View source for Frans Thijssen

{{Short description|Dutch footballer (born 1952)}}
{{distinguish|Frans Thissen}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Frans Thijssen
| image = Frans Thijssen (1979).jpeg
| caption = Thijssen in 1979
| full_name =
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1952|1|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Heumen|Malden]], Netherlands
| height =
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = [[Juliana '31]]
| years1 = 1970–1973 | years2 = 1973–1979 | years3 = 1979–1983 | years4 = 1983–1984 | years5 = 1984 | years6 = 1984–1987 | years7 = 1987–1988 | years8 =1988–1991
| clubs1 = [[NEC Nijmegen]] | clubs2 = [[FC Twente]] | clubs3 = [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] | clubs4 = [[Nottingham Forest]] | clubs5 = [[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] | clubs6 = [[Fortuna Sittard]] | clubs7 = [[FC Groningen]] | clubs8 =[[Vitesse Arnhem]]
| caps1 = 83 | goals1 = 10 | caps2 = 167 | goals2 = 47 | caps3 = 125 | goals3 = 10 | caps4 = 17 | goals4 = 3 | caps5 = 45 | goals5 = 9 | caps6 = 79 | goals6 = 11 | caps7 = 25 | goals7 = 0 | caps8 = 87 | goals8 = 1
| totalcaps = 628 | totalgoals = 91
| nationalyears1= 1975–1981
| nationalteam1= [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.voetbalstats.nl/nedxi/sp503.html |title=Interlands Frans Thijssen |access-date=15 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406111449/http://www.voetbalstats.nl/nedxi/sp503.html |archive-date=6 April 2009}}</ref>
| nationalcaps1= 14 | nationalgoals1 = 3
| manageryears1 = 1995–1996 | manageryears2 = 1997–1998 | manageryears3 = 1999 | manageryears4 = 2000–2001 | manageryears5 = 2014–2015
| managerclubs1 = [[Vitesse Arnhem]] | managerclubs2 = [[Malmö FF]] | managerclubs3 = [[De Graafschap]] | managerclubs4 = [[Fortuna Sittard]] | managerclubs5 = [[Brisbane Roar FC|Brisbane Roar]] (caretaker manager)
}}
'''Frans Thijssen''' (born 23 January 1952) is a Dutch former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[midfielder]]. He won fourteen caps for the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] between 1975 and 1981.

==Playing career==
Thijssen started his professional career in 1970 with [[NEC Nijmegen]]. In 1973, he moved to [[FC Twente]], where he played for nearly six seasons.

In 1979, Thijssen moved to England to sign for [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]] joining former FC Twente teammate [[Arnold Mühren]]. In 1981 he was the first Dutchman to be voted [[Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year|English Footballer of the Year]] as he helped Ipswich Town win the [[UEFA Cup]], scoring one goal in each of the two legs of the final. He played a big part in their run to the semi-finals of the [[FA Cup]], and they also finished second in the league that season. He helped them finish second again the following year, but a year later he departed from [[Portman Road]] after four years to sign for [[Brian Clough]]'s [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]], but he was not nearly as successful at the [[City Ground]] as he had been in [[East Anglia]], and he had left the club within months.

He also had a stint in the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]] with the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]]. In 1984, he returned to his native country, to play for [[Fortuna Sittard]] (1984–1987), [[FC Groningen]] (1987–1988) and [[Vitesse Arnhem]] (1988–1991).

==Managerial career==
After his active career he became a football manager. In 1997, he became manager for the Swedish club [[Malmö FF]] and spent two years there.

After several seasons without success, Thijssen was sacked as manager for Malmö FF during the middle of season 1998. At the time of his dismissal Malmö was in danger of being relegated to the first division (Superettan) for the first time in the club's history. Thijssen was replaced by [[Roland Andersson]] and [[Thomas Sjöberg]].

On 24 November 2014, Thijssen was named interim coach of the [[Brisbane Roar]] in the Australian [[A-League]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/football-news/brisbane-roar-name-frans-thijssen-caretaker-coach-6162125 |title=Brisbane Roar name Frans Thijssen as caretaker coach - Football News &#124; TVNZ |access-date=24 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129143159/http://tvnz.co.nz/football-news/brisbane-roar-name-frans-thijssen-caretaker-coach-6162125 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Managerial statistics==
{{updated|4 March 2015}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Nat
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|-
!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %
|-
|align=left|[[Brisbane Roar FC|Brisbane Roar]]
|{{flagicon|Australia}}
|align=left|24 November 2014
|align=left|8 June 2015
{{WDL|28|11|5|12}}
|-
!colspan="4"|Total
{{WDLtot|28|11|5|12}}
|}

==Honours==
'''FC Twente'''
*[[KNVB Cup]]: [[1976–77 KNVB Cup|1976–77]]

'''Ipswich Town'''
*[[UEFA Cup]]: [[UEFA Cup 1980-81#Final|1980–81]]

'''Vitesse Arnhem'''
*[[Eerste Divisie]]: [[1988–89 Eerste Divisie|1988–89]]

'''Individual'''
*[[Ipswich Town F.C. Player of the Year|Ipswich Town Player of the Year]]: 1979–80<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.knvb.nl/oranje/selectie/spelers/detail?player_id=1203 |title=Frans Thijssen profile |publisher=KNVB.nl |access-date=26 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027123128/http://www.knvb.nl/oranje/selectie/spelers/detail?player_id=1203 |archive-date=27 October 2007 }}</ref>
* Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year: [[PFA Team of the Year (1980s)#First Division 2|1980–81]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Lynch |title=The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes |page=143}}</ref>
*[[Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year]] 1980–81
* [[Onze d'Or|Onze Mondial]]: 1981<ref>{{Cite web|title="Onze Mondial" Awards|url=https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html|access-date=2021-12-17|website=[[RSSSF]]|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704020132/http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Eerste Divisie]] Player of the Year: [[1987–88 Eerste Divisie|1987–88]]<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/nedpoy.html | title = Netherlands - Player of the Year and Other Awards | access-date = 11 May 2020}}</ref>
*[[Ipswich Town F.C. Hall of Fame|Ipswich Town Hall of Fame]]: Inducted 2008<ref>{{Cite news | url = http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/thijssen_inducted_into_town_hall_of_fame_1_165261 | title = Thijssen inducted into Town Hall of Fame | first = Elvin | last = King | date = 8 July 2008 | access-date = 3 September 2016 | work = East Anglian Daily Times }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.dutchplayers.nl/player.php?id=282 Dutch Players Abroad site for Thijssen]
* [http://www.beijen.net/frank/cvs/thijssen-f.htm Profile]

{{navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list1 = 
{{1980–81 Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year}}
{{1983 NASL All-Stars}}
{{1984 NASL All-Stars}}
{{FWA Footballer of the Year}}
{{Ipswich Town F.C. Player of the Year}}
}}
{{Netherlands squad UEFA Euro 1980}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list1 = 
{{Vitesse Arnhem managers}}
{{Malmö FF managers}}
{{De Graafschap managers}}
{{Fortuna Sittard managers}}
{{Brisbane Roar FC head coaches}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thijssen, Frans}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Heumen]]
[[Category:Dutch men's footballers]]
[[Category:Netherlands men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Dutch football managers]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players]]
[[Category:Ipswich Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Fortuna Sittard players]]
[[Category:NEC Nijmegen players]]
[[Category:Nottingham Forest F.C. players]]
[[Category:FC Twente players]]
[[Category:FC Groningen players]]
[[Category:SBV Vitesse players]]
[[Category:Eredivisie players]]
[[Category:Eerste Divisie players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Canada]]
[[Category:SBV Vitesse managers]]
[[Category:De Graafschap managers]]
[[Category:Malmö FF managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Sweden]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Sweden]]
[[Category:Al-Wakrah SC managers]]
[[Category:Fortuna Sittard managers]]
[[Category:Qatar SC managers]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 1980 players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:UEFA Europa League–winning players]]
[[Category:Juliana '31 players]]
[[Category:Expatriate soccer managers in Australia]]
[[Category:A-League Men managers]]
[[Category:Brisbane Roar FC managers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Gelderland]]
[[Category:Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Australia]]
[[Category:20th-century Dutch sportsmen]]