Feyenoord are out of the KNVB Cup after a 2–3 home loss to Heerenveen, making it seven losses in the last nine matches for the Rotterdam side.

Coach Robin van Persie said after the game that he still believed he could change things around.

“It is not up to me if I am the right man for the job,” he told a press conference. “If it were up to me, I would work here for years – that is my ambition. Every day I have to prove I am the right man.”

After Wednesday evening’s defeat, Van Persie spoke to angry fans in the stands, saying their emotion is only logical. “In the end we are doing this for our supporters, to make them happy,” he said. “And they are not happy at the moment, and rightly so.”

Feyenoord, Eredivisie leaders earlier in the season,m are currently second in the league, with 34 points from 16 games, but PSV Eindhoven are now nine points clear at the top.

Ajax, who beat Excelsior Maassluis 2–7 in their second-round cup tie on Wednesday, are third with 29 points, just ahead of NEC on 28.