04 Aug 2010: PAOK FC - Ajax

[dws]

Bloody hell keystone cops again.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Somebody give stekks a mother fucking medal !!!!

[Amol]

3-3 now. This is a disgraceful match. PAOK will go through if they score one more in the next 2 minutes.

[dws]

More fucking stupidity.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Hold on....just hold on !!!

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

what a roller coaster....i'm too old for this....3-3 but we are through

[Over Pasanens Head]

Great Defensive display - shame the attack let us down

[Amol]

I can't quite figure out what I'm feeling (besides relief of course) about this game and this Ajax team right now.

[Orange14]

We sure didn't make this very easy! However, I would rather take some lucky wins than good ones at this point in the season.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Great Defensive display - shame the attack let us down

[Van basten]

OMG! OMG! OMG! Love you, u fucking bastards!!!!

[dws]

only just.

Three games in and Five goals conceded from defensive blunders... ouch!!!

[acab]

What a relief! Suarez hit the post, if that was in, we could make them 3more goal. However, nice game, as usual when Ajax is playng. That for sure. But teh mstakes in the defense must be tajem very seriosly

[orange goblin]

suarez and lindgren the best on the pitch. we have obviously to improve defensively, but these are the kind of matches who can help to grow. and now we can add el hamdaoui for the next play-off game.

[SE6Ajacied]

Bloody Hell!! Wasn't able to watch any of the game but checked the score and saw that we were winning and now this.

Happy that we've gone through anyway - would be nice to think that I'll get to see a mid-week CL game or too but finances and the little one probably dictate not for this year at least.

CL here we come anyway

[Kowalczyk]

We have to be fair, I guess: Ajax have hardly had anything such as a pre-season campaign. No build-up, chaos on the transfer market (Jol, El Hamdaoui).

This team needs a little bit of time, so let's just be thankful that we survived this one. This clash came too early, but we survived anyway. That's good news.

A few more weeks and they will be at the level of the end of last season (it's pretty much the same line-up, so why not?).

I'm pretty sure we will have improved in the play-off round (plus: Enoh will probably be back, and El Hamdaoui will be eligible).

I'm just glad we survived this one.

K.

[Giacomo Puccini]

I help you hoping, but it doesn't look good at the moment, and we lose our best player with Suarez suspended in the first two matches. Work on the shop for Jol

I'm glad of course too, though it feels more like a relief. These very poor Greeks could have knocked us out...

[paladinby]

Was there an incident between Jol and Suarez after the sub? Loui didn't look very happy... I hope they won't take it too serious.

I'm just happy at the moment - we have survived this round and things should only get better now, more chemistry, El-Hamdaoui coming and etc...

Next round will be a real test on our belonging to CL level.

Ref did very good job today which rarely happens.

[Monkey Tonk]

We have to be fair, I guess: Ajax have hardly had anything such as a pre-season campaign. No build-up, chaos on the transfer market (Jol, El Hamdaoui).

This team needs a little bit of time, so let's just be thankful that we survived this one. This clash came too early, but we survived anyway. That's good news.

A few more weeks and they will be at the level of the end of last season (it's pretty much the same line-up, so why not?).

I'm pretty sure we will have improved in the play-off round (plus: Enoh will probably be back, and El Hamdaoui will be eligible).

I'm just glad we survived this one.

K.

A few more weeks? Hope you're right. And am afraid you're wrong.

In the first match we saw a team that didn't click. That's understandable this early in the season. But in the return match we saw something very different. We saw an Ajax that took the rest of the night off after they luckily went up 3-1. Paok tied the game and could have won it if they had converted the pk. I seriously doubt that the Ajax defense has ever played a worse game. The effort was unacceptable. Every f*cking Paok attack could have been a goal. It was so bad it became funny. And that has nothing to do with the time of the season. That's between the ears.

Where was the leader in defense to right the ship? Where was the cursing on the field? Where was the intensity? Too early in the season? Nah. Just people not interested in their job.

Mentally, this looks like a very vulnerable bunch. If things begin to click, sure, they'll find their way again. But what if the next few weeks show little or no progress, and they don't find their confidence? With this soft mentality they spiral into a hole that would take a long time to crawl out of.

[souras84]

Is it just me or MJ needs to buy 1-2 defenders. Preferably a DC around 30 with experience and captain abilities. Maybe a DL also

[paladinby]

Is it just me or MJ needs to buy 1-2 defenders. Preferably a DC around 30 with experience and captain abilities. Maybe a DL also

I agree with you completely - we need a real leftback. Anita is good at supporting attacks but lacks physical power in one-one challenges and loses his position too often. Our centre duo looks OK but they have absolutely no top-football experience, but i think they will improve with time.

The main point - i don't believe we will sign a real matured DC or a leftback. Atouba is still somewhere here. May be we will sign that young serbian DC who is on a trial. I have heard some Bolahrouz rumor, but we will need to sell someone to bring him.

[souras84]

well we need one more DC cause wielaert is out of plans and the only sub is oleguer..... ok?

[SPL]

What a game , not sure at the end how the Greeks did not end up winning . Great penalty save by Steks though . Agree our defendiing was aweful.

Still we made it thank goodness.

[souras84]

but for how long???? i just cant understand how those 2 defenders make these childish mistakes in crucial games

[Orange14]

This is Alderweireld's second season as a starter and he is what 21 years old? Vertonghen has bounced around between midfield, left fullback and central defense. I think this will also be his second full year as well. I think they will get better. 90% of defense if mental and that's the part we fall down. Last year we were pretty solid and I think we will be solid this year as well. Don't rush out and buy anyone. I refer all of you to the Wielaert thread where the first 10 posts had him ranked as the second coming of Paolo Maldini.