Former Ajax Players

[Per]

"If scoring goals in England is easier than in Italy..."

But what evidence do you have for that statement? the record of Italin strikers in the Premiership would suggest that there is no real evidence for that.

I agree that Rooney is over-hyped, as all footballers are in England, but he is quite a bit younger than Zlatan, and has some way to go in his development. So I think the jury is still out on this case.

In my world there is no doubt that Italian defenders and the Italian defending as a whole is way better than in England. English strikers in Italy? Italian strikers in England....equally bad results I'd say. With the exceptions that most Italian strikers that have gone to the English league have been over the top in their carreers already.

Anyways, the jury is of course still out on Rooney and Zlatan. I do however feel that they should draw the same amount of cash in a sell, at least.

[SE6Ajacied]

Make of this what you will (from FootballUnlimited.com)


Real deny making offer for Ibrahimovich

Hmm, just like they did with Ronaldo, Beckham......If Real have denied it then it must be true :D ;)

[Per]

Make of this what you will (from FootballUnlimited.com)


Real deny making offer for Ibrahimovich

Hmm, just like they did with Ronaldo, Beckham......If Real have denied it then it must be true :D ;)

I think Zlatan's agent tried a bit of negotiation tricks on this one, actually. But Real probably have some sort of interest in him.

[aveslacker]

Make of this what you will (from FootballUnlimited.com)


Real deny making offer for Ibrahimovich

Hmm, just like they did with Ronaldo, Beckham......If Real have denied it then it must be true :D ;)

I think Zlatan's agent tried a bit of negotiation tricks on this one, actually. But Real probably have some sort of interest in him.

Yes, a striker is just what Real need. Ronaldo, Raul, Owen, they're all shmucks. If this is true, it just further shows why Real will never win with the galactico concept. Let them buy him, they'll keep giving up goals. Particularly if Casillas signs with another team, as is rumored.

[Kowalczyk]

Pius Ikedia has found himself a new club: AZ.

You'd almost forget, but Pius Ikedia still belongs to Ajax. He was loaned out to FC Groningen in 2002-2003 and to RBC Roosendaal for the past two seasons. His Ajax contract will expire this summer, so when Ajax agreed a two year loan-deal with RBC in the summer of 2003 they already knew that he was going to be transfer free at the end of that deal. So, in a way, Ikedia was no longer an Ajacied when he appeared on the RBC team picture for this season. For that reason we will not run this as news on Ajax USA, but just post it here.

Interesting detail: Ikedia adored Co Adriaanse in his Ajax days. He was linked with AZ a few months ago and was very enthusiastic about a move to Alkmaar. But then Co announced his departure and Louis van Gaal was landed as his successor. Ikedia does not like Van Gaal for some reason (maybe he's a bit afraid of him) and announced that he was absolutely not going to go to AZ. But he had a personal meeting with Van Gaal, who apparently convinced Ikedia of his good intentions.

Van Gaal did demand that Ikedia can speak Dutch by the start of the new season (which is a fair demand, I guess: he's been in Holland for six years or more now... Why doesn't he speak Dutch already? Did no-one at Ajax, Groningen or RBC force him to take Dutch classes?). Anyway, good luck at AZ, Pietje. :yes:

K.

[The Purple Cow]

I don't think Real's interest in Zlatan has all that much to do with football. In fact i'm not sure if any of there transfers have anything to do with football.

Their marketing strategy is to sign one major Galactico per season, to boost sales of replica shirts. Now this season their man is Zlatan, because he's the highest profile player that may be available. It's widely expected in the Spanish press that Real are going to sell Owen to make room for Zlatan. This despite the fact that Owen's goals/minutes-played ratio is the best of any player in the Primera Divisione, and the Real fans love him.

This strategy only makes sense if you view it in terms of marketing - in a footballing sense it's madness.

[Kowalczyk]

So... An ex-Ajax man, Edwin van der Sar, will defend the Moan-U goal next season...

I have a feeling that SPL and Pizza 5 will have some interesting comments on this one...

:D

K.

[souras84]

I didnt want Van der Sar to go to the hated ManUtd. But he is a great gk and he should play in top teams

[SPL]

I am not actually interested who is going to be the goalie for the 3rd best team in England.

I do think Fergie has finally bought a good goalie but he should have bought him 6 years ago when Schemichael left. Edwin was at his peak then whereas now he is still a good goalie but probably has only 2/3 left at the top.

The 2 best goalies in th EPL are Chelsea's 2 Cech and Cudicini.


I don't blame Edwin for going there, obviously I hate the idea of seeing anyone from our great club playing for those shits but will I hate Edwin like the rest of the scum players !! No way , He is part of AJAX history, I will wish him well a great goalie.( I wont wish him too well)

If the scum are going to get anyone connected with Ajax I much rather it be an ex goalie now nearly 35 than one of our current crop of youngsters.


One last point I do not think he is the first former Ajax player there, did not Arnold Muhren play for them??


I am sure PIZZA 5 will have some stronger words than me !!

[Frans]

... But he is a great gk and he should play in top teams

Surely good keepers would be better off in crap/average teams, where their skills would be far better utilised. ;)

[cdnajaxfan]

Here is a quote from van Der Sar:

''I'm not thinking of retirement, I wanted to finish my career at Ajax. Maybe at end of this contract it's the end for good for van der Sar but I've got two nice years to look forward to and i'll do my utmost to perform at the level that's required at United.''

Maybe he will come back after his Man U stint? When there was talk of him going to P$V he said that the only club in Holland that would be a challange for him would be Ajax. He is still playing very well and I think that there could still be 3 years out of him yet. He has always professed his admiration for Ajax and he will for sure comback as a goalie coach for Ajax one day.

[Bert]

Come back as back-up and give Maarten some tips?

[Kowalczyk]

Tomorrow's WC qualifier in Helsinki against Holland may well be the very last Jari Litmanen will play for Finland. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that Litmanen is believed to announce his retirement from the national team after the fixture. As usual, Litmanen himself was a mystery: "Perhaps it will be my last game for Finland, I don't know yet. We'll find out on Wednesday."

K.

[Kowalczyk]

F*ck me... It has happened: Shota Arveladze has joined AZ. He is the successor of Robin Nelisse, who will move on to Utrecht.

:scared:

Amazing. I'm sure he was talked right into this deal by Louis van Gaal. Highly, highly remarkable. He's 32, so I don't think we would have wanted him at Ajax (that's not the way to go, is my opinion), but he's a top drawer striker for AZ, for sure. They will once again be a very good side next season (although I still think there is a chance Van Gaal will destroy it).

K.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Amazing how some of these players are drawn to clubs just because f their manager..sure Van Gaal is a great manager but AZ? They just had one fantastic season, theyre not Dutch giants yet.

Anyways gd luck Arve

[Kowalczyk]

News from Valencia...

Patrick Kluivert did not pass his medical. The doctors say the state of his knee is not good and they've given Valencia a negative advice. Second (and third...) opinion this evening, but the club are already investigating the legal opportunities to dissolve the contract...

To be continued...

K.

[Manneken Pis]

News from Valencia...

Patrick Kluivert did not pass his medical. The doctors say the state of his knee is not good and they've given Valencia a negative advice.
K.

It must be all that dancing in the night clubs that did it..... ;)

[The Purple Cow]

I think if anything he needs to do more dancing in nightclubs, from what I've seen of him lately he's definately put on a few kilos. he's become a bit of a tubster.

[Kowalczyk]

The guy is a waster and a complete basket case that has lost contact with reality. He said in the press a few weeks ago that Marco van Basten must have something against him as a person (and Davids, and Seedorf). He really did not understand why he's not playing for Holland.

If you can say such a thing without even blinking your eyes, then you are one serious nutjob. I mean, what the f*ck is he thinking? There is a bloke named Ruud van Nistelrooy who's scored six million goals for Man-U in recent seasons. Then there's a chap by the name of Roy Makaay, who fires 'em into the net from all angles for Bayern Munich. And there's Dirk Kuyt, who scored 26 goals for some mediocre side in Holland.

Why in the name of God would Van Basten pick Patrick Kluivert at the moment? Even PSV's Jan Vennegoor, AZ's Robin Nelisse or Heerenveen's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have more right to play for Holland right now. Kluivert has seriously lost the plot (as a footballer and as a sane human being).

K.

[carcajou]

The guy is a waster and a complete basket case that has lost contact with reality. He said in the press a few weeks ago that Marco van Basten must have something against him as a person (and Davids, and Seedorf). He really did not understand why he's not playing for Holland.

If you can say such a thing without even blinking your eyes, then you are one serious nutjob. I mean, what the f*ck is he thinking? There is a bloke named Ruud van Nistelrooy who's scored six million goals for Man-U in recent seasons. Then there's a chap by the name of Roy Makaay, who fires 'em into the net from all angles for Bayern Munich. And there's Dirk Kuyt, who scored 26 goals for some mediocre side in Holland.

Why in the name of God would Van Basten pick Patrick Kluivert at the moment? Even PSV's Jan Vennegoor, AZ's Robin Nelisse or Heerenveen's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have more right to play for Holland right now. Kluivert has seriously lost the plot (as a footballer and as a sane human being).

K.

Not to name Hasselbaink and Babel.... I guess Van Basten himself would do a better job than Kluivert the Lardass.

PS : A quick question :

How much impact did the car accident affair have on him ? And I'm serious... Do you think that everything went wrong from there ?

[Kowalczyk]

PS : A quick question :

How much impact did the car accident affair have on him ? And I'm serious... Do you think that everything went wrong from there ?

I remember that fatal car crash very well. I even remember the name of the guy that got killed: Putman. Martin Putman, I believe. He was the director of a theatre and I believe the accident happened in Amsterdam-North (not 100% sure about that). Now, every normal person would have done some serious thinking after such an accident. How the hell did this happen? Why was I driving so fast? Am I a murderer now? What message is God/Allah/the universe/destiny (whatever) trying to bring across here? Are there certain things about my lifestyle that I need to change...?

Self-reflection is what we're talking about here.

But Patrick Kluivert did not get the point of the whole thing. He did not ask himself any of these questions, so it seemed. He was caught for speeding again only a few weeks later, near Leidseplein. Once again he wasn't just driving a few kilometres too fast, no, he seemed to be trying to break the sound barrier in the middle of the city. Shortly after that he was accused of a 'group rape' of a young woman (to his defense: I don't think this was ever proven. That is: he did do it, but I think it was never officially called 'rape' by the judge; no proof for that).

The Dutch public would have forgiven him the fatal car crash, in spite of the fact that he really drove like a madman over there: it was a residential area with a very low speed limit, but I've seen the photos of that car and it was totally f*cked up. You could hardly see it was once a car. He must have gone 120 km/hour at least, in an area where 30 was the limit. But then again: he was a young kid, he made a bad mistake, he was punished for it and condemned by a whole country. Every person deserves a new start. The people acknowledged that, I think, and were willing to give him another chance.

But the things that happened almost immediately thereafter permanently destroyed his reputation in Holland. He won some credit back in 1998 (World Cup) and 2000 (Euro 2000): he played well and - more importantly - seemed older and wiser. But after that (and particularly in England) it all went terribly wrong again. I am hardly exaggerating when I say that the average Dutch football fan really hates Patrick Kluivert now. People have no respect for him here. He is seen as a weak person, with no backbone and no sense of responsibility.

I don't think it started going downhill after the car crash. I think the car crash was a symptom. Evidence for the fact that it was already going wrong. Maybe, in retrospective, it really started going wrong when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final... Or am I being too cynical here? I don't know... One thing's for sure: he could have been a legend by now, but he sure as hell isn't.

K.

[Manneken Pis]

PS : A quick question :

How much impact did the car accident affair have on him ? And I'm serious... Do you think that everything went wrong from there ?

I am hardly exaggerating when I say that the average Dutch football fan really hates Patrick Kluivert now..

K.

Let's face it, being the all time top scorer for Holland and to be this disliked takes some doing!!!!!

[The Purple Cow]

Well I'm no huge fan of Kuivert, but I think a couple of clarifications are required here.

Firstly, the speeding incident.

At that time I worked in the Boven Ij Ziekenhuis where Mrs. Putman recovered from her injuries, I got to know her, and her story, quite well in the months she was with us... The first thing to say is that Putman was making a three point turn just after a canal bridge, he stalled the engine whilst the car was completely across the width of the road.

Kluivert came over the bridge - at speed (about 65km/h in a 30 km/h zone) and was faced with a large station wagon right across the road in front of him. At that speed he had nowhere else to go.

The police determined that both parties were at fault for the accident; Kluivert for speeding, and Putman for attempting a three point turn on the lee-side of a bridge - not very smart.

The rape incident. The police determined basically that the girl was lying through her teeth. What particularly impressed them was;

a) The stories of the six men concerned matched each other under interrogation almost perfectly. Something that never happens when a large group of men are lying.

b) On the way home the next morning, the girl cheerfully told her taxi-driver "You'll never guess who I fucked last night - Patrick Kluivert!!"

c) She hired an agent before she went to the police.

d) There was no physical evidence of forced sex.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Poor women

[Philippe]

what has become of Richard Witschge ?