17 Sep 2006: Roda JC - Ajax

[Frans]

Then why in the name of the Holy Cruyff were they so apathetic? I mean come on! Is it really that hard to just work your balls off for 90 minutes? Is it really that hard??
K.

Maybe their fitness isn't too hot. Two games in four days may be too much for them. (though of course it shouldn't be)

[Kowalczyk]

What's worse is that they lost to abunch of southerners. I feel sexually harassed.

For some reason this defeat doesn't feel painful, perhaps because I KNOW we will be champions this season.

Zoef moves in mysterious ways... :D

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Match report is up!

http://www.ajax-usa.com/matches/m06-07/ ... a-2-0.html

K.

[ZoefdeHaas]

What's worse is that they lost to abunch of southerners. I feel sexually harassed.

For some reason this defeat doesn't feel painful, perhaps because I KNOW we will be champions this season.

Zoef moves in mysterious ways... :D

K.

Maybe the spanking didn't work ;)

Btw in the match report PSV won 2-1 against Feyenoord, not 3-0.

[Philippe]

In your report you write : "The NAC and Vitesse games were promising, the performances against IK Start and Roda JC rather worrying. Henk ten Cate's Ajax play better football than Danny Blind's, but the team is still inconsistent and fickle."
Do you refer to Danny Blind's end of the season ?

[Kowalczyk]

In your report you write : "The NAC and Vitesse games were promising, the performances against IK Start and Roda JC rather worrying. Henk ten Cate's Ajax play better football than Danny Blind's, but the team is still inconsistent and fickle."
Do you refer to Danny Blind's end of the season ?

Umm, to any period of the Danny Blind era, really...

This season's Ajax already play considerably better football than last season's: they pass faster, there is more movement, they seem to be more of a team.

Which doesn't just have to do with the coaches, by the way, but also with the available players. Danny Blind is only one of the people who has been replaced by someone better.

K.

[Philippe]

I wonder how things would be if Blind had been replaced by someone not "better than" him :scared:

as a matter of fact : Ten Cate has not proved anything so far. :X

and cross fingers hoping we'll get better :eusa_pray:

[Kowalczyk]

as a matter of fact : Ten Cate has not proved anything so far. :X

That's true. At the end of a campaign, when the time to evaluate and analyze has come, a coach will have to be judged by the ones responsible.

But for now Henk ten Cate is doing an excellent job - and that's not something I am saying because I am pro-HTC and anti-Blind or anything like that. I have the mindset of a journalist. I observe and draw a conclusion. I am not pro or anti anyone.

I watch every Ajax game, I observe training sessions and I am fortunate enough to work for a TV program where I actually get to talk to Ajax people: players, board members, directors, coaches. I look at what HTC is doing and compare it to Danny Blind, and the conclusion is that Henk ten Cate is a more gifted coach and people's manager than Danny Blind. He does better work, so far, and that conclusion has many more layers, and is much more multi-faceted, than a quick glance at the results can ever be.

K.

[bluedaddy19]

That's true. At the end of a campaign, when the time to evaluate and analyze has come, a coach will have to be judged by the ones responsible.

But for now Henk ten Cate is doing an excellent job - and that's not something I am saying because I am pro-HTC and anti-Blind or anything like that. I have the mindset of a journalist. I observe and draw a conclusion. I am not pro or anti anyone.

I watch every Ajax game, I observe training sessions and I am fortunate enough to work for a TV program where I actually get to talk to Ajax people: players, board members, directors, coaches. I look at what HTC is doing and compare it to Danny Blind, and the conclusion is that Henk ten Cate is a more gifted coach and people's manager than Danny Blind. He does better work, so far, and that conclusion has many more layers, and is much more multi-faceted, than a quick glance at the results can ever be.

K.

and yet he continues to play the often embarassing vermaelen over two superior central defenders...

[Kowalczyk]

I have a different opinion on Vermaelen.

His own goal against FCK was the worst moment of his life, but apart from that I just don't see it, to be quite honest...

K.

[Philippe]

as a matter of fact : Ten Cate has not proved anything so far. :X

(...) But for now Henk ten Cate is doing an excellent job K.

:roll:


That's not the opinion I get when I read your recent match reports, to say the least.

I suggest you give up comparing Cate to Blind. It is a sentive issue. And Cate brought no result so far. But we all hope Ajax will at last have success in both the Dutch league and the UEFA competition. So let's turn the page.

[Manneken Pis]

I suggest you give up comparing Cate to Blind. It is a sen(si)tive issue.

Hmmmm.......for whom I wonder....... :hypocrite:

[bluedaddy19]

I have a different opinion on Vermaelen.

His own goal against FCK was the worst moment of his life, but apart from that I just don't see it, to be quite honest...

K.

just yesterday, he was lacking n both goals, badly missed a wide open corner kick header (that heitinga or grygera probably would have buried) and offers next to nothing in bringing the ball out of the back

promise is one thing... heitinga and grygera can perform exceptionally at the position now

[jamcocteau]

as a matter of fact : Ten Cate has not proved anything so far. :X

(...) But for now Henk ten Cate is doing an excellent job K.

:roll:


That's not the opinion I get when I read your recent match reports, to say the least.

I suggest you give up comparing Cate to Blind. It is a sentive issue. And Cate brought no result so far. But we all hope Ajax will at last have success in both the Dutch league and the UEFA competition. So let's turn the page.

That is actually very rich coming from you, the person who had "Bring Back Blind" as his footnote. Most of us turned the page when the new manager was installed. But your posts have continually mentioned Blind or been critical of the new management from the off without giving themselves the chance to prove what they can do over a season.

All I want is that Ajax Football Club have had a great season by May 2007 irrespective of who is in charge. The club itself is bigger and more important that any one individual.

[Kowalczyk]

Philippe, you can be so tiring...

Blind is great because he won the play-offs and the cup, Ten cate is not doing good work because he lost to Roda...

The only person who's constantly all wound up when Blind is being discussed, is you. In one of my previous posts I explained that I wasn't comparing Blind to Ten Cate. I was comparing last season's (= Blind's) Ajax to this season's (= HTC's) Ajax.

You are the one bringing the subject up as soon as someone drops the name of Danny Blind (and sometimes that's not even necessary).

Like Jamcocteau said: this is very rich, coming from you.

K.

[Philippe]

I am sorry to remind you that Cate did not lose only to Roda. It started with the Amsterdam tournament, followed with the CL elimination.

And if you want to say that Cate's Ajax are playing well, do so. But you don't. You just write kind of it's poor but still better than in the Blind's days.
In your own match reports, you mention Blind.

And it is tiring.

[Kowalczyk]

I am sorry to remind you that Cate did not lose only to Roda. It started with the Amsterdam tournament, followed with the CL elimination.

I don't give a crap about the Amsterdam Tournament. Those games are two public training sessions in match kits - that's all. Last season's Amsterdam Tourney was even worse - and I didn't give a crap about that either.

My judgement on HTC's work as a head-coach does not primarily depend on results (and definitely not the results in his first handful of official games), just like my negative opinion on Danny Blind was not based on results. It was based on thorough observations of the man's work. What did he do with those players, how did he do it and what was the progress? That's why the winning of the cup and the play-offs didn't change my opinion. I was judging the man's work - and I will do the same with HTC.

And if you want to say that Cate's Ajax are playing well, do so. But you don't. You just write kind of it's poor but still better than in the Blind's days.
In your own match reports, you mention Blind.

And it is tiring.

In ancient Rome people used to say: "My wife and I got married in the second year of emperor Nero". The names of emperors were used to define specific years. Football fans tend do the same thing. If you start talking to an Ajax fan about the 1997-1998 season, they will think: which season was that again? That's why football fans will refer to that year as 'the Morten Olsen year'. Everybody will immediately know which season we're talking about.

It's a matter of terminology, so don't be childish. I only mentioned Blind in order to specify a season, Philippe. I compared last season's Ajax to this season's Ajax - a completely relevant thing to do. Instead of "Blind's Ajax" I could have written "the Ajax of 2005-2006".

You are the one who immediately jumped down my throat, posting a message about that specific sentence, in which you zoomed in on the latter weeks of Blind's era (in which Ajax started winning stuff). You always do that (using Blind's last couple of weeks to his defense). I would never do that, because I will base my opinion on the bigger picture.

If there is anyone at this forum who apparently finds it hard to 'turn the page', and who simply can't stop defending Danny Blind, it really is you, mate. I'm sorry, but I think everyone will agree on that one - and it's not a conpiracy or something.

Drop the name of Blind or Jaakke - and there comes Philippe going :fundamentje:

K.

[jamcocteau]

And it is tiring.

Again very rich coming from you. You are like a broken record. Lets get this straight Blind is gone. He is no longer at Ajax. Are you actually an Ajax supporter - I ask this in all honesty as the majority of your posts are concerned with the situation of individuals rather than the club as a whole.

Philippe, I have wasted much time over the last year trying to engage you in meaningful discussion and debate like mature adults do. It appears to me and many others here that you are one stubborn individual who refuses to see anything from others point of view. You go on about how great Danny Blind was and his "success" when many others see it completely different including those who run the club.

As I said I have wasted much time trying to engage you in debate and have realised now that it is not worth it. In the last month there has been much going on in my life personally and made me realise how precious life actually is and that every moment should be used for meaningful purpose. Unfortunately, meaningful purpose to me does not mean wasting the time, breath or energy getting involved with arguements with yourself. My life and time I now realise are worth more than that.

Bye bye from one extermely fed up poster

[Frans]

, just like my negative opinion on Danny Blind was not based on results. It was based on thorough observations of the man's work. What did he do with those players, how did he do it and what was the progress? That's why the winning of the cup and the play-offs didn't change my opinion. I was judging the man's work - and I will do the same with HTC.
K.

This is fairly irrelevant, but I think that Blind did do good work with the defence, especially with Heitinga. Remember that he came back from oblivion to play at the world cup. Vermaelen also made progress under Blind, and was generally regarded to have had a good season last year. Even if Blind did most things wrong, we should remember there was the odd thing he did well.

[Philippe]

Drop the name of Blind or Jaakke - and there comes Philippe going :fundamentje:

K.

"Blow up" was a truly superb movie ;)