The resignation of trainer Fred Grim and his assistant Erwin van Breugel at FC Emmen is widely regretted within the club. “You might also have been able to fire five players, but that’s not how it works in this world.”
He was still confident, even though FC Emmen was occasionally knocked off the mat by the talents of Jong AZ on Monday evening. After the 3-2 defeat, Fred Grim was convinced that the Drenthe would still qualify for the play-offs under his leadership.
The Amsterdam coach no longer got the chance. While the players group enjoyed a day off, Grim and his assistant Erwin van Breugel heard from the club management of FC Emmen on Tuesday that the cake was over and that they could clear their desk. It was the second major disappointment for Grim in a short time. Last week he handed in all his duties as technical manager and, against his will, the dual position he held for months came to an end.
‘We didn’t see it anymore’
“We felt that we had to take action, because we were not confident that we would achieve the objective – reaching the play-offs – in this way,” says general manager Rinse Bleeker. “No matter how painful it was for Fred Grim and Erwin van Breugel, we didn’t see it anymore; We no longer had the feeling that they could turn things around.”
The decision had been up in the air for a while. “It has been changeable all season,” Bleeker says. “We played good games that we didn’t win and vice versa, but in recent weeks we didn’t see the progress we wanted to see and we didn’t get the results we wanted. Ultimately, that is always what matters within a professional club and the trainer is responsible.”
The first time
For Bleeker, who was director of Sportstad Heerenveen until a year ago, it was the first time that he had to fire a trainer. “I have responsibility at FC Emmen and I have taken it. It doesn’t change the fact that I found it difficult, because I really enjoyed working with the person Fred Grim. He is a pure professional and a very hard worker, who has done everything he can. “I don’t blame him, but I am here to make hard choices, if necessary, in the interests of the club.”
Confidence in Grim has not only crumbled internally in recent weeks. A large number of supporters and sponsors also thought that the trainer should leave. Questions were raised about the continuous changes in FC Emmen’s starting line-up. There were also hairline cracks in the collaboration within the group of players here and there.
Drawn face
Grim did not want to comment on his dismissal on Tuesday, but it was clear from his scarred face that he himself had been having a hard time in recent weeks. The trainer had been suffering from the flu for weeks, but he kept going. Bleeker does not want to make any statements about the course of the dismissal discussion between him and Fred Grim. “I’ll keep that between us for a while, but he was obviously disappointed. He didn’t want this, but he also faced the facts. It is then quite businesslike. Fred knows that too, although his mentality means that he still wants to succeed. He no longer gained that confidence.”
The FC Emmen selection was informed by team manager Antoine van der Linden via the group app. “A very unpleasant situation, you wouldn’t wish this on anyone, certainly not from a human point of view,” responds veteran Mike te Wierik. “We weren’t thinking about this at all, we were still in the middle of the disappointment of the defeat at Jong AZ. I always take football home with me.”
‘Nice, capable man’
On a personal level, Te Wierik had no problem with Grim. “Just a very nice, capable man, who put his heart and soul into the club. You can only admire that he dared to fulfill two functions at the same time. Erwin van Breugel also did a good job. We put together an excellent series before the winter break. Then we played for first place. Then it collapsed like a house of cards. And then this. It’s how it goes in football. It’s one of those days again.”
Te Wierik believes that the playing group should also look in the mirror. “I also talked about that with our captain Maikel Kieftenbeld,” Te Wierik continues. “It was certainly not just the trainers’ fault, we ourselves did not do enough things well. What can a coach do if someone lets his man walk or gives a wrong pass? You could maybe have fired five players, but that’s not how it works in this world.”
Marc Hegeman
The only remaining assistant Marc Hegeman currently represents the group at FC Emmen. In the meantime, the club management is considering how to proceed. “We don’t want to make hasty decisions, but at the same time we want to move forward,” says Bleeker. “We have to see what fits best for now.”
There is a lot of pressure on Friday’s home match against MVV. If FC Emmen wants anything, they will have to win against the Limburgers anyway. Then the people of Drenthe will at least surpass the people of Maastricht in the rankings, who are currently in a play-off place. “It’s a must-win match,” Te Wierik realizes. “If we win that, we will be in a good position again.”
2024-04-09 18:52:41
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