# Feyenoord coach backs goalkeeper Ernst after fans' sarcastic applause

> Giovanni van Bronckhorst says he has confidence that Tjark Ernst will improve, as Feyenoord, beaten 0-3 by Internazionale, play sc Heerenveen today.

Society · published 2026-11-08 14:15 · https://nlnow.nl/a/feyenoord-coach-backs-goalkeeper-ernst-after-fans-sarcastic-applause/

Feyenoord coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst is sticking with goalkeeper Tjark Ernst after Feyenoord's own fans applauded him sarcastically when he caught a simple ball in the 0-3 home defeat to Internazionale in the Kuip last Tuesday.

Van Bronckhorst rejected the idea that the goalkeeper alone is to blame for goals conceded. "I think we can name very many players when it comes to where things go wrong with goals against. Not only our keeper," he said.

The coach said he does not plan to take Ernst aside. "Sitting down separately with Tjark is not necessary," he said. Together with the goalkeeper coach, he said, the club knows what to do to get Ernst ready for the match against Heerenveen.

Asked whether the fans' criticism is hurting the German keeper's confidence, Van Bronckhorst answered: "No. Not that I have noticed. It does show how difficult it sometimes is with the crowd. I am someone who is fairly positive and I have confidence that he will improve."

Ernst is 23. Technical director Dévy Rigaux paid Hertha BSC five million euros for him last summer.

Feyenoord's next test is away at sc Heerenveen, with kick-off at 12.15 today.

## Background

- **de Kuip**: The Kuip is the English name for Feyenoord's football stadium in Rotterdam, officially called Stadion Feijenoord. It is the club's home ground and the place where its matches are played, and it is widely known in the Netherlands simply by the nickname "de Kuip" ("the tub"), which refers to the bowl-shaped design of the stands.

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