Rutten leads Twente to land of plenty

Fred Rutten said it was "fantastic to say goodbye this way" after leading FC Twente to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers in his final game at the club.

Shock success
A 0-0 draw at the Amsterdam ArenA on Sunday saw the Enschede side hold on for a 2-1 aggregate win in the play-off for the final Eredivisie UEFA Champions League place – in the third qualifying round – to give local fans something to remember Rutten by next season, following his decision to leave the club to take charge of Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04.

'You have dreams'
"As a coach you have dreams every now and then, but qualifying for the Champions League with Twente is something I never would have imagined," said the 45-year-old former central defender, who played 307 games for Twente between 1980 and 1992. "We all have worked very hard for this. I don't mean just me – the whole club, the board, the people who work hard every day and the players.

Great legacy
"FC Twente is in my heart, so it's fantastic to be able to say goodbye this way," added Rutten, in his first job after assisting Guus Hiddink at PSV Eindhoven. "It is not sad to leave at this moment as I have every faith in Twente's future. There is a good foundation. There is a stable organisation that will make steps forward without me. I am not leaving anything behind here."

Enschede celebrates
Twente won the first leg against Ajax 2-1 at their temporary home in Emmen but with renovation work on their Arke Stadium set to be finished soon, things are looking up for Twente. "Playing in the Champions League can help the club to grow just a bit further again," Rutten added, as crowds gathered in Enschede Grote Markt to celebrate Twente's stunning achievement.