Football Talks Ep.1: Jarno Berrevoets
For my first ever Football Talk, I'm interviewing Jarno Berrevoets. Today we’ll talk about his football career, Telstar, the 1963 podcast, Football Manager and football in general.
We first met in 2019/2020 in an F1 race league, ever since then we’ve had a pretty small solid friend group and all of us are football Manager geeks now. Today I'm talking to a great friend, a well known Telstar fan and podcast host! Ladies and gentlemen, Jarno Berrevoets
Indeed we did! Feels like a lifetime ago now. I remember it very well since it was quarantine and it was just such a crazy time.
First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to sit down with me and have a little talk, as you and everyone else know my goat Ava Dongo was supposed to do this interview to start my little football blog but he changed his mind. How does it feel to get the opportunity to replace the goat?
All I can say is that there’s not a lot of people I would enjoy being second choice to, but Ava Dongo is an exception. The true African goat! How he didn’t win African player of the year multiple times is just beyond me.
Today we’ll talk about your football career, Telstar, the 1963 podcast, Football Manager and football in general!
Fire away!
Did you play football when you were younger? If so, at what age did you start, what positions did you play, and for what teams did you play?
Yeah, I did, actually. At sportpark Schoonenberg for VV IJmuiden, which is also where the Telstar stadium is located. So, yeah, I grew up and played next to the floodlights of the stadium and to be honest, I didn’t play for that long. I think I started when I was eight and quit when I was thirteen. I really played everywhere too, I have been a centreback, a leftback, a central midfielder, a left winger AND a striker. So there wasn’t much consistency to be fair.
Did you have some big football dreams like almost every kid who starts playing? If so, what were those dreams?
To be honest, not really. Obviously, I dreamed, but from young I was quite a realistic kid, I realized I wasn’t good enough quite early on. So I always dreamed of becoming an archeologist or football manager because I thought that suited me more than playing.
Everyone knows that you're a diehard Telstar fan, how/when did you stumble upon a team like Telstar?
To be honest, I think it was quite easy for me. ‘Support your local’ as I often say. Since the age of four I have lived so close to the stadium I can see the floodlights from my sisters room and our living room. Then my father took me to my first game in 2011 when I was eight/nine (Telstar - FC Zwolle 0-0) and I was sold. Since then I never left.
What do you hope for Telstar in the future and where do you see Telstar in ten years?
A cup run and one promotion before I die and I'd be incredibly happy. That’s it really. Realistically we are never gonna be a club that will consistently fight for promotion and will consistently be a force in the Eredivisie. So if we can make a cup semi final/final once and just have a promotion I’d be ecstatic. For the upcoming ten years I just want the club to survive. I don’t really have any expectations. I just want to keep going to my club, drink beers in the stands and not finish last every season!
Who is your favorite Telstar player?
My personal favorite is Tarik Tissoudali, a player you’ll obviously know since he has had a very good career after Telstar. He was the first player I really fell in love with. He was also at the club in the years I went to more games since I was getting a little older so I was allowed to go more often by my mom.
The 1963 podcast is currently the only existing Telstar podcast. How did you and Sietse come up with the idea?
Beer. Loads of beer. Sounds like a joke but it is true hahahaha. We went to one of our many away days of the 22-23 season (It was de Graafschap) and we always talked about many things, it was always 50% Telstar, 25% personal lives, 25% other football. So we came up with the idea on the train to Doetinchem (and under the influence): ‘what if we just record our chats about Telstar man?’ So, we did some work to make it happen, we recorded one test/practice episode and we’ve been on it ever since!
What are your goals for the podcast?
Just have fun. We don’t really have ambitions money-wise or whatever. We just wanna keep having fun and chatting shit into our microphones. It’s just a passion project that we take seriously!
You guys also get some recognition from the club (Telstar) itself! I remember you guys could do the famous Telstar "mandjes", can you explain to people who don't know what those are and how it was to be able to do something like that?
Ah yes the mandjes. Well they are basically ‘vismandjes’ since IJmuiden is a fishing town and we have a big pole with two chords (one for us and one for the opponent) and you basically get one vismand onto the chords for every goal. It is a nice tradition that is a nice part of our beautiful club. One of our many quirks!
Telstar vismandjes
I remember you guys were also interviewed for a local newspaper, how was that?
Yes, we were! That was sick, man. We got into the local newspaper with a pretty big (one and a half page) article. It is just crazy to me that people are actually interested in us and our story. It was a lot of fun and all the credit to the IJmuider Courant man.
You also told me you’ve had a call from a newspaper to comment about the news that Telstar ended the work relationship between the club and at that time coach Mike Snoei. How did you feel that a newspaper wanted your opinion?
It was the same guy who had my phone number from the interview you mentioned in the last question, so he was making a small article about the sacking and wanted fans opinion’s, and so he called me to be one of the people in the article. Was quite cool man, to see your opinion being valued like that was very cool. Just the whole sacking was crazy, I have never seen a manager getting sacked while I have been a Telstar fan. So it was just a weird experience to be honest, getting called by the newspaper only added to that!
And of course something we can't forget and what I think is the coolest thing that came from the podcast etc, you’re basically one of their sideline media guys now at games! As a diehard Telstar fan, how cool is it to basically work for them?
Man, you were asking me about my dreams earlier. This was probably one of them, only social media wasn’t a thing as big as it is now when I was a lot younger. But man, this stuff is so so so so sick. Getting to be on the pitch and filming goals, corners and what not is amazing. Also seeing all the clubs from the inside and the press rooms is incredible. It’s also great to do it with one of my best friends, Sietse. It’s been a hell of a journey to be honest and I'm loving every second of it.
(Jarno and Telstar players, Lukas van Ingen and Yahya Boussakou)
Picture by: ©Dennisgoudafotografie
Besides being a well-known Telstar fan, I know you’re a big Football Manager guy as well, so let's talk about some Football Manager! How did you get into FM?
You, my brother! You and Kyle (a mutual friend) started playing it and you bought it for me as a present so we could play together and it’s been one of my favorite games ever since.
What was your first ever FM save?
I started with Telstar on the FM you bought me (FM 2022) and I got fired really quickly, so that was that. Then I started a St Pauli save and once again got fired, only this time I got the SC Cambuur job and stayed there for a good ten years. So, my first successful save was with Cambuur.
What has been your most fun FM save?
I think my Telstar or St Pauli saves on FM23. Both were really cool, I won a lot with Telstar (everything except the champions league), but with St Pauli I won the champions league twice and the Bundesliga many many times. But I think i’ll go with Telstar since obviously there’s a bigger emotional connection to that.
Is there a Tactic/type of play you always go to or does it depend on the save?
Depends on the save. This year I’m messing around a little with the five at the back with Telstar but with very attacking wing backs and a very defensive DM. But I’ve also had saves where I’ve just played 433. Mainly I just play to what players are available when I start the save and tweak the tactic slowly but surely throughout the years.
Have you ever had a moment in FM that really made you laugh? And if so why is it the ChoupaGoating moment?
Yeah probably the ChoupaGoating moment, and when Kyle beat me with a ridiculous tactic he found on youtube. But ChoupaGoating is probably the best. Can’t believe you bought him with AC Milan and just kept scoring with him like he was prime Messi in 2012, I felt so bad for clowning you afterwards.
(We did an online save together and I got excited when buying Choupo Moting at AC Milan, everyone laughed but he became top scorer and dunked on everyone.)
Are there certain things in FM that you wish were different?
The graphics, but that is getting a refresh next year. So that is almost fixed. So I’ll say more tactics that work. Gegenpress is just still too overpowered, I would like to play counter attacking football when I play a stronger side and actually be successful with it.
Do you have any tips/do’s/don'ts for people who are just starting their FM journey?
Don’t start with a difficult team like Telstar. Go with a good team with loads of money so that you can just figure everything out calmly and not immediately have to deal with a lack of money or funds or a bad squad. I learned it the hard way and it took a very long time since I was actually good at this game.
Besides being an absolute FM geek like me, you're also someone who loves watching football! Are there any teams/managers/players worldwide who are standing out this season for you and why?
Go Ahead Eagles! They’ve been doing incredible with limited funds the last couple years in the Eredivisie but this season has been even better. They’re in the race for European football and I would love for them to get it. As for coaches I will go with the St Pauli coach Fabian Hurzeler, he just had his 31st birthday and has St Pauli top of the table in the second Bundesliga. He has such a bright future, what he’s doing with St Pauli is very very good. As with players, I will go for a Telstar homegrown boy. Our ‘starboy’, I dare to say even. Tim van de Loo. He just recently scored his first goal for us and also just had his 21st birthday. He is a great midfielder and has seamlessly adapted to the second Dutch division from our U21’s. I honestly think he has a bright future ahead of him (hopefully with us).
We also talk tactics a lot together, I know you love watching football but you also pay a lot of attention to the type of play in the games you watch. What influenced you in looking at the tactical aspect of football more? Is it mainly FM or is there more behind it?
It was FM too but I already had notebooks with my own tactics with all kinds of arrows and shit. So my interest in tactics has always been there to be honest. I’ve just always loved the diversity in vision from coach to coach. Once I started paying more attention to it, I realized how complicated football tactics actually are. I just find it a fascinating thing.
I think we covered everything that there is to talk about! Firstly, I want to thank you for your time to sit down with me and have this talk, a lot of pressure to be replacing Ava Dongo! Haha. I’ll be attending Telstar - Groningen, the last home game of the season with a friend, so I'll be looking forward to seeing you and the Telstar boys in action! Is there anything you want to leave behind for the people reading?
Well, the pressure hopefully hasn’t gotten to me! I hope people enjoyed reading a little about my silly passion for Telstar, football and Football Manager. If you’re a Dutch speaker and interested in the podcast be sure to search for the 1963 podcast on your preferred listening platform. Also give our Instagram and Twitter (or X I should say) with the same name a follow! And I look forward to seeing you at the game against Groningen buddy!
Jarno's Twitter
Article by Summer
Pictures by: ©Dennisgoudafotografie