Mats Kool | Football Koolture

Some tidy looking additions to build on a fantastic month you've just had! After a stuttering start you have thrown yourself back into contention.

On a cold rainy afternoon in Luxembourg, Kool's Racing-Union gave F91 Dudelange their first league loss this season. The match took place on the 1st of December at 3:00 pm and saw a bumper attendance of 523 fans in Stade Achille Hammerel. Racing-Union manager Mats Kool stated before the match that his "players can adapt to any weather" which was proven at full time.

Just at the beginning of the game, Dudelange's Hennetier had a point blank shot saved by Romain Ruffier. The match continued quietly until the 28th minute where Racing-Union captain Daniel da Mota whipped the ball beautifully in the far post to find Simon who in turn, blasted the ball in the net with a powerful volley. Near to the end of the first half, a direct free kick from Mario Pokar almost went in, but Ruffier again managed to touch the ball just enough for it to hit the bar and go out for a corner. Fast forwarding to the 76th minute, Racing-Union's Humbert tried to send the ball back to his team's defender, but the pass was way too off target, which resulted in Perez intercepting and going in for a clear cut chance. His shot was extremely bad though, as it went directly to Ruffier who managed to block it. Almost 10 minutes later, it was Dudelange's turn to make a mistake, as a bad first touch from Kruska allowed Nakache to steal the ball who after a quick one-two with Dionisio, found himself open outside of the box and unleashed a shot to the right bottom corner to double Racing-Union's lead. Just two minutes before before the end of the game Dudelange hit the bar yet again after a shot from their left back Prempeh.

After the final whistle, celebrations broke out in Stade Achille Hammerel. Beating the country's arguably best team is no small feat, especially when you are the first one to do it. The Racing-Union manager did keep his Kool though, as instead of celebrating with the staff and the players he immediately went to congratulate their opposition after a breath taking match. He did share a moment with his father, Arthur Kool, who is as of a few weeks ago, a part of Racing-Union's coaching staff.

When asked about the atmosphere in the club, Mats Kool answered "The boys are exceptional to me and to each other. They know how to listen to tactics, they know what to do and when to do it and most importantly we make each other feel like family. Before you ask, no we don't fear about over-confidence as we are realistic about our targets this season and we perform every single match like we're gonna be relegated if we don't win. That's all the time I have folks, I need to get back to my dad. Thanks for the interview."

Racing-Union are currently second only 1 point off Dudelange. If Mats' team continues to perform like this, they will surely top the current leaders.

Comment Replies

Scott: You make my heart feel fuzzy mate. Thank you very much for the positive words, they really help. <3
Seb: Arthur really had an effect on Mats. We are looking unbeatable at the moment!
Jack: And we're not stopping now. We'll try to win every match till the end!

What a huge result that is! To start as shaky as you did to then go and take down Dudelange's unbeaten run and steer yourselves into contention? Magnificent.

Things have really improved since the appointment of Mats' father. An incredible result which puts you in real contention of taking the lead at the top, should this form continue and Dudelange fail to recover!

Lovely bit of work to get the pun in there A massive win and now you are really looking to push for that top spot. Mats is doing an incredible job so far!

In the cup match against Wiltz 71 we saw Thomas Birk being subbed out after suffering a hip injury. After some exams, the club would like to announce that Thomas will be on the sidelines for at least 2-3 months. We would like to wish a speedy recovery to our player and tell him to work hard so as to be back for the fight for silverware this season. Thomas joined the club the past transfer window on a free transfer from German side Völklingen and has so far appeared for our club 16 times this season, assisting 2 goals and winning 2 POTM awards. We would also like to announce the 30 year-old's contract extension, with the contract now ending on July 2020.

With Thomas out, the club would like to announce the signing of free agent Nicolas Delporte. The 25 year-old Belgian has joined the club as a backup to provide the now needed depth to the left-back position. Nicolas' last club was Belgium's 2nd division club Oud-Heverlee Leuven, where he made 24 appearances and managed to score 2 goals. The player will be on a part-time contract and we would also like to wish him success with our club.

Comment Replies

Jack: Closing the gap, so might as well overtake them.
Scott: Arthur has been a great influence on Mats. The chemistry they have together is amazing. Fingers crossed that Dudelange continue to lose points!
Seb: I spent around 15 minutes finding a way to make the pun work. Let's hope Mats will lead this team in a trophy win this season!

A decent player will be gone for an extended period of time. Although a key player, he doesn't look irreplaceable by any means. Also interesting to see that you have extended his deal despite a bad looking injury.

A shame about the injury to an important player. But it is good to see the club able to bring in decent back ups when needed as cover!

That's a massive shame, although some good news in the fact he has extended his deal at the club, in spite of his injury. A sensible decision from Mats to bring in a replacement on a part-time contract. It means the club aren't locked down to hosting another player on a full-time deal and therefore aren't losing valuable money, too. He looks a decent option.

A shame for such a player to be ruled out for a significant amount of time. However, one opportunity lost is one opportunity given. Time for somebody to fill the boots.

Racing FC Union Luxembourg are delighted to announce the contract extensions of right winger Jérôme Simon and striker Florikh Shala to new 2 year deals worth €10.000 each. Jerome Simon has been performing above everyone's expectations so far this season, scoring 11 goals and assisting 8 in 20 appearances across all competitions this season. Florik Shala has scored 2 goals in 15 appearances this season. Nevertheless, he is an exciting prospect with a bright future ahead of him. Both Simon and Shala will be earning €80 p/w until 2021.

Simon statement: "I am extremely happy to be renewing with Racing-Union. The club has been extremely helpful in making me play my best. I am having a great season and I will continue that way. I'm gonna try my best to win us games. I want to thank coach Mats for believing in me. I wasn't sure if I'd make his plans as I arrived earlier than him, so maybe I wasn't his type of player. But he kept putting me in game after game. I owe this amazing season to him. I also want to thank the fans, as they have shown me a lot of support in home games and social media. Thanks again and Allez Racing!

Shala statement: "I have been here since 2012, when I was just 15 years old. I made my debut when I was 17 and scored my first league goal when I was 19. I've enjoyed both promotions and relegations and I have fought to prove why I should play. I am very happy to be extending my stay here. I am going to help the club anyway I can, from the sidelines all the way to the starting eleven. I will give my best whenever I am playing, I can guarantee you that. I want to thank the fans for their supporting me, they have been great these past 7 years. Thanks for believing in me and Allez Racing!

Comment Replies

Jack: We believe in the players no matter what they face.
Seb: Not the best backup but meh backup is better than no backup.
Scott: Exactly. We weren't looking for someone to pay full-time as we only need him until the player returns. We do plan to spend money in the next window though.
Justice: Let's hope they wear the same size though. (I'll get out)

Great news. Simon seems to have been a huge part of the recent success, while Shala is someone who could be a huge piece of the jigsaw going forward in years to come. To tie them down to new deals could be considered excellent pieces of business and crucial bits of business, at that.

It is always important for star players to reaffirm their commitment to the club. Takes a weight off everybody's shoulders and you can now continue to look forward with optimism.

Doing good things at the moment with Racing Union, and Mats having his father by his side can only be a good thing. Looking forward to the future updates.

Always good to see players wanting to stay at the club. Shows that Mats is doing his job well and taking Racing to new heights.