Help Luke ursem

[sheronsears]

Does any body remember this player and who we signed him from i think it was ajax or psv and can you remember playing them in a friendly down the vic? also please can you tell me the year this happened and who bought him? Quality player ???

[millermay1968]

Not sure but i think durban bought him in78,not a bad player as i remember

[lordb]

AZ Alkmaar we signed him from

did we sign him just after promotion?

[Mr Jon]

We bought him from AZ Alkmaar and he was a very cool and composed player.

I remember we used to sing "Ursem Boys, Ursem Boys" to the Sham 69 tune "Hersham Boys".

I think he went back to Holland (Groningen?) after a couple of years?

Crikey I'm showing my age here

edit - you beat me to it lordb

[sheronsears]

thanks all needed to no because was my 1st game watching stoke only missed 2 home games since but did we play a dutch team in a friendly after we signed him?

[millermay1968]

Was it not az67?

[clan2]

1979 we got Luke from AZ Alkmaar he was then transfered to Volendam [Holland] in 1983

as mrjon says cool and composed player and the chanting of "Hersham Boys was a classic

[wedgwood]

LOEK URSEM Born: 07.01.1958
1975/76 FC Purmerund
1976/77 6 AZ 67 Alkmaar
1977/78 18, 4 AZ 67 Alkmaar
1978/79 14, 3 AZ 67 Alkmaar
1979/80 Stoke City
1980/81 Stoke City
1981/82 Stoke City
1981/82 0+4 Sunderland (loan)
1982/83 Stoke City
1982/83 2+1 Haarlem
1983/84 26, 6 Waageningen
1984/85 Waageningen
1985/86 OSV Ooszaan
OSV Velsen
Volendam
Then retired

With known games and goals for other clubs than Stoke.

[johnfarmersshirt]

it was LOEK URSEM he was signed in July 1979 for £85,000 from Dutch Club AZ 67 Alkmaar. Loek was the first dutch player to play for Stoke City and made 36league + 8 cup appearances in a Stoke shirt. He was a blonde lad who later played for Sunderland on loan, FC Haarlem, FC Wageningen, FC Holland and OSV Velsen all in Holland. Loek retired from football in 1994.
Loek was a Dutch under 23 cap prior to joining Stoke and he made his debut vs Coventry City on the opening day of the season in 1979-1980.
He scored his first goal against Ipswich a year later.
Best season was 1980-1981 when Loek made 29 of his 44 appearances. He scored 7 goals in his time at the Victoria Ground.
(This was considered to be prolific at Stoke at that time).

I hope this helps.
I seem to remember he was a right sided midfield player and wasnt bad but a bit lacking when it came to sticking a boot in. ;D

[jpm64]

sheronsears said:

thanks all needed to no because was my 1st game watching stoke only missed 2 home games since but did we play a dutch team in a friendly after we signed him?

Think it was Nijmegen ( Sp ? ) and we won 4-0 or 4-1 ???

[jezzascfc]

One of the heroes of my childhood supporting Stoke was Loek (well, after Jimmy and Huddy had gone, there wasn't that much to get too excited about for a while, especially under Durban!).

We didn't have many non-British players then and he seemed to me the very epitome of cool, a languid, skilful Dutchman (this not long after Ajax's total football and the era of Cruyff, Rensenbrink, Krol, Neeskens et al), maybe just a bit too laid back, like he could win a game on his own if only he could be bothered! ;D

For younger Stokies, think Hoekstra, but without the chicken head and maybe not quite so much magic in his feet.

[fca47]

Yeh, he had a few tricks, one of which was running over the ball and flicking it over his head, which he actually did in a game. As has been said ,quite skillful but didn't quite cut it.

[tijuanabrass]

He sported a blond comb-over. Like a Bobby Charlton of the Low countries.
Not only was a foreigner rare in the Stoke side, there weren't many in other teams either.
Ipswich had pioneered the Dutch connection with Muhren and Thjyssen and for a brief spell it looked like we'd bought into the same sexy football dream.
We hadn't but..Ursem was an entertaining player to watch.

[devsad]

I remember when he was on loan at Sunderland he actually came on as a sub and played against us. Got a good cheer from the Stoke fans.

[stokemark]

Devsad

Remember it well - Was in the Paddock at the time and the Boothen chanted 'Ursem Ursem give us a wave' which he duly did as he ran onto the pitch !!!

[bertieb]

Blimey jpm64, what a saddo to remember that game ;D, I remember Foxy coming on at half time and when Nijmegan scored from a free kick I turned to my brother and said " he does'nt look very good does he"

RS