The
rise and fall of KV Mechelen : The Belgian club with Dutch Flair
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When
one thinks of Belgian club soccer, most immediately think of Anderlecht, Club
Brugge and Standard Liege. However, for a few years in the late 1980s and early
1990s, small club KV Mechelen (Malines, for French Speakers), held its own not
only domestically but also with the continent’s best. This heavily Dutch
reinforced club showed that with many efficient signings, it could win trophies
at home and abroad.
The
team achieved promotion to the Belgian First Division in 1981, at which point
the club was taken over by the Telindus Company of John Cordier.
The
team’s initial stay in the First Division was very short as it finished last
for the 1981/82 season. John Cordier
was elected to the Club Presidency in 1982 and in the coming years instituted
changes to build a competitive team.
The
team was promoted again in 1983 and stayed there to write the best pages of its
history.
Success
did not come overnight and Mechelen struggled for a few seasons. In these first
few seasons back, the Dutch Manager Leo Canjels could not muster more than
First Division survival as a result he departed midway through the 1984/85
season.
From
1985 onwards Ernest Kunnecke managed the team and he could already count upon
future mainstays of the team such as Dutch striker Piet Den Boer, West German
midfielder Joachim Benfled, Albert Cluytens, Raymond Jaspers, Geert Deferm,
Wilfried Dommicent and Koenrad Sanders. Though that was still insufficient for
European qualification.
The
first significant player purchases occurred in the summer of 1985 as Ronny
Martens (Gent), Gaston Boeckstaens (Antwerp), former International Walter
Meeuws (Ajax) and most importantly the Dutch duo of defender Graeme Rutjes
(Excelsior Rotterdam) and midfielder Erwin Koeman (Groningen) joined the club.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 136, April 1987
(Ronny Martens) |
Despite
these acquisitions the team struggled for the 1985/86 season with an ultimate
eleventh place finish, as a result midway through the season Cordier appointed
the young Authoritarian Dutch Manager Aad De Mos. The former Ajax Manager De
Mos had won League titles with Ajax and had overseen the developments of Marco
van Basten and Frank Rijkaard among others.
 |
Photo
From: Foot Magazine, Issue 79, May 1988
(Aad De Mos)
|
It
was the following season (1986/87) that Mechelen really established itself as a
player in the Belgian Football scene.
More
significant player purchases signaled their ambition.
Three
key defensive signings were made. Goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme joined after a
nearly a decade at Standard Liege. National team defender Leo Clijsters arrived
from Waterschei. Dutch defender Wim Hofkens arrived from Beerschot following a
long spell at giants Anderlecht. Defender Paul Theunis arrived from Beveren and
midfielders Alain De Nil and Paul De Mesmaeker arrived from Molenbeek.
 |
Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, 1989
(Leo Clijsters)
|
With
a stronger lineup, Mechelen challenged the giants of Anderlecht for the League
title and pushed them all the way to the end. In the end Anderlecht won just by
two points. Mechelen’s solid defense conceded only 18 goals the entire season.
To cap a strong season, Mechelen triumphed in the Belgian Cup by defeating FC
Liege on June 14, 1987 (1-0) from a goal by Piet Den Boer.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 136, April 1987
(Piet Den Boer and Paul De Mesmaeker)
|
This
opened the doors to the Cup Winners Cup and a first foray in European
Competition. In addition to instituting full professionalism at the club, John
Cordier was being praised for a number of innovative ideas. For instance,
installing Luxury boxes at their home stadium for companies to invite their
clients. Another novel concept was founding of a Company (Cova Invest) to buy the
players and loan them back to the team.
With
a backbone of a team in place, Mechelen made another number of purchases.
Walter Meeuws retired and Ronny Martens left to join Gent.
Israeli
striker Eli Ohana joined from Beitar Jerusalem, along with future Belgian
International midfielder Marc Emmers from Waterschei and Pascal De Wilde from
Harelbeke.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 149, May 1988
(Eli Ohana)
|
By
now Dutch Football was going through a renaissance and that influence was very
visible at Mechelen. Apart from the Manager, Graeme Rutjes, Wim Hofkens, Erwin
Koeman and Piet Den Boer contributed to the positive image of Dutch Football
that was about to take Europe at International level.
It
was also during this season (1987/88) that Michel Preud’homme was elevated as
Belgium’s number one goalkeeper, a position that he would hold on to until
1994.
Mechelen
once again fought for the League Title, but once again had to contend for a
runner-up finish behind the other local giant Club Brugge.
However,
Mechelen wrote its name in the history books by their Cup Winners Cup run.
Romania’s
Dinamo Bucharest (1-0, 2-0 away) and Scotland’s St Mirren (0-0, 2-0 away) were
eliminated in the first two rounds with Mechelen’s defense unbreached.
In
the quarterfinals, USSR’s Dinamo Minsk was eliminated after two closely fought
contests (1-0, 1-1 away). In the semifinals, Mechelen faced the surprising
second Division Italian side of Atalanta and defeated them home and away by the
score of 2-1.
 |
Photo
From: Foot Magazine, Issue 79, May 1988
(Graeme Rutjes and Marc Emmers celebrating
Mechelen’s qualification, April 20, 1988, Cup Winners Cup, Atalanta 1-Mechelen
2)
|
For the Final, they faced the defending Champions Ajax at
Strasbourg’s La Meinau Stadium on May 11, 1988. In a memorable year for
Holland, PSV Eindhoven won the Champions Cup, the Cup Winners Cup opponents
were Ajax and a Mechelen side with a strong Dutch contingent and with many of
these same players the national team triumphed in the UEFA European
Championships in West Germany.
For
the Cup Winners Cup Final, Mechelen triumphed from a goal by Den Boer. In just
a number of years Cordier had transformed an average team into European
silverware winners. Following this victory, he summed up the team’s philosophy:
ambitious players such as Ohana who want to go places and avoid unambitious and
injury prone players.
With
European glory achieved, all the elements were in place to finally land a
League title.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 150, June 1988
(Piet Den Boer celebrating the winner , May 11,
1988, Cup Winners Cuyp, Mechelen 1-Ajax 0)
|
Young
striker and future National team Manager Marc Wilmots arrived from St Truiden,
along with another Dutch International, Ajax’s Johnny Bosman. Future
International midfielder Bruno Versavel arrived from Lokeren, along with Frank
Leen from Lommel.
Despite
resistance from Anderlecht, Mechelen deservedly won the League title for the
1988/89 season and the fourth in its history since winning three titles in the
1940s.
Along
the way, they also won the UEFA Super Cup by defeating PSV Eindhoven in
February 1989 (3-0, 0-1 away).
 |
Photo
From: Onze-Mondial, Issue 24, January 1991
(Marc Wilmots)
|
They
defended their European crown all the way up to the semifinals, After
eliminating Avenir Beggen in the First Round, they eliminated their local
League rivals Anderlecht in the second Round (1-0 and 2-0 away). They
eliminated West Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarterfinals to face
Gianluca Vialli’s equally ambitious Sampdoria side in the semifinals. Despite
winning 2-1 at home, they were swept aside 0-3 at Genoa.
Following
this triumphant season, Aad De Mos surprisingly announced that he was leaving
and joining rivals Anderlecht. This took many by surprise and Koenrad Sanders
whose excellent season had earned him a cap in 1989, expressed his
disappointment and the importance of De Mos by saying that he had been
successful in turning modest players like himself into much improved players
and now he was taking all that and his knowledge of Mechelen’s inner workings
to their greatest rival.
As
his replacement, Cordier appointed former Dutch great Ruud Krol, who had no
previous coaching experience.
Also
leaving was veteran Dutch striker Piet Den Boer who joined Bordeaux.
International
defender Phillipe Albert came on board to strengthen the defense, while striker
Francis Severyns arrived after a disappointing season at Pisa in the Serie A.
Bruno Versavel’s brother Patrick also joined him at Mechelen from Lokeren.
Mechelen
started the Season in an unconvincing fashion and soon Krol’s inexperience was
blamed for the stuttering start.
He
was replaced by Assistant Fi Van Hoof who somewhat steadied the ship.
They
had to contend with a third place finish in the League (1989/90 season) behind
Champions Club Brugge and Anderlecht.
In
the Champions Cup, they successfully defeated Noway’s Rosenborg and Sweden’s
Malmo in the first two rounds. In the Quarterfinals, they faced the defending Champions
and eventual repeat winners the mighty AC Milan.
After
a scoreless tie at home in the first leg, they more than held there own in the
return leg at San Siro but finally succumbed with two goals in overtime.
This
was perhaps as high as Mechelen was able to attain continentally and slowly in
the coming seasons the team was broken apart and weakened due to financial
reasons.
That
summer Graeme Rutjes joined Anderlecht, which would become the favorite future
destination of many of Mechelen’s stars.
Eli
Ohana left and joined Portugal’s Braga, while Dutch Internationals Erwin Koeman
and Johnny Bosman joined PSV Eindhoven.
The
new recruits including players such as Sweden’s Klas Ingesson (IFK Gothenburg),
Dutch International Rene Eykelkamp (Groningen), Australian striker Zlatko
Arambasic and Romanian Lucian Ilie were not the top quality recruits that the
club had been used to in the preceding years. They nevertheless finished
runner-up behind Anderlecht in the League (1990/91 season), but were defeated
in the Cup Final to Club Brugge.
In
the UEFA Cup they were eliminated in the first round by Sporting Lisbon.
Following
this season, Wim Hofkens and Pascal De Wilde also departed.
Georges
Leekens came on board as Manager, but the team was continuing to weaken. Its
most significant purchase for the (1991/92 season) was Swedish striker Kennet
Andersson. Its financial difficulties were further illustrated when during the
season they were forced to sell Marc Emmers and Bruno Versavel to Anderlecht.
The team’s slow decline left them with a fourth place finish and narrow UEFA
Cup qualification. The team once again reached the Cup Final but was defeated
by Antwerp after a penalty kick shoot-out.
In
UEFA Cup, they were once again eliminated in the First Round to Greece’s PAOK.
Veteran
Leo Clijsters left at the end of that season to play for FC Liege for one final
season.
Phillipe
Albert also joined the growing former Mechelen players’ colony at Anderlecht.
By
1992, John Cordier announced that he would leave the club by the end of the
season due to financial difficulties. He had personally bought many of the
players and to save his company he was forced to sell off players.
With
Fi Van Hoof back at the helm, Mechelen finished the season (1992/93) at Third
place and qualified for UEFA Cup. In the UEFA Cup, they were able to survive
two rounds, after eliminating Orebro they were stopped by Holland’s Vitesse
Arnhem.
This
was the last season where Mechelen was significant in the League, as in the
following campaigns they ended in mid table positions at best.
The
following season (1993/94) was also their last European adventure, as the club
reached the Third Round after defeating Norkopping and MTK Budapest. However,
The Italians of Cagliari ended Mechelen’s European adventure that stretched
back to 1987.
Michel
Preud’Homme finally left the club in the summer of 1994 as the last remnant of
the glorious era.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 136, April 1987
(Michel Preud’Homme)
|
The
club was relegated in 1996/97 and with the financial situation unresolved, the
club was liquidated on December 7, 2002. Since then the club has been saved and
even earned promotion to the First Division in 2008.
John
Cordier passed away on January 22, 2002, aged just 57. He oversaw the creation a great team from
modest means, but as is the tale of small teams, the winning momentum is
temporary and is always at the mercy of bigger and wealthier clubs.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 150, June 1988
(Mechelen squad, Top,
left to right : Graeme Rutjes, Geert Deferm , Eli Ohana, Michel
Preud’Homme, Piet Den Boer, Erwin Koeman, Bottom, left to right : Pascal
De Wilde, Marc Emmers, Leo Clijsters, Koenrad Sanders, Wim Hofkens, May 11,
1988, Cup Winners Cuyp, Mechelen 1-Ajax 0) |
