STVVDe Kanarie November Edition - English

Price â‚Ź3,00 Wednesday 4th November - 4th edition 2020

I have a lot of trust in my team - Yuma Suzuki

page 03 - 04

index Index

Interview: Yuma Suzuki

Clubnews

New player: Vagiannidis

STVV meets culture

New player: Oleksandr Filippov

Poster

Eating out with Balongo

Competition calendar

Opponents

Throwback: Peter Delorge

Throwback: Michel Van der Loop

Partnership: Nicolai Fruit

Birthdays

Game pictures

Interview: Suzuki

New player: Vagiannidis

New player: Filippov

Throwback: Delorge

de kanarie | index 01

STVV meets culture: Durkin

Throwback: Van der Loop

Decorette

Meesters in inrichting van uw project Maîtres dans l'aménagement de votre projet

“Totaalrenovatie is geen eenvoudige klus. U wil beslist dat de werken zo snel mogelijk achter de rug zijn. Reken daarom op Decorette.”

-Yves Lonchay CEO

- schilderwerken - gipsplaatwerken - systeemplafonds - vloer- en wandbekledingen - systeem - en glaswanden - branddeuren met attest - elektriciteit en databekabeling

Reken op de inzet van Decorette.

Vous pouvez compter sur Decorette.

Tel: 015 41 32 48

www.decorette.be

yuma suzuki

Who is Yuma Suzuki?

Yuma Suzuki was born and raised in Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture. Suzuki was influenced by his older brother, Shota (Iwaki FC), and since he was in elementary school, he trained with the youth of Kashima Antlers, the most successful Japanese club. It is an hour drive by car from Choshi to Kashima City in the Ibaraki Prefecture.

His grandfather drove him up and down to the training complex every day. Thanks to his efforts, Suzuki grew up to be one of Japan’s leading strikers.

“My grandfather stays up until midnight to watch STVV’s games.”

Watching football in Europe, where the time difference is seven hours in the summer and eight hours in the winter, is quite difficult for the Japanese. “I want to get more wins for my grandfather. I want him to see more goals.” Despite this, STVV has failed to get results this season, and Suzuki has failed to deliver with three goals in nine games.

He said: “For my grandfather, me playing football is his reason to live. So, if we don’t win, it makes me sad too. It doesn’t matter if I can’t score. I still want to win. In any way, I want to win.”

The game against Beerschot

As he talked about how he wanted to give back to his family and grandfather, Suzuki began to talk about the loss against Beerschot on the 17th of October. Here is his appreciation for the people who work behind the scenes.

“The other day, I was sad to see my team lose 6-3, but the kit man didn’t complain about anything, they just cleaned up as usual. I felt really bad about it. Then, one of my teammates hit something and kicked it with a bang. It should have been Valere (Stevens) or Benny (Liebens) who wanted to do that. I know there’s a lot of stress on us players, but we can play on the pitch. But there must be a lot of stress for the staff too. So, I said, ‘You don’t hit things. Don’t let them see you like that,’ I said it in Japanese, and it looked like they understood. That’s the kind of thing that can be understood even if you don’t speak the same language.”

One of the bright spots in the heavy defeat against Beerschot was the goals scored by strikers Suzuki, Filipov and Nazon? “They thought they won (after going 5-1 up in the first half) and they conceded three goals. But for me, any goal is a confidence booster. I haven’t scored a goal lately, so I think it’s a good boost.

The Rebound King

Since coming to Belgium, Suzuki has been trying to make sure that when his teammates take a shot, he will always be able to jam the rebound.

He said: “What I’m better at than others are my positioning in the penalty area and my nose for goal, but I’m not particularly good at shooting and I’m not super fast. By fighting against the opponent, you can say, ‘Hey, he’s working hard. He looks physically strong” because I have been playing in a way that makes people say “He’s fighting” but if you look at the game carefully, the African CBs are much stronger. But because they’re more physical, they don’t move as well as they should after the shot is taken. I have no choice but to exploit that weakness and repeatedly sniff the rebound, and it’s tough because it doesn’t come in front of me that often in a game, but I won’t stop and I’ll keep going for it. I want you to see this. I think I’m the best in the Belgian league in terms of the number of times I chase rebounds.

“I don’t have a specific goal-scoring target for the season.”

He doesn’t have a specific target of how many goals he can score in a season, but as many as he can get, that’s his goal.

“Football is a sport that is well-developed and you won’t always score even if you only think “I’m going to score a goal’. If you try to make the most of your team and do your best for the team, the ball spills over and the goal comes in, like in the recent game against Beerschot. It’s strange, isn’t it? I think there’s a god of football out there. There is an element of chance in football. Depending on whether a shot hits the inside of the post or the outside, it can be the borderline between a shot being made or not, and it can make or score a winner.

‘I feel like those millimetres are a big inevitability for me. I don’t think of my shot hitting the outside of the post as ‘unlucky’, but as ‘I’m lacking in some way’. I always try to find out why. That single point can make the difference between a player’s leap forward or fall back. That’s why I don’t think I can just say ‘unlucky’.

“Win and tighten the umbilical cord”

At the time of this interview, STVV were 16th in the table. They had been away from a winning record for a long time after winning their opening game against Ghent. “Our captain, Steve (De Ridder), was on in the opening game. Steve (De Ridder) was in the opening game, and he made the team tighter. Maybe he will be able to play from the next game against Standard, so I think the team will move in a good direction. At Kashima, we won the championship because we focused on what was in front of us. So, my goal now is to do my best to win the one game that is in front of me.

It was like a prophecy from Suzuki, as STVVV dominated Standard offensively and defensively on the 25th of october and won 2-0. De Ridder brilliantly scored his team’s second goal to make his return to the team.

Suzuki had mentioned the proverb “Win and tighten the umbilical cord” in this interview. Even if a samurai defeats the enemy in front of him, he must keep his helmet on his head and be wary of the next enemy that comes his way. To use a soccer analogy, it is important to prepare for the next game without worrying about winning.

When you win, everyone is happy. That’s when you can say ‘We won today, but this wasn’t good. I think this team has a lot of high potential players. So, we’re hoping to win and turn the tide quickly. One win in the pocket and STVV will get better.

Suzuki’s expression of confidence in his team’s recovery was completely honest as he said this with great energy.

de kanarie | interview: suzuki 04

3800online.be

B e zo e k d e T r u i e n s e w i n k e l s & h o r e c a o o k o n l i n e

Share jouw takeaway diner via sociale media met de #3800online en maak kans op een aan tafelbon t.w.v. â‚Ź25 Scan jouw Shop & The City kaart wanneer je afhaalt bij de lokale horeca en krijg 5 Formidabele punten!

clubnews Merchandise Mouth masks STVV

Mouth masks, they are indispensable. STVV is also doing its bit to provide society with quality mouth masks for the price of 11EUR. Due to the great success of the previous mouth masks, STVV, together with its merchandise partner “TopfanZ�, came up with a new design.

The elegant blue and discreet black mouth mask offers you all safety and comfort.

Polo STVV

Lifestyle fashion with a nod to the canary of STVV. The fashion tip of the month brought to you

by Kenny Steppe for only 35EUR !

All merchandise items are available in our official STVV - fan shop and via our STVV web shop (accessible via the website).

de kanarie | clubnews 06

new player Georgios Vagiannidis

“Firstly, grow as a person, then as a player”

Georgios Vagiannidis is a canary! The young Greek is rented from Inter Milan, which saw potential in the talented right fullback. Georgios, or ‘Georgi’ for short, was educated at Panathinaikos in his hometown Athens and also broke through in the first team last season. In his debut at the highest level, he immediately scored a goal in a 3-1 victory against Panetolikos. Promising! We looked for the player in the practice complex after an intense Tuesday training and asked him a few questions.

First of all, who is Georgios Vagiannidis?

“I am a 19-year-old from the Greek capital Athens. I have been playing football for Panathinaikos, the club of my heart, since I was six and for the last ten years”, Vagiannidis begins. “Last summer Inter Milan plucked me away and now, two months later, I am here in Sint-Truiden. I am very happy about that.

It’s a good step for me to move on from the Greek league to the Belgian one, which I think is ideal for young players in full development. It is a very physical competition with a lot of power and speed. The game, both with and without ball, is very different here. That is why this is an excellent step-up league for players who want to go higher up in Europe. Hopefully everything will go as planned and I can help the team and take the necessary steps myself”.

What’s your strength?

The Canaries can expect a lot of enthusiasm and drive from their youngest acquisition. “One of my main strengths is my attacking drive. I am happy to come along to the front to support the team in the attack. I sometimes score a goal or an assist, but I don’t think that’s the most important thing. Above all, I want to strengthen the team in the build-up, without losing sight of my defensive tasks. It is my goal to help STVV to achieve their goals and to grow on the field and off the field as a person. It is the first time that I live alone, a totally new experience for me. That’s why I want to grow first as a person and then as a player”, Georgi remains calm.

How is the group atmosphere?

Coach Muscat’s international player group is already helping him with that. “It’s fun to play together with boys from all over the world. I find it very enriching to discover so many different nationalities and cultures. It broadens your horizons. Moreover, the group atmosphere is excellent, football is a universal language. From the moment I arrived here it felt a bit like ending up in a family. We help each other and that feels good.

What do you do in your free time?

Vagiannidis doesn’t only play football in Sint-Truiden, he also lives here and likes it. “I love life here, it’s quiet and there’s little distraction. That’s good for a young player, that’s how all the attention goes to football. I spend my free time reading, especially detectives, and I also binge some Netflix series.

I haven’t gone outside too much yet. After the training I’m usually tired and then I don’t do anything.

I have heard that there are some good Greek restaurants in Sint-Truiden. Maybe soon (when the restaurant reopens) I’ll visit them to try my favourite Greek dish: souvlaki”, Vagiannidis laughs.

What are your dreams?

From gastronomy back to football then. To finish off, we looked at the dreams of the brand-new canary.

“My move to Inter was already a dream come true. To call yourself an Inter player is beautiful, but I hope to make it to the first team in the future. I will do everything I can, starting here in Sint-Truiden of course”. At that moment Facundo Colidio passes by in the players’ room. Coincidentally or not, the Argentinean is also on loan from the Italian superpower. “Who knows, we might still become teammates at Inter”, Vagiannidis concludes, pointing at his teammate with a smile.

de kanarie | new player: georgios vagiannidis 08

stvv meets culture Interview wit Chris Durkin

Soccer is growing in the US

There is no doubt that the sports culture is huge in the United States of America. But football, or soccer as they call it, has never been the big one. But it is starting to change. After the NFL (American Football), the NBA (Basketball) and the MLB (Baseball), the Major League Soccer (first division of the USA) is starting to increase its shares amongst the American public.

Not only are there more and more Americans playing overseas in some of the biggest Clubs like Chelsea or Dortmund, but more and more investments are also made in the development of the sport in the mainland. The likes of ex-football star David Beckham or the City Football Group (owners of Manchester City, New York City, Melbourne City and in Belgium Lommel SK) are putting the MLS on the map.

Chris Durkin, our own American player has definitely recognized that and is very proud of it. “There are more and more people who play soccer nowadays and the support for the USMNT (USA men’s national team) is getting bigger. I think we’ll be great in 5 years”. So far, the USMNT has been in the shadow of the women’s team, which has probably one of the best teams in the world at the moment. “The women’s national team is a real powerhouse and is a real source of inspiration for the men’s team. The whole country is very proud of them. By the way, I like to see them fighting for equal pay”.

Like many professional players, Chris Durkin got the passion for football from his father. “My father played with his University team and also in the military. I played some flag football (American Football without tackling), but my only love was soccer”.

After playing in the U17, U20 and U23 of the national’s team, Chris has already been at the door of the USMNT. But no call-up yet. “There is a lot of competition at the moment in the team, but I want to make that jump at some point in my career”. And maybe that is something that STVV can offer him? “I saw Belgium as my next best step. Sint Truiden wanted to take a leap of faith in me. I think there’s gonna be a lot of growth made within myself and within STVV”.

And so far, Chris has been enjoying Belgium. Not only because he likes our French fries, although he misses the food there, especially the Mexican restaurants. But he loves the landscape of the country. When he has some free time, he likes to go on a bike trail around Sint-Truiden or even in other regions. The closeness to other countries is also a big plus for him. But the Virginia-born Durkin never forgets about his roots. Before the games, he often listens to music artists from Virginia to get pumped up. And the music culture in Virginia is very rich. From country and folk artist like Patsy Cline and Ralph Stanley to hip-hop and pop geniuses like Timbaland, Chris Brown or Pharrell Williams or even amazing rock bands like the Dave Matthews Band. They have it all.

de kanarie | stvv meets culture 09

new player Oleksandr Filippov

What are Filippov’s ambitions?

One of the latest recruits of STVV is Ukrainian striker, Oleksandr FIlippov.

He sat down with us to explain his decision on coming to Sint-Truiden and his ambitions.

From Kyiv to Sint-Truiden

“Fil”, as his friends call him, arrived only a few weeks ago in Sint-Truiden and is already loving the place.

Coming from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, with almost 3 millions inhabitants to Sint-Truiden, the capital of Haspengouw, with 40.000 inhabitants must be a total shock. But Oleksandr loves it. “I like how calm it is here, there are parks close to my house and the city center is very cute. And I live right next to the complex so I’m really comfortable”. Of course, the current sanitary situation is keeping him away from his family. “Yes, my son and my wife are still in Ukraine, we are waiting for the papers to be completed before they can join me. I miss them a lot.”

But why Belgium and STVV?

Filippov left for the first time of his career his home country, Ukraine. Something that usually happens earlier in a player’s career, but Filippov doesn’t shy away from his ambitions. “I wanted to change my life and to change my mind as well. The Pro League is a great championship where a lot of Ukrainian players played”. Speaking about Ukrainian players, he even talked with Roman Bezus, a former STVV player, who advised him to come to the Club for the great atmosphere and communion with the fans.

He also feels it might be a good opportunity to get on the national team’s radar. “Gent has 3 Ukrainians in the national team already so I know the national coach watches the Belgian league, so hopefully I can get a call someday”.

What are his ambitions ?

From his childhood, he’s loved the Italian championship and his favourite team was AC Milan.

Mainly because of Shevchenko, the head coach of the national team who played there for 7 seasons.

But Fil knows he still has to work very hard to be able to join one day such a championship. For the time being, his focus is on the Belgian League and to perform in it. “The game is very different from Ukraine. In Belgium, it’s very physical. And it’s also my first time playing abroad, so having to adapt to new players and a new coach is not the easiest. But so far, everybody in the group has been very welcoming. The players ask me how my family is and how my life is going. So I feel very comfortable here”.

After scoring his first goal with STVV against Beerschot and dishing out his first assist against Standard, Oleksandr wants even more. He was the second best scorer in Ukraine last year, with 16 marks, so he definitely wants to reiterate that achievement here. But most importantly, he wants to help the team win some games and perform well.

de kanarie | new player: oleksandr filippov 11

Waarom? ✓

Aandacht voor u als mens en ondernemer

✓

Onafhankelijk & deskundig advies op maat

✓

Innoverende visie op verzekeringen

Bescherming bieden aan uw bedrijf & gezin en begeleiding naar een zorgeloze financiële toekomst .

Wie zijn we?

Onze Aanpak?

Nelissen Verzekeringen is al ruim 40 jaar een

1.

Wij luisteren naar uw behoeften

onafhankelijk verzekeringsmakelaar behorende

2.

Wij analyseren aan welke risico’s u wordt

tot de top 5 in Limburg. Met onze 20 specialisten leggen we de focus op ondernemers en hun

blootgesteld 3.

onderneming. We volgen de verzekeringsmarkt

✓

Actieve rol in de markt

✓

Uw noden onze zorg

✓

Dynamisch team van specialisten

op de voet. Al onze medewerkers hebben een

verschillende oplossingen 4.

specialisatie in hun eigen domein. ➔Team ondernemingen: totaal risico

Wij beheren actief uw dossier en voeren periodiek een audit uit

5.

management voor uw bedrijf ➔Team Leven: opbouw en bescherming

Wij adviseren helder met keuze uit

Wij visualiseren waarvoor u wel en niet verzekerd bent

6.

Wij ontzorgen u bij schade

van uw vermogen

✓

Inzetten op netwerk en samenwerking

➔Team schade: uw beste garantie voor het

Kortom dé specialist bedrijfsverzekeringen zodat

meest gunstige resultaat

u zich kan focussen op uw core business

STEVE

DE RIDDER

DUCKENS

NAZON

op restaurant met Nelson Balongo

Eating out where Balongo grew up

Nelson Balongo chose a restaurant in the city where he lives : Tongeren.

“Intermezzo “ is situated on the Grand Place, near the impressive basilica and the belligerent Ambiorix on his statue. Nelson grew up in Tongeren and also obtained a degree in economics there. He likes to eat sushi and pasta with a preference for scampi. Well that’s good, because in “Intermezzo” there are some Italian dishes on the menu.

Vitello

We choose vitello tonnato as a starter. Fine slices of veal with a tuna mayonnaise and arugula.

Nelson likes it. For an aperitif he chooses bubbles from Spa, he politely rejects a glass of Champagne. “No alcohol for me” says the young 21-year-old. “No, no wine either. And, of course, no cigarettes. That may have been possible in the past, but the modern footballer is a 100% sportsman who pays attention to his diet”.

Nelson wants to be sharp. He weighs 81 kg for 1m88. At school he was by far the fastest. As a striker, he still has to work on his explosiveness. He is proud to say that his fat percentage is only 7.8%.

Pasta with scampi

Let the pasta with scampi come. The vitello was delicious, the pasta is also delicious. Nelson: “I’m not a big meat eater. I also avoid fat. I work a lot on my weight, it gives a good feeling when you’re fit and sharp on the field”.

Nelson is young but has gained some life experience anyway. Between the ages of 6 and 13, he played at Standard’s youth, at the famous Academy. After that he went to STVV, until he was 18 years old.

Then there was a leap into the unknown.

“I was selected for the U20 of Congo because my father is Congolese. At a tournament in Ivory Coast, I must have made a good impression because I was contacted by the Portuguese club Boavista. I stayed there for a year, lived alone and learned a lot”.

Congo

Nelson therefore has Congolese roots. His father married a girl from Tongeren and the Balongo family continued to live there. Nelson has dual nationality. “I have already been called up once for the Congolese national team. Together with Jordan Botaka. That was very special. You have to know that my father and Jordan’s father have known each other for a very long time. That’s absolutely amazing! “ In the meantime, Nelson has made his debut as a Kanarie, last season against Mouscron. “My highlight for the time being is my goal at Anderlecht, I had come in when we played with 10 men. That gave me enormous self-confidence. I needed that.

He also has a good advisor, Eric Vanlessen, who lives with Nelson’s grandmother. Eric was still a coach at STVV and once took out Arsenal with Winterslag.

Finally, we want to know why his name is Nelson. “My father chose that name out of respect for Nelson Mandela.” We can only congratulate father Balongo on that.

de kanarie | eating out with nelson balongo 18

competitions Saturday, November 07 at 08:45 PM

Final score

-

-

Goals

Monday, November 23 at 08:45 PM

Final score

-

-

Goals

Sunday, November 29 at 08:45 PM

Final score

de kanarie | competition calendar 19

Goals

opponents

Our opponents in November

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 AT 08:45 PM: STVV - RACING GENK

Just like STVV, Racing Genk had a mediocre start to the season. There is undoubtedly a lot of talent present in the Luminus Arena but there was no team on the field in those first games. That made it necessary for the board to change trainers early on. Hannes Wolf was put aside for Jess Thorup, who had also been put aside early at his former club in Ghent and left Genk for Copenhagen. Racing Genk mainly lacked creative talent in midfield and the Swiss international Bastien Toma was recruited at the last minute. In the meantime, top player Cyriel Dessers got out of the base team and former captain Sebastien Dewaest, with many defenders absent, refused to help his team out of trouble.

We’ll also have to watch out who places in the goal in the coming months: the experienced Danny Vukotic or the young talent Maarten Vandevoordt.

The derby’s at Stayen have been quite tumultuous in recent seasons, with last season’s interrupted game as the third highlight. It will not come to that now because of the corona problems where no fans are allowed to be present.

If we go over the statistics for a moment. Up to 24 derby’s were played at Stayen. Only 3 times the Canaries managed to keep the full win at home, 5 times the points were shared and 16 times the victory went to Racing Genk.

Main transfers: Dessers (Heracles), Kouassi (Celtic), Munoz (Atlético National), Arteaga (Santos Laguna), Toma (FC Sion).

Results five past seasons on Stayen: 2019-2020: 3-3 (28-09-2019); 2018-2019: 2-3 (18-01-2019); 2017-2018: 2-1 (16-09-2017); 2016-2017: 0-3 (10-02-2017); 2015-2016: 3-1 (27-08-2015) Latest results Racing Genk: Ghent - Genk ; Genk - Charleroi; W. Beveren - Genk 1-1; Genk - Ostend 2-2; Genk - Mechelen 3-1.

Type team:Vukovic - Maehle, Cuesta, Lucimi, Uronen - Ito, Toma, Kouassi, Hrosovsky, Oyen - Onuachu.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 AT 08:45 PM: OH LEUVEN - STVV

Newcomer OH Leuven did not miss his season start. That was mainly the work of the new coach, Marc Brys, who, as expected, brought a collectively strong team to its feet. The ex-STVV trainer provided calm within the ranks and threw a lot of athletic ability into the battle. Outstanding in the team is the Bulgarian midfielder and international, Kristiyan Malinov. It is striking that Sascha Kotysch, who was sidelined at Stayen under Brys, is now the strongman in the Leuven defence. Thanks to the Thai chairman, Srivaddhanaprabha, who also owns Leicester City, there is a lot of possibility on Den Dreef.

Main transfers: Romo (Silkeborg), De Norre (Racing Genk), Malinov (CKSA Sofia), Eppiah, Iversen (Leicester), Vlietinck (Club Brugge).

Results in OH Leuven: 1-0 (25-08-2015) Latest results OH Leuven: OH Leuven: OHL - Club Bruges ; Anderlecht - OHL ; OHL - Zulte Waregem 2-1; Ghent - OHL 2-3; Ostend - OHL 3-1.

Type team: Romo - Raemakers, Kotysch, Tshimanga - Duplus, Malinov, Hubert, Maertens, Sowah - Mercier, Henry.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 AT 08:45 PM: STVV - WAASLAND-BEVEREN

With Jumper Nicky Hayen, chairman Dirk Kuyck brought in a young promising coach. Hayen, who was also interim head coach at Stayen for a while, stands for positivism and work ethic. The start was very mediocre, but since the arrival of striker Michaël Frey and midfielder Georges Mandjeck, both very experienced, the tide seems to be turning. With goalkeeper Lucas Pirard and trainers Patrick Van Kets and Sven Van der Jeugd, Waasland-Beveren still has a number of ex-STVV-ers in house. The Luxembourger Daniël Sinani, fiercely coveted by the Canaries two years ago, is also working there. In the opposite direction, Mamimiliano Caufriez made the switch to the Canaries.

Main transfers: Jackers (Racing Genk), Schoonbaert (Club Brugge), Bertone (FC Thun), Sinani (Norwich), Mandjeck (Sparta Praag), Frey (Fenerbahce), Albanese (Frankfurt), Efford (Ergotelis).

Results five past seasons on Stayen: 1-1; 2-1; 1-0; 4-1; 1-3.

Last results Waasland Beveren: Charleroi - W. Beveren ; W. Beveren - Ostend ; W. Beveren - R. Genk 1-1; Beerschot - W. Beveren 3-2; W. Beveren - Anderlecht 2-4.

Type team: Jackers - Wiegel, Schoonbaert, Vukotic, Vukcevic - Albanese, Bertone, Mandjeck, Sinani - Heymans, Frey.

de kanarie | opponents 20

peter delorge Peter Delorge still has a bad feeling about the lost cup final

“Team manager is not a nine to five job”

One of the greatest icons in the rich history of our club is undoubtedly Peter Delorge (40). Peter played more than 400 games in the first team, was for years captain of the Canaries and especially loved by the Haspengouw fans for his unbridled efforts in midfield. Peter, who always defended his club with heart and soul, not only on the field but also off the field, is currently team manager at Stayen.

Peter, how do you look back on your long player’s career?

“As a 17-year-old, it was Poll Peters (later also STVV trainer) who persuaded me to make the switch from Zepperen to STVV. After one season with the UEFAs and half a season with the promises, I was transferred to the A-core.

Such a step is now no longer possible. The two titles in second division together with the cup final are definitely the highlight. Also the season (2002-2003) in which we finished fourth with Jacky Mathijssen as coach (tactically the best trainer ever pd.) I have nice memories. At one point STVV was even the best scoring team in Europe.

At the lost cup final against La Louvière I still have a bad feeling. It was supposed to be the crowning glory of a great season, but it went completely different. I don’t like to be reminded of it anymore”.

Next question: what does a team manager do at the club?

“Look, in the past that function did not exist because the players’ core consisted mainly of Belgians and only a handful of foreigners. Over the past ten years, there has been a major evolution whereby clubs have been taken over by foreign investors and players from other continents have also come here to try their luck. Well, they need someone within the club, who actually guides them in looking for a car, renting a flat, taking care of their administrative affairs and so on. Knowledge of languages is necessary. In addition to Dutch, I also speak fluent French, English and German, but I also want to master the Spanish language soon. Team manager is not a nine to five job, I am there day and night for the players. Fortunately, I enjoy my job and I have a lot of support at home from my wife Manuela. Above all, I want the players to be able to focus entirely on football”.

The start of the season was difficult, do you expect a turnaround?

“After the victory in the opening match against Ghent, we seemed to be heading for a nice start to the season again, but that didn’t work out. I do see some causes with the Corona problems, the late transfers and the injury of Steve De Ridder. He was still the extension of the trainer on the field. You can’t ignore the fact that a lot of talent such as Tomiyasu, Boli, Kamada, Bezus, De Sart and Endo left the club, but I understand the board. STVV must remain financially healthy. The current players’ core also has a lot on its march, but it is still quite young. That needs some time. Just look at Tomiyasu, who barely got around to playing in his first season. We would rather not be in our current position, but I hope that we can achieve a series of points gains so that we have a little more breathing space. Especially in our away games we need to do better”.

de kanarie | throwback: peter delorge 21

Mathias (16) and Lucas (14) follow in their father’s footsteps

With two sons joining STVV’s youth, football is of course everything for Peter and Manuela. Mathias is already playing with the promises and Lucas at the U-14.

“There is no comparison with my education. Peter explains to us. “Those are two different worlds. Now they train twice as much as I did in that period, they have a full-time trainer and the accommodations are perfect. I can’t complain about their level. Both are also midfielders but more offensive than I used to be. Mind you, the footballing ability of many young people is higher than in my period. However, as we say here, they also have to have a good head and, above all, they have to meet the many requirements in order to become professional footballers. Young people do not get many opportunities to play, but they will, look at Anderlecht. They do it out of necessity! My greatest wish is for a youth player to briefly break through to the A-core and get to playing. The whole of Sint-Truiden is looking forward to that”. Delorge concludes with a smile.

michel van der loop Anecdotes with one of our best left strikers: Michel Van der Loop

“I left far too early at Stayen but there was a reason for that. ”

The now 73-year-old attacker Michel Van der Loop was transferred in June 1967 for 50,000 euros (then 2 million Belgian franks) from the Dutch first division DWS Amsterdam. Van der Loop attracted the attention of the STVV board after a game at Stayen with the Dutch military team and was recruited as a replacement for Toine Leenders. Michel played for the Canaries until mid-1971 and then moved to Crossing Schaerbeek. Van der Loop was not a real goalgetter but more the man of the assists and known for his fast speed and dribbling skills. Van der Loop also played for Racing Tienen for a while after which he became trainer of several Haspengouwse clubs.

In the meantime Michel had founded sports shop ‘VDL sports’ and was married to a jumper. That’s why he stayed settled in Sint-Truiden. Michel, who is very popular in the Trudostede, is currently taking care of the tours at Stayen with the necessary knowledge. Together with him, we looked into some anecdotes.

de kanarie | throwback: michel van der loop 22

Vital Loraux

“I will never forget this referee. In my second match for STVV, a game in Anderlecht, I was excluded early. I kicked the ball into the empty goal and the Brussels defender Plaskie knocked the leather out of the goal area by hand.

Everyone had seen a clear hand ball but Loraux let the game go on. We rushed towards him and I tapped him on the shoulder. He shouted “Sors du terrain” but as a Dutchman I didn’t understand him and just went back to take my place. Then Jan Mulder came to shout that I was excluded. My mother wept in the stands and never forgave Jan. At that moment we were the better team but after my exclusion, the home team suddenly got wings and we lost with big numbers (5-1). Loraux knew he had been wrong and congratulated me in all the other matches for my sportsmanship. The following week, I took revenge with the winning goal against Club Brugge (2-1)”.

Genap

“There were a lot of rumours that when this Turkish striker was transferred in 1969, the board had not recruited him but his brother. Well, I can tell you, Genap was really a hopeless case, could really do nothing and did not get any further than a few selections under trainer Van Oostveldt. We did everything we could to be able to break his contract. For example, the players bus left for Bruges once at 10 o’clock, we urged the driver to leave immediately because Genap was not there. To our astonishment he had taken a taxi and was still in Bruges before us” (Ex-chairman Smeets later claimed in the book ‘Fenomeen’ (Phenomenon) that Genap was indeed the right one because he did not have a brother and that they had transferred him again after the season with a profit).

Cup Final

“The lost cup final on 16 May 1971 against Beerschot (2-1) was such a disappointment for me that I no longer wanted to play football for STVV and forced my transfer to Crossing. In hindsight, it was a foolish decision on my part, because it meant my career as a player was finished. How did it come to this? Well, afterwards I was criticised for not making every effort and there were also suspicions about possible approaches by Beerschot. I couldn’t stand so much injustice and decided to leave Stayen. I myself wasn’t quite fit after a knee bump by Etienne David on Friday’s training where I had to stand in the goal as a possible reserve goalkeeper. Leon Bosmans was not allowed to play because he was busy with a transfer to Waregem. You know the result! Mathieu Brands was his replacement but he made two unfortunate mistakes. What nobody knows, however, is that Eddy Koens also had a transfer in his head, so he didn’t go all the way. In the end it did not become Standard for Eddy but RWDM! The big star was Eddy Lievens and that resulted in a nice transfer to Anderlecht”.

Eddie Lievens

“Eddy was a wonderful guy, excellent left midfielder but very sloppy. I remember that he always trusted his wife to empty his sports bag and polish his shoes. However, at a home match against Anderlecht (season 1969-1970) he found out an hour before the match that he did not have any football shoes with him. Had his wife forgotten to put them in the bag or had she done it on purpose? At that time I already had my sports shop and all I had to do was drive with Eddy to the shop for a pair of new shoes. On the way back, half an hour before the match, we crossed the bridge at the level crossing on the Tiensesteenweg but were stopped by an overzealous policeman called ‘Door’. Nothing to be done we had to leave the car and put it in our football equipment between the supporters. You should have seen those surprised looks! All’s well that ends well, we eventually won the match against Anderlecht (2-1) with two hits by Eddy Koens”.

de kanarie | throwback michel van der loop 23

nicolai fruit Nicolai Fruit – STVV, a fruitful partnership

You have probably seen their name on the sleeves of our practice jerseys. Nicolai Fruit is not an ordinary partner.

Founded 27 years ago by the Nicolai family, the company was already active way before then in the local agriculture.

“At the beginning, the company put its focus on selling fruits from the area, Haspengouw, to other European markets: UK, Norway, Sweden and Germany. But in 2005, Peter Nicolai, the 5th generation of the Nicolai family, decided to extend the companies’ activities even more. Not only would the company export to more countries, but they also developed an importing section and expanded their range of products. “We now sell apples and pears of course but also endives, brussels sprouts or even tomatoes. In other words, the whole range of fruits and vegetables.” tells us Johan De Gendt, the CEO of Nicolai Fruits.

A fruitful relationship

On the one hand, you had STVV, the football Club. When DMM.com took over STVV, not only did they want to achieve sportive results, but they also wanted to make a real impact on the local economy. And it begins with creating meaningful partnership and help the local companies grow their business internationally.

On the other hand, you had Nicolai Fruit, the company. Already active on some Asian markets (South Korea and Vietnam), Nicolai Fruit had been thinking for a long time of expanding its activities to Japan. But after a few business trips, and even though the culture of the country matched the culture of the company, the language barrier represented a big challenge that Nicolai Fruit could not take on by himself. They needed an intermediary.

And in came Mr. Meekers, President of STVV, Mr. Tateishi , CEO of STVV and Yukari Seki, head of global business director of STVV. “I have to say that Yukari and STVV have already moved mountains for us and really tried to facilitate our entrance on the Japanese markets. Unfortunately, COVID came into play and slowed our processes down. But one thing I can tell you for sure is that when Mr. Tateishi told me that the Club wanted to have an impact on the local community, he meant it. And the efforts that the Club has been putting into helping us grow to Japan has just been tremendous”, said Mr. De Gendt.

Sustainability

But what makes the difference between Nicolai and its competitors? Sustainability. For many, sustainability is a synonym of environmental-friendly, but it goes deeper than that. “Sustainability is also making sure that from the beginning, the growers and even the supplier of materials for the growers, to the end of the chain, the final consumer, everybody receives a fair treatment both financially and humanly”, explained Johan. But then of course, you have the environmental-friendly part that also plays an important role for Nicolai. The company was one of the first three companies in Belgium to participate to a European Project about sustainability reporting. They started their first reporting in 2015 and their project of a construction of a new 7,000-square-meter state-of-the-art building impact with a roof filled with solar panels and even a fleet full of electric of semi-electric vehicles will definitely add to their positive environmental.

de kanarie | partnership: nicolai fruit 24

Tijdelijk gesloten maar we staan steeds ter beschikking om jullie te helpen met de overtollige Covid-19 kilo's ;-)

#yourhealthyoursnap

happy birthday 32

27

14/11/1988

15/11/1993

KENNY STEPPE

KONATÉ MORY

STADIUM SPEAKER

IVO HENDRICKX

Season ticket holders Jozef Fourie Kris Schuyten Ann-Sofie Leunen Jos Maes Marc Smets Jesse Vanham Sam Vanham Annemie Tilkens Johnny Vangrieken Mario Terneven Danny Sempels Sarah Dehairs Cedric Daniels Gaston Claes Erwin Vandebeek Roger Clerinx Yasemin Oral Michael Vandevoort Gianni Opuscoli Heidi Verloy Jasper Collette Stan Jacobs Kobe Herck Lexie Claeskens Patrick Lenaerts Jennifer Lixon

Veronique Gregoir Guido Herbots Valère Schuermans Marcel D’Haen Tristan Flas Tibo Vertessen Jelle Herbots Elias Raskin Willem Smets Ian Wathion Fleur Lesuisse Dieter Collaer Kamiel Gysenbergs Sebahat Beciri Ian Vermeulen Jelke Fransen Berend Vanparijs Jade Mewis Sara Dessers Dirk Knops Peter Vanbrabant Ilana Vanweddingen Noël Philippaerts Rita Crabbe Michaël Lefèvre Domien Brepoels

Joseph Lux Bruno Gevers Ludwig Ladang Yannick Antonissen Florent Roosen Guillaume Pittomvils Luc Trekels Eric Mingelinckx Jeroen Bousmanne Geert Smets Bart Vrancken Rudi Vanstraelen Jean Marie Schuppen Kris Vanmunster Joseph Gijsenberg Jan Deveux Marc Roman Vanessa Corteenraji Jos Peters Jan Zoons Louis Flamaing Geert Broos Steven Hollon Danny Poffé Maria Bollen Johan Nolens

Happy birthday to our supporters! de kanarie | happy birthday 26

Benny Allard Yves Meire André Polus Paul Strauven Kris Huybrechts Jenny Meys Ludo Vissers Théo Pluymers Joseph Maes Heidi Rogiers Astrid Haesevoets Rudi Vangeel Katrien Vanierschot Bart Cans Koenraad Lissens André Goeleven Christophe Degraaf Stef Dolhen Paula Van Esch Thomas Dejan Toon Digneffe Hilde Bungeneers Wouter Engelbos Rudi Struys Valere Machiels Dries Trekels

stvv - kv kortrijk

0-0

de kanarie | match pictures 27

beerschot - stvv

6-3

de kanarie | match pictures 28

2-0

stvv - standard

de kanarie | match pictures 29

Luikersteenweg 546 3800 Sint-Truiden

T. 011 48 00 48 info@drukkerijvranken.be

Editors: Alain Coninx, Marc Clerinx, Toru Nakata, Lander Lismont, Youssouf Keita, Simon Hallet en Masayuki Tanabe Pictures: Patrick Smets, Wouter Biesemans, Kevin Vanhees, Rohnny Vandersmissen en Steve Michiels Design: ValĂŠrie Havenne (Balghili) & Ryuki Nishihara

OPENINGHOURS + CONTACT STVV - OFFICES Monday till Thursday: 09.00 hrs - 16.00 hrs Friday: 09:00 hrs till 15.00 hrs

+32 (0) 011 71 38 19 info@stvv.com

OPENINGHOURS + CONTACT FANSHOP Monday, Tuesday, Sunday & public holidays closed Wednesday until Friday: 14.00 hrs till 18.00 hrs Saturday: 10.00 hrs till 14:00 till 18.00 hrs The normal openinghours does not apply on gamedays.

Fanshop will be open 1 hrs before kickoff untill 1 hrs after

Tiensesteenweg 168, 3800 Sint-Truiden.

On the right side of the main entrance Hotel Stayen.

Free parking is possible in the Stayen complex for 2.15 hrs

011 58 69 80 fanshop@stvv.com