:Ton Lokhoff

{{short description|Dutch football manager and former player (born 1959)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ton Lokhoff

| image = Ton Lokhoff - FC Red Bull Salzburg (01).jpg

| image_size = 300

| caption = Lokhoff as assistant of Red Bull Salzburg in 2011

| fullname = Antonius Johannes Jacobus Lokhoff

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|12|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Breda, Netherlands

| height =

| currentclub = Samsunspor (assistant)

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 = 1976–1978

| youthclubs1 = NAC Breda

| years1 = 1978–1982

| years2 = 1982–1986

| years3 = 1986–1988

| years4 = 1988–1991

| years5 = 1991–1996

| clubs1 = NAC

| clubs2 = PSV

| clubs3 = Nîmes

| clubs4 = Feyenoord

| clubs5 = NAC

| caps1 = 98

| caps2 = 126

| caps3 = 63

| caps4 = 79

| caps5 = 159

| totalcaps = 525

| goals1 = 11

| goals2 = 19

| goals3 = 12

| goals4 = 7

| goals5 = 29

| totalgoals = 78

| nationalyears1 = 1984–1985

| nationalteam1 = Netherlands

| nationalcaps1 = 3

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1996–2003

| manageryears2 = 2003–2005

| manageryears3 = 2006–2009

| manageryears4 = 2009–2011

| manageryears5 = 2012–2013

| manageryears6 = 2013–2014

| manageryears7 = 2014

| manageryears8 = 2014–2017

| manageryears9 = 2017–2021

| manageryears10 = 2024–

| managerclubs1 = NAC Breda (assistant)

| managerclubs2 = NAC Breda

| managerclubs3 = Excelsior

| managerclubs4 = Red Bull Salzburg (assistant)

| managerclubs5 = VVV-Venlo

| managerclubs6 = PAOK (assistant)

| managerclubs7 = VfB Stuttgart (assistant)

| managerclubs8 = VfL Wolfsburg (assistant)

| managerclubs9 = VfL Wolfsburg II (assistant)

| managerclubs10 = Samsunspor (assistant)

}}

Antonius Johannes Jacobus "Ton" Lokhoff (born 25 December 1959) is a Dutch football manager and former player, he is the currently assistant manager of Super Lig club Samsunspor.

Playing career

Lokhoff is named Mister NAC due to his long-time association with hometown club NAC from Breda,{{cite news |title=Fans verkiezen Lokhoff tot 'Mister NAC' |url=https://www.fcupdate.nl/voetbalnieuws/57867/fans-verkiezen-lokhoff-tot-mister-nac/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=fcupdate.nl |date=7 February 2007 |language=Dutch}}{{cite news |last1=Blanco |first1=Yadran |title=NAC belt met Mister NAC Ton Lokhoff: ‘Nog een jaartje Wolfsburg en dan zien we wel verder’ |url=https://www.bndestem.nl/nac/nac-belt-met-mister-nac-ton-lokhoff-nog-een-jaartje-wolfsburg-en-dan-zien-we-wel-verder~af89d7e4/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=BN DeStem |date=26 June 2020 |language=Dutch}} where he played from 1978 to 1982 and later from 1991 to 1996. He moved to PSV in 1982, where he experienced the high point of his playing career. At the club he became Eredivisie champion in 1986, alongside players such as Ruud Gullit, Frank Arnesen and Eric Gerets, among others. In this period he also played two international matches for the Netherlands national team; against Austria and Hungary.

Lokhoff then moved to French club Nîmes Olympique, before returning to the Netherlands to play for Feyenoord and later coming back to finish his career with childhood club NAC in 1991.{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Carola |title=Ton Lokhoff: Ik vertel geen lulverhalen |url=https://www.bredavandaag.nl/nieuws/sport/206465/ton-lokhoff-ik-vertel-geen-lulverhalen |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Breda Vandaag |date=3 December 2008 |language=Dutch}} He played his last match in Breda on 11 August 1996 against Brazilian club Grêmio at the inauguration of the new NAC home ground, Fujifilm Stadion, since named Rat Verlegh Stadion.{{cite news |title=Sportieve zakenmand ontdekt avondje NAC |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1996/08/12/sportieve-zakenman-ontdekt-avondje-nac-7320385-a1012727 |url-access=subscription |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=NRC Handelsblad |date=12 August 1998 |language=Dutch}}

Coaching career

Lokhoff started his coaching career again at NAC Breda, first working as an assistant coach to managers Wim Rijsbergen, Herbert Neumann, Ronald Spelbos, Kees Zwamborn and Henk ten Cate, before serving as the club's head coach from 1 July 2003. He was sacked on 30 December 2005 due to disappointing results.

Lokhoff was then appointed the head coach of Excelsior in the summer of 2006, where he succeeded Mario Been who had achieved promotion to the Eredivisie with the club.{{cite news |title=Excelsior gaat met Ton Lokhoff Eredivisie in |url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/excelsior-gaat-met-ton-lokhoff-eredivisie-in |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Voetbal International |date=10 April 2006 |language=Dutch}} In 2007, Excelsior managed to maintain themselves in the league under the leadership of Lokhoff, but a year later Excelsior suffered relegation to the second-tier Eerste Divisie. After a season of coaching Excelsior in the second-tier Lokhoff left the club as his contract expired. He was then replaced by Alex Pastoor who managed to lead the club to promotion to Eredivisie.{{cite news |title=Feyenoord stalt Pastoor als hoofdcoach bij Excelsior |url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/feyenoord-stalt-pastoor-als-hoofdcoach-bij-excelsior |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Voetbal International |date=21 May 2009 |language=Dutch}} In September 2009 he was named as an assistant trainer for FC Red Bull Salzburg under fellow Dutchman Huub Stevens.{{cite news |title=Lokhoff gaat verder onder de vleugels van Stevens |url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/lokhoff-gaat-verder-onder-de-vleugels-van-stevens |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Voetbal International |date=10 September 2009 |language=Dutch}} After the latter was dismissed from his position on 11 April 2011, Lokhoff left his position the following day, choosing to remain loyal to Stevens.{{cite news |title=Ook Ton Lokhoff weg bij Red Bull Salzburg |url=https://www.rijnmond.nl/nieuws/6325/Ook-Ton-Lokhoff-weg-bij-Red-Bull-Salzburg |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Rijnmond |date=13 April 2011 |language=Dutch}}

In December 2011, Lokhoff signed a contract from January 2012 until the end of the season with VVV-Venlo. He succeeded Belgian manager Glen De Boeck who had ended his contract because of a lack of confidence in achieving with the current squad.{{cite news |title=Ton Lokhoff volgt Glen De Boeck op bij VVV-Venlo |url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20111224_016 |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Nieuwsblad |date=24 December 2011 |language=Dutch}} After the team suffered relegation in June 2013, Lokhoff was sacked.{{cite news |title=Ontslag bij VVV 'volslagen verrassing' voor Ton Lokhoff |url=https://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/ontslag-bij-vvv-volslagen-verrassing-voor-ton-lokhoff~bc7343d5/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Trouw |date=6 June 2013 |language=Dutch}} He then joined Huub Stevens again as assistant manager of Greek club PAOK, rekindling their cooperation of Red Bull Salzburg between 2009 and 2011.{{cite news |title=Lokhoff naar PAOK als assistent van Stevens |url=https://www.ad.nl/nederlands-voetbal/lokhoff-naar-paok-als-assistent-van-stevens~ae06e0b5/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Algemeen Dagblad |date=18 June 2013 |language=Dutch}}

On 10 March 2014, Lokhoff joined Stevens as assistant manager of VfB Stuttgart.{{cite news |last1=Blanco |first1=Yadran |title=Ton Lokhoff volgt Huub Stevens naar VFB Stuttgart |url=https://www.bndestem.nl/nac/ton-lokhoff-volgt-huub-stevens-naar-vfb-stuttgart~acf82783/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=BN DeStem |date=11 March 2014 |language=Dutch}} From March 2014, he began working as an assistant coach at VfL Wolfsburg.{{cite news |title=Neuer Assistenztrainer in Wolfsburg |url=https://www.bundesliga.com/de/bundesliga/news/ton-lokhoff-neuer-assistenztrainer-beim-vfl-wolfsburg.jsp |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Bundesliga |date=1 July 2014 |language=German}} First under manager Dieter Hecking, later under Valérien Ismaël. When Andries Jonker became head coach in 2017, Lokhoff moved to the position of assistant of the Wolfsburg second team, VfL Wolfsburg II.{{cite news |last1=Rampas |first1=Fabian |title=Ziehl bleibt Trainer der VfL-Reserve |url=https://regionalheute.de/sport/ziehl-bleibt-trainer-der-vfl-reserve/ |accessdate=23 October 2020 |work=Regional Heute |date=20 June 2017 |language=German |quote=Rüdiger Ziehl verlängert seinen Vertrag bis 2018 und bleibt somit Cheftrainer des VfL Wolfsburg II. Ton Lokhoff wird ihm als Co-Trainer assistieren.}}