Stuttgart) not up to the required standard. Initially, free-
scoring strikers Donyell Malen and Steven Bergwijn
were able to hide that weakness, but when they both
got injured defeats were unavoidable.
And it was not only the results that cost Van Bommel
his job, with his behaviour – and in particularly his
constant arguing with referees – not what the PSV
board had in mind.
Then there were his rookie mistakes in relationships
with players. For instance, he demoted goalkeeper
Jeroen Zoet in favour of Lars Unnerstall without
consulting him. Away at Willem II, Zoet was warming up
when Van Bommel decided that he should go to the
stands as a non-playing reserve rather than being on
the bench as the back-up keeper. Midway through the
match – which PSV lost 2-1 – he ordered Zoet to take
a seat on the team bus to avoid any difficult questions
from the press, leaving the Holland international furious
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that he was suddenly the club’s third choice.
PSV weren’t the only ones to dismiss their coach
before the winter break, with VVV Venlo (Robert
Maaskant replaced by Hans De Koning), Vitesse (Leonid
Slutsky replaced by Edward Sturing), ADO Den Haag
(Fons Groenendijk replaced by Alan Pardew) and
Feyenoord (Stam replaced by Advocaat) all making
changes in the dugout.
Stam’s reign in Rotterdam only lasted 120 days and
18 matches but he claims he had wanted to quit even
before the season started. With technical director
Martin Van Geel and general director Jan De Jong – the
people who signed Stam – being pushed to the exit, he
felt that he had little support. Nor was he helped by the
fact Feyenoord had no board left to take decisions and
the cash-strapped club couldn’t sign the players he
needed. After a 4-0 loss to Ajax, Stam thought
enough was enough and resigned.
Gone...Feyenoord boss Jaap Stam (left)