FC Twente
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 08/2015

Full name
Football Club Twente

Nicknames
The Tukkers
Pride of the East

Founded
1 July 1965

Ground
De Grolsch Veste
Enschede

Capacity
30,205

Chairman
Aldo van der Laan

Manager
Alfred Schreuder

League
Eredivisie

2014-15
Eredivisie, 10th

FC Twente is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, playing in the Eredivisie. 

The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions, Sportclub Enschede and Enschedese Boys. 

They were the holders of the 2011 KNVB Cup and Johan Cruijff Schaal trophies, and were Eredivisie champions in the 2009–10 season.

The team has also finished as Eredivisie runner-up thrice, was runner-up in the UEFA Cup 1974-75, and has won the KNVB Cup three times. 

Twente's home ground since 1998 is De Grolsch Veste.

HISTORY

FOUNDATION AND EARLY YEARS 

The club was formed in 1965 as a merger of two professional clubs, Sportclub Enschede and the Enschedese Boys. 

One of such predecessors, SC Enschede, had also won a single Dutch championship in 1926.

The first successes of the club started just after the merger of 1965, under the innovative coach Kees Rijvers. 

Twente finished third in 1969, fourth in 1970, fifth in 1971, third in 1972 and once again in 1973. 

The team's key figures were local heroes, such as Epi Drost, Eddy Achterberg, Kick van der Vall and Theo Pahlplatz. 

Their finest Eredivisie season was 1973-1974, in which Twente battled for the Dutch championship with Feyenoord. 

A head-to-head confrontation in the very last game of the season, in Rotterdam, had to bring the decision. Feyenoord were slightly luckier: 3:2. 

A second slot and a UEFA Cup ticket - that was all for FC Twente.

However, the Tukkers (as people from the Dutch region of Twente are generally called) almost made the very most out of that UEFA Cup ticket. 

After beating Juventus in the semi-finals, FC Twente lost to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach in the finals (0:0 / 1:5).

In 1977 FC Twente wins its first trophy; the KNVB cup after beating PEC Zwolle 3:0.

THE 1980s AND 1990s

After enjoying some success in the 1970s, things went downhill for Twente and the club was even relegated to the Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) in 1983. 

Twente returned to the top flight a year later, but the club soon became known for their amazing number of 1:1 and 0:0 draws. 

Their new reputation 'boring Twente' overshadowed the fact that the club kept qualifying for European football on a fairly regular basis: five times since 1985.

Re-establishment then followed in the 1990s: German coach Hans Meyer led Twente to the third slot in the Eredivisie of 1997 and to the third round of the UEFA Cup the next season. 

On 24 May 2001, Twente clinched their second triumph in the KNVB Cup, beating PSV in the final after being 3:1 down in the penalty shoot-out. 

The season thereafter Twente crashed out of the cup against the teenagers of Ajax's second team, whereas results in the league were poor and the hardcore Twente fans Ultras Vak-P went on a rampage at the club's brand-new stadium out of frustration.

FROM BANKRUPTCY TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (2002-2011)

The club's mother corporation (FC Twente '65) was declared bankrupt in the 2002-03 season, almost leading to the end of the club's existence. 

The club, now chaired by ambitious businessman Joop Munsterman, survived such problems and made it to another KNVB Cup final in 2004, and then finishing in fourth place in 2006-07. 

In the season 2007-08, FC Twente placed fourth and won the play-offs for a ticket to the Champions League Qualifiers by defeating Ajax in the play-off finals.

In the 2008-09 season, FC Twente hired former England manager Steve McClaren as new boss.

Under his tenure, unseeded Twente entered the draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League, being drawn against seeded Arsenal. 

The two legs were played at home on 13 August and away on 27 August 2008.

Twente lost 6:0 on aggregate, resulting in their elimination from the Champions League and subsequent entry of the UEFA Cup first round. 

At domestic level, FC Twente placed second in the Eredivisie (11 points below the league's champion AZ Alkmaar) and again gained entry to the Champions League qualifying rounds as Dutch runners-up, as well as KNVB Cup finalists (then defeated by SC Heerenveen).

The 2009-10 season started with Twente being knocked out of the Champions League third qualifying round after a 1:1 aggregate draw against Sporting CP, which sent the Portuguese side through on away goals.

The club was then admitted to the Europa League, where it enjoyed a relatively successful path which ended in a 4:2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen in the round of 32. 

At domestic level, Twente won its first Eredivisie title at the end of a campaign in which they lost just twice, winning 16 of 17 at home. 

The championship was confirmed on the final day of the season when they beat NAC 2:0 away, making Steve McClaren the first Englishman to guide a Dutch team to a national title since Bobby Robson in 1992.

The victory qualified Twente for the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League Group Stage onwards, the club's first appearance in the competition. 

At the end of the season, Steve McClaren resigned as the manager, moving to German side VfL Wolfsburg, and was replaced by Belgian Michel Preud'homme. 

Twente continued their success by having a good run during the 2010-11 KNVB Cup, reaching the final on 8 May 2011 at De Kuip.

Twente recovered from 2:0 down to defeat Ajax 3:2 in extra time with a winner from Marc Janko, which claimed the club's third KNVB Cup title.

One week later, the two teams faced each other in Amsterdam in the final round of matches in the Eredivisie, with Twente leading by a point. 

However, Ajax gained revenge for the cup defeat by winning 3:1 to claim their first title in seven years.

The start of the 2011/2012 season, under new coach Co Adriaanse who succeeded Michel Preud'homme, featured another clash between the duo in the Amsterdam ArenA, with this time Twente winning 2:1 in their 2nd successive Dutch Super Cup 'Johan Cruijff Schaal' victory.

FINANCIAL PROBLEMS RETURN

During the 2014/15 Eredivisie season it emerged Twente got themselves in financial trouble again, forcing the Dutch FA to deduct the club 3 points in March 2015.

Club president Munsterman, who had announced to leave the club at the end of the season, then already quit the club on April 1st 2015 over allegations of financial mismanagement.

They fired 18 employees and stopped with their scouting department after they received a second three-point penalty in April 2015.

They also decided to withdraw Jong Twente from the Eerste Divisie for the 2015/16 season and possibly the women's pro team.