Ernest Faber

Ernest Anthonius Jacobus Faber (born 27 August 1971) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is currently consulting as the technical director at A-League Men side Adelaide United, subject to his visa.

Faber grew up in Eindhoven and played youth football at local club DBS until he joined PSV Eindhoven aged 13. Besides loan spells at NEC, Sparta and Groningen, Faber was part of PSV for 12 seasons and won four Eredivisie titles, a KNVB Cup and four Johan Cruyff Shields. He also played one match for the Netherlands national team in 1998. Injuries plagued Faber throughout his career and forced him to retire at age 32.

After his playing career, Faber worked at the PSV youth academy and at FC Eindhoven as assistant coach and manager. From 2011 until UEFA Euro 2012, he also served as assistant manager for the Netherlands national team. From March 2012, Faber worked as assistant manager at PSV. On 4 June 2015, he was appointed manager of Eredivisie side NEC. Faber then moved to fellow top division club Groningen in 2016.

Born in Geldrop, Faber grew up in the Strijp neighbourhood in Eindhoven, which also included PSV's home ground, the Philips Stadion. At five, he started playing youth football at local amateur club DBS. Faber's performances led to interest from PSV and EVV, with PSV scout Gerrit van Tilburg having discovered him at DBS. He chose to join PSV at 13. Faber's original position was right winger, but at PSV, he moved to the central defense position under the guidance of former defender and youth coach Huub Stevens.

To gain first-team experience, PSV loaned Faber out to NEC in 1990. He made his professional debut on 25 August in a 2–1 away win against MVV. In October, Faber was sent-off during a 7–0 loss to Ajax. NEC's season ended in 18th place and relegation; Faber appeared in 30 league fixtures and three cup games. For the 1991–92 season, Faber was loaned out to Sparta. He played 32 Eredivisie matches. Sparta finished eighth in the league and also reached the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup in which Faber played five games.

In 1992, Faber returned to PSV. In his debut match, he won the Dutch Super Cup after beating Feyenoord with 1–0. Faber appeared in 18 Eredivisie matches in his first season. He played his first UEFA Champions League match as a substitute against FC Porto. Faber's debut in the starting line-up followed in the home fixture over A.C. Milan, after the PSV squad was struggling with injuries. Coach Hans Westerhof assigned him to Milan's Marco van Basten, whom Faber managed to prevent from scoring. In the 1993–94 season, Faber played five league games for PSV before being loaned out to Groningen for the second half of the season. At Groningen, Faber played 11 matches. After finishing third in the 1994–95 season, PSV and Faber reached the second place a year later and also won the KNVB Cup.

In 1996, Faber won his second Super Cup after defeating Ajax with 3–0. But in September, Faber tore his ankle ligaments after attempting a headed duel with Utrecht’s John van Loen. It turned out to be the first of a long line of injuries that would dominate Faber’s career. Cartilage was removed from Faber’s ankle, sidelining him for a long period. He would play only nine Eredivisie matches in the 1996–97 season, the year that PSV won the league. In the 1997–98 season, Faber played three matches before suffering an achilles tendon injury. He recovered in time for a training camp in Spain, but it was there when he noticed the injury did not completely heal yet. That year, Faber appeared in 21 league games and scored twice. In February, he was sent off in a match against Ajax. In May, Faber tore his right Achilles tendon in a match against Groningen. The injury was called "career threatening" by the PSV club doctor and forced Faber to recover for months, therefore missing out on a possible World Cup participation.

In the 1999–2000 season, Faber suffered new injuries on his hamstring, Achilles tendon and ankle. In February, he underwent an operation on his ankle, which had to be put in a cast. PSV won the Eredivisie that year, but Faber only appeared in three league matches. In the build-up to the 2000–01 season, PSV won the Johan Cruyff Shield after beating Roda JC with 2–0. Faber scored the second goal in the match. After the match, Faber ended up with an injured left knee. When a few weeks of rest did not solve the troubles, an operation followed in September. PSV clinched the league title again and this time Faber had a bigger contribution with 17 matches. In June 2001, Faber extended his contract with PSV for another two years. In the following two seasons, Faber played 42 Eredivisie matches and won his fourth league title in 2003, but was still struggling with his injuries. In the 2001–02 season, Faber received a head wound in the match against Heerenveen and suffered a minor knee injury. Newcastle United showed interest in signing him in early 2002, but after the new injury a possible deal was cancelled.