Ryan Thomas (PEC Zwolle | Netherlands)

Came across this weekly news blog dedicated to Kiwi players in UK and Europe which is pretty professional with videos and all. By a dude named Nick Robinson:

FLYING KIWIS:

http://theniche-cache.com/football/?tag=Flying+Kiw...

Ryan scored this morning in a 2-1 win over Dordrecht, following on from first up 2-0 win over Utrecht. Next game for Ryan and Zwolle is Europa tie vs Sparta Prague.

Epic

It was won in the third minute of injury time (Ryan got the first goal) and Zwolle were down to ten men.

only thing i could find so far

That's pretty smooth (the play not the vid).

Manager Ron Jans, in this morning's (NZT) press conference has declared Thomas fit for Zwolle's UEFA League play-off game against Sparta Prague tomorrow morning NZT:

http://www.peczwolle.nl/nl/nieuwsarchief/persconfe...

" About the injury cases, the coach was clear. Bart van Hintum resembled a robot at training after the match in Dordrecht with his stiff neck, but he's fit like Lukoki (knee) and Thomas (ankle). "The trio is also included in selection for tomorrow's game."

Game is 6 am NZT tomorrow in Zwolle:

Streams here:

http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=274170...

 or here:

http://www.vipboxoc.co/football/244339/1/pec-zwoll...

Hmmm, I thought his second touch was quite heavy and he was a bit lucky there.

Thomas got 65 minutes in a 1-1 home draw against Sparta Prague. Zwolle took the lead from the penalty spot.

Standing ovation when he came off according to PEC Zwolle Twitter feed and google translate.

Ryan Thomas was pivotal and instrumental in making record champion Spartak Praha look like dilettants on European level.

PEC Zwolle are the talk of the football nation and are making headlines each week.

No, it was wasted.

Come from behind win over Vitesse over the weekend.

Thomas started on the bench and got on for the last 25 minutes. Former Brisbane Roar player Stef Nijland with the winner in the 88th minute.

PEC Zwolle 2 - 1 Vitesse

PEC Zwolle now 2nd in the Eredivisie on goal difference to PSV who they take on after the international break. Should be a good game.

Zwoille were knocked out of the Europa League by Sparta Prague.

Perhaps a blessing for their young squad to focus on the league and cup now, follow on from last season.

Cmon ryan keep up the good work son.

69 minutes for Ryan vs. Sparta Prague in the Europa League qualifier:

http://www.peczwolle.nl/nl/nieuwsarchief/europees-...

Sparta Praag – PEC Zwolle 3-1 (2-0) 

Scheidsrechter: Levnikov (Rus)
Toeschouwers: 16.612

Opstellingen: Sparta Praag: Bicik, Kaderabek, Kovac, Brabec, Costa, Marecek, Matejovsky, Dockal, Vacek (84. Konate), Krejci (89. Breznanik, Lafata (90+1. Nespor)

PEC Zwolle: Boer, Van Polen, Van der Werff, Sainsbury, Van Hintum, Rienstra, Saymak, Lukoki (77. Dekker), Drost, Thomas (69. Moro), Necid (53, Nijland)

Scoreverloop:
10. Krejci 1-0
44. Dockal 2-0
62. Brabec 3-0
83. Nijland (strafschop) 3-1 

Now there's a good word - "strafschop" - Dutch for "penalty"

Ryan unfortunately wasn't fit enough to play in the 3-1 league defeat away to NAC Breda on the weekend:

http://www.peczwolle.nl/nl/nieuwsarchief/eerste-co...

Supposedly Ajax are interested in Ryan, only an hour and a half till the transfer window closes.

He should stay at zwolle, he is already an established first team player there

as tempting as joining the dutch man utd would be, Zwolle has some magic going on - think he should stay a hero.

Too many temptations in Amsterdam for a kid from Te Awamutu.

Yeah seriously what the fuck are they doing right? And can they please share some of that knowledge with the nix. Well and truly hitting above their weight. 

Fans must be ecstatic.

Zwolle representative will be at Ole U16 tournament - see the topic in the regional thread.

time to make Wellington and Zwolle sister cities

time to make Wellington and Zwolle sister cities

Well he didn't go by the looks of it, transfer window closed, but I have been told that if he does go, he will go for quite a bit and considering Zwolle paid nothing for him, they will have done really well!

We have seen it happen before when New Zealanders are doing well for smaller teams and then go to bigger teams and sit on the bench. I can see why Ajax would want Thomas after the cup final but I think he would be better staying at Zwolle for at least this season.

PEC manager Ron Jans is the key - charisma and motivational skills backed up with intelligence and tactical nous - a combination sometimes hard to find.

If you watch his press conferences on PEC Zwolle TV channel on You Tube, even if you don't understand Dutch, he's like a tornado of good humour and down-to-earth positivity which really wins you over.

This sums him up (on Wikipedia):

"Ron Jans joined FC Groningen on 2002, and was the longest-serving head coach in the whole Eredivisie, being instrumental in the club's recent successes, including two consecutive UEFA Cup qualifications in 2005 and 2006. During his time at Groningen, Jans was known for his witty comments during press conferences and his positive attitude towards the press. He was formerly active as a German language teacher. He also appeared regularly in the Dutch television channel Nederland 3 as a UEFA Champions Leagueanalyst for the 2009–10 season."

Dutch coaches have often been school teachers or professionals in other fields. This helps produce intelligent coaches I think.

This is true of many figures like Van Gaal who worked as a high school gymnastics teacher and with handicapped kids.

This is due to the less pronounced class system in the Netherlands compared to say, Britain where British managers are almost entirely uneducated working class types who move straight from playing to coaching. Middle class British kids rarely become pro footballers.

In Holland, Germany and other countries on the Continent, there are more professional players from middle class families (e.g. Arsene Wenger, Oliver Bierhoff, Joachim Löw, Robin Van Persie). Bierhoff, Wenger and Löw all have university degrees. Van Persie's dad is a prominent Dutch artist. Oliver Bierhoff's dad is a wealthy industrialist. Former Italian international Gianluca Vialli is the son of a millionaire with a university education, whose childhood home was a 15th-century castle in Lombardy with more than 60 rooms.

 Vialli: "My father did not mind me being a footballer, but he insisted that I study and get my A-levels at the same time." 

Of the four semi-finalists at the recent World Cup in Brazil, all four managers had tertiary educational qualifications or attended university:

Löw (Germany): Business Studies degree.

Sabella (Argentina): Started studying to be a lawyer but dropped out to play football. Very intelligent, politically aware man from a wealthy family who has had a life-long involvement in left-wing politics and social work with the poor.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/20/ar...

Van Gaal: Qualified high school gymnastics teacher with teaching diploma.

Scolari: Completed Physical Education qualifications. Son of a footballer who operated a warehouse on retirement, Big Phil's life has been spent entirely in football as a player and coach. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/ch...

I doubt he even has a cleaver

2,500 PEC Zwolle faithful taking the town of Praha en route to the ground.

Penalty has been colloquially 'bastardized' as 'pinantie' or 'pingel'. We also use 'elf meter' as in 'eleven meters'.

Straf = penalty

Schop = kick

Ingooi = Throw in

Hoekschop = corner kick

Aftrap = kick off

Vrije trap = free kick

Strafschopgebied = goal mouth

Doelman = keeper

Speler = player

Aanval = attack

Middenveld = midfield

Verdediging = defense

Wedstrijd = match

Scheidsrechter = referee

Omhaal = bicycle kick

Please feel free to bombard me.

Home boy Ron Jans from Zwolle, taking on Ajax' Frank Rijkaard at De Meer in Amsterdam. His father also played for PEC. 

I played with Ron Jans in our local school team at junior level and one could detect he was special at the age of thirteen.

Playing v PSV now.

Here's a page with a selection of links:

http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?matchid=274635...

Currently 1-1.

Subbed off after 68 mins with PEC winnning 2-1

Won 3-1, second on goal difference to PSV. 

Wonder how long they'll be able to keep up this current form? They've assembled a pretty talented (albeit young) squad. Hope the good start continues.

Beating PSV 3-1: even diehard Zwolle supporters wouldn't have seen that as likely a year ago.

Three points ahead of Ajax, seven points ahead of Feyenoord.

Just amazing stuff from one of the smallest clubs in the Eredivisie.

PSV fielded Dutch World Cup stars Depay and Wijnaldum, first choice Mexican World Cup star Guardado, Santiago Arias who featured for Colombia at the World Cup and others who've played for Holland like Jeffrey Bruma.

Just a reminder if you want a Ryan Thomas signed 14/15 PEC Zwolle home shirt(for only $95 including shipping), then click the link below, could be a collectors item in years to come :)

http://authenticfc.co.nz/collections/all/products/...