eventually decided to replace it. Another factor also played parts in this decision, as from a distance, the logo looked like a Swastika. The club opted for another simple logo, and this is was the result:

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Fans once again protested, as it had no real connection with the city, it had no history. Despite these complaints, the logo was around very long. Until this year, there were no real plans to replace the logo, but in secret, a new logo was designed by two designers – a Dutch designer, Zed, and an English designer, Tallery. The result is this beautiful logo:

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The logo’s design and colours resemble Helmond’s first logo, something many fans will like. But instead of the old HS design, the letters are now next to each other in a very impressive font. The letters look even more eye-catching due to the quite bold white line going around the letters, something that compliments the impressive font nicely. A bit of history has also been added, in the form of the founding year (1967) and the flag of Brabant. All in all, the logo looks much better than its predecessors, and the fans have so far been very positive about it.

New kits won’t be released until next season, so the kits will still feature the old logo for the being. Staying on the topic of kits, next year Helmond’s kits will be sponsored by Nike, instead of Masita. The new head sponsor is yet to be announced by the club.

Stanley Elbers – The Team Player

For this edition, we interview Stanley Elbers, our left-winger. Elbers has had a good start to the season, with 4 goals and 5 assists from 11 league matches.

You’ve been one of Helmond’s star players so far, but before this season people barely knew you. How have you made such major steps in that time?
The most important thing that has changed between seasons is that I’ve now got the full backing of my manager, and he’s said that I’ll always start when I’m fit. This gives me a lot of confidence, and I’m more inclined to do something unexpected, something that can put a defender off. At ADO I didn’t do such things, as I was scared that I would lose my place in the team when I failed. Also, it’s much easier to play in the Jupiler League. Defenders aren’t as quick and strong as in the Eredivisie, so it’s easier for me to score goals, get past defenders and give assists.

So, in general, you must be very happy with your choice for Helmond Sport?
Yes, indeed I am! It’s been the best possible decision I could make, because I don’t think I’m quite ready for the Eredivisie yet, but I feel as though I can grow, together with the club. But first, we’ll have to keep on winning matches, and then we can start thinking about the Eredivisie. Although I think we’re one of the main contenders to win the league after our good start, it can still go wrong if we become complacent.

The team have recently slipped to their first defeat, that must’ve been hard to take?
Yes indeed it was, I feel it was a very unnecessary loss. As championship contenders, you’re at the top, but the hard part is to stay there. I’ve seen many teams fall after big leads at the top of the table, but I never thought that we would be in such a situation where that could happen. After the match, Wilfred warned the players that such a loss wasn’t acceptable, and washed away the bitter taste of that loss with a good win. I was very happy with the win, as I knew another loss could have put us into a bad run.

What are your plans for the future?
My short-term plan is to stay here and grow as a player. If we get promoted this season, I’ll definitely stay, but if we don’t I’ll have to think about my future. The club and the people are great, but I think that if I keep playing like this, there’ll be some interest from Eredivisie clubs or other leagues. If we do get promoted, I really want to be a part of this project, and I think we can stay in the Eredivisie for more than one season.

Who has been the real leader so far, apart from the manager?
It has to be Marcel Meeuwis for me. His performances on the pitch haven’t been so great, but you can’t really expect that from a 32-year-old player who hasn’t played a lot last year. Off the pitch, he’s been a great leader and he’s basically Wilfred’s assistant on the pitch; when he wants a player to play differently, he asks Marcel to explain it to the player. I think Marcel would be a great manager or coach once he stops playing football, and I think he’s been contemplating that. I think what also contributes to his leadership is his experience in foreign leagues like the Bundesliga and the Australian League. He’s told us how different football is over there, and we’ve learnt a lot from him.

What has been your best game of the season?
That’s an easy one for me. A couple of weeks ago, we played away against FC Den Bosch. Wilfred said it would be a hard game, but we won 4-1. I received the Man of the Match-award at the end of the match, as I scored two goals and gave one assist. I’m very pleased with this game, and ideally I’d like to play like that in every match! But I know that’s impossible, as form is something that comes and goes. I do think I can work on my consistency a bit more, as the next game was one where I played really badly.

A Fan’s Opinion

The team have again been great this month, extending the lead at the top of the table to a massive 6 points, and we’ve only played 11 matches! People weren’t that optimistic ahead of the season, especially because Bouma had no experience whatsoever. But the gamble the board took has so far worked out amazingly. Although we lost our first match of the season, there’s no reason to be worried as after that match, we won a hard away game against numbers two Almere City FC.

Again, our home form hasn’t been great, as all three of our losses and draws have come at home. But, we’ve also won a lot of matches at home, making it nothing more than a small worry. The great, easy on the eye football has also stayed, and we’ve received many plaudits for it so far. In every match, the possession stat has gone our way. We don’t only pass it around in the back, but the possession is actually used to create chances. We’ve been very efficient with those created chances, except in one game: the match we lost against FC Oss.

As we’re still winning most of our matches, the performances of the players have again been good. Our defensive line is very strong, our midfield distributes play well, and our attack finishes almost all chances. Our two wingers Marc Koot and Stanley Elbers have also been very good, creating chances for themselves but also for others. Although these two, especially Elbers, have been good so far, defender Koen Weuts is still the star man in the team. We’ve only conceded six goals in eleven matches, and Weuts has been one of the reasons that we’ve conceded that few, the lowest of the league.

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The full Jupiler League table

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Helmond Sport – Only Winning Two Matches

The four matches Helmond Sport have played.

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A pundit’s View:
After Helmond’s good victory over Almere City, they were top by six points, and Bouma called for no optimism, but only caution and focus from his players. His reason was that optimism would lead to complacency and eventually to his team slacking off, not winning all the necessary matches. He instead wants his team to be focused and cautious, to make sure the chance of failing to win the title would stay minimal.

Bouma’s words seemed to pay off in the 8th match in the competition, in a tricky away match against Jong FC Twente. The team took the lead after only three minutes, when Koç scored. The Turkish striker made it a double after 21 minutes, when he scored the 2-0. Helmond then adopted a more defensive, conservative playing style, to try and keep their lead. Bouma’s change in plans paid off, and the hosts didn’t oppose a threat in the rest of the match. The result of this conservative tactic was 64% possession, with half of the possession coming in the middle of the park. Final result: a convincing 2-0 for Helmond.

The following match was one that was labelled “an easy match” by most: a home match against numbers fifteen De Graafschap, usually a team challenging for promotion. But the home team started off sluggishly, and this led to an early goal by young De Graafschap striker Vincent Vermeij. It took Helmond very long to realise this was a must-win match, but eventually they did score two goals in the space of ten minutes: 2-1 in the 75th minute. Helmond then decided to play defensively again, and the fans were already celebrating the victory.

But experienced centre back Frank van Kouwen ruined the fans party by scoring an 88th minute equaliser. The Lavans Stadium was dead silent for about three minutes, after those minutes they saw that keeper Theo Zwarthoed took a free kick far outside his box, and mishit it. The ball landed exactly in Marc Koot’s feet, and the winger took advantage of the fact the goalkeeper was far from his goal, shooting it in from 30 meters out. The stadium erupted, and Helmond collected three points after a thrilling contest. It was absolutely deserved.

After these two league matches, Helmond faced Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo in the third round of the KNVB Beker. Bouma said that it wouldn’t be too big of a deal when his team lost this match against a much stronger team on paper, however he still wanted a good performance from his team. His team were once again the dominant side, but a late second-half goal by former AZ player Edwin Gyasi knocked Helmond out of the cup in the third round. The hosts gave Heracles a tough game, but the difference in quality eventually meant Heracles won the match.

The last match Helmond played this series of matches, was a home match against NEC. The team of manager Anton Jansen, who was in charge last year when his team relegated, were on the back of a stunning match against Ajax in the cup. The hosts, NEC, took the game to Ajax, but eventually lost narrowly in extra-time: 2-3. Full of confidence, NEC went into the game. But after a boring first half, Helmond Sport were the first to score: Kevin Visser gave Helmond the lead after 75 minutes. The match seemed over and done, but English cult hero Michael Higdon equalised for the away team in the 88th minute, and the match eventually ended as a 1-1 draw. Because Almere City won all of their matches, Helmond’s lead at the top of the table has become four points.

Player Spotlight:
Turkish attacker Serhat Koç has been very solid, scoring three goals in four matches. Two of his goals came against Jong FC Twente, where he massively helped Helmond collect the three points. He scored his third goal against De Graafschap.

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Helmond Sport Announce Training Facility Upgrades

The current training centre isn’t very professional. Next year this will have completely changed.

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Jupiler League leaders Helmond Sport have today presented plans to upgrade and expand their training facilities. Currently, the team coached by Wilfred Bouma trains on several pitches outside the stadium, and sometimes they prepare in the stadium. The upgrades, which will be completed in October of 2014, are starting at the end of this season. Plans include a totally new training complex, funded partially by selling the ground the pitches are on right now. The rest will be funded by the club itself, with the costs being around 400.000 Euros.

A location for the new facility is yet to be decided, but it’s expected it’ll be built along the cost of lake Berkendonk, where Helmond originally wanted to build a completely new stadium with training facilities. This was deemed impossible, and the decision on a new stadium has been postponed. What we do know about the stadium, is that two of the seven training pitches will have artificial turf. The main pitch, where Helmond’s youth team will play their matches, will have a 1000-seater stand on one side. The other sides will be left open so that (temporary) stands can be built on the other three sides as well.

Attending the press conference where the plans were announced, were manager Wilfred Bouma, general director Phillipe van Esch and several players of the club. The players were very happy with the new complex, for example Davy Brouwers: “I’ve not been here for a long time, but I’ve certainly experienced that our current training centre isn’t a very professional one. I’m very happy with this step forward, and I’m convinced it’ll help players develop better. Also, the artificial turf will help us prepare to play games on one of those types of turf.”

Phillipe van Esch had this to say on the press conference: “Wilfred Bouma was the one who proposed a new training complex, and we fully agreed with his reasoning for it: the state of our current training centre is really bad, and the idea to expand or abandon this complex has been there for longer, but when Wilfred proposed it we took it into real consideration for the first time. It’s a great step forward for the club, and I’m sure we will soon see improved performances on artificial turf.”

At the end of the press conference Helmond Sport released early designs of the training centre. These draws look very impressive, and it’s clear Helmond are striving to an Eredivisie-ready training centre. Judging by all the things that have been happening at the club since last summer, it’s clear that the club has ambitions – they want to get promoted, as soon as possible.

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