02 Apr 2006: Roda JC - Ajax

[Over Pasanens Head]

Sorry to say that I totally disagree : we need to play the CL at least for financial reasons.
And once we are in, we belong there. Simple as that. Look at arsenal : they are having a poor season but they are doing very well in the CL.
If we can't qualify for the CL, we are in for a severe several years crisis.

But the big difference with Arsenal was that they finished in second spot to qualify for the champions league.
What you are hoping for is that a team that finishes in 5th place (at the moment 16 points off the 2nd place team - and they have a game in hand) in the Eredivise creeps into the cl via some playoffs. We are where we are in the league because we are sh*t - and sh*t teams don't deserve cl football.
This club needs a failure like this to wake itself up and make some decisions. If we creep into the cl through 5th place I do really wonder if they will take those decisions.

[SPL]

We do not deserve CL and a season in UEFA Cup with a decent coach wont do the club harm as we need to rebuild.Half our squad are going and it sounds as though they are playing as if that is the case.

We have got to start again with a new coach.

[ZoefdeHaas]

We need CL no matter what, financial reasons as said. Not that we deserve to be in the elite league, but simply to keep our rebuilding hopes for the future alive.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Just had an e-mail to say that a thread I was following on Soccerpages yonks ago had received a new post. Whilst there I noticed an old posting of mine dated 31 January 2005:-

"The first 45 minutes yesterday was the worst 45 minutes of football I have watched at the ArenA. The second worst quickly followed in the second half of the game. Ajax were just 100% clueless and an absolute shambles."

Well it seems that 14 months or so later on we are exactly back where we were then.

Oh Happy Times.

[Ayman]

Over Pasanen Head and Kowalczyk, you guys are abit OTT.....it doesnt matter about this result, aslong as we are in the play offs we can conjure up a couple of surprises, just like we did last year when everyone thought we were dead and buried, we beat AZ and then Feyenoord, we can do it again this year. Besides, look at the amount of injuries we have....Jesus!!!

[SE6Ajacied]

Over Pasanen Head and Kowalczyk, you guys are abit OTT.....it doesnt matter about this result, aslong as we are in the play offs we can conjure up a couple of surprises, just like we did last year when everyone thought we were dead and buried, we beat AZ and then Feyenoord, we can do it again this year. Besides, look at the amount of injuries we have....Jesus!!!

We should still be beating teams like Roda, even with the injuries! Besides, more important than that is the spirit and the style of play etc that gives you hope if the result is not good. I didn't see yesterdays game and probably won't bother with the 'highlights' but from what I've heard we were sadly lacking in both those departments.

I'm sorry to say, I know Blind is Ajax through and through, and he seems a nice enough guy and all that, but he has to go - things just aren't happening how they should be. Lets move him back to the youth team (where he seemed to be working well) and get someone else in for next season before any more damage is done.

Oh, and I agree, the CL cash is not everything in the world and a season (and hopefully a good run) in the UEFA cup next season would do this lot no harm at all. It might even stop some from thinking they are superstars and have already made it when they aren't/haven't.

[English Eagle]

Over Pasanen Head and Kowalczyk, you guys are abit OTT.....it doesnt matter about this result, aslong as we are in the play offs we can conjure up a couple of surprises, just like we did last year when everyone thought we were dead and buried, we beat AZ and then Feyenoord, we can do it again this year. Besides, look at the amount of injuries we have....Jesus!!!

We should still be beating teams like Roda, even with the injuries! Besides, more important than that is the spirit and the style of play etc that gives you hope if the result is not good. I didn't see yesterdays game and probably won't bother with the 'highlights' but from what I've heard we were sadly lacking in both those departments.

I'm sorry to say, I know Blind is Ajax through and through, and he seems a nice enough guy and all that, but he has to go - things just aren't happening how they should be. Lets move him back to the youth team (where he seemed to be working well) and get someone else in for next season before any more damage is done.

Oh, and I agree, the CL cash is not everything in the world and a season (and hopefully a good run) in the UEFA cup next season would do this lot no harm at all. It might even stop some from thinking they are superstars and have already made it when they aren't/haven't.

What he said. :yelclap:

[saddlerian]

Over Pasanen Head and Kowalczyk, you guys are abit OTT.....it doesnt matter about this result, aslong as we are in the play offs we can conjure up a couple of surprises, just like we did last year when everyone thought we were dead and buried, we beat AZ and then Feyenoord, we can do it again this year. Besides, look at the amount of injuries we have....Jesus!!!

:headbang: :headbang:
What f*ckin planet are you on? "Over the top!"
So you think that by finishing 5th over the whole season, before "stealing" the CL spot from the rightful entrants is OK? You aren't one of the board are you? They seem to have that sort of mentality!
Ajax SHOULD be either 1st or 2nd to qualify for the CL. If they don't do this, it's a SHIT season!
THIS has been a SHIT SEASON!
IF Ajax qualify, and it's a BIG IF, then it'll only be the UEFA Cup.
They deserve F*CK ALL else!

NEW COACH ----NOW, PLEASE!
:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

[AjaxPDX]

Now that there's this ridiculous playoff system for the second CL place, and now that there's pretty much no chance of Ajax grabbing that last CL spot...

:?:

we still stand 5th, which would put us in the playoff

Correct. But my point was that, based on this team and its performances, they will either a) not make the playoffs, or b) if they do, get destroyed by AZ and/or Feyenoord. Thus, the UEFA Cup question.

They don't deserve the CL anyway. It would be rather embarrassing if this season's team end up getting that second CL spot.

Thanks for clearing up the UEFA Cup question, BPBlueSox.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Over Pasanen Head and Kowalczyk, you guys are abit OTT.....it doesnt matter about this result, aslong as we are in the play offs we can conjure up a couple of surprises, just like we did last year when everyone thought we were dead and buried, we beat AZ and then Feyenoord, we can do it again this year. Besides, look at the amount of injuries we have....Jesus!!!

:headbang: :headbang:
What f*ckin planet are you on? "Over the top!"
So you think that by finishing 5th over the whole season, before "stealing" the CL spot from the rightful entrants is OK? You aren't one of the board are you? They seem to have that sort of mentality!
Ajax SHOULD be either 1st or 2nd to qualify for the CL. If they don't do this, it's a SHIT season!
THIS has been a SHIT SEASON!
IF Ajax qualify, and it's a BIG IF, then it'll only be the UEFA Cup.
They deserve F*CK ALL else!

NEW COACH ----NOW, PLEASE!
:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

If we steal it away from f-word then YES :D

[Kowalczyk]

I hope we won't qualify for the play-offs. If that happens, Blind will have no excuses left. It will force him to resign, or (if he doesn't) it will force the board to fire him.

Why would we want to qualify for the play-offs anyway? There is absolutely no way we're going to win them.

May I point out that the season is almost over, and that we won precisely two games against the teams that are in the upper half of the table (positions 1-9)? We beat Groningen at home (3-2) and we beat Roda at home (4-1). That's it. The other 13 games against teams from the top 9 brought us three draws at the ArenA (PSV, Heerenveen and NEC) and 10 defeats.

Against the teams we will be up against in the play-offs (AZ, Feyenoord and Utrecht) we lost all five games so far. All of them would have beaten us on aggregate in a play-off round.

In other words: we have been consistently SH*T against the better teams. Injuries or no injuries; Huntelaar or no Huntelaar. There is absolutely no reason in the world to think that we will win the play-offs, so we might as well crash out of the top 5 and have the crisis that we already would have had in any other season (the play-offs themselves are the one reason why we can still give ourselves the feeling we're still in the race for something).

K.

[BPBlueSox]

May I point out that the season is almost over, and that we won precisely two games against the teams that are in the upper half of the table (positions 1-9)? We beat Groningen at home (3-2) and we beat Roda at home (4-1). That's it. The other 13 games against teams from the top 9 brought us three draws at the ArenA (PSV, Heerenveen and NEC) and 10 defeats.

There is absolutely no more telling stat than that.

[Ayman]

Look guys, We need Champions league football for the following reasons.....
1.Financial matters
2. Attract players we need i.e Landzaat
3. Prevent certain players tempted to leave e.g. Babel (potential talent) and Sneijder (even if he has a contract till 2009, there is no guarantee that he will stay)

[Kowalczyk]

Look guys, We need Champions league football for the following reasons.....
1.Financial matters
2. Attract players we need i.e Landzaat
3. Prevent certain players tempted to leave e.g. Babel (potential talent) and Sneijder (even if he has a contract till 2009, there is no guarantee that he will stay)

I disagree with you on every of these three points.

But - more importantly - this whole discussion ("do we need CL or not?") is hypthetical, because we're not gonna qualify anyway. At the moment I don't even think we will qualify for the play-offs. And if we do, we won't beat AZ and Feyenoord on aggregate over two games. No way.

So, do we need CL football? Whatever. We won't get it; that's the bottom line.

K.

[Ayman]

Kowalczyk said:

So, do we need CL football? Whatever. We won't get it; that's the bottom line.

Never say never, especially when it comes to Ajax :yes:

Only REAL Ajax fans have faith! So join us or watch from the sidelines :eusa_dance:

[AjaxPDX]

Look guys, We need Champions league football for the following reasons.....
1.Financial matters
2. Attract players we need i.e Landzaat
3. Prevent certain players tempted to leave e.g. Babel (potential talent) and Sneijder (even if he has a contract till 2009, there is no guarantee that he will stay)

That's one perspective. My personal opinion (yes, as a fan of Ajax), however, on your three points: wrong, wrong, and wrong.

In the long run (both next season and the season after that), a crap team backing their way into the CL through a crap season this year will NOT help the club.

[aveslacker]

Why not? The team gets more money from it, which is good. The fact that the team is in the Champions' League won't necessarily hurt their play any, and it might give some of the youngsters that figure to be on the team next year some valuable exposure to meaningful game that they don't always get in the eredivisie. I don't see any negatives with them playing CL next year.

Having said all that, however, I don't think that they deserve it. But if they somehow find their form and make it to/win the playoffs, I won't be upset at all.

I will root for Ajax to win any game, whenever, regardless of the situation. At this point, I have to assume that Blind's fate is sealed regardless of the results the rest of the way. I can't see how the following few games will make a difference for him. Either the board is convinced that he can do the job or not, in which case they're thinking about a possible replacement.

Whether the team wins the remaining games shouldn't change the fact that the team has horribly underperformed this year. Given the team's pedigree and talent, they should be neck-and-neck with PSV at the top of the table, not slogging it out with lesser teams for the final playoff spot. I can't imagine that this hasn't dawned on the board. Van Geel has made a bunch of right moves so far. He strikes me as a sharp guy. Surely he can see this as well.

But I will never root for my team to lose so that the coach can get the chop. I will never root for my team to lose ever. Period. I don't hold it against my fellow Ajacieden if they do, but for me, support for a club means always wanting them to win and play well.

Anyway, I want to reiterate that I won't complain at all if Ajax fail in the playoffs, because they hardly merit the opportunity. But it would be silly, imo, to be upset about CL qualification when it only provides positives for next season.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. It's been a long season.

[ZoefdeHaas]

It aint over yet son, but remember if there's no Ajax there's always Sex, drugs and Rock n Roll :headbang:

[aveslacker]

I'm a deaf monk. Guess I'm fucked.













:eusa_dance:

[Philippe]

I will root for Ajax to win any game, whenever, regardless of the situation. At this point, I have to assume that Blind's fate is sealed regardless of the results the rest of the way. I can't see how the following few games will make a difference for him. Either the board is convinced that he can do the job or not, in which case they're thinking about a possible replacement.

(...)But I will never root for my team to lose so that the coach can get the chop. I will never root for my team to lose ever. Period.

quite obviously :xyxthumbs:

[aveslacker]

You'd think, but I hear that from people occasionally. "I'm really hoping that the team loses so that the coach will get fired." I just don't understand that.

[Ayman]

Finally, atleast someone (aveslacker) has some sense, I was getting rather worried with the likes of Over Pasanens Head and Kowalczyk, practically hoping that Ajax will be relegated....pfffffff :offtopic:

[Over Pasanens Head]

Finally, atleast someone (aveslacker) has some sense

As in he agrees with you :D

[Over Pasanens Head]

Only REAL Ajax fans have faith! So join us or watch from the sidelines :eusa_dance:

Ayman are you saying that the likes of Ko and myself are not a real Ajax fans?

I think that you will find that maybe we are real fans but also fans who aren't blinkered in our views. We want the best possible outcomes for this club, its just that we have different views than you on how it is best to reach those outcomes. I am 100% sure on Sunday we will be cheering the guys on at the ArenA and I know that if we lose we will feel it just as badly, if not worse than yourself. You should had seen the group of us at Roda on Sunday - it was like we were at a funeral.

[dws]

Why are you arguing over this Real Ajax? ;)

Is Real Ajax some shitty Spanish team? Sort of like Rabat Ajax from Malta? :D