Dutch Football - UEFA Cup - FC Twente boss Steve McClaren up for Manchester City clash

"The intellectualisation
of football has
always foundered
on a simple problem-
-the players. Doing
all your most
rewarding thinking
with your feet seems
to dull the philo-
sophical impulse.
Unless, of course,
you are Dutch.
According to legend,
Europeans played
a moronic, muscular
version of the world's
game, until Holland
proclaimed its vision
of total football in the
1974 World Cup,
and enlightenment
dawned."

From:
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

FC Twente boss Steve McClaren up for Manchester City clash

Wednesday 08 October 2008

FC Twente find themselves in what perhaps is the toughest of the eight second round groups.

Schalke 04 (Ger), Paris Saint Germain (Fra), Manchester City (Eng) and Racing Santander (Spa) are the opponents, and with away games to City and PSG the schedule doesn't improve things.

Still Twente coach Steve McClaren says he’s looking forward to FC Twente’s Uefa Cup adventure.

"It's a fantastic draw for the fans, for the club and for the players," he said.

"It's one of the toughest draws, but we've got a great draw and it's very exciting."

Speaking about facing Mark Hughes’ men he added: "I've just come back from England to catch up on football there, and the signings Man City have made are massive and they are expected to do very well. It should be a fantastic occasion for us. We weren't ready for Arsenal, that shows the gap. We are a young side, inexperienced, especially in Europe, but we will just enjoy it. It is about the future for these young players."