13 Feb 2011: Roda JC - Ajax

[Orange14]

We needed Luis to take the spot kick!

[Amol]

Wow!! Fuck you El H. Really.

[Tom_]

ohhhhhhhhh man

[rjf1]

Why let a guy who had a totally shit game all day take the most important kick of the match? Why was he still even on the field???

[Tom_]

Well, I though maybe we could catch up three points on either Twente or PSV and get second. But I can't see us doing 5.

[Tom_]

Fuck that. What a frustrating game.

[rjf1]

Even 3rd might be optimistic.

[Orange14]

Mentally this team is really weak (look at Twente which does not have anywhere near the talent but manages to win all the tight matches). We were killed in the midfield once again. This is the first time in a while that we had the wrong end of the ball possession statistics. I think at one point in the second half it was 59-41% in favor of Roda. de Zeeuw was nothing and Enoh not much better. If our two holding midfielders can't hold they should not be playing. As much as Lindgren is physically limited, he at least thinks when he is out on the field. It is really hard to pick a MOTM for us today; I guess it needs to go to de Jong by default as he had the least bad match, getting a goal and making to great stops at our goal line to prevent the second goal early on after the half started. I'm surprised that Eriksen doesn't do better relative to the match he had for his NT at midweek.

Despite the overall poor play we had a couple of chances to go up 3-1 and could not convert. I think this marks the end of our aspirations and maybe de Boer can start to figure out what he needs for next year.

[saddlerian]

What a give away!!! Why didn't anyone come in for EH....we don't need shit like that!! Can't score from 12 yards!!!!

[Amol]

Well fuck that. Our midfield got overrun completely. I don't see a solution to that this season. Maybe Anita in midfield but we couldn't do that today.

We had 2-3 chances to get the 3rd but just couldn't convert. We CANNOT have El H and De Jong on the pitch together. They totally kill our speed.

[Orange14]

Our midfield got overrun completely. I don't see a solution to that this season. Maybe Anita in midfield but we couldn't do that today.

100% agree. Mentally both de Zeeuw and Anita are weak players. I was impressed with Anita going forward today and suspect that he's going to be slotted in the midfield. I would prefer to see Lindgren out there despite his physical limitations than our two starters today.

[SPL]

Been away for the weekend and only just come back . Having read all the above posts 2-0 up and then missing a penalty I quess there is nothing to say . I think we are going to have to do well to finish 2nd but then again all the results went our way last week . We have to beat PSV to get back into the race.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Confused here - on other threads we all seem to agree that we are a poor team by Ajax standards and then all of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February we appear to get really upset because guess what ...........our play equates exactly to a team that is poor.

Lads just accept it that the class of 2010/11 is a poor team and get over it and look forward to better times in the coming years.

Hup Ajax

[Orange14]

Our friends at 11 tegen 11 are quick with an analysis of the match: http://11tegen11.wordpress.com/2011/02/ ... come-back/ We did get overrun in the midfield and couldn't figure out a solution.

[Kowalczyk]

Confused here - on other threads we all seem to agree that we are a poor team by Ajax standards and then all of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February we appear to get really upset because guess what ...........our play equates exactly to a team that is poor.

Lads just accept it that the class of 2010/11 is a poor team and get over it and look forward to better times in the coming years.

There is some truth in what you're saying (of course there is; you're a wise man), but what upsets me is the difference between the first half and the second. How can we be firmly in control for 45 minutes... and then collapse completely? That puzzles me. Freaks me out (for ten minutes or so - and then I move on to something that makes me happy, or something that doesn't necessarily make me happy but must be done anyway).

K.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Confused here - on other threads we all seem to agree that we are a poor team by Ajax standards and then all of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February we appear to get really upset because guess what ...........our play equates exactly to a team that is poor.

Lads just accept it that the class of 2010/11 is a poor team and get over it and look forward to better times in the coming years.

There is some truth in what you're saying (of course there is; you're a wise man), but what upsets me is the difference between the first half and the second. How can we be firmly in control for 45 minutes... and then collapse completely? That puzzles me. Freaks me out (for ten minutes or so - and then I move on to something that makes me happy, or something that doesn't necessarily make me happy but must be done anyway).

K.

A similar thing happened on Saturday. I went to the Northampton Saints vs Saracens premiership rugby game not expecting a win or much at all as Saints were missing 7 first team players (4 playing for England, 1 for Scotland and 2 injured). Well for 30 minutes Saints played really well and were leading 10-3 when Saracens had 2 players sin-binned for 10 minutes each. Well at this point you would expect at least another 10 to 14 points to be racked up. But what happened Saracens took total and utter control and it was them that racked up the points. Saints then didn't turn up for the second-half at all. It was totally bizarre and frustrating to watch. It just goes to show that any game that involves human beings can be so random.

[Orange14]

Saints then didn't turn up for the second-half at all. It was totally bizarre and frustrating to watch. It just goes to show that any game that involves human beings can be so random.

The mental side of the game is so important. IMO this is the one area that we have been deficient in over the past several seasons (and Twente clearly superior). Raw talent alone does not win matches.

[Over Pasanens Head]

Saints then didn't turn up for the second-half at all. It was totally bizarre and frustrating to watch. It just goes to show that any game that involves human beings can be so random.

The mental side of the game is so important. IMO this is the one area that we have been deficient in over the past several seasons (and Twente clearly superior). Raw talent alone does not win matches.

Totally agree with you on that Orange 14.

[Monkey Tonk]

Confused here - on other threads we all seem to agree that we are a poor team by Ajax standards and then all of a sudden on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February we appear to get really upset because guess what ...........our play equates exactly to a team that is poor.

Lads just accept it that the class of 2010/11 is a poor team and get over it and look forward to better times in the coming years.

Hup Ajax

Exactly. Stuck in the mud for years. But the future could be a whole lot brighter now that Cruyff appears to be back on board. Good things happened this season. Just not on the pitch.