13 Feb 2005: NAC Breda - Ajax

[Kowalczyk]

Dear Ajax: forget about the championship, but start winning right now if you want to finish second...

And oh yeah: Rafaël van der Vaart will be suspended for one game due to accumulated yellow cards. Doesn't matter.

K.

[DanK]

Does anyone know if Mr Babel will be fit and ready for this game?

[Kowalczyk]

Away end is sold out, the rest of the stadium almost sold out, Ryan Babel will probably be fit and it is about time we showed some proper footie.

Roll on Sunday!

K.

[Monkey Tonk]

A tough match. Especially with a seriously weakened midfield. But if a loss would mean Koeman's exit, NAC can have the points.

For those of you who want to see Ajax in action on your yearly trip, the real Ajax soccer is played a half hour to the north of Amsterdam this year; at AZ. Co Adriaanse's ultimate revenge... :bis:

[Frans]

A tough match. Especially with a seriously weakened midfield.

I think a midfield of Heitinga/Pienaar/De Ridder is most likely, and isn't too weak. Not the best, obviously, but if De Ridder is out to prove himself, anything could happen.

For those of you who want to see Ajax in action on your yearly trip, the real Ajax soccer is played a half hour to the north of Amsterdam this year; at AZ. Co Adriaanse's ultimate revenge... :bis:

I was looking forward to seeing AZ-PSV on espn as their dutch league game of the week. Then I look up the time and see they're playing bloody feyenoord vs willem II. Unbefuckinglieveable

[Kowalczyk]

I was looking forward to seeing AZ-PSV on espn as their dutch league game of the week. Then I look up the time and see they're playing bloody feyenoord vs willem II. Unbefuckinglieveable

What are you talking about?

AZ vs PSV is only the game between the number 2 and the number 1 on the table, with two points separating them. Lame stuff. Number 4 vs number 13; the world can't wait, I betcha.

Good choice, ESPN. :koe2:

K.

[martijn401]

According to AT5 there’s a good chance Lindgren will make his debut against NAC. Boukhari will replace Mitea, quit remarkable since last match he was not even a substitute.

[Kowalczyk]

Boukhari will replace Mitea, quit remarkable since last match he was not even a substitute.

Typical Koeman decision... Freaks me out. I mean: it's not a bad decision, but he just officially kicked him out of the squad last week.

Same thing as with the goalkeepers: if he wants to replace Boggy with Stekelenburg, than Stekelenburg with Boggy, then Boggy with Vonk and then Vonk with Boggy (oops, excuse me, not replace Vonk with Boggy on second thought) - fine with me. A coach has the right to do that and to change his mind every once in a while.

BUT AT LEAST DON'T ANNOUNCE EVERY TIME THAT THE 'NEW MAN' WILL BE THE MAN FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON!!!

If you want to replace Mitea with Boukhari? Fine! But then don't tell people they're out of the squad!

This is man is so good at making a complete joker out of himself. It's amazing.

Anyway - Boukhari it is. And Lindgren. Right. Whatever.

K.

[LucaS]

Don't jump to conclusions this fast Ko. Two whole days before the game..so there's still a fair chance Koeman will tell Boukhari for the 6th time in the last two years he's not good enough for Ajax. Maybe Babel will be fit after all...

[Kowalczyk]

Don't jump to conclusions this fast Ko. Two whole days before the game..so there's still a fair chance Koeman will tell Boukhari for the 6th time in the last two years he's not good enough for Ajax. Maybe Babel will be fit after all...

The point stands anyway.

I can't remember another Ajax coach who changed his mind so frequently as Ronald Koeman. Which is, once again, his right (if he thinks it's good for the team...). But at the same time Koeman also tends to announce his decisions 'officially' and present them as 'grand statements'.

The goalkeepers' issue is the most famous one: in pre-season Stekelenburg and Boggy had to 'battle', after which Koeman officially announced (he even issues a press release!) that Stekelenburg was going to be the #1 for the season. Less than five months later he has changed his mind officially four times (!). He dropped Stekelenburg for Boggy, then Boggy for Vonk, then Vonk for Stekelenburg (during the winter break), but before the second half of the season had even started he changed his mind again - and decided that Vonk would remain in goal.

Another example is Steven Pienaar: he played as right winger, Koeman announced in the press that he was not going to do that again because it didn't work - and now he's doing it again...

And what about Van der Vaart: he tells him to focus on the #10 position, then uses him as a striker, then moves him back to #10 telling him that that will be his only position for the future, then he punishes VDV because he doesn't want to play left winger - and now Raffy's back where it all started: at left midfield.

And now Boukhari: out of the squad, back into the squad, out of the squad, back into the squad. Fair enough, but please don't make yourself look like an idiot by announcing it every time.

The man's a complete and utter TWISTER - that's what he is.

The ironic thing is: he always announces stuff with a drum-roll because he feels that by making his faith in a player 'official' he gives him confidence and 'peace of mind'. Yeah, right. If the players learned one thing, it would be that Koeman's word don't mean anything. And so he achieves the exact opposite, namely unrest and annoyance.

This is the main reason why I am FED UP with Koeman.

K.

[LucaS]

I totally agree with you. The man doesn't seem to have any plan at all....Except of course, being coach of Barcelona some day..I think that's the only plan that has never changed with Koe.

[The Purple Cow]

Especially with young players it's important to give them confidence I would have thought. If you were to take a player like (say) Boukhari and tell him; "Look son, you are Ajax's right-winger, and barring injury you will be until the end of the season." That will at least give the player some sense of stability, so that he can relax in the role, and not constantly be looking over his shoulder wondering if he's going to play next week, or dissapear into the stands for six weeks. That would pay benefits in peformance I would have thought.

This counts double for goalkeepers, where confidence is everything.

[Wie kent Cees de Wolf nog]

I'm afraid Koeman is too obliged to the "system" 4-3-3. At the moment there aren't any capable players to play on the left wing. Koeman should seriously consider to opt for a 4-4-2 system. A midfield containing Rosales-Pienaar-Lindgren-Maxwell (O'Brien replacing him full left back) and an attacking force Charisteas-Babel will frighten Nac much more than the possible appearance from Boukhari.

[Monkey Tonk]

Wasn't Boukhari on the winning team in this match last season? If I remember correctly, he even scored. But even that didn't make Koeman happy. Some people are just impossible to please. B)

[raymon]

The line up:

NAC BREDA:
Schollen
Mendes da Silva, Penders,Petö, Gudelj
Collen,Kerstens, Slot
Cornelisse,Lurling,Boussaboun


AJAX:
Vonk,Trabelsi,Escudé,De Jong, Maxwell
Obodai,Pienaar,Lindgren
Rosales, Charisteas,Boukhari

[Dr. Living Stoned]

in the ajax leads by 1-0, scorer Boukhari. Nice goal.

[Cedric]

Boukhari saved Ajax & Koeman today by scoring the second goal at the 88' ! Nac had levelled the score at the 57' by Cornelisse.

[carcajou]

Boukhari saved Ajax & Koeman today by scoring the second goal at the 88' ! Nac had levelled the score at the 57' by Cornelisse.

And De Jong sucks ass, week after week....

[mr_cooper]

today game wasnt on tv today so i didnt see that. how the midfield was with Obodai,Pienaar and Lindgren?

[Cedric]

De Jong will not play the next game because of his new yellow card... :redcard:

[BPBlueSox]

Wasn't Boukhari on the winning team in this match last season? If I remember correctly, he even scored. But even that didn't make Koeman happy. Some people are just impossible to please. B)

Myabe he'll be pleased after today...

Meh, prolly not. :nooo:

[Blind3]

:bis: for the result. Whether it's The Pretzelman in charge or someone else,we still need to keep garnering points. How ironic. Everytime he sends Boukhari to the rubbish heap, he boomrangs back and scores goals for us. No De Jong for me to view next week..no loss. He can be replaced with the equally useless Rafael van der Meis.I chose to stay for the Den Bosch match with hopes of ending my trip with a scoreboard lighting performance by Ajax,especially after they face Auxerre mid-week, but I'm not sure if this side has it in them.

[ajaxusa]

De Jong will not play the next game because of his new yellow card... :redcard:

Interesting and disappointing that O'Brien wasn't even on the bench today. Any chance he'll see action in place of De Jong next week? Or is it the wrong side of the pitch?

[Cedric]

It's the wrong side... O'Brien plays on the left, de Jong on the right. But who know with Koeman ? ;)

[Dr. Living Stoned]

De Jong isn't RB since the return of Trabelsi in the team. And for O'Brien, I don't think this guy will be playing for Ajax again.