When manager Erwin van de Looi wrote in his columns about “looking for balance,” he wasn’t just talking about tactics; he was talking about keeping his players on the pitch. Page 21 of the September 2013 matchday programme exposes a staggering disciplinary crisis that had gripped FC Groningen in the opening weeks of the season.
The editorial block titled “Rode Kaarten” (Red Cards) lays out the shocking statistics. After just six league matches, the team had already received four red cards. To put this into perspective, the programme provides a historical table showing the club’s red card totals over the previous ten seasons. In the entire 2011/2012 season, they received one. In 2010/2011, they received one. The historical average was 2.8 red cards per season. The 2013 squad had smashed that average before autumn had even officially begun.
The “Schorsingen” (Suspensions) block at the bottom of the page highlights the immediate consequences. For this match against RKC, Van de Looi was missing Krisztian Adorjan, Tjaronn Chery, and Timo Letschert—all serving suspensions, with Chery and Letschert having been sent off in the fiery northern derby against sc Heerenveen the previous weekend. It paints a picture of a squad playing with immense, overflowing passion, but severely lacking in composure.
A Look into the Future
This chaotic, aggressive start to the season forced a massive cultural and tactical reset within the squad. The coaching staff realized that this level of indiscipline was unsustainable. As the season progressed, the team learned to channel that aggression into organized pressing rather than reckless tackles. By the time this core group of players lifted the KNVB Cup in 2015, they had transformed from a volatile, card-collecting liability into a hardened, disciplined unit. This page remains a testament to their wild, untamed growing pains.