Jaap Stam has been at home for almost six months, after he was fired as trainer of FC Cincinnati in September. The 49-year-old former football player still sees himself returning as a trainer and does not necessarily go for the highest level. Working in League One could also appeal to the former defender. “It’s not just about the competition, it’s also about the people you work with. And more importantly: whether an organization wants to grow,” emphasizes Stam in an interview in the newspaper on Saturday General Newspaper†
Stam regularly watches matches in the English, German and Dutch league, although he does so with mixed feelings. “Look where PEC Zwolle is located. That hurts.” In his active career, Stam wore the uniform of the Zwolle players around his shoulders. In January 2019, Stam was appointed to PEC as head coach. After only six matches, it was already announced that he would start working for Feyenoord the following summer. The way PEC has slipped sportively is definitely hurting Stam.
Thinking outside the box after the cup win in 2014 is one of the reasons that things went wrong at PEC, says Stam. “They should never have started over that top six. PEC does not have the finances for that. You also need to build a good structure. So that you have a good foundation that you can fall back on. That should be much better. A good scouting device and the right contacts are also important. Otherwise you become too dependent on others. That is not the right way.”
“The chance that you make wrong choices is then quite high.” Even growing into a stable middle ground, with a place in the play-offs as an outlier, is too ambitious in Stam’s view. “With all due respect, but PEC, a club whose selection changes every year, should be happy that they are playing in the Eredivisie. They must be the first to fight for their own survival. And from there hope for more.” In the documentary De Zwolse Zomer, Art Langeler said, ‘If everyone stays fit, we will be sixth’, but he left after twelve matches because he no longer saw any prospects. Dick Schreuder succeeded him, but Stam’s name also sang around.
“Not that I know. In any case, I was never contacted,” emphasizes Stam, who was in any case sympathetic to it. “I really wanted to think about it, yes. I always had a great time at PEC. Not only as a player, but also as an assistant and later head coach.” He thinks that Schreuder is doing well with PEC. “The team exudes a lot of aggressiveness and confidence. The style of play is easy for her. (…) You see that opponents find it difficult to play against PEC. Which doesn’t mean it’s always good. But the results are there and that’s what matters at the moment.”