Dirk Kuijt himself will not throw in the towel at ADO Den Haag. The trainer appeared after the sledgehammer blow against VVV-Venlo, which made the winning 2-3 against ADO in the final seconds on Friday, fighting in front of the camera of ESPN. “I understand where you want to go, because that’s how it goes in football, but I’m not giving up,” said Kuijt, who is very disappointingly seventeenth in the Kitchen Champion Division with ADO.
Kuijt has been in the corner with ADO all season where the blows fall. On Friday evening, the team of the former the Dutch international had an excellent start against VVV, but the built-up lead was gradually lost. ADO even fell behind, but fought its way back to 2-2 via Xander Severina. In the final minutes, Amir Absalem was very close to the winner for the Hagenaars with a header, but it fell from a counter just on the other side.
“What now? We will have to continue to work hard as a team”, says Kuijt. “The emphasis is on that: to play things off you. It is a shame, because after Eindhoven (1-0 win, ed.) and NAC (1-2 win, ed.) we had found the way up. Last week after Helmond Sport (2-1 loss, ed.) we ended up in a situation where the pressure is suddenly very high. Then you draw the short straw today. Tomorrow you have to get up and continue again. How painful, difficult and difficult as it is. I will certainly do that, I will continue to accelerate and push that group forward. Today again I did everything in my power. Again, the boys have also just done their best. That it is footballing We can do better and that we can push forward more aggressively, I totally agree. Anyway, it’s up to us to change that as soon as possible.”
Kuijt already gave penalty training and decided to avoid the dressing room last week after the defeat against Helmond. What else can the coach do? “I think a lot,” he responds. “The position in the ranking does not lie. We are just too good for that place, so there is still a lot for this group to play for. Then from tomorrow you will just have to put your heads together again and continue again It’s a process you have to get out of and I’m convinced the guys can do it.”
Quitting on your own does not occur in Kuijt’s mind. “As long as the club and the boys want me to go for it, I’m going to accelerate. And if that’s not the case anymore then it stops. That’s life, that’s football. I’m not afraid, but sometimes it works that way in football. Only if you want to go somewhere together, then I also think that we can work it out together. At least I have the strength and energy for it, despite the fact that I also have a big tap on the nose today. You will be judged by results. We’ll see what the future holds. I’m just going to prepare for the next game. I’m not concerned with.”
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heracles Almelo | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 31 |
| 2 | MVV Maastricht | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 30 |
| 3 | PEC Zwolle | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 29 |
| 4 | FC Eindhoven | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 23 |
| 5 | William II | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 22 |
| 6 | Roda JC Kerkrade | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 21 |
| 7 | VVV Venlo | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 21 |
| 8 | Young AZ | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 20 |
| 9 | Almere City FC | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 20 |
| 10 | Young Ajax | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 19 |
| 11 | NAC Breda | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | -2 | 18 |
| 12 | FC Den Bosch | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | -3 | 18 |
| 13 | Telstar | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | -5 | 18 |
| 14 | Young PSV | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 15 | The County | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -3 | 15 |
| 16 | FC Dordrecht | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -5 | 15 |
| 17 | Ado den Haag | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -6 | 15 |
| 18 | TOP Oss | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | -9 | 13 |
| 19 | Helmond Sports | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | -16 | 12 |
| 20 | Young FC Utrecht | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | -16 | 6 |
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