Frans Thijssen (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He won fourteen caps for the Netherlands between 1975 and 1981.
.jpeg) Thijssen in 1979 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 January 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Malden, Netherlands | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Juliana '31 | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1973 | NEC Nijmegen | 83 | (10) |
| 1973–1979 | FC Twente | 167 | (47) |
| 1979–1983 | Ipswich Town | 125 | (10) |
| 1983–1984 | Nottingham Forest | 17 | (3) |
| 1984 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 45 | (9) |
| 1984–1987 | Fortuna Sittard | 79 | (11) |
| 1987–1988 | FC Groningen | 25 | (0) |
| 1988–1991 | Vitesse Arnhem | 87 | (1) |
| Total | 628 | (91) | |
| International career | |||
| 1975–1981 | Netherlands[1] | 14 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1995–1996 | Vitesse Arnhem | ||
| 1997–1998 | Malmö FF | ||
| 1999 | De Graafschap | ||
| 2000–2001 | Fortuna Sittard | ||
| 2014–2015 | Brisbane Roar (caretaker manager) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
editThijssen started his professional career in 1970 with NEC Nijmegen. In 1973, he moved to FC Twente, where he played for nearly six seasons.
In 1979, Thijssen moved to England to sign for Ipswich Town joining former FC Twente teammate Arnold Mühren. In 1981 he was the first Dutchman to be voted English Footballer of the Year as he helped Ipswich Town win the UEFA Cup, scoring one goal in each of the two legs of the final. He played a big part in their run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and they also finished second in the league that season. He helped them finish second again the following year, but a year later he departed from Portman Road after four years to sign for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, but he was not nearly as successful at the City Ground as he had been in East Anglia, and he had left the club within months.
He also had a stint in the NASL with the Vancouver Whitecaps. In 1984, he returned to his native country, to play for Fortuna Sittard (1984–1987), FC Groningen (1987–1988) and Vitesse Arnhem (1988–1991).
Managerial career
editAfter his active career he became a football manager. In 1997, he became manager for the Swedish club Malmö FF and spent two years there.
After several seasons without success, Thijssen was sacked as manager for Malmö FF during the middle of season 1998. At the time of his dismissal Malmö was in danger of being relegated to the first division (Superettan) for the first time in the club's history. Thijssen was replaced by Roland Andersson and Thomas Sjöberg.
On 24 November 2014, Thijssen was named interim coach of the Brisbane Roar in the Australian A-League.[2]
Managerial statistics
edit- As of 4 March 2015
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Brisbane Roar | 
|
24 November 2014 | 8 June 2015 | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 39.29 |
| Total | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 39.29 | |||
Honours
editFC Twente
Ipswich Town
Vitesse Arnhem
Individual
- Ipswich Town Player of the Year: 1979–80[3]
- Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year: 1980–81[4]
- Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year 1980–81
- Eerste Divisie Player of the Year: 1987–88[5]
- Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2008[6]
References
edit- ^ "Interlands Frans Thijssen". Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
- ^ "Brisbane Roar name Frans Thijssen as caretaker coach - Football News | TVNZ". Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Frans Thijssen profile". KNVB.nl. Archived from the original on 27 October 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
- ^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 143.
- ^ "Netherlands - Player of the Year and Other Awards". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ King, Elvin (8 July 2008). "Thijssen inducted into Town Hall of Fame". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 3 September 2016.[permanent dead link]
External links
edit