SC Cambuur comfortably stayed away from the relegation zone in last season's Eredivisie, finishing in 12th place after gaining promotion from the Jupiler League the season before. Their position in the league was higher than they had ever managed in the history of the club, the closest they previously got to 12th place was a 14th placed finish in the 1992-93 season. Can Cambuur do the unthinkable again and stay in the top flight for two consecutive seasons?
Last season, Cambuur finished seven points clear of the relegation play-off zone, which was occupied by RKC Waalwijk and NEC Nijmegen, both of whom were relegated, along with Roda JC, who finished bottom of the league. One thing that Cambuur lacked in numbers last season was goals, as they ended up scoring just 40 goals across the entire Eredivisie season, the lowest of any side. Despite this, they spent the majority of the season lingering in mid-table, slipping into the relegation play-off places early on, but recovering to secure the 12th place finish.
Cambuur have a team that contains several standout players, with a former Premier League player and a World Cup player both in the team. Daniël de Ridder is the former Premier League player, once with Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic in a four-year spell in England. He joins after leaving RKC Waalwijk, where he spent just half a season. Furdjel Narsingh, brother of Luciano Narsingh, who plays for PSV, is another newly-signed player, as he joined the club from Johan Cruyff Shield and KNVB Cup winners PEC Zwolle. Bartholomew Ogbeche, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain and Middlesbrough, is another player to recently join. Ogbeche also played for Nigeria in the 2002 World Cup.
Two of Cambuur's stars from last season will not be returning to the club again. Jody Lukoki and Marcel Ritzmaier, who got six assists each for the club, have returned to their parent clubs, after being loaned out from Eredivisie champions Ajax and PSV Eindhoven respectively. Despite this, the side still have their two top goalscorers from last season, with Martijn Barto and Michiel Hemmen both staying at the club for another season. The two scored over 35% of Cambuur's league goals last season, bagging 15 of the 40 between them.
The KNVB Cup run was not long lived for Cambuur, as they exited the competition at the fourth round, losing 2-0 at home to FC Utrecht, after beating third division side VV Katwijk and squeezing past NAC Breda on penalties. Last season's cup run is only bettered by their run in the 1995-96 season, where the club reached the last eight, losing to eventual runners-up, Sparta Rotterdam.
The new season preparations are going fairly well for Cambuur, who remain undefeated in their six friendlies so far, scoring an impressive 33 goals in six matches. After creating history with their highest-ever finish last season, the real question is whether manager Henk de Jong can create even more, by keeping the club in the Eredivisie for a second successive season.
