NOS Football•
Due to the 3-0 home defeat against FC Utrecht, relegation is a fact for Cambuur. A hard blow for the club from Leeuwarden, although trainer Sjors Ultee and captain Alex Bangura saw the relegation coming a mile away. Ultee: “It’s been a slow death of a year and a half.”
With this, the trainer refers to the fact that Cambuur has only won six premier league victories in the last eighteen months. Bangura also had little confidence in a good outcome.
“Theoretically it was still possible, but you had to win four games yourself and lose the competitors four times. You don’t win very often this season, so it was a difficult story.”
Orange Pictures
Calvin Mac-Intosh is disappointed after the final whistle Orange Pictures
It was full in Leeuwarden against Utrecht despite the relegation concerns
Still, Ultee hadn’t completely accepted it yet: “You’re angry, disappointed. You’re constantly thinking about what could have been done differently. And you’re also thinking about how you can perform in the last matches. You owe that to the fans.”
Both the coach and the captain appreciate those supporters. Ultee: “It was sold out again, while we were written off. They keep singing.”
Bangura mentions the successes that the supporters have missed due to the corona measures. “You wanted to give them more, they deserve that too. They are still behind us, it was full today too. That says enough about them.”
Next season
Ultee indicates that it is already working on next season, together with the management and the new technical director Etiënne Reijnen. “Many players are leaving, there are many vacancies. We will look together to put together a good team next season.”
Because the goal is to return to the premier league as soon as possible. Cambuur is getting a new stadium, which can be put into use at the end of this year or early next year. According to Ultee, this means that the club can become a structural premier league club due to higher income.
But first they have to promote again, preferably next season says Bangura. Ultee also says that is the goal, although it will not be as easy as most people think, according to him.
Not surprising, after a season with 23 defeats in 31 games. Bangura is therefore clear: “They say: you are where you are. If you give away goals and do not score yourself, you will simply leave the premier league. It is a hard conclusion, but we were just not good enough this season.”
