DUTCH DUO GO HEAD TO HEAD
Luhukay faces compatriot Stam with place in FA Cup fifth round at stake
They must also, like us, work hard to stay in the league.
Jos Luhukay, on tonight’s FA Cup fourth-round opponents Reading.
AS A nation, Holland’s association with the FA Cup is a decorated one.
From fleet-footed Netherlands winger Marc Overmars stroking home a sweet opening goal for Arsenal in the 1998 showpiece to the predatory prowess of ex-Manchester United goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy in downing defiant Millwall with a double in the 2004 final at the Millennium Stadium, Dutch footballing artists have painted some memorable cup pictures.
Not forgetting, of course, the sight of an Amsterdammer in Ruud Gullit managing Chelsea to Cup success at Middlesbrough’s expense at Wembley in 1997.
Of course, it would take a supreme optimist to expect either Jos Luhukay or Jaap Stam to be leading their team out at Wembley in the final in May.
But an abiding Cup memory or two in 2017-18 would unquestionably reinvigorate a season that has been as flat as the traditional Dutch landscape so far for their respective clubs of Sheffield Wednesday and Reading.
Just a plain old routine victory this evening would probably be gratefully received, given recent evidence although progression courtesy of an uplifting display would be the ideal scenario.
Wednesday’s only win at Hillsborough since the end of October arrived in the competition, with Luhukay’s first Hillsborough appointment yielding Cup progress in a 2-0 third-round replay victory over Carlisle United on a snowy Sheffield evening ten days ago.
On the same night, Stam’s Reading also eased past lower league visitors in a 3-0 replay triumph over Stevenage, which represented the Berkshire’s side’s only success in their last ten matches.
So no one can say that the Cup will not matter this evening and just as the Capital One Cup helped Luhukay’s successor Carlos Carvalhal’s star to rise at Wednesday in 2015-16, so a strong Cup run would undeniably help Luhukay earn some early kudos a few seasons on.
Assessing the game’s importance for the Owls, seeking to reach the last 16 for just the second time in seven years, Luhukay said: “Of course, it is a situation where you can gain confidence in yourself if you play a good game and get to the next round. It makes getting in the next round very important to us.
“We must try and do what the club have done in some of the previous years.”
On the competition’s allure, which has not escaped him as a Dutchman with a passion for football, which is not restricted by geographical boundaries, he added: “I follow the FA Cup final and the Premier League, of course.
“When you like football, you look at what has happened in Germany and the Netherlands, but also in England.
“You always see the (cup) finals. In the Netherlands, for example, in the morning at nine or ten o’clock, you see the fans in the city where it is played and everybody is happy. Every hour that the final gets close, you see the atmosphere in and around the stadium, which is fantastic.”
While the currency of wins would further ingratiate Luhukay with any Wednesdayites still sceptical at his appointment, his compatriot Stam is in need of victories to maintain his hold on his position, which has looked in peril of late given the Royals’ demise.
The pair may share the same mother tongue and homeland, but there will be no room for favours come kick-off.
On locking horns with Stam, Luhukay said: “When we were young, we played some games against each other in the league in the Netherlands. I also met him when he was with the Ajax training staff at one time.
“Last year was his first year (managing) in England and he did a very good job and everyone knows that the (play-off) final against Huddersfield was not so happy for him and it will have been very disappointing for him personally.
“Last year they were at the top of the Championship and now they must also, like us, work hard to stay in the league and build a better situation.”
Alongside Luhukay and Stam, another Dutchman will be hoping that the cup fates smile kindly on him this evening, with new Owls recruit Joey Pelupessy in the reckoning for his debut after his arrival from Heracles Almelo.
On the prospect of home supporters being afforded their first glimpse of Pelupessy in competitive action, Luhukay said: “Joey has been training with us for one week now, so he has learned about his colleagues better.
“Every day he has been in the (training) team and he is also an option for the next game. Joey is in a very good physical situation and is at the top in his energy and conditioning.
“So we will not be afraid of him if he plays on Friday or Tuesday.”
Last six games: Sheffield Wednesday LLDDWD Reading DLDDWL. Referee: J Brooks (Leicestershire). Last time: Sheffield Wednesday 0 Reading 2; March 17, 2017; Championship.