Ajax Directors, Board, Staff

[bryan]

So Cruijff can avoid meetings and then just go to court when decisions he doesn't agree with are made at said meetings. And then get them all thrown out.

What a kniving little bully that man is.

I am finding it very difficult to give a shit about Ajax since this Cruijff revolution started.

[zeux]

So Cruijff can avoid meetings and then just go to court when decisions he doesn't agree with are made at said meetings. And then get them all thrown out.

What a kniving little bully that man is.

I am finding it very difficult to give a shit about Ajax since this Cruijff revolution started.

Rulers come and go. But Ajax will forever be Ajax for me. I fear I just have to sit this one out. Shit happens.

[bryan]

I think a lot of the failures at Ajax over the past 15 years can be traced to Cruijff throwing mud from the sidelines. Look at all the managers he's gotten sacked. Van Gaal was the only one that resisted his bullshit, maybe that's why he hates Van Gaal. And Van Gaal was successful too. God how that must have hurt Cruijff's ego.

Maybe Cruijff needs to be given as much power as possible, so that he can fail miserably, clear for everyone to see, including all the fans who think JC = AJAX. Maybe this is the necessary medicine that will finally rid us of this ridiculous bullshit.

[SPL]

reading up about the EGM on Friday .Evidently the Board may cancel it and it will take another 60 days for shareholders to get a formal EGM in which they can get rid of this shower who are destroying the club. Evidently before that 60 days the Board can appoint V Gaal legally ie Cruyff will say no but the other 4 will vote for. So it looks like Cruyff has not yet won .

If these 4 do not go this week and try and keep power I wonder what the reaction of the supporters will be ?? I can see demonstrations at our next home game and who knows the the game may end up getting abandoned! Mass invasion ,who knows what might happen . The fans will want to show its their club.

[bryan]

I don't understand why the fans have chosen to take sides in a petty political dispute. It's one of the things that I find the most disappointing in all of this.

It's not that the fans are for Cruijff, but evidently they are against Van Gaal. After all Van Gaal has done for this club.

[Orange14]

I don't understand why the fans have chosen to take sides in a petty political dispute. It's one of the things that I find the most disappointing in all of this.

It's not that the fans are for Cruijff, but evidently they are against Van Gaal. After all Van Gaal has done for this club.

Pretty simple; they pay good money for tickets to matches and see crap football put out on the field.

[aveslacker]

Maybe Cruijff needs to be given as much power as possible, so that he can fail miserably, clear for everyone to see, including all the fans who think JC = AJAX. Maybe this is the necessary medicine that will finally rid us of this ridiculous bullshit.

I kind of feel this way too. The problem is that Cruijff has historically backed away when he had the chance to put his neck out and take a risk. Maybe he'll do it this time, but the past says otherwise.

[zeux]

I don't understand why the fans have chosen to take sides in a petty political dispute. It's one of the things that I find the most disappointing in all of this.

It's not that the fans are for Cruijff, but evidently they are against Van Gaal. After all Van Gaal has done for this club.

Pretty simple; they pay good money for tickets to matches and see crap football put out on the field.

And Van Gaal is the mastermind of this bad play?

[acab]

I don't understand why the fans have chosen to take sides in a petty political dispute. It's one of the things that I find the most disappointing in all of this.

It's not that the fans are for Cruijff, but evidently they are against Van Gaal. After all Van Gaal has done for this club.

Pretty simple; they pay good money for tickets to matches and see crap football put out on the field.

And Van Gaal is the mastermind of this bad play?

No, but the way of management of this club in the last 10 years is. Actually, after M. van Praag left. People are just fed up with people like ten Have, Jakke and Coronel. they want to see something different.

[bryan]

The biggest problem has been the continuing firing of managers. Cruijff has always been throwing mud from the sidelines and getting managers fired.

Cruijff wanted Olsen fired and replaced with his candidate Jan Wouters.
Cruijff wanted Adriaanse fired because he doesn't like Adriaanse.

Cruijff has helped to create this mess.

Thing is, the fans don't know what Jaake and Coronel do. Neither do I actually. Those guys are easy targets. Blame the board. And Cruijff plays along.

The biggest problem with Ajax is that youth players leave the club as soon as possible. Everybody knows this. I haven't heard from Cruijff how he aims to fix this problem. Maybe you can tell me??

[Orange14]

Thing is, the fans don't know what Jaake and Coronel do. Neither do I actually. Those guys are easy targets. Blame the board. And Cruijff plays along.

The biggest problem with Ajax is that youth players leave the club as soon as possible. Everybody knows this. I haven't heard from Cruijff how he aims to fix this problem. Maybe you can tell me??

Jaake was not very good in managing the finances of the club (he had the infamous five year plan that said Ajax would win the league 2 years out of 3 and reach the final 16 in CL every four years; though I may be a bit wrong on the latter) and van den Boog did a much better job in getting all this straightened out. Coronel was in charge of doing the report at the end of the Jaake regime which laid out a clear direction for the club.

I take issue with your point about the youth players. I don't think that we lose such players in the same way that Feyenoord has over the past six years. I'm trying to think of who other than Buoy we have lost and can't think of one (though I'm sure someone will come up with the list). There is an inherent problem when you run a big academy like Ajax do in deciding which youth players to put under contract. You can't sign everyone because the finances are not there so care has to be exercised in signing the 'right' players.

[bryan]

When I say youth players leave the club at a young age I include Van der Vaart, Sneijder, Vermaelen etc.

They leave at 22/23 whereas before they would have stayed to 26/27.

There is an inherent problem when you run a big academy like Ajax do in deciding which youth players to put under contract. You can't sign everyone because the finances are not there so care has to be exercised in signing the 'right' players.

Exactly, and how does Cruijff plan on fixing this? Put Wim Jonk in charge? Is he really that much better at judging who should be offered a contract than the people we already have?

[Orange14]

When I say youth players leave the club at a young age I include Van der Vaart, Sneijder, Vermaelen etc.

They leave at 22/23 whereas before they would have stayed to 26/27.

OK, that a different issue than a youth player leaving and is a result of money. Every club outside of the top 12 teams in Europe need to sell players in order to keep the finances in order. The amount of revenue that Ajax can bring in outside of player sales is limited and won't change any time soon as television money is the limiting factor. The Bosman ruling also impacted this in a big way as players can just simply not extend their contract and become a free agent so the club pretty much is looking at selling a player the year before the contract runs out. Outstanding young players are not going to sign a five year contract that binds them to Ajax if it limits their ability to get a big contract at and English, Italian, or Spanish team (most German teams do not pay big money and even in the three leagues I mention, you are only looking at a small number of teams that will pay lots of €s). Personally, I think the only way around this is to put release clauses in the contract with a set value on the player so that Ajax can maximize value.

We may not like this state of affairs but it is the current reality and I really don't think M. Platini's fair play plan will help at all. Look at his home country's league. Outside of Paris St. Germain who now have sugardaddy owners, every other club have to sell players in order to compete. Do you think Lyon wanted to lose Nasri and Benzema at young ages?

[Over Pasanens Head]

What we all seem to remember that since the 60's it hasn't always been wonderful. We have had our highs and our lows throughout this time. At the moment there are not the players coming through of sufficient quality - is this the fault of the board, the management, the coaching staff or JC or anybody. I think not - it is just one of those low periods.
When we were at De Meer we were a small club that achieved great things. Since the move to the ArenA etc. too many people think that we are big club that should achieve continuous great things and unfortunately that has not been the case.
My father was a Geordie and a die-hard Newcastle fan and he always said that it would have been a great club if it didn't have any directors as the amount of political in-fighting was just ruining the club. He said that in the 60's, but it is just as true now as then + I feel that the same could be said for Ajax now.
Lets get our feet back on the ground and get back to the basics. I couldn't give a wotsit who wins the day as long as somebody does quickly and there is stability as what players, be they youth or "stars", would want to join us with this atmosphere hanging over the club.

Hup Ajax

[bryan]

So, Orang14, you agree with me.

Cruijff thinks we can become like Barcelona if we improve our youth setup to match Barcelona's (the irony being of course, that Barcelona copied their youth setup from us).

The only way we can surpass Barcelona is if we move to Nou Camp and join the Primera Division and they move to the ArenA and join the Eredivisie.

[Orange14]

So, Orang14, you agree with me.

Cruijff thinks we can become like Barcelona if we improve our youth setup to match Barcelona's (the irony being of course, that Barcelona copied their youth setup from us).

The only way we can surpass Barcelona is if we move to Nou Camp and join the Primera Division and they move to the ArenA and join the Eredivisie.

I'm in complete agreement on these points!!!

[aveslacker]

So, Orang14, you agree with me.

Cruijff thinks we can become like Barcelona if we improve our youth setup to match Barcelona's (the irony being of course, that Barcelona copied their youth setup from us).

The only way we can surpass Barcelona is if we move to Nou Camp and join the Primera Division and they move to the ArenA and join the Eredivisie.

That and take on another 500 million euros in debt!

[bryan]

Even if we were going to go down that insane road, nobody is going to lend Ajax that kind of money.

Thing is, things were going quite well at Ajax at the end of last season. Profitable club, champions, some decent young players. Vermaelen decided to stay another year. Finally the club was operating well, within the confines of the new post-Bosman world. And we were very, very close to the knockout round of the Champions League.

But the Cruijff shitstorm has destroyed all morale within the club. Most of the current players are probably thinking about getting the hell away from this club, hence the poor results of late.

[orange goblin]

RVC has declared they will resign.
Other point for Cruijff.

[SPL]

The gang of 4 are going which is good news .

[Kowalczyk]

Board Of Commissioners (Ten Have, Olfers, Römer, Davids) will step back as soon as a new BoC has been appointed.

General Director, Martin Sturkenboom, and Technical Director, Danny Blind, have jumped ship: they leave with immediate effect.

Commercial Director, Henri van der Aat, and Financial Director, Jeroen Slop, effectively run the club for the time being (which is bizarre, but true).

Louis van Gaal has accepted that his appointment has fallen through.

K.

[Orange14]

Big question is who will step in as Technical Director and sort out all the contracts and extensions. This is where the club is vulnerable right now. I know that van Basten was close to taking the job as head of football operations (may not be the correct title) and perhaps he can be convinced to come aboard if only to do this essential job.

[Philippe]

I feel sorry for Danny Blind. I'll miss him.

[rjf1]

I feel sorry for Danny Blind. I'll miss him.

I liked Danny Blind as a player and can sympathize with your feeling sorry for him but, sorry to say, imo he didn't have the capability required to be a first rate coach or technical director. Hopefully, they will appoint someone who has the ability to get things back on their feet. (And with him gone, maybe we won't see so much of Daley.)

[orange goblin]

I think that we need just a strong General Director, who has both football and management vision. I never understood why Keje Molenaar, for example, stays always behind the scenes (or behind JC, to be more precise).
The Technical stuff itself is to be followed by the so-called "Technical Heart" wanted by JC and composed by Jonk, Bergkamp, Jongkind and Fdb. I can live with that.
To be honest, I feel that the club will struggle to find a new direction. Say what u want, ma to me Rik Van den Boog wasn't that incapable someone thinks.