Football is a game of extreme emotional whiplash. In the previous matchday programme, FC Groningen was gearing up for the highly anticipated Derby van het Noorden against sc Heerenveen. By the time the February 12, 2014 edition against FC Twente went to print, that derby had turned into a nightmare. Manager Erwin van de Looi uses his “De Warming Up” column not to hype up the upcoming match, but to perform a public autopsy on the previous one.

Under the commanding headline “Rug rechten en er weer staan” (Straighten your backs and stand there again), Van de Looi doesn’t hide from the embarrassment. He describes the home defeat to Heerenveen as “very disappointing” and “painful.” Under the sub-header “PIJNLIJK,” he details the collapse: “Within a timeframe of ten minutes, we gave away three goals… With the red card for Maikel Kieftenbeld, it was actually already played in the first half.” It is a raw, unfiltered assessment of a team that completely lost its composure in the biggest game of the year.

However, Van de Looi refuses to let the season derail. He frames the collapse as an “incident” rather than a structural flaw. The upcoming match against FC Twente—a team that had humiliated Groningen 5-0 earlier in the season—was presented as the ultimate test of character. “We must quickly sweep the pieces together, straighten our backs, and be ready tonight,” he demands. It is a classic managerial call to arms, testing the psychological resilience of his dressing room.

A Look into the Future

The demand to “straighten their backs” was heard loud and clear. The squad did not let the derby disaster define their season. Maikel Kieftenbeld, the man sent off in that painful match, bounced back to become the undisputed leader and captain of the team. This ability to absorb a heavy, humiliating blow, process it as an “incident,” and immediately refocus became the defining characteristic of Van de Looi’s tenure. It was exactly this gritty, bounce-back mentality that allowed this same core group of players to navigate the intense pressure of the KNVB Cup tournament a year later, ultimately lifting the trophy in 2015.