John de Wolf
Encyclopedia
Johannes "John" Hildebrand de Wolf (born 10 December 1962 in Schiedam
, Zuid-Holland) is a retired Dutch
footballer
, who earned six caps for the Dutch national team
, scoring two goals.
, making his senior debut in 1983. After two seasons in the team, he departed for FC Groningen where he continued to impress and won a call-up to the Dutch national team
in 1987.
The defender moved on to Feyenoord in 1989 and after a season outside their first team, he settled into the side and won the Dutch league championship in 1992–93
with the club. He also won three Dutch Cups
during a stay of four full seasons.
He left for English First Division
(second tier) side Wolverhampton Wanderers
in December 1995 for £600,000. He was swiftly made captain of the side by manager Graham Taylor, and helped them reach the FA Cup
quarter-finals, as well as remarkably scoring a hat-trick from centre-back in one game against Port Vale
. However, he soon suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of the promotion run-in, where the team would ultimately lose to Bolton
in the play-offs.
The following season
, however, he missed most games as Wolves finished a lowly 20th in the final table. The Dutchman fell out with new manager Mark McGhee
who attempted to select to him for the reserve side, only for De Wolf to speak out and claim that he should not be fielded in the reserves as he was an experienced player who had not been injured. He left the club soon afterwards and returned to his homeland with VVV-Venlo of the second division.
After a solitary season back in his native land with VVV, he once again moved abroad, joining Israeli side Hapoel Ashkelon in 1997. He failed to adapt though and made only three appearances - scoring an own goal in his final game - before quickly returning to Dutch football with Helmond Sport
in the second flight
. He had a strained personal relationship with the club, though, and both parties agreed to terminate his contract during his second season. De Wolf instead ended the campaign with a short spell as player-manager of amateur side Zwart Wit'28.
He retired from playing in 2000, and joined RKSV Halsteren as trainer. He has been manager of three different sides since - SVVSMC
, VV Haaglandia and FC Türkiyemspor. He left the latter in February 2008. In February 2009 de Wolf became the manager of Voorschoten '97. A side in the Eerste Klasse
B. For the season 2009-2010 he became manager of WKE
, a Dutch hoofdklasse
team.
on 16 December 1987 in a 3–0 win in Greece
during their Euro '88 qualifying campaign. After this substitute appearance though, he was not chosen again for over five years. He returned to contention under managerialship of Dick Advocaat
and won five further caps during 1993-94.
He scored two international goals during a 6–0 thrashing of San Marino
in March 1993 and was subsequently chosen for the squad for the 1994 World Cup
, however he did not feature in any of the games. His final cap came on 13 October 1993 in a 2–0 win against England
that effectively ended both their hopes of qualifying and Graham Taylor's reign as manager. Ironically, it would be Taylor who would next sign de Wolf in his club career (for Wolves
).
In 2006, he was one of the participants on the Dutch hit-show Dancing with the Stars
. He also featured on the show Fighting with the Stars in 2007, where he fought - and lost to - Tschen La Ling
, another former football player.
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, Zuid-Holland) is a retired Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, who earned six caps for the Dutch national team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, scoring two goals.
Club
De Wolf began his professional career with Sparta RotterdamSparta Rotterdam
Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Sparta is one of three professional football clubs from Rotterdam, the others being Excelsior and Feyenoord , the latter playing in the Eredivisie.-History:Sparta was first founded in 1887....
, making his senior debut in 1983. After two seasons in the team, he departed for FC Groningen where he continued to impress and won a call-up to the Dutch national team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
in 1987.
The defender moved on to Feyenoord in 1989 and after a season outside their first team, he settled into the side and won the Dutch league championship in 1992–93
Eredivisie 1992-93
The Dutch Eredivisie in the 1992/1993 season was contested by 18 teams. Feyenoord won the championship.-League standings:1 Winners KNVB Cup. 2 Fortuna Sittard and FC Den Bosch both relegated after losing their promotion/relegation play-offs....
with the club. He also won three Dutch Cups
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
during a stay of four full seasons.
He left for English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(second tier) side Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in December 1995 for £600,000. He was swiftly made captain of the side by manager Graham Taylor, and helped them reach the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
quarter-finals, as well as remarkably scoring a hat-trick from centre-back in one game against Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. However, he soon suffered a knee injury that ruled him out of the promotion run-in, where the team would ultimately lose to Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in the play-offs.
The following season
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
, however, he missed most games as Wolves finished a lowly 20th in the final table. The Dutchman fell out with new manager Mark McGhee
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee is a former Scottish professional football player. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading...
who attempted to select to him for the reserve side, only for De Wolf to speak out and claim that he should not be fielded in the reserves as he was an experienced player who had not been injured. He left the club soon afterwards and returned to his homeland with VVV-Venlo of the second division.
After a solitary season back in his native land with VVV, he once again moved abroad, joining Israeli side Hapoel Ashkelon in 1997. He failed to adapt though and made only three appearances - scoring an own goal in his final game - before quickly returning to Dutch football with Helmond Sport
Helmond Sport
Helmond Sport is a Dutch football club, playing in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and located in Helmond, Noord-Brabant. The club was founded on July 27, 1967, as a breakaway from the local professional club Helmondia '55, which had gone bankrupt.-History:...
in the second flight
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
. He had a strained personal relationship with the club, though, and both parties agreed to terminate his contract during his second season. De Wolf instead ended the campaign with a short spell as player-manager of amateur side Zwart Wit'28.
He retired from playing in 2000, and joined RKSV Halsteren as trainer. He has been manager of three different sides since - SVVSMC
Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging
Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging was a Dutch professional football club from Schiedam. Founded in 1904, the club won the Dutch national football title in 1949. In 1991, SVV and neighbouring Dordrecht'90 merged to form FC Dordrecht.-History:...
, VV Haaglandia and FC Türkiyemspor. He left the latter in February 2008. In February 2009 de Wolf became the manager of Voorschoten '97. A side in the Eerste Klasse
Eerste Klasse
The Eerste Klasse is the fifth tier of football in the Netherlands, and the second tier of amateur football. The league is divided into eleven divisions, five for Saturday clubs and six for Sunday clubs...
B. For the season 2009-2010 he became manager of WKE
WKE
WKE WKE WKE (Woonwagenkamp Emmen is a football club from Emmen in the Netherlands. WKE was founded on June 14, 1966 by residents of the local trailer park. The club won promotion to the hoofdklasse in 1981. Since 1981, WKE was relegated to the Eerste Klasse in 1998 and 2004...
, a Dutch hoofdklasse
Hoofdklasse
The Hoofdklasse is the 2nd highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fourth tier in general.-Background:The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of the traditional pillarisation , the segregation of Dutch society. The Saturday-clubs are by...
team.
International
De Wolf made his debut for the NetherlandsNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
on 16 December 1987 in a 3–0 win in Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
during their Euro '88 qualifying campaign. After this substitute appearance though, he was not chosen again for over five years. He returned to contention under managerialship of Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...
and won five further caps during 1993-94.
He scored two international goals during a 6–0 thrashing of San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
in March 1993 and was subsequently chosen for the squad for the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, however he did not feature in any of the games. His final cap came on 13 October 1993 in a 2–0 win against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
that effectively ended both their hopes of qualifying and Graham Taylor's reign as manager. Ironically, it would be Taylor who would next sign de Wolf in his club career (for Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
).
Outside football
De Wolf is currently working as a TV presenter on Dutch regional channel RNN7, on a show entitled Living with John. He began his media career in 2004 on Correct Studio Sport, before presenting the programmes Cooking with John and Sleeping with John.In 2006, he was one of the participants on the Dutch hit-show Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
. He also featured on the show Fighting with the Stars in 2007, where he fought - and lost to - Tschen La Ling
Tschen La Ling
Tscheu La Ling is a former Dutch football player who has played for clubs in the Netherlands, Greece and France. His name has been spelled in various ways throughout his career, but usually as Tsheu La Ling; he was generally uninterested in how it was spelled but revealed in a February 2007...
, another former football player.