Maarten Stekelenburg

[Orange14]

The one thing I forgot to mention in my post above is that both keepers seem to be from the Oliver Kahn school when it comes to their kicking game; that is very poor. This is one area that can be coached and both need remedial education. I can seldom remember when any kick ends up at the foot of an Ajax player.

[SPL]

Whilst debating goalies for next season we will need an experienced no 2
as Gentenaar will leave and we will be left with just Steks or Vermeer.

The only other goalie under contract Sergio Padt is still only 18 and will likely be 3rd goalie next season. I want to see him playing regularly for the reserves for the rest of the season to gain experience.After that we have Marco Bizot , the A1 goalie who is nearly 18.( we do have another contracted goalie Roy Ouwerkerk but he has not even made the subs bench many times for the reserves and contract expires in June)

Before Christmas we had Steks , Vermeer, Gentenaar and Vonk so by the start of next season 3 of those will have gone.

[Van basten]

Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg Unhappy At Ajax

Ajax shot stopper Maarten Stekelenburg has expressed his concern about his current situation at the Amsterdam club...

Shot stopper Maarten Stekelenburg has made it clear that he's far from happy with his current situation at Amsterdam giants Ajax. The Netherlands international recently lost his spot in the starting XI to Kenneth Vermeer.

"I expected to remain first choice goalkeeper for the rest of this campaign,” Stekelenburg said to AD/Sportwereld. “However, [Marco] van Basten has made the decision to opt for Kenneth. I'm extremely disappointed and angry at the moment.

"I don't have the motivation to fight back right now. Nevertheless, life goes on and I have to accept the situation. I'm not interested in fighting for a spot in the starting XI with Vermeer though.

"A goalkeeper needs to have the full confidence of the head coach. You can't just bench goalkeepers like other players. This is the moment for me to consider my options."

The 26-year-old is a product of the Ajax youth academy and has made 131 league appearances so far for the Amsterdam giants. Additionally, he has made 16 international appearances for Holland.

Stekelenburg's current Ajax deal expires in 2012, but it's very unlikely that the shot stopper will stay at the Amsterdam side that long. The Netherlands international has already expressed his desire to move abroad this summer.

[Philippe]

Maarten is my first choice. But, if that's how it goes, I will give full support to Vermeer.

[ZoefdeHaas]

What kind of professional doesn't want to fight for a spot. If he doesn't have the motivation at a club like Ajax, how does he expect to make it at a bigger club?

[The Purple Cow]

Completely agree, that was a bizarre thing for him to say.

[SPL]

Thursday was the first game he missed when fit and he should now fight for his place.

I believe Steks, having missed alot of this season, probably wants 1 more year here to get a good move . Trouble is Vermeer wont stay and we cannot afford to let him go this summer just so steks can have 1 final year .

It is a tough decision but I believe Ajax have to go with Vermeer as we have got 3/4 good years ahead from him.

[Kowalczyk]

Check this article and click on that picture... Not a happy man.

K.

[Philippe]

I hope we will not have to regret Marco's choice.

[bluedaddy19]

I hope we will not have to regret Marco's choice.

well, so much for that hope!

this is complete bullshit, i honestly have no idea what he's thinking with this

this is a no-brainer, stek is FAR AND AWAY the better keeper and we are in the business of winning games TODAY

i'm furious that marco allowed vermeer to piss away our uefa cup bid - he fucked up badly in the first leg, why is he still starting?

[Philippe]

Please, Marco, think it over. Please. Before it's too late.

[LucaS]

Statistics in the dutch eredivisie:
-----------------------Stekelenburg------Vermeer
Duels played--------------11----------------15---
Shots against-------------85----------------134--
Goals conceded-----------15----------------14---
Conceded/attempts------17,6%------------10,5%
Clean sheet----------------3------------------7---
Won games----------------5-----------------11---
Draw------------------------2------------------2---
Lost-------------------------4------------------2---

It's not even close, the statistics of Vermeer are so much better this season.

[Kowalczyk]

This is a reply to the Olympique Marseille match thread, but it's turning into a goalkeepers discussion, so I'll post it here...

Just one other comment on the first goal wednesday night...

Vemmer clearly slips as he accelerates towards the attacker breaking through. This causes him to lose a vital half second and gives the attacker the moment he needs to shoot. Whatever is good or bad about Vemeer, this kind of one-on-one is what he generally excels in. The pitch caused various players to slip over during the game (both sides) but this was the only game influencing moment. It's slightly embarrasing that a club of Ajax's stature has such a poor pitch (did anyone else notice the army of guys at half time with pitch-forks trying to repair the pitch?).

The reality is that Vemeer is a good "shot stopper" but doesn't "dominate" the penalty area, nor "marshal" his defence well, nor show decisiveness for crosses and corners. Globally Stecks is better overall when measured on all these criteria, but going through a bad patch (as happens to every player at some moment or other). I think Vemeer remains a credible number two, and stecks has potential as a long term number one. As others have mentioned above the real problem is the defence...

On the other hand: Vermeer has the courage to storm out of his goal and punch a high cross.

Stekelenburg always stays on the line, even when a cross comes flying into the five-yard area.

Given Stekelenburg's form since his return from injury I definitely find it fair to play Vermeer. After the Fiorentina away game everybody seemed to agree that he saved a few balls that Stekelenburg would not even have gone for. It strikes me how quickly people forget that.

At the moment I'd say: stick with Vermeer.

This also has a 'political' reason: Stekelenburg wants to move on in the summer, whereas Vermeer feels that his 'bench days' must now be over. If you play Steks and bench Vermeer for the remainder of the season, there will be a serious risk of losing the both of them in the summer. If Steks wants to leave (and, apparently, doesn't feel like fighting for his position) you might as well go for Vermeer now and start working towards the new season by giving him maximum playing time.

K.

[SPL]

Thats how I see it . Steks is going to go sooner rather than later so stick with Vermeer.

[Philippe]

According to the current Oranje's coach (former feyed@ron), Stekelenburg is still Holland's number 1 (after EvdS).

[ZoefdeHaas]

Steeks definitely does have potential, no doubt about it. We don't need Van Marwijk to tell us that. But right now he hasn't been on form with the games he played, and he hasn't been a model professional exactly either.

i.e, forget ability or potential, it's all about right now. And right now he's got nothing to offer, not even motivation to fight for Vermeer's spot.

[Kowalczyk]

Yeah, so now we have the slightly odd situation that Ajax's second goalkeeper has been called up for Oranje, and Ajax's first goalkeeper for 'Holland B'...

K.

[The Purple Cow]

Choosing between Stekkers and Vermeer is like choosing between an Opel and a Lancia. They are both crap cars, but they'll kind of get you where you want to go eventually, if you don't put them under too much stress.

[ajaxusa]

Choosing between Stekkers and Vermeer is like choosing between an Opel and a Lancia. They are both crap cars, but they'll kind of get you where you want to go eventually, if you don't put them under too much stress.

Wow. Steks is Holland #1, and will probably go to a major club this summer. Vermeer is just a kid but has already put in Man of the Match performances in major competitions. I sometimes wonder at what you guys seem to expect from these players... an entire team of infallible super-heroes, a bunch of Jesus Christs crossed (no pun intended) with Dr. Manhattans.

[The Purple Cow]

"Wow. Steks is Holland #1, and will probably go to a major club this summer."

Yes, he's number 1 in a country that doesn't have a decent goalkeeper under the age of 40. I doubt he'll go to a major club, but if he does they'll be disappointed. He cannot dominate his area, his positioning is frequently horrible, he flaps at crosses like a schoolgirl, and freezes in big games.

**

"Vermeer is just a kid but has already put in Man of the Match performances in major competitions."

He's not a kid, he's 23. MOTM performances, not difficult in this Ajax side is it? He may yet become a decent goalkeeper, but Ajax isn't supposed to be a club where you learn your trade on the job.

**

" I sometimes wonder at what you guys seem to expect from these players... an entire team of infallible super-heroes, a bunch of Jesus Christs crossed (no pun intended) with Dr. Manhattans. "

No we expect competence. Maybe we shouldn't any more, but that's a whole different thread.

[bluedaddy19]

Statistics in the dutch eredivisie:
-----------------------Stekelenburg------Vermeer
Duels played--------------11----------------15---
Shots against-------------85----------------134--
Goals conceded-----------15----------------14---
Conceded/attempts------17,6%------------10,5%
Clean sheet----------------3------------------7---
Won games----------------5-----------------11---
Draw------------------------2------------------2---
Lost-------------------------4------------------2---

It's not even close, the statistics of Vermeer are so much better this season.

stats can't sum up this comparison, and even if they could you haven't included all that would be applicable besides... are we really gonna pick our #1 based on the last dozen games? stek, who has been nicked most of this season has been outstanding for a couple of years

he is not only oranje #1, he is the AJAX CAPTAIN who lost the job to injury for crying out loud... AND if stek's mistakes require a change, then so do vermeer's

[bluedaddy19]

He cannot dominate his area, his positioning is frequently horrible, he flaps at crosses like a schoolgirl, and freezes in big games.

**

He's not a kid, he's 23.

1- hmmm...

2- wait... since when is 23 not very young for a keeper? heck, stek is young for a keeper

[Van basten]

I didn't see Netherlands-Scotland game, but that was clean sheet, so i guess our reserve goalie did well?

[Cedric]

He conceded a goal on a corner, but I don't know why it was refused.

[Kowalczyk]

He conceded a goal on a corner, but I don't know why it was refused.

I think Scotland's goal should have stood (it was a mystery to me why it was disallowed), but that doesn't mean it was Stekelenburg's mistake, of course. There wasn't much he could have done.

He was never seriously tested, really. Scotland had the first chance of the game (for Miller, but Mathijsen blocked his shot, because he took so much time). Holland started slowly and tepidly (very poor first half hour), but all in all this was a much easier win than I expected. I've seen Scotland a few times, and sometimes they really surprised me, but on Saturday they were never in it. Holland shifted to a higher gear after 30 minutes or so, and from that moment on a Dutch win was totally inevitable.

By the way: Holland are now unbeaten for 18 games. They didn't concede a goal on Dutch soil (in a qualifier) since 2004.