Ken Leemans

Ken Leemans in the jersey of VVV -Venlo, August 28, 2007

Ken Leemans ( born January 5, 1983 in Vilvoorde ) is a Belgian football player who is used as rechtsfüßiger defensive player both as six as well as a central defender. The Flame had played during his youth only in different associations of Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region, before he finally changed in 2003 as a 2012 20 - year-old in the Netherlands and Germany.

Career

Youth in Flanders and Brussels

Leemans was born in 1983 located on the outskirts of Brussels Vilvoorde and grew up Dutch-speaking, but went to school French. With the football games he started from the age of five when Vilvoorder " VZW Koninklijke Sporting Tange ". Soon he moved to Brussels, where he first KFC Strombeek belonged. The age of twelve, he played at the Brussels RWD Molenbeek. There is, however, refused to communicate in Dutch with him, which ultimately led to that he first returned to Strombeek and a year later finally joined the youth teams of KV Mechelen.

Beginnings in Mechelen and Venlo

As a 19 -year-old Leemans was incorporated into the first team of Mechelen in early 2002, which relegated from the Eerste class in the 2001 /02 class participated in the Tweede. Coached by Wilfried Van Hoof the team went straight back up, but Leemans had also played for the reserve team of the club.

2002/ 03 he played under coach Stéphane Demol with Mechelen in the Eerste Klasse, which, however, he was only in the first games of the season for root formation. Overall, he came to nine starts during the first round, in which the playing against renewed descent club ran into financial difficulties, at times the players' salaries could not pay and was eventually relegated class even in the Derde. Leemans had the club are allowed to leave already free transfer for the year 2002/ 03 due to this situation but, after his team-mate Kevin Mechlin Begois had established contact with the Dutch first division club Roda JC Kerkrade and eventually switched to this with him. Just as Begois Leemans, however, was given immediately from Kerkrade to the second division VVV -Venlo.

In Venlo Leemans came during the second half of the 2002/03 season under coach Wim Dusseldorp to ten inserts, in which he scored his first goal in the men's area, finished with the team but only the 13th place of the final table. Successful, however, the following season was 2003/ 04 run, contributed in the Leemans with four goals in 30 inserts for finally reached seventh place. This eligible to participate in the rise playing for Eredivisie in 2004, again scored in the Leemans two goals in five appearances. Venlo but it was only second to Vitesse Arnhem missing out on promotion.

The obligation Frank van Kouwens for season 2004 /05 Leemans lost his place in the now by Adrie Koster trained Venlo team, so he came to only 14 substitutions during the first round. During the winter break so he returned to Kerkrade, where he was employed in the reserve team.

About Kerkrade back to Venlo

At the start of the Premiership season 2005 /06 initially failed Leemans, is recommended for use in the trained Huub Stevens Kerkrader team. Only when his teammates Pa Modou Kah has been banned due to a red card, Leemans end of November 2005 came to his Erstligadebüt and ran until the winter break even in five other games on the grid on. During the second round, he came increasingly as a substitute use, so he completed 20 season games. In the play-offs for the UEFA Cup qualification, which had Kerkrade achieved as a table of eight, Leemans played twice on the grid; However, Kerkrade succumbed to SC Heerenveen to return game.

Also, by the obligation of further competition in Leemans ' positions, including Marcel Meeuwis and Marcel de Jong, he came in the 2006/07 season under Huub Stevens initially only four times and under the Ray Atteveld employed as manager in February 2007, only once used. In the play-offs reached sixth place Kerkrade different from below without the involvement of Leemans ' against FC Utrecht. Although his contract was extended in Kerkrade still in February 2007 by a year until 2008, he then moved the club and returned to VVV-Venlo back that had emerged in the Eredivisie and Leemans completed a contract for two years. At the same time joined Frank van Kouwen from Venlo to Kerkrade.

In the first ten games of the season 2007/ 08 Leemans belonged to the basic formation of the trained by André Wetzel team lost this regular place but again and often came on as a substitute for use. During the winter break him a change of clubs has been suggested as the relegation threatened club wanted to engage new players on Leemans ' positions. Nevertheless Leemans remained in Venlo, so he had finally completed 19 missions to the end of the season and scored three goals. However, the team second to last place in the table and rose to the subsequent relegation matches against ADO Den Haag, in which participated Leemans three times, back into the Eerste Divise from. For Leemans the descent, however, as the change of the coach proved as well as Jan van Dijk as advantageous as it once was in the subsequent second division 2008/09 season with five goals in 32 missions to key players and the direct re-emergence of Venlo as a table first involved had. His end of the season expiring contract, meanwhile, had already extended in January 2009 by three years to 2012 Leemans; Moreover, the contract contained an option for two more years.

In the first division seasons 2009 /10 and 2010/11 Leemans was then 31 and 28 missions to the service providers in Venlo team that reached the league in the Eredivisie in two seasons. While this was 2009/10 as Tabellenzwölfter still directly managed Venlo had 2010/11 coach van Dijk replaced due to an acute danger of relegation by Wil Boessen under which the club finally positioned itself as the 17th of the final table and in subsequent relegation matches against FC Volendam and FC Zwolle ensured the league.

Below Leemans was courted by the Belgian Lierse SK, whereupon it despite a year remaining term of his contract received commitments for a change from the VVV -Venlo. During the subsequent medical examination, however, the Belgians fell through, so the change finally did not materialize. During the 2011/12 season Leemans initially did not come for Venlo to use so that individual media suspected a hernia, which Leemans but denied and instead pointed to a violation of the buttocks. In October 2011, he finally underwent an operation in which, by the expansion of a constricted nerve channel his complaints should be resolved. As a result, Venlo had the option of an extension of Leemans ' contract to expire. With Substitutes in the closing minutes of the last game Leemans then received his first appearance of the season, who was also his last league game for the VVV. Under coach Ton Lokhoff to Venlo had placed a table Six Tenth, which the club had to deny play-offs again, where Leemans came on twice and contributed to the league before he finally left the club.

Moving to Germany

An offer of the Dutch second division club MVV Maastricht had already rejected the beginning of May 2012 Leemans. Instead, he chose the end of May to move to Germany, where the only recently been relegated from the Bundesliga 2 third division side FC he Hansa Rostock a two-year contract was awarded. In the season 2012/13 the 3rd league to Leemans established under coach Wolfgang Wolf and his successor Marc Fascher as performers, came with the team but in acute danger of relegation. On the third to last matchday Leemans pulled in the game against Kickers Offenbach a broken right tibia and fibula, which the season was ended prematurely for him after 30 completed games. The team succeeded on matchday following relegation.