Other Eredivisie Teams

fc utreg · Bericht door **fc utreg** » do apr 14, 2005 8:43 pm

another beautiful word....cupwinners

van de haar

carcajou · Bericht door **carcajou** » do apr 14, 2005 11:08 pm

Man, AZ in the semi.... Alongside CSKA Moskow, Sporting Portugal and Parma.

Everything is possible now, and that is good because now they'll be focused on UEFA cup which means they won't be concentrated much on domestic games.

So this is win-win : they bring UEFA points and loose points in the Eredivisie. Kom op Alkmaar !!!

Manneken Pis · Bericht door **Manneken Pis** » vr apr 15, 2005 7:24 am

Carcajou schreef:Man, AZ in the semi.... Alongside CSKA Moskow, Sporting Portugal and Parma.

Everything is possible now, and that is good because now they'll be focused on UEFA cup which means they won't be concentrated much on domestic games.

So this is win-win : they bring UEFA points and loose points in the Eredivisie. Kom op Alkmaar !!!

They also lost Mathijsen for the rest of the season.....

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » vr apr 15, 2005 8:36 am

As posted elsewhere: I was at a Hives concert in Tilburg, but some friends kept me posted via text messages. Really exciting game, eh? AZ needed a bit of luck for this one. They were under huge pressure after losing the entire heart of their defense: Mathijsen off injured, Opdam red carded.

But they did it and I truly believe that they can win the thing. Sporting Lisbon is up next and then Parma or CSKA Moscow in the final. Those teams are not better than Villarreal, in my opinion. Which doesn't mean they can't lose; it just means that they can win.

It will surely cost them a few points in the league, cos this game was a war. This must have been very exhausting. It will be interesting to see how they'll do against NAC on Sunday...

K.

carcajou · Bericht door **carcajou** » vr apr 15, 2005 5:38 pm

I didn't really know where that would fit in so here it is :

I was just watching the remaining domestic games and our future opponents (except for the next game away at Rotterdam) are pretty much crap :

Vitesse, De Grafschaap, Groningen, Rosendaal. Which means that the game against Feyenoord, will pretty much decide the third place (or highger if AZ drop points).

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » za apr 16, 2005 3:14 pm

Yeah - after Feyenoord the only (very) tough one will be Vitesse away. We won there in the last couple of seasons (1-2 both times), but they were pretty much a relegation candidate in those years. Now they're very much in the race for UEFA Cup qualification. That will be a very tough one. The rest: shit teams only.

K.

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » ma apr 18, 2005 4:56 am

Agree about our last 6 matches.If Danny Blind can focus the lads,we should do very well.My only question is: which Vitesse will show up?On 15.5, will it be the side which just lost 1:3 to a tough Heerenveen side or the one fighting like mad to squeeze into europe?My hope is that their future sorts out in the next 3 weeks ,but I rarely have that kind of luck.

For us then:
Willem II (a) Thursday 21.4 AC
De Graafschap (h) Sunday 24.4
RBC (a) Saturday 30.4
RKC (h) Sunday 8.5
Vitesse (a) Sunday 15.5
Groningen (h) Sunday 22.5

Plus,fingers crossed, an AC final.

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » ma apr 18, 2005 1:45 pm

It's a matter of time anyway, but for the record: AZ play the game they still have in hand on Wednesday night at Utrecht. If they don't win (which is a realistic option at Utrecht) PSV can clinch the championship next Saturday in their home game against Vitesse.

Oh well, no problem with that, as long as I don't have to watch the celebrations.

K.

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » wo apr 20, 2005 8:50 am

Remarkable statistic...

Willem II is probably the (statistically) easiest away game of the season for Ajax. We always seem to win there and it also seems like we score a lot of goals there, in most cases.

Willem II vs PSV is a different story, though. PSV won 0-1 in Tilburg last Sunday and it was their first win at Willem II in their last nine visits. PSV also have a very bad record at De Kuip, where Ajax always do well.

On the other hand: PSV always seem to win in Utrecht - and they have an excellent record at the ArenA...

Some things are just hard to explain.

K.

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » wo apr 20, 2005 4:22 pm

That is the beauty of the beautiful, and sometimes agonizing, game. Paraphrasing Forest Gump: Football is like a box of chocolates or a Pearl Jam show,you never know what you're gonna get!

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » wo apr 20, 2005 8:06 pm

AZ's 1:0 thru Van Galen quickly , with 2 minutes i believe, equalled by a 1:1 from De Jong.1:1 @1/2 time

Bericht door **Arthur** » wo apr 20, 2005 9:14 pm

Utrecht win 3:2, so we're officially second now :bis:

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » wo apr 20, 2005 9:18 pm

It PAINS ME GREATLY to write this. FCU did AJAX a favor :pukey: . Final score listed on Amstelcup.nl is FCU 3:2 AZ .It looks to have been a 5 goal,6 card affair.ajax cling to their 1 point lead and now are level on matches.

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » wo apr 20, 2005 9:54 pm

Their defeats at Feyenoord and Ajax (4-2 both times) could be dismissed as incidents, but now it's kind of undeniable: AZ are falling apart. It's over. It no longer goes automatically for them. A 1-1 draw against NAC, another defeat at Utrecht.

Seems like we'll finish second after all, but it must be said: based on the whole season we do not deserve to be higher than them on the table...

K.

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » wo apr 20, 2005 10:21 pm

I agree with your assessment Ko. If we finish 2nd,i'll be happy to take all the verbal lumps a nattering naybob of negativism is due.I did say i thought sixth was more likely than 2nd. I just don't believe we may yet have CL qualifying footie to entice potential new signings with.

Over Pasanens Head · Bericht door **Over Pasanens Head** » wo apr 20, 2005 10:45 pm

Kowalczyk schreef: Seems like we'll finish second after all, but it must be said: based on the whole season we do not deserve to be higher than them on the table...

K.

Don't agree with that one Ko - if we finish with more points than them, we deserve to be higher.

carcajou · Bericht door **carcajou** » do apr 21, 2005 12:22 am

Kowalczyk schreef:Their defeats at Feyenoord and Ajax (4-2 both times) could be dismissed as incidents, but now it's kind of undeniable: AZ are falling apart. It's over. It no longer goes automatically for them. A 1-1 draw against NAC, another defeat at Utrecht.

Seems like we'll finish second after all, but it must be said: based on the whole season we do not deserve to be higher than them on the table...

K.

And now what if they're NOT falling apart at all, but focusing on the UEFA Cup ?

I mean maybe they know that this is the chance of their lives and given that they've got a squad of 14 good players not 25, they know that they can't afford playing on both sides.... Unconsciously they might be letting go...

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » do apr 21, 2005 1:22 am

Sporting Life has a report up saying that Richard Knopper is done for the year thru a knee injury. Given that we still face a sticky fixture at Vitesse in a few weeks,their misfortune could be our opportunity.

Blind3 · Bericht door **Blind3** » do apr 21, 2005 1:22 am

Sporting Life has a report up saying that Richard Knopper is done for the year thru a knee injury. Given that we still face a sticky fixture at Vitesse in a few weeks,their misfortune could be our opportunity.

Frans · Bericht door **Frans** » do apr 21, 2005 3:24 am

Kowalczyk schreef:Their defeats at Feyenoord and Ajax (4-2 both times) could be dismissed as incidents, but now it's kind of undeniable: AZ are falling apart. It's over. It no longer goes automatically for them. A 1-1 draw against NAC, another defeat at Utrecht.
K.

Mathijson's injury was probably the killer. Meerdink they could replace, but not Mathijson.

Bericht door **Kowalczyk** » do apr 21, 2005 6:24 am

Over Pasanens Head schreef:Don't agree with that one Ko - if we finish with more points than them, we deserve to be higher.

Normally I would definitely agree with you. I always say: you can win a game without deserving it, or a knock-out round. It depends on things like your form on the day, the referee, coincidence and a little but of luck. Losing a game (or on aggregate based on two games) undeservedly is in fact possible.

But a league of 34 (that's thirty-four!) games...? At the end of such a long, long ride every team will be where it should be. There is no such thing as an undeserved champion or whatever. Based on 34 games the final table will always be a fair one. You can't reasonably claim that you should have been higher after having had 34 games to prove that.

So, OPH, normally I would agree with you - and in a way I also agree with you this time.

It's just a moral thing, if you know what I mean. Ajax have so much more money than AZ, we're so much bigger and more powerful. Yet, they are the team that's played great football throughout the season. All we could do was follow and for 80% of the season we've had an extremely hard time to only keep them in sight. And now they're busy in the UEFA Cup, they have a few injuries and at the same time we finally start playing some proper footie... and whoops, there we go: we squeeze past them just before the finish line.

I see your point, but still: it feels like injustice... It feels like we're being a bit sneaky here. They are the moral winners; we've had a crap season. Even even if we eventually finish second and win the cup.

K.

DanK · Bericht door **DanK** » do apr 21, 2005 7:32 am

Kowalczyk schreef:
Over Pasanens Head schreef:Don't agree with that one Ko - if we finish with more points than them, we deserve to be higher.
It's just a moral thing, if you know what I mean...I see your point, but still: it feels like injustice... It feels like we're being a bit sneaky here. They are the moral winners; we've had a crap season. Even even if we eventually finish second and win the cup.
K.

I'm with Ko on this one. AZ do morally deserve to finish 2nd, not that I will complain if we get the 2nd Champ League spot. If it was f*word, then I wouldn't give a sh*t if we pipped them on the last day by +1 goal difference. But with AZ, for the way they have played this year, I would feel sorry for them (OK only a little bit), if we finished 2nd.

Philippe · Bericht door **Philippe** » do apr 21, 2005 7:57 am

I knew AZ would collpase at the very end of the season. :D
CL in sight ! Land Ho !
I do not share your views Ko : why wouldn't we deserve to be ahead of AZ ? The result comes only when the season is over. It takes 34 games.

Manneken Pis · Bericht door **Manneken Pis** » do apr 21, 2005 8:26 am

Over Pasanens Head schreef:
Kowalczyk schreef: Seems like we'll finish second after all, but it must be said: based on the whole season we do not deserve to be higher than them on the table...

K.
Don't agree with that one Ko - if we finish with more points than them, we deserve to be higher.

I think the expression is "the league table never lies".

Yup I feel sorry for AZ, small squad, great football, e.t.c. but the league position is determined by points gained, period. It's a Dutch thing in my mind....like Johan Cruyff saying "Well we really won in 1974 because people remember the way we played...not the Germans". People remember the way AZ played, but not PSV (or Ajax most of the season).....I do however hope they beat Sporting and go on to win the Uefa Cup (3 Dutch teams in the CL???), hopefully that's their focus now.

Timmer said after the game, "Well, before Xmas everything went our way, this time it didn't. We'll need to get used to that again". Co said BEFORE the game "even if we come third (or fourth) this has been a very good season for AZ". All this sounds as if the self-belief is starting to crumble, normal I guess for a team that has such limited resources and has performed so well for so long.

Having said all of that....just remeber the season is NOT OVER yet.... :eusa_pray:

Manneken Pis · Bericht door **Manneken Pis** » do apr 21, 2005 8:30 am

Kowalczyk schreef: And now they're busy in the UEFA Cup, they have a few injuries and at the same time we finally start playing some proper footie... and whoops, there we go: we squeeze past them just before the finish line.K.

They don't call us "Lucky Ajax" for nothing you know.... ;)

Other Eredivisie Teams

Championship for PSV