Ajax Directors, Board, Staff

[Kowalczyk]

We won't run this as news on Ajax USA, but the Ajax Supporters Delegation (ASD) have officially broken all contact with Arie van Eijden and announced that they no longer trust him. The direct reason: Van Eijden gave them a quick phonecall from his car, on his way to his holiday destination, to inform them that the answer about the old logo is a definitive 'no'. The way in which he communicated this shows a lack of respect, according to the ASD. The fans will no longer talk to Arie van Eijden.

To be honest, I am not sure if the ASD are in the position to 'break contact' with Ajax. I can imagine Ajax thinking: well, alright then, if that's what you want...

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

who is the ideal candidate to replace Van Eijden if any?

Given our standards I would go for Jesus :worshippy:

What - the old Athletico Madrid president ?

He's deadso we'd have a job - question is, would anyone notice the difference :D

[Kowalczyk]

Folks, we have a new general director. That is: he will start working for Ajax on October 1st and will officially take over from Arie van Eijden on November 1st. His name: Maarten Fontein. No idea who he is. Never heard of him. Not a real football man, although he is an Ajax supporter. Experienced bloke, no idea if he's a 'good one'. We'll see. Will fix a news report a.s.a.p.

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

Folks, we have a new general director. His name: Maarten Fontein. No idea who he is. Never heard of him.

K.

Well he'll certainly be a change from van Eijden anyway. I did a quick google search which came up with only seven results so I don't know if any of them were him. Most were in Dutch (surprise surprise) but from what I could see none of them looked like the sort of level who might take that job.

At least if he's a fan he might be in touch with the soul of Ajax a bit more. I'm not sentimental enough to think that anyone other than some hard-nosed business type will get the job and he'd have to be pretty poor to be on a level with some of his predecesors "business" decisions but it might just work from a fans point of view. Brian Barwick (English FA chief executive and ex Tranmere player) for instance seems a lot closer to the grass roots and the fans than Adam Crozier, his predecessor for instance.

.....but then I'm sure Van Eijden would call himself a fan so who knows?

[Kowalczyk]

Van Eijden is an Ajax man. He had a brief career as a first team player and I'm sure his heart is red and white. No doubt about it. What made him such a poor general director was the fact that he's mediocre. As a person and as a 'thinker'. Simply incompetent.

Maarten Fontein is absolutely of a different caliber as a manager. He's a top drawer business man. Unilever is a huge company (mother company of dozens of food and non-food brands) and he's been a top international man for them. He must be a rational, creative thinker.

The question is: is he enough of a football man and does he understand Ajax culture?

One thing's for sure (and very positive, if you ask me): this dude does not have a position in the 'old boys' network' (the 'Cruyff Movement' within the club). Van Eijden was very much one of the 'old boys'.

A rational, business-like manager will not necessarily turn the club into a cold business. For example: a good, rational, sometimes merciless manager can build a modern, dynamic club structure (including Supporters Affairs and a 'Fan Think Tank' in order to come up with good merchandise ideas) -- and guess what? As a result the club will come across as 'warmer' and more 'human', simply because the management got their shit figured out.

A guy like Van Eijden is very much an Ajax man, but when the club got big in the second half of the 1990s, his Ajax heart simply wasn't enough to make things work. As a result of that, fans couldn't get hold of the Fan Desk, e-mails were never replied to, the fanshop was a mess, etc. etc. A good, 'cold' manager would probably have done a better job - and made the club feel more 'human'.

Being a professional company and being a 'human' company are not two mutually exclusive things, if you ask me. Quite on the contrary: it's essentially the same thing. What made Ajax so 'cold' for a few years (it's much better now, although some supporters will never stop complaining) was amateurism rather than professionalism. It was down to the 'old boy's network' of old-fashioned, mediocre Amsterdam artistocrats, not to a man like Frank Kales, who tried to modernize things.

I hope this makes sense (you can disagree, of course, but I just hope I made myself clear and brought the point across).

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

A rational, business-like manager will not necessarily turn the club into a cold business. K.

You're certainly right on that point - the cleverest trick in the book would be to turn the club more into that lean cold money making machine and plug into the fan culture and make the club seem more homely.

It can be done, by some of the ways you've just said - look at Barcelona for example - I know their structure is different from a team like Ajax but is it really so - they're every inch a global business brand (nike etc etc) but still manage to remain in touch with the fans. Also Moan United - look at their fans nostalgia for the old Man United PLC since Glazer bought them out. It'd be nice if some of the bad stuff off the field as well as on the field was put right (and I'm not really having a dig - Ajax haven't been that bad to me for instance, it's usually just niggly annoying things) but there seems so much wasted potential in that area.

[Blind3]

I'm just happy for the breath of fresh air.I'll be happier still if Mr. Fontein lets the football men, Blind and Van Geel, take on the football decisions while he applies his reported business acumen to making Ajax as good as it can be in off the pitch areas.

[ZoefdeHaas]

To make a good club, is to have the right people. If they haven't done so in the past then a new person should come in. I think its going well for Ajax.

[Neefkens]

I hope this makes sense (you can disagree, of course, but I just hope I made myself clear and brought the point across).

K.

Great post, Ko :worshippy: :xyxthumbs:

The English part of the ajax-site might even be improved, when he is getting his act together. I know the perfect man to do the job, he can write, he has a AJAX-heart, has experience in website-modding and his nick is......




K.

[AjaxThailand]

The new guy seems to be ideal for the job. Good job to whoever did the recruitment.

Only thing I am a bit worried about is that the 2 guys running the club (not the team, so v.geel and Blind not included) are two people with very little Ajax background. Jaakke and this guy are not exactly similar to guys like van Praag. Doesnt mean its bad but just gives ajax a much more commercial feel if you know what i mean. Also neither seem to have the outgoing character that someone like van Praag had. It will be somewhat of a change to see these 2 guys running Ajax from now on. I hope that they atleast have a real and strong love of Ajax and that they dont see this as just a job

[SE6Ajacied]

Van Eijden is an Ajax man. He had a brief career as a first team player and I'm sure his heart is red and white. No doubt about it. What made him such a poor general director was the fact that he's mediocre. As a person and as a 'thinker'. Simply incompetent.


K.

I've just read through all my posts from yesterday. What I was trying to say is that though Van Eijden would consider himself an Ajax fan/man through and through, I think most would say that he's lost his way in recent years as far as fan relations and other stuff goes. In the same way that a bad politician would carry on, in the belief he was working for the good of the country but in fact becoming more inverted and self-centric with policies to match.

I don't doubt Van Eijden thinks that everything he's done is in the best interests of the business, team, and fans (or the balancing act of all three), it's just he's lost his way a bit in recent years.

Anyway, a change is a good as a rest they say - that's me over and out on this subject.

[343]

Changes in board AFC Ajax

Source: AJAX.nl

Amsterdam, October 21, 2005
The board of AFC Ajax, with members John Jaakke, chairman, Hein Blocks, treasurer, and Klaas Nuninga, member technical affairs, have concluded that it is not in the best interest of the club to carry on in the current make up.

The reason is a difference of opinion about the manner in which the board needs to function. The board members have also noticed a lack of chemistry between them. These observations are regretted by the board, but at the same time, the baord members unanimously are of the opinion that a change is necessary.
On those grounds, Hein Blocks and Klaas Nuninga have offered to vacate their position at the moment the members' council have appointed suitable successors.

The board of Ajax also have a seat in the board of supervisory directors of AFC Ajax N.V. The board of supervisory directors consists of five people; the three board members of the club plus Sjoerd van Loon and Frank Eijken.

Nothing will change in structure or competences of the managing board and board of supervisory directors. This decision is not caused by the policy of AFC Ajax N.V.

[Philippe]

Changes in board AFC Ajax (...) This decision is not caused by the policy of AFC Ajax N.V.

I bet it has no connection at all. :eusa_liar:

Who will survive to the current chairman ???

[AjaxThailand]

The foundation of the club is shaking on all sides. The results of the team are far below par, the quality of the coach is up to discussion, the scouting machine has failed once to many time and now it reached the upper levels of the board room. Big storm ahead, we got our own hurricane at the club.

[Thibb]

Hopeful thinking. I say a couple of wallets get off their cushy seats and find new ones to sink into, while the emptied seats are filled by fresh money grabbers. Meanwhile the club will continue to sink into European mediocrity, spend millions on players that never fitted into the club to begin with, keep appointing coaching-rookies as head coaches, and hire and fire executives faster that they can count their severance paychecks.

[vagegast]

CRISIS

[Blind3]

Not hard to believe our once proud football club looks set to fall on it's sword in the board room as well. :pukey: The stench that is all too prevalent on the pitch is just following the old stink rises principle. Not exactly a perceptive comment by me,Mixed metaphors to boot. FUCK IT!! More just utterances from two seasons of supporter exasperation.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Look at the exodus at Barca people, we aren't as bad

[Kowalczyk]

I was away during the weekend and did not have any time for it yesterday, but I will publish a comprehensive news report about this today... Stay tuned.

K.

[Philippe]

you may start now with the list of those who were sacked or "resigned" during the last 18 months . who's next ? Jakke ? :X

[Kowalczyk]

Finally... We have a news report on Ajax USA with some background information on the 'board crisis'.

http://www.ajax-usa.com/news/2005-2006/ ... board.html

K.

[Rubin Stark]

Can you say power struggle?

Jaakke said that the reasons for their decision are a "lack of chemistry" within the board and "different opinions about the way the board should operate".

- From the Ajax USA news report.

Aren't different opinions in a boardroom setting valued because they promote innovation and new ways of looking at things?

[/quote]

[SE6Ajacied]

Can you say power struggle?

Jaakke said that the reasons for their decision are a "lack of chemistry" within the board and "different opinions about the way the board should operate".

- From the Ajax USA news report.

Aren't different opinions in a boardroom setting valued because they promote innovation and new ways of looking at things?

[/quote]

That might have been a way of looking at it some months ago but when we get to the stage that two have jumped ship/been pushed, I think it's fair to say that a "power struggle" has taken place.

[Philippe]

:redcard: :redcard: :redcard: Jaakke :redcard: :redcard: :redcard:

[Kowalczyk]

Ajax arrived to Berne tonight. There are some pictures on Ajax.nl:
http://www.ajax.nl/show/id=1322/contentid=44355

If you scroll down to the bottom picture you'll see Maarten Fontein, our new general director, making a phonecall. It is his first Champions League trip 'on the job'. Tomorrow (November 01) is his first official day as an Ajax employee.

Arie van Eijden will help him to settle into his new job in the upcoming month. Van Eijden will officially step down on December 01. But, starting tomorrow, Fontein will already be 'the new face'.

Read about him in the news report Ajax USA published on August 26:
http://www.ajax-usa.com/news/2005-2006/ ... ector.html

My first impression of the new man? Many supporters don't have a good feeling about him because he's not a real football man, but a former cricket player and multinational business 'big shot'. He has an absolutely terrible posh accent. Not really the type of man supporters will easily embrace. But the truth is: we don't know him. We'll have to wait and see.

"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"
(The Who: Won't Get Fooled Again, 1979)

K.