With three Dutch championship crowns, the Tricolores can be considered as one of the most successful clubs in Netherlands, though; the Tilburg-based outfit will start the 2012/13 campaign as underdogs.
Willem II Tilburg, a professional football club in Netherlands founded in 1896, can be considered as one of the most successful clubs in Netherlands. Three Netherlands Football League Championship trophies and two KNVB beker Cup
titles will certainly envy many of the Dutch clubs, and these are the pieces of silverware that beautify the trophy cabinet at Koning Willem II Stadion.
However, it has been almost five decades since the Tricolores won a major trophy. A city that was renowned for their impressive football club in Netherlands is now acknowledged due to the De Koningshoeven Brewery.
Despite winning several pieces of silverware, the Tilburg-based outfit never really managed to dominate the Dutch football. The superpowers of Dutch football were always considered to be the traditional big-three, Ajax Amsterdam,
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Feyenoord-c39258 Rotterdam.
However, the outfit from Tilburg has won more titles than http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Heracles-Almelo-c39520.
The Tricolores missed out the 2011/12 Eredivisie season following their relegation to Eerste Divisie in the previous campaign. However, the club from Tilburg is back in the highest echelons of Dutch football after winning the promotion/relegation
play-offs at the end of season ended.
The Tilburg outfit is not expected to compete for a top-half table finish, but they will be keen to finish as far away from the relegation zone as possible.
Bettor.com looks back at the club’s golden era when they – if not the best – were one of the best teams playing in the Dutch football.
From liberation to fame and glory:
The Dutch league started again in the summer of 1945 after one year of suspension due to chaotic times in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Netherlands-c753. At the end of 1945/46 campaign, the Tilburg-based club finished sixth on the Eerste Klasse South-I table, a
season that saw the Tricolores struggle due to shortage of finances.
After couple of seasons, which saw no improvements, the club appointed Frantisek Fadrhonc as their new manager in the summer of 1949.
The arrival of the Czech trainer earmarked a golden era for the club, as they managed to become Dutch champions for the second time in their history in the 1951/52 season.
Notable players of the successful campaign were:
Cees Botermans, Janus Wagener, Piet van Beers, Jef Mertens, Frans van Loon, Rinus Formannoy, Jo Mommers, Piet de Jong, Sjel de Bruyckere, Jan van Roessel and Toon Becx. While Gerrit Verreyt played a perfect role throughout the
season from the bench.
Willem II was becoming more and more relentless under the tutelage of Frantisek Fadrhonc, and the Tricolores were crowned Dutch champions for the third time in the club’s history at the end of the 1954/55 campaign.
First title never forgets:
In the summer of 1916, the people of Tilburg witnessed their beloved club lifting the first trophy when they cruised to a hard fought 1-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles in the final game of the championship play-offs.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Willem-II-c40945’s primary objective will be to prolong their stay in the Dutch top tier, but only time will tell whether the current crop of players could live up to the expectations of the people of Tilburg or dwindle back to Eerste
Divisie at the end of the season.
Disclaimer: Views and opinions in this article are of writer’s own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of bettor.com.
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