Koeman comes to Feyenoord aid

Feyenoord have appointed Erwin Koeman as their new coach on a two-year contract. The former RKC Waalwijk coach succeeds Ruud Gullit, who stepped down on Monday.

'Very proud'
"I am very proud that a club like Feyenoord has come to me for this job," said Koeman, the 43-year-old older brother of former Ajax coach Ronald. "It is a huge and fantastic challenge to start in Rotterdam. The fact that the management of such a megaclub has shown their faith in me, really means something to me."

RKC impress
Koeman guided RKC to ninth place in the Eredivisie this season in his first stint as a head coach. He started his coaching career with the PSV Eindhoven reserves in 2000 before becoming assistant first-team coach at the Philips Stadion from 2001 to 2004.

Playing success
Koeman played for FC Groningen, PSV and Belgian side KV Mechelen, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1988. He was also a Dutch international and was in the side that Gullit captained to the UEFA European championship title in 1988.

Ideal candidate
Gullit left Feyenoord after a disappointing league season in which Feyenoord finished fourth, 25 points behind champions PSV. Feyenoord's technical director Mark Wotte said Koeman had been Feyenoord's first choice and was the ideal candidate to put the club back on track.

'Regain lost ground'
"We believe that Feyenoord will regain the lost ground under Erwin Koeman's command," Wotte told a news conference on Saturday. "But we had to pay RKC Waalwijk a fee because Erwin was still under contract until 2007 and this morning we reached an agreement with the Ruud Gullit's lawyer about the settlement of his contract that was due to finish next summer."

'Tough to leave'
A proud Koeman said he felt wonderful signing for a club like Feyenoord but it was also hard leaving Waalwijk. "RKC didn't make it difficult," he said. "They understood that this was an enormous career step for me, but still it is tough to leave them so soon."