Managerial career
Early managerial career
After his playing career he became head scout of De Graafschap and head coach of amateur side Bennekom, [3] before becoming coach of the second team at Ajax, on 29 April 2004. From 2007 to 2010 he served as head coach of small Eerste Divisie club AGOVV Apeldoorn with impressive results, also winning a place in the promotion playoffs in his last season in charge. In May 2010 he was presented as new head coach of Eredivisie club ADO Den Haag, [4] with whom he qualified for the 2011–12 Europa League. In June 2011, Van den Brom was named as head coach of his old club Vitesse. [5] Again, he managed to qualify for the Europa League.
RSC Anderlecht
Van den Brom was appointed head coach of RSC Anderlecht in 29 May 2012. [6]
In his first season, he led the team to win the Belgian Pro League title, also qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage. Anderlecht impressed domestically with attacking football and a strong focus on developing young talents. His second season was more turbulent. The club struggled in the league’s early stages and failed to progress beyond the Champions League group stage. Despite a late improvement, the board felt results and performances were not meeting expectations. As a result, Van den Brom was sacked on 10 March 2014 after a series of disappointing results. [7]
AZ Alkmaar
John van den Brom was appointed head coach of AZ Alkmaar on 27 September 2014. [8]
In his first season, he guided AZ to an impressive third place in the Eredivisie, which earned the club qualification for the UEFA Europa League. Over the following seasons, Van den Brom built a competitive and attacking side, consistently finishing in the top half of the table and regularly qualifying for European competitions. One of his highlights came in the 2017/18 season, when AZ finished third again and reached the KNVB Cup final, which they lost against Feyenoord Rotterdam.
By the 2018/19 season, after nearly five years in charge, results had become more inconsistent, and both Van den Brom and the club felt it was time for a new challenge. He announced his departure in March 2019, finishing the season before officially leaving. [9]
Lech Poznan
On 19 June 2022, he was announced as the manager of defending Polish Ekstraklasa champions Lech Poznań, replacing Maciej Skorża who left the team for personal reasons. [15] He had a tumultuous start to his tenure, as Lech remained winless in the first four league games and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round after losing to Azerbaijani side Qarabağ 2–5 on aggregate. [16] However, Lech rebounded, and Van den Brom led the team to a successful UEFA Europa Conference League campaign, reaching second place in the group stage which included Villarreal, Austria Wien and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, [17] eliminating Bodø/Glimt and Djurgårdens IF in the knockout stages, [18] before losing in the quarter-finals to Fiorentina, 4–6 on aggregate. [19]
Lech's 2023–2024 campaign got off to a rocky start, crashing out of Conference League third qualifying round against Slovak side Spartak Trnava (3–4 on aggregate). On 16 December 2023, Lech drew 2–2 at Radomiak Radom, losing the win in the 96th minute. With that result, Lech scored 10 points in the last eight games of the year, and headed off for the winter break sitting 3rd in the league table, with an eight-point deficit to leaders Śląsk Wrocław. The following day, Van den Brom was dismissed. [20]
Recent years
On 1 May 2024, shortly after Vitesse's relegation to Eerste Divisie was confirmed, the club announced Van den Brom would return to managing them from the 2024–25 season onwards. Almost 11 years since his exit, he signed a one-year deal. [21]
During the 2024/25 season, John van den Brom returned to Vitesse in a turbulent period marked by severe financial troubles and a threatened license. Despite starting with a heavy 39-point deduction, his young and largely homegrown squad managed to collect 41 points on the field, which would have placed them around 15th without the deduction. At the end of the season, the club decided not to extend his contract, aiming for a fresh start with a new coach. [22]
On 15 September 2025, FC Twente officially announced the appointment of John van der Brom as their new head coach. It was announced that Van den Brom signed a contract with the club for the remainder of the 2025-26 Eredivisie season. [23]
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