How Great Were FC Twente 2009–2011? | Steve McClaren, Bryan Ruiz, and the Club That Broke the Dutch Order
Were FC Twente 2009–2011 one of the great outsider stories of modern European football — a provincial club from Enschede rising to the top of Dutch football under a manager England had already written off?
In this episode of By Far The Greatest Team, Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney are joined by lifelong Twente supporter Lars Kuizenga to explore the most successful spell in the club’s history: the years that took FC Twente from strong regional side to Eredivisie champions.
This is the story of a club outside the Dutch “big three,” but with its own proud identity, deep local support, and a city behind it. Twente had history, but they had never won the Dutch title. Then came Steve McClaren — mocked in England, ambitious in Holland — and one of the most remarkable title wins in recent European football.
The episode explores Twente’s rise in the context of Dutch football history, the influence of coaching culture in the Netherlands, and the role McClaren played in shaping a disciplined, resilient, tactically smart side. With Bryan Ruiz, Theo Janssen, Douglas, Peter Wisgerhof, Blaise Nkufo, Sander Boschker and others, Twente built a team capable not only of competing, but of holding their nerve under extraordinary pressure.
Because what makes this story even better is the finish. In 2009/10, Ajax won their final 14 league matches — and still did not win the title. Twente held them off by a single point to become Dutch champions for the first time in club history.
Along the way, the episode also gets into McClaren’s Dutch adventure, the “Wally with the Brolly” baggage, the famous Dutch-accent moment, supporter pride in Enschede, and what this team really represented to the city.
So how great were FC Twente 2009–2011? A brilliant one-off? A true Dutch modern great? Or one of football history’s most underrated champions?
Takeaways:
#FCTwente #SteveMcClaren #DutchFootball #Eredivisie #FootballHistory #BryanRuiz #TheoJanssen #EuropeanFootball #ByFarTheGreatestTeam #FootballPodcast
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