FC Bruges

|- | colspan=" 2" style=" text-align: center; padding: 0.5em; " bgcolor=" white" | |- | Club founded in | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| 1891 |- | Nickname | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Blauw in Zwart (blue and black) |- | Colors | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Blue and Black |- | Stage | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Stage Jan Breydel
(29 975 places) |- | President | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Michel D' Hooghe |- | Trainer | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Jacky Mathijssen |- | Seat | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Olympialaan 74
8200 Bruges |- |bgcolor=" white" | |bgcolor=" white" | |} FC Bruges ( Club Brugge Koninklijke Vereniging in Dutch) is a Belgian club of Football based with Bruges. The club, chaired by Michel D' Hooghe and pulled by Jacky Mathijssen, evolves/moves in 2007-2008 in Jupiler League.

The Club

With 13 championships of Belgium, 10 cuts of Belgium and 13 supercoupes, the club of Bruges is the second larger club of Belgium. It, indeed, was qualified for the 14th consecutive time for the Cut of Europe. In spite of its excellent results in Belgium, the gap with the largest clubs of continuous Europe to widen and the good performances on the European scene are increasingly hard to obtain. Number 3 remains nevertheless trustful and ambitious. He in particular hopes to build a new stage in the years to come.

History

The Club saw the day in 1891. The first club accepted the name Brugsche Football club and had as emblem “Lie sanatorium in corpore sano” . Before even as Association is not officially recognized, there was already dispute among the members. A rupture is followed from there so that a second club is born under the name of Football Brugean Club . And in spite of large financial problems had by the two clubs, some young people find courage and enthusiasm to give birth to the third association, the Vlaamsche FC .

In 1897, the first two clubs created amalgamate. Football Club Brugean, hardly flourishing, is taken again by Brugsche Football club but the new club preserves however the French denomination.

In 1899, fusion of Vlaamsche FC and Rapid Football Club , is born the Cercle Bruges KSV. It is at this time, that in Bruges, takes place the first tournaments of derby which today still animates the season of the FC Bruges. The June 15th 1920, at a meeting, the club decides to buy its ground. Thus, the new president, Albert Dyserynck, repurchase the ground and the club becomes owner of Klokke (name of the coffee of opposite). In its new stage, the Brugean FC gains its first crown in 1920: its first title of Champion of Belgium. May 23rd, 1920, the king Albert I {{er}} decrees the title of “Royal Association” with the Brugean FC.

During the presidency of Albert Dyserynck, the Brugean FC becomes a asbl, statute which the club always currently has. But, on Monday, February 9 1931, the destiny strikes it tragically. The Chairman of the board lately created finds death in an car accident. To return all the honors to him, Klokke is renamed the “Albert Dyserynckstadion” and, on February 14th, along the main entrance, a bust of Albert Dyserynck is set up. This plate is now still in front of the principal platform of the Stade Jan Breydel.

After the first national title in 1920, the eleven of the club crossed difficult years. The senior players took age and, in 1928, the FC Bruges must even point out Torten Goetinck, old then 42 years, to try to preserve the club of an imminent degradation. Its speed was not also any more determining, and in spite of its devotion and its experiment, the Club must with regrets to descend in division 2.

The club of Bruges knows, during and after the Second world war, of difficult times. And that not only in the sporting field. There was a very heavy load of loan to support in all the directions of the term. Blue and black ones play, at that time, with the elevator between division 1 and division 2… In 1957, Roumanian the 33 year old, Norberto Höfling, becomes trainer of the club and brings back it in division 1. It creates a stronger team tactiquement and pays its attention on a better organization of defense. It is the first to bring a professional mentality to the Club. The Roumanian remained six years with the Brugean Club.

The return of Bruges in division 1, in 1959, is not either unperceived past on the administrative level. The July 14th 1959, André de Clerck is engaged as a president of association and succeeds his/her father, Emile de Clerck promoted “Honorary president”. Andre de Clerck will yield his chair of president to his Fernand son, after obtaining the championship of Belgium after the season 1972-1973. After Emile and André, the trilogy of Clerck immediately was a reality!

After the departure of Norberto Höfling, the trainers follow themselves to a high tempo. After Schwanner, Henri Dekens is engaged after a short mission of interim of Lucien Masyn, then quickly replaced by Louis Dupal. This Louis Dupal is at the base of the large Brugean Club. He was a father for the players. In 1965-1966, the club finishes fifth then second the following year. At the end of this season, it must leave the place to Norberto Höfling which begins a second mandate with the Club.

During the season, 1967-1968, let us note the European introduction in Klokke (against Sporting Lisbon) and the second place of Bruges to the championship. The club also gains, in 1968, its first Coupe of Belgium against the Beerschot then a second in 1970 with the French trainer of Munck. In 1972, the club takes its current name: Club Brugge Kv . In 1973, absolute crowning with a second national title of Champion of Belgium in division 1 under the cane of Leo Canjels…. The Club will have waited 53 years.

January 21st 1974, the board of directors of the Bruges club decides to recruit Ernst Happel as a new trainer. Until December 1978, it remained with the rudder of the Brugean team with a dazzling prize list: national titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978; cut of Belgium in 1977; the final of cut UEFA against Liverpool in 1976; the final of the Cut of Europe of the Clubs Champions against Liverpool in the imposing stage of Wembley in 1978.

At the time of the third day of the season 1975-1976, the club inaugurates the new lawn of the Olympiastadion against RWD Molenbeek. For the season 1979-1980, Han Grijzenhout becomes the trainer. The club had chosen this season to apply a concept of play where the result took precedence over the manner. Accordingly, Grijzenhout chooses between over-populated play…. The club is crowned champion of Belgium for the sixth time. The last home match of the Club is the occasion to bid its farewell with Raoul Lambert after 22 years of honest services.

The season 1981-1982 is undoubtedly weakest and more exasperating history of club. The club ensured its maintenance only at the time of the last day and a victory 5-0 against RWDM the Olympia. In 1984, Henk Houwaart, the pupil of Happel, becomes the trainer of the Brugeois club. There remain five seasons at the Blauw in Zwart , very a long time for a trainer in Bruges. It gains with the club a second place in 1985 and 1986 (after a double test match against Anderlecht), third in 1987, fourth in 1989, the Cut of Belgium in 1986 and a championship of Belgium in 1988.

For the season 1987-1988, Bruges gains the title but the club carries out especially a superb European course. In displacement, Bruges too often receives a punishment, but in residence the Brugeans were untouchable. The Leningrad Zenith, the red Star Belgrade and especially the Borussia Dortmund make the expenses of them… Later still the Panathinaïkos Athens is eliminated but the Espanyol Barcelona day before so that the club cannot of accuracy not play the European final.

At between season 1989, Georges Leekens arrives at the orders of Bruges and the club tears off, with the general surprise, a new sacring of champion of Belgium. In 1991, the club gains the cut of Belgium. In 1992, one of the monuments of the club hangs up again the cramps, Jan Ceulemans. It will have made tremble the nets for Bruges during 14 years. This year, Hugo Broos makes a success of perfectly his introduction as trainer. The Club becomes champion of Belgium and reached the semi-final of the cut of the cuts against the Werder Bremen. In 1996, Bruges is again champion and even manages to align 14 successive victories.

Eric Gerets becomes the trainer of the club for the season 1997-1998. Bruges gains the championship of Belgium with an enormous advance over the second but finally receives a true slap by inclining 4-0 front Genk of the cut of Belgium to the Heysel. In 2000, arrives at the club Norwegian Trond Sollied. It founds with the club a play based on the offensive and its famous 4 3-3 qu ' it will not leave during 5 years. The results are not made wait and Sollied gains in 5 years two championships in 2003 and 2005 and two cuts of Belgium in 2002 and 2004.

After the departure of Sollied, the club knows one very difficult period. It is initially Jan Ceulemans, the legend of the club, which will fail in the rebuilding of a team and which is laid off in April 2006. It is replaced by Emilio Ferrera which, after good starts, will be shown also unable to give the team on the right tracks. In January 2007, it is thanked whereas the sport director, Marc Degryse, had just resigned. It is Cedomir Janevski which took over temporarily the duties the post of trainer and took down one 10th Coupe of Belgium after one very disappointing season despite everything.

In June 2007, it is Jacky Mathijssen which accepts the post of trainer.

See also: Assessment season per season of the FC Bruges, Historical of the European course of the FC Bruges

Stage

The FC Bruges, during its history, always played on grounds being close from/to each other, in the west of the city, Sint-Andries. In 1891, with the creation of the team, the club settled with the Ratteplein , a left ground fallows some and used until there for very popular races of dogs in England at the time. In 1912, the club moves for a ground bordered of small platforms, De Klokke . In the Années 1960 is born to with it celebrates it spionkop which transformed Klokke for each visitor team into a true hell. With narrow, the FC Bruges intalle in 1975 in a new stage, Olympiastadion. It takes the name of Stade Jan Breydel at the time its restoration in 1998 at the time of the Euro 2000. It is from now on the greatest stage of the Belgian championship.

See also: Stage Jan Breydel

New stage

In January 2006, Michel D' Hooghe, chair club, declares that the club must improve its reception facilities to be able to take another dimension. Indeed, with 22.000 subscribers for a capacity of 30.000 places and an insufficient number of cabins and businesses seats, the Stage Jan Breydel became too small for the club. The president thus orders a study to study the possibilities which arise to the club.

The January 11th 2007, the club organizes a press conference to give a progress report on the file. This reveals that the club intends to build from here the season 2011 - 2012 a new stage of 40.000 places with Loppem, a common neighbor of Bruges. A great shopping mall would be built beside the stage to make it possible the club to reduce the costs of construction. If the supporters of the club are happy with the idea to have a stage new bright burning coal, the reactions are less good at the residents of Loppem, with the commune of Bruges (owner of the Stade Jan Breydel) and with the Cercle Bruges KSV which shares with the FC Bruges the present stage.

The May 25th 2007, one second conference is organized where the construction of the new stage and its site are confirmed. The inauguration is always planned for 2011, the beginning of work for 2008 and the idea of shopping mall associated with the project is preserved. The option of enlarging supported by the commune is rejected by the club because too expensive. The cost of the project is evaluated to 79,6 million euros. The first canvass administrative are announced for at the end of June 2007 with the request of the environmental licenses.

Supporters

The ASBL Supportersfederatie Club Brugge Kv is recognized by the club like the official spokesperson of the supporters of the club. It represents more than 10.000 supporters of the 62 clubs of supporters divided everywhere into Flanders. An elected direction deals with the management of this association. Its main aim is the organistion of displacements in the bus and evenings between supporters. Another important mission of the ASBL is the organization of Fandag, the day open door of the club. It is organized in July, the day before Brugean crossbred , and makes it possible the supporters to visit the stage, to discover the new team and the new derivative products of the club.

The Blue Army was created the September 12th 1998 by some irréducticles supporters which was nostalgic extreme environment of the Années 1980. An environment which had made the reputation of the club in Belgium and even in Europe but which had lost itself after the suppression of the places débouts to the profit of the sitted places. The purpose of the Blue Army was to cure it. For that purpose, association installed several instruments. First of all, it publishes the Blue Army-fanzine , a magazine being addressed to the supporters. It organizes also regularly before matches, Cantus which make it possible the supporters to meet and to learn or repeat the songs. The Blue-army also deals with the organization of the tifos for the great matches. Blue Army is summarized like this: passion of football, unrestrained idealism, environment during 90 minutes, information for all supporters of the FCB, opened communication, créativé and positivism.

If there are well two matches not to miss for the majority by the supporters by the club, it is well the reception of RSC Anderlecht and the Cercle Bruges KSV. Dividing quasi all the titles for more than twenty years, the club of the capital has been the principal rival of the club and confrontation between the two clubs is without any doubt the moment more waited season for good number of supporters. The derby between the circle and the club of Bruges exists since 1899 and is for all the inhabitants of Bruges a very particular match. And even if on paper, this match has seemed unbalanced for a few years, the players of the circle sell their skin always dearly. The winner of this derby is then proclaimed ploeg van 'T stad (team of the city in French).

Number 12 is not allotted any more to the club in homage to the public which is often called: It twelfth man . Lastly, the FC Bruges lays out since the July 21st 2006 of a television program, CLUBtv, on the Telenet chain diffusing 2 times per week of the reports on the club and the interviews of players and leaders.

Annecdotes

  • In fact the supporters FC Bruges sang in first the introduction of Seven Nation Army of the White Stripes (the famous Po popooopopo Po ) into a football stadium.
  • the former first Belgian minister, Jean-Luc Dehaene, is one of the most known suporters of the club.

Management

On a Belgian scale, the FC Bruges is recognized like a model of management. Although the first mission of the club is sporting, the club is held to maintain its accounts with balance. The FC Bruges has evolved/moved under the statute of ASBL for more than 70 years. It is managed by a Board of directors elected annually by the hundred members of the ASBL is chaired by Michel D' Hooghe. It is the General Manager, Filips Dhondt, which deals with management day laborer of the club while the sporting sector is with the hands of Luc Devroe. The club employment currently 80 people.

With the image of Belgian football, the FC Bruges is Tom Thumb in Europe with a budget estimated at 20M€ (it depends in particular on the participation or not in the Coupe of Europe). The things however improve lately. First of all on the level of the tele rights which, for Belgium, passed in 2005 of 15M€ to 36M€. The FC Bruges is best parcelled out in Belgium on this level and touches a little more 3M€ per annum. The increase in the frequentation of the stage is not foreign with the financial good health of the club. Indeed, the number of subscribers passed between 1996 and 2006, from 8.000 to 22.000. This thanks mainly to the sporting good performances and the restoration of the stage in 1998. Stage which even became too small for Bruges, the cabins and the restaurant which cannot more answer the request. Between 2001 and 2006, the incomes of the club increased by 85% and if one takes account of the tele rights, its turnover doubled over this same period. It remains all the same with the drag at the commercial level. A potential thus enormous but currently too little used by the club because a lack of important managerial force.

Formation

The formation is one of the priority of the club. It invested indeed much to obtain work tools of quality. In 2006, it was indicated besides following a study as being one of best the club of Belgium on this level.

The acknowledged objective is of being able brought each year young person towards the professional core. The club also wishes via its training policy consolidated its regional anchoring. As of more the young age, an important section of scouting is thus put in action to recruit the best players of Flanders-Western and Flanders-Eastern and returning best in the organization, the culture and the system of play of the FC Bruges. The educational, ethical and social values are also paramount. For example, a member of the club is in continuous contact with the schools and regulate the possible problems.

The FC Bruges does not have an partnership agreement with the clubs of the area and prefers to maintain good relationships with them to facilitate the transfers. By the formation, the club wants to also maintain a style gravitational and offensive play. Characterized by a high steam pressing in loss of ball, a play built of the back, in combinations and infiltrations since the medium ground as well as of the individual actions of attackers.

The club has teams of young energy of the -8 to the -19 and one hope team which represents the last level before the professional core. These teams evolve/move in national championships gathering only the teams evolving/moving in division 1. The most famous names left the school of the young people of the club are those of Olivier De Cock or Birger Maertens.

Crossbred Brugean

The Crossbred Brugean ones ( Brugse Metten in Dutch) is a friendly tournament organized since 1975 by the FC Bruges. The name of this tournament is in homage to the Brugean Matines, revolution being born with Bruges in 1302. It had until in 1992 the form of a tournament with 4 teams before becoming a simple friendly match.

See also: Crossbred Brugean (football)

Statistics

Franky van der Elst holds the record of appearances under the shirt of the FC Bruges, with 612 matches played between 1984 and 1999. Come then the former guard Dany Verlinden with 570 matches and Gert Verheyen, 550 matches.

Raoul Lambert is the best striker of the club all confused competitions. It registers for the club 270 goals between 1962 and 1980. Lambert precedes with this classification Jan Ceulemans (240 goals) and Gert Verheyen (195 goals).

Until now, six players managed to take down five championships of Belgium with the FC Bruges. It is about Fons Bastijns, Birger Jensen, Raoul Lambert, Georges Leekens, Franky van der Elst and Dany Verlinden.

The FC Bruges holds the record of victories in Coupe of Belgium with 10 successes like in Supercoupe of Belgium with 13 victories between 1980 and 2005. It also holds that of the greatest number of points collected at the time of the same season since the introduction of the victory at three points: at the time of the season 1997-1998, the club had collected 84 points.

Prize list

National

European

  • Cut of Europe of the clubs champions :
  • UEFA Cup :

Au June 16th 2007

Individual rewards

Season 2007/2008

Trainers (2007/2008)

Current professional manpower (2007/2008)

Lent players

  • See also: Historical of the transfers of the FC Bruges

Players emblematic

  • See also: List of the players of the FC Bruges

Trainers emblematic

  • See also: List of the trainers of the FC Bruges

Presidents

Localization

Sources

  • Official site

  • Site of Blue-army
  • Supportersfederatie Club Brugge Kv
  • Official site of the Belgian UEFA
  • financial Magazine Trends-Tendencies, Foot-business: Belgium off-side, edition of May 25th, 2006
  • Bruges

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