Oleguer Presas i Renom

[LucaS]

You forget Silva on the right. Seems more likely than Ogararu

[aveslacker]

You forget Silva on the right. Seems more likely than Ogararu

Our defense is automatically going to be better by virtue of the fact that neither Ograru nor Urby (please God) will be playing on the wings.

[SPL]

Where does Colin fit in !!!!!


5th choice right back for the reserves after Aslan , Will, Wormgoor or Alderwerield (all play right back )

[SE6Ajacied]

Where does Colin fit in !!!!!


5th choice right back for the reserves after Aslan , Will, Wormgoor or Alderwerield (all play right back )

possibly, but I assume he's in the unusual position of being behind all of the above for a reserve team place, but in front of all of them for the first team, certainly as things stand right now, should the need arise. I don't know much about any of them in terms of skill but Colin certainly has a lot more experience than any of them......

[ZoefdeHaas]

You forget Silva on the right. Seems more likely than Ogararu

That's true. Ogararu had a decent 1st season, but fell from form. Hope he gets better

[Kowalczyk]

Interesting article on Oleguer in de Volkskrant today. It contains a few facts and 'Oleguer incidents' I did not yet know of. For those who can read (or more or less understand) Dutch; it's here (headline: Mouthy 'anarchist' in Ajax defense).

One of the things I didn't know: on 27 September 2003 the police force of Oleguer's home town of Sabadell raided a café named Bemba, an 'underground' place frequented by many left wing activists, squatters, etc. The police invaded the place and ordered everybody to move outside, as the bar was going to be closed down. It kicked off, with 11 arrests and 20 injuries as a result. One of the folks that got arrested was our man Oleguer. He got sued and in 2005 the prosecutor demanded three years' imprisonment. Mind you: this case is still pending!

Imagine that... He just penned a three year contract at Ajax, but in theory he might spend that whole period in the can in Spain.

Seriously, I already love this guy.

K.

[Michael_B]

Where does Colin fit in !!!!!


5th choice right back for the reserves after Aslan , Will, Wormgoor or Alderwerield (all play right back )

Colin fits in just fine with any amateur-side, but not with Ajax. Same goes for Ogararu. Crap players.

[jamieem]

...solid, reliable defender, great work ethic and (very important) he talks a lot, coaches his fellow defenders. He can organize a defense. The lack of such a character was perhaps Ajax's key problem in defense last season: Stekelenburg is a bit of a zombie and none of the other defenders did any coaching. Vermaelen, Ogararu, Silva, Vertonghen, Urby... they're shy and tend to focus on their own game. Wielaert can tell younger players what to do and where to stand.

For a number of years now, I've been strongly in favour of signing a Dutch, relatively experienced man-marker from the Eredivisie. I'm talking about the category of Rob Penders (NAC), Jan-Paul Saeijs (Roda JC), Edson Braafheid (Twente).

These guys are not superstars, but that's exactly what makes them useful: they're solid, reliable, they do their job, win the ball back and pass it to a team-mate who's a better football player than them. They're somewhere between 25 and 30, they're tall, they're physical, they're cheap and I don't see why they would be less useful than Jurgen Colin or Jan Vertonghen in central defense.

I didn't really think of Rob Wielaert, but he fits perfecty into that category. We have footballers as fullbacks and we have at least one footballer in the heart of defense. What we need now is someone who knows that he's defender first, and footballer second.

K.

You make a lot of really good points there.. some of those guys deserve their shot in a bigger team too, it could bring on their game even more.

[SE6Ajacied]

Imagine that... He just penned a three year contract at Ajax, but in theory he might spend that whole period in the can in Spain.

Seriously, I already love this guy.

K.

Well I hope they've got the squad numbers sorted out soon as I'm planning to be in A'dam for a couple of days in a couple of weeks and I definately want him on my away shirt this year - the mans a star already and he's not even kicked a ball yet.......

[Blind3]

Three years? For a bar fight? Sounds like the prosecutor has a hard on for our man, legally speaking.

[gordonvandekamp]

Well I hope they've got the squad numbers sorted out soon as I'm planning to be in A'dam for a couple of days in a couple of weeks and I definately want him on my away shirt this year - the mans a star already and he's not even kicked a ball yet.......

I believe I just read he will be wearing number 3. Looks like he'll be taking it from Silva, who now looks like he'll have number 2.

[Michael_B]

Correct, he will be wearing number 3:

[Blind3]

Thank you for posting the photo. It definitely gets me FIRED UP .

[jamieem]

I thought this guy looked good in Euro 2008, a move to Celtic for EUR5m just fell through...

http://www.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament ... index.html

[Kowalczyk]

Video on the Ajax Life website of Oleguer's first training day in Amsterdam...

http://www.ajaxlife.nl/video/detail/115

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

Video on the Ajax Life website of Oleguer's first training day in Amsterdam...

http://www.ajaxlife.nl/video/detail/115

K.

That's a nice little film. I've been to watch training at the Arena a few times now and there's never more than a few people there but that looked absolutley packed, with crowd barriers and everything - all for him I assume as this isn't the first training of the season or anything - wow!

[Kowalczyk]

That's a nice little film. I've been to watch training at the Arena a few times now and there's never more than a few people there but that looked absolutley packed, with crowd barriers and everything - all for him I assume as this isn't the first training of the season or anything - wow!

I think it had more to do with the fact that it's summer holiday...

On a normal week day during the year it's always the same handful of pensioners, moaning by the fence, but during school vacation it's a different story.

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

That's a nice little film. I've been to watch training at the Arena a few times now and there's never more than a few people there but that looked absolutley packed, with crowd barriers and everything - all for him I assume as this isn't the first training of the season or anything - wow!

I think it had more to do with the fact that it's summer holiday...

On a normal week day during the year it's always the same handful of pensioners, moaning by the fence, but during school vacation it's a different story.

K.

Hmm, yes that might have something to do with it too. Whenever I've been, I've not noticed that many pensioners but usually other than parents I'm one of the few not still wearing short trousers......

[DanK]

Can't wait for the season to start. Don't mind those training shirts either. Might be good for the gym...

[aveslacker]

I do like the training kit.

[Cedric]

Oleguer's low key goodbye

www.fcbarcelona.cat

The defender says goodbye to the fans with an open letter on www.fcbarcelona.cat

"When I arrived at the Camp Nou I saw one of my greatest dreams come true. From an early age I dreamed of wearing the Barça shirt; I used to imagine the Camp Nou at full capacity and me playing for the league title, surrounded by magnificent players, and helping win by scoring one, two or three goals. Obviously not everything is possible, but what had only been a dream a few years before, became reality on the 13th of November 2002: to play for Barça and be able to celebrate with everyone involved in Barcelona the teams successes.

I arrived without much fuss, with a desire to learn and give my very best in order for the dream to continue. Aware of my faults and virtues, but above all bearing in mind that what allowed me to play in this team was the desire to do well and the feeling that makes you give your all on the pitch. We all know that there are days when things go well and others not so well but the will to improve and the effort have been inseparable companions along the way. A few years in which I have enjoyed unforgettable experiences, like the title-winning celebrations on the streets of Barcelona and the Camp Nou, or winning the Champion’s League in Paris. But these moments would mean nothing without the little details that go along with them: the signs of joy, the support, and the warmth of the people, the complicity with my team-mates, the jokes, the hugs and above all knowing that each title has been the culmination of a years work, the team and the fans together.

Thank-you to all those who shared these experiences with me, without them it would not have been possible.

I’ve tried to show myself as I am. I’ve tried to act professionally coherent with my ideas. I’ve never enjoyed being the centre of attention for the press but this is not why I refuse to express my feelings. We all have our own and it is good to be able to express them and talk about them freely and respectfully in order to understand others and put ourselves in their skin. I think it is the best way to move towards a tolerant society.

My declarations have often been used to create problems, they have tried to read between the lines with things I haven’t said and misinterpreted others out of context. Throughout these years I have merely expressed my will to improve the society in which we live, still full of injustices, inequality and problems to be solved.

Thank you to all those who made an effort to understand and respect me, whether they agreed with me or not.

I say goodbye therefore with a letter, without making a noise, just as I arrived. I am going to Amsterdam to live a new experience and I hope to enjoy the minutes I haven’t had recently and help my new team to success. I think now is the time to do so and a good opportunity to experience other cultures, other languages, a new club, new team-mates…Definitively, a good way to continue growing in every way.

Therefore, it only remains to say that I will be among the millions of anonymous heads who celebrate my dream teams’ victories together. Thank you for everything.

A big hug

Oleguer"

It says a lot about the guy... :hupajax.gif:

[Blind3]

Cedric_AeF, Thank you for posting Oleguer's statement.

A very eloquent, classy, and heartfelt , yet low key , statement . The kind that restores a supporters faith that not all atletes walk around with heads filled to parade balloon size.


As an US-based supporter, it's a 180 degree about face , and a breath of fresh air compared to so many high profile athletes here. For example, a far cry from the Manny Ramirez saga going on in baseball presently. Talk about lobbing verbal grenades.

[aveslacker]

Lets hope that in a few years' time when he leaves Ajax he can write a very similar letter, referencing winning the eredivisie and Champions League.

I do admire his rather rare (for footballers) facility with the spoken word, even if I don't see eye-to-eye with him politically. It makes him a very easy player to root for. I hope he expresses himself on the pitch as well as he does off of it.

[Blind3]

I'm sure it's coincidence , but it's been a pleasure to watch several of the Barca matches from 2003,2004, and 2005 on Fox Soccer Channel recently. Our man Oleguer , wearing # 32 in one match and # 23 in the other two has shown himself to be, as that match commentator says , " not the most elegant player, but he gets the job done." And, he's played both fullback spots as well as center back .

[jamieem]

Impressive... It's rare these days to find a modern footballer who goes beyond the usual press quotes and platitudes.