THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — FC Twente fired coach Co Adriaanse Tuesday and the club’s chairman said former England coach Steve McClaren was "on the list" of candidates to replace him.
Adriaanse, a veteran coach of clubs including Ajax, Red Bull Salzburg and FC Porto, was halfway through a one-season contract at Twente.
He began his tenure by winning the season-opening Johan Cruyff Shield and the team is currently third in the Eredivisie, five points behind leader AZ Alkmaar, but relations between Adriaanse and the players and assistant trainers have been strained.
"The synergy and chemistry we hoped for never happened," Twente chairman Joop Munsterman said at a news conference.
He said there was always a fundamental difference of opinion between Adriaanse and other club officials about the style of play and it was "an error of judgment to think we could bridge the gap."
McClaren, 50, remains popular in Enschede after he coached Twente to its first Dutch league title in 2010.
Despite reports in the Dutch media that McClaren was already lined up to succeed Adriaanse, Munsterman said he was only one of a list of possible candidates.
"We want to talk (with McClaren) and we will do that in the coming days," he said. He did not name any other possible candidates.
McClaren has been out of work since leaving English second-tier side Nottingham Forest in November, after just 10 matches in charge.
Algemeen Dagblad, the country’s largest sports daily, reported that McClaren met with Twente club directors last week in London and will travel to the Canary Islands to join the team for training.
McClaren previously served as Middlesbrough coach for five years, winning the 2004 League Cup final and reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2006, losing to Sevilla.
He became England coach in 2006 but was ditched by the Football Association after just 18 months when the team failed to qualify for Euro 2008.