Mats Kool | Football Koolture

It was Saturday. I was outside my hotel and waited for Samir to come pick me up so we could go to the Stade Achille Hammerel as we played against US Hostert at 3:00 pm. Samir arrived around 1:45 pm and so we left. We were discussing about the match.

"Do you think we'll win?" I said jokingly.

"Well, if we don't beat the team who has 7 losses in 7 games in the league we should both resign." said Samir and we both started laughing.

"Are we underestimating them a little? Upsets happen all the time in football."

"Well, let's make sure that doesn't happen. The last thing we need is to drop more points."

"Yeah you're right."

As we arrived at the stadium we went to the locker room. I told Samir about how we would play today and with his help, we "fixed" some problems that occurred in our last matches. A short while after the players joined us in the locker room. I explained what we would do differently and thus more successfully. I knew that most of the players didn't have faith in me. They thought I was too young and too inexperienced. I don't think asserting dominance is always a good thing. In order to connect with your players, you have to get in their position and think as they think. I understood why they thought like that and that motivated me to prove them wrong.

The match started at 3:00 pm as it was expected. We saw an attendance of 439 people in the stadium. It was not as good as it sounded though as more than half of the attendees, were supporters of Hostert. Our performance in the league was concerning but still, I was expecting the fans to motivate us. I won't really blame them though, as it's only the start.

We went into half time with a 1 goal lead. At the 18th minute, we had a free kick on almost the left corner area. Thomas Birk whipped one into the far post and after numerous missed interceptions from Hostert, David Silva pushed the ball into an open net. The visitors had no shots at all which made me even happier with the performance. 59 minutes in the game our captain Daniel Da Mota had to be subbed off as he suffered a pulled calf muscle. 13 minutes after, Kevin Nakache capped a woeful performance with a second yellow card after an extremely idiotic and unneeded foul. Thankfully at the brink of the match Humbert headed the ball in the net from a tight near post angle, giving us the win against the bottom team of the league.

After I congratulated the players, I hasted to go home as I had forgotten my phone and thus wasn't able to call dad. As soon as I entered my hotel room, the phone rang. It said Unknown Caller but I still answered.

Me: "Hello?"

A female voice answered

Unknown: "Hello, I would like to speak with Mr. Mats Kool if possible."

Me: "That's me, how can I help you?"

I thought it was weird. I was sure it wasn't any advertisement of some sort as they would have already started talking about their product

Unknown: "I am calling from the Ikazia Hospital. Your father suffered a heart attack earlier this afternoon."

Comment Replies

Scott: Every journey has difficulties. In this one they are a lot. But Mats won't give up!
Justice: We just need some time. Then things will work out!

A victory in the league is quickly overshadowed by this terrible incident. Hopefully Mats' father can recover...

After a good win, that is certainly not the news Mats needed! I hope his Dad recovers, I don't know how Mats will deal with it otherwise!

A bitter pill to swallow having his father go through something like that. Hopefully it Matt can keep his Kool on the field, as well as off of it

I felt my heart stop beating at that moment. I was frozen. Words wouldn't come out of my mouth and tears started to run down my face, but I gathered enough courage to ask

Me: "What happened? How did it happen? Please, tell me he's fine!"

Unknown: "Don't worry sir. It was only a minor heart attack. The doctors think that he only suffered one because he was under a lot of work stress. His condition is steadily improving. I am very sorry if I am interrupting, but you were listed as his emergency contact."

In all my horror, I felt a bit relieved. But I couldn't stay here. I knew what I had to do.

Me: "Miss, could you please tell me how long you will keep him there?"

Unknown: "He will be kept at least until tomorrow afternoon as the doctors want to run some more tests."

Me: "Okay, thank you."

I hang up. Still in shock, I stood still for a moment. After regaining my senses I immediately booked a same-day flight and left Luxembourg. I hadn't informed anyone, but at that moment, it was the last thing I cared about. I didn't even pack my things. I just put on some clothes, grabbed my wallet and my passport and left. On the way to the airport the only thing I could think about was that it was all my fault.

As soon as I landed in Rotterdam I took a taxi to the Ikazia Hospital. I didn't catch sleep during the flight at all. How could I? My father, my only family left, suffered a heart attack and I wasn't there. I felt like it was my fault. That I shouldn't have left him alone in Holland. I know he has Ben but Ben has his own family to take care of. A few days after I got hired at Racing-Union dad called me and told me that Ben had reconnected with his wife. I was happy sure, but I knew that dad would stay alone. And yet, I did nothing. I did nothing.

After around half an hour I reached the hospital. I ran in and asked at the reception where my father was. I gave them the necessary information and they told me he was at room 248 in the east ward. When I reached the room there was a grey-haired doctor talking with what seemed to be a nurse. I got really scared as it was around 12:20 am and I thought it would be unusual for doctors to hang out in the corridors. He saw me approaching and asked me if I was Arthur's son. I only nodded my head as I was terrified from what may have happened. He assured me everything was fine and that my father was well. He explained that the heart-attack was cause by overworking and being under a lot of stress. He told me that it would be better for me to have him close by and helping him stay relaxed in any way I can so the possibilities of this happening again would be slim. After a bit the doctor left and I went inside the room. Then I saw him. I saw him sleeping and breathing in a mask. The sound the heart monitor made was the most terrifying sound I had ever heard. I didn't even want to think about the possibility of my dad being gone. I sat on the chair and I slept without realizing it.

A sound of something falling down in the corridor woke me up a few hours later. My dad was still sleeping. I sat and thought about a solution to all this. Then, it came to me. I waited for my dad to wake up as I couldn't do it without his permission. Around 8:40 am he opened his eyes. That moment I felt the most relieved I ever did in my life. I held his hand and I told him how much I loved him and how much he made me worry. He left out a weak laugh before explaining to me that he was afraid that he couldn't work at the restaurant anymore. The tenseness inside the kitchen made him very stressed and it was clearly impossible for him to continue. I told him about my idea. Tears started racing down his sweaty face. It isn't necessary he told me. I had none of it. I went out of the room for a bit and called Mr. Faber.

Mr. Faber: "Hello Mats. Why are you calling in such a late hour?

Me: "Hello sir, I am very sorry to wake you up. I am not in Luxembourg."

Mr. Faber: "What? You better have a good reason."

Me: "My father suffered a heart attack and I had to return to Holland. Don't worry I'll be back before our next match."

Mr. Faber: "I'm sorry son. I didn't know. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Me: "Actually there is. I need a huge favor sir."

Mr. Faber: "What is it?"

This really took a lot of courage to say. I had asked so many favors for Mr. Faber that it was looking like I was using him. But I couldn't not do it. So I gathered up some courage and said it.

Me: "I would like for the club to hire him as a coach. He has past experience as he was a coach at another Semi-pro club here in Holland. That way I would be able to stay close with him and be there whenever he needs me."

Mr. Faber: "You are not asking little of me Mats but I am sure you have the best intentions at heart. I would be happy to accept your request. Do not worry about the contract. He will be paid as any other coach would."

Me: "Thank you so much sir, you will not regret any of the help you have given me so far!

I informed my father about Mr. Faber's decision. He was as happy as I was. I wouldn't have ever thought that me and my dad would be working together. Especially in the sport we both love so much. I was not risking anything like that ever again, so I put my father as a clause in my contract. Wherever I went, he would follow me. After some tests we were allowed to leave. We booked a same-day flight to Luxembourg and rented an apartment. It was a new chapter. One where I would never put anything above my dad.In the first training session I looked at him when he was training the players. It was the happiest I had ever seen him. I loved the sight of that. Mr. Faber gave him a very generous contract, with my dad earning €400 p/w. Everything was going well for once.

Comment Replies

Scott: Everything worked out in the end.
Seb: Anxiety is not something to be taken lightly. But with Arthur at his side, Mats will surely be better!
BigMaguire: I'm sure they will be a Kool family to work with though.

Mats will gain confidence from having his dad there to aid him!

At least Mats' Dad will be able to attend his sons games now Good to see the owner being very generous to Mats and I am sure that fills him with confidence.

Kool story bro.

Caught up with this now. Fantastic presentation on here! Good news about dad and son working together at the club, too. No better feeling than a joint family achievement!

The results show how much of an improvement we have made over these 2 months, starting off with a hard worked victory against Titus Pétange. Despite being 1-0 down in the first ten minutes, goals from Jérôme Simon and Kevin Nakache led the comeback that gave us the win. Things only improved from that point on, as we went unbeaten till the end of November. First, there was a 2-0 win against US Hostert with goals from David Silva and Julian Humbert. Then there was a 2-1 win against FC Differdange, a team fighting for survival this season. It should not have been that tough but we were down 5 minutes in. An almost immediate reply from Simon and a header from Ricardo Dionisio in the brink of the first half sealed the game for us. Our win streak continued away at Hamm Benfica where two strikes from Nakache and Dionisio late in the 2nd half (76th minute and 89th respectively) gave us a much needed win so as to climb the table. Our next trip was away to Una Strassen. We barely escaped the Complexe Sportif Jean Wirtz with a draw. We were down since the 30th minute, as we conceded an open net goal from Mickaël Jager. As all hope seemed lost for this game, Jérôme Simon once again proved his worth as he salvaged a draw for us with a tidy finish from inside the box. Last league game of November was at home against US Rumelange. We were drawing 1-1 at half time after strikes from Olivier Lusamba for Rumelange and Daniel da Mota for us settled the 1st half score. In the last 10 minutes of the game Szimayer scored after a post rebound to give us the lead. Da Mota completed his brace in the 88th minute with a deflected shot. Lusamba's 90+4 minute goal was the only salvation Rumelange got from this trip to our stadium.

We took the momentum we had in the league to the cup too. Playing away at Progrès Niederkorn we had to take revenge for last time where we lost 1-3. Things could not have started better for us when 30 seconds in the match Simon scored after an exceptional pass from Da Mota. Our early goal was overshadowed by an immediate reply from Mayron De Almeida. Drawing at half time, we were not disappointed by our performance and we could only continue. 50 minutes in, Simon lobbed the ball over the defence to find Dionisio who with a left footed shot smashed the ball into the net. Things only got better for us as 12 minutes later the roles where reversed. Dionisio assisted and Simon scored to give us a 1-3 lead. Our overconfidence cost us though as in the next 7 minutes we conceded two goals and were brought down to earth. Match was quiet till the stoppage time where in a lightning quick counter attack Da Mota made a stupendous pass to Simon, who in turn completed his hat-trick with a no look goal. An impressive performance capped by an impressive display.

We are now sitting in 5th place, one point away from the Europa League spot we've had our eyes set to since the start of the season. Gathered up 16 out of the 18 points we could so that it pretty impressive. If we continue like this we could go to CL qualification spots.

---

I think you have already figured it out but I'll still say it. Most impressive player these two months is of course Jérôme Simon. 7 appearances, 6 goals and 1 assist in the fixtures between October and November. Simon is a player quite literally on fire right now. He's covering 11.9 km per game and he's becoming a franchise player for the club. No one was expecting him to play like he is when we signed him. A surprise sure, but a very welcome one. Still being 25, he has a lot of room left to improve.



Manager's Thoughts:

A huge huge improvement these two months. Every matchday we climbed the table and we are now sitting a point off a European spot. Dad has helped me stay focused a lot and I am extremely grateful for that. I reckon we can continue this form until the end of the season. Cup wise, we won against a strong team and we are through to the next round. Even if we fall behind in the League, a Cup win could give us a EL spot so we are not letting it go. I feel more relaxed than ever. My anxiety is becoming more rare as days pass. I'm really excited for our future.

Comment Replies

Scott: It's always easier with help from the family.
Seb: Now he'll be by his son's side every match. All praise Mr. Faber! <3
Justice: Missed your Kool puns mate.
Jack: Thank you so much Jack. I agree that now that they are working together, their achievements will only continue to grow!

What a turnaround in results and some very impressive results in there, too. The gap between yourselves and the upper echelon isn't too far away!

Easy. Win the league or we riot.

Racing FC Union Luxembourg are delighted to announce the signings of Lassana Diakhaby, David Fleurival, Kenan Hadzic and Almir Smigalovic, all from Promotion d'Honneur (2nd division). The players will join the club on the 1st of January, when the transfer window opens. The club would also like to announce the departures of players Thomas Chesneau, Ruben Gatta and Dylan Deligny who are to leave the club on the 1st of January as well. They are to join AS Marsa (Tunisia), Tours FC (France) and FC Bourg-Péronnas (France) respectively. We would like to thank them for what they have done for the club and wish them luck in whatever the future may hold for them.

Lassana Diakhaby (Profile)

The 23 year-old French joins from Promotion d'Honneur side Rodange, where he made 16 appearances during this season. He joins as an option to the centre back position, one where the club lacked depth. He is to earn €50 p/w until 2020.

David Fleurival (Profile)

Fleurival joins Diakhaby from Rodange as well, meaning the two will be teammates once again. The 34 year-old is nothing less of a journeyman, playing in countries such as France, Portugal, Belgium, Poland and Greece. He primarily plays as a midfielder, while he can also play as a defensive midfielder. He joins as a key player to replace Dylan Deligny. The Guadeloupe international has appeared 29 times for his country, scoring 2 goals. He is to earn €95 p/w until 2020.

Kenan Hadzic (Profile)

Kenan is 24 years old and joins from Promotion d'Honneur side Swift Hesperange. He plays as a right back, centre back and can also play as a left back. He joins as a rotation option the left back position to replace the void left by Ruben Gatta. He is to earn €55 p/w until 2020.

Almir Smigalovic (Profile)

Smigalovic joins from Promotion d'Honneur side FC Muhlenbach where he made 18 appearances and scored 9 goals this season before agreeing to a deal with our side. The Bosnian is 28 years old and plays as a striker. He is to earn €100 p/w until 2021.

Comment Replies

Scott: I told you we wouldn't give up!
Justice: No pressure at all huh?

Some decent signings from the looks of things. Again, a good balance of experience and more youthful players brought in. I have to say, one thing I haven't mentioned about your story is the presentation. I think it's very tidy and quite underrated in ways, with how little it has gone under the radar.

A much better set of results with Mats Dad around. You are back into contention now and those signings will surely help that charge up the table!