HEERENVEEN have confirmed the appointment of a former SPFL boss as their new manager.
The Dutch side were tasked with finding a replacement for Robin van Persie after the Arsenal and Manchester United left to take over his old club Feyenoord.
Robin van Persie left the club last month[/caption]
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was high up on their shortlist[/caption]
Heerenveen had initially planned to bring in another Dutch football legend to be Van Persie’s successor.
Former Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst and ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel were both on the club’s radar.
However, reports from the Netherlands last week suggested both out-of-work gaffers turned them down.
But Heerenveen quickly moved on and found another man to take the reigns.
And similar to Van Bronckhorst, he’s someone who many Scottish football fans will already be aware of.
Former Queen‘s Park gaffer Robin Veldman has been announced as the Eredivisie side’s new head coach.
Veldman, 39, has penned a two-year contract with Heerenveen, keeping him at the Abe Lenstra Stadion until the end of the 2026/27 campaign.
He has left his role at Club NXT – Club Brugge’s reserve team – to take over the position in Friesland.
Veldman told the club’s website: “I am extremely proud to return here as head coach. My years here in the youth academy and my experiences abroad were a valuable learning experience.
“It feels really special to take this step now. The club has a clear vision and ambition. This appeals to me enormously. Together with the staff and players, I want to build a team that plays attractive, recognizable and combative football.
“The fact that I started here as an intern and am now returning as head coach completes the circle for me. I can’t wait to experience my first match as the person ultimately responsible in the Abe Lenstra stadium.”
Veldman only spent a few months in the Queen‘s dugout after taking on the role in the summer of 2023.
It was an unusual appointment from the Spiders at the time but it was regarded to be an ambitious swoop, with Veldman considered a promising young coach in his homeland.
Things didn’t work out for the Dutchman at Hampden though as he left the club in December without winning a league game since August.
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