01 May 2011: SC Heerenveen - Ajax

[rjf1]

We are trying to protect the lead instead of trying for the game killing goal -- which may lead to getting burned in the end.

[Amol]

That was the 2nd one for Enoh....passes out of the box directly to the opposition player....WTF

[Amol]

We are trying to protect the lead instead of trying for the game killing goal -- which may lead to getting burned in the end.

We aren't doing either one pretty well really

[__earth]

I just want the game to end ASAP

[rjf1]

We are trying to protect the lead instead of trying for the game killing goal -- which may lead to getting burned in the end.

We aren't doing either one pretty well really

That's why I said "trying".

[ofey]

our 3rd star is in sight... .

[Tom_]

Shite, we certainly didn't look like champions but I'll take it

[Amol]

PPHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWW. You can say that we were extremely lucky to escape with a 1-2.

[ajaxcolombia]

MISSIONE COMPLETE!!! Horrible game but we did it, we came up alive for the last day!

[rjf1]

Thank the stars it is over -- and my fingernails are intact -- the title is ours to win now.

[kezme44]

oh man.....i could just see it coming in the last 15 minutes. we were REALLY lucky. this team gets really nervous at the end of tight games. and then it makes me fucking nervous.

enoh almost fucked it up for us.

[SPL]

great start to the second half with that goal and we did create enough chances to kill it but in the end it was nerve racking and we were hanging on .We win and although I do not know the scores in the other games PSV cannot win the title .

[Orange14]

Some days it is better to be lucky than good. Today was one of those days. We conceded way too much possession and gave up 100 corner kicks (well maybe not that many but still). Every lapse in defense was a real adventure and a couple of good Vermeer saves and the post kept the ball out of the net. Eriksen with a gem of a play off a de Jong pass got the match winner. Vermeer had a better second half keeping good position. Vertonghen and Aderweireld were good in the air which really helped against the giants of Heerenveen (or maybe it's that we have too many midgets on the field). Boilesen held his own against Narsingh which was always going to be a tough match up. van der Wiel was better the second half not getting beaten by Beerhens. Anita was a rock in midfield and Enoh did well coming on for de Zeeuw. Sulejmani had one of his better matches of the year tracking back when he had to and creating danger on offense. de Jong did well today, holding the ball up and sending a couple of players through for good chances. Ebecilio was just a little better than average. It appears that the move to play de Jong up front and sit El Hamdaoui paid off today.

The bad part of our play was too many sloppy passes conceding possession. If Vertonghen and Alderweireld are to go marauding forward they need to make sure of the pass off and not give the ball away cheaply (which did happen and create problems for us). We need to get away from the medium long passes over the top trying to beat the offside trap. We don't have a David Villa on this team that can time the break and has the speed and skill to finish it; we probably lost the ball 15 times trying this. This was critical in that the Heerenveen defense was not very good and we could have created more danger by normal build up play. We don't do a very good job defending corners. Vermeer doesn't have the height of Stekelenberg to go after the ball and catch it. Too often the defenders lose there marker and finally we are a short team and will always concede height to a team with tall strikers/defenders. Finally, we had a couple of chances in the box to get at least one more goal. The steal by de Zeeuw and pass to Ebecilio should have had a goal.

Bottom line, the team gave itself a chance to win the third star. That is all we asked for and all we got.

[rjf1]

It's us vs Twente to be decided on the final day -- a tie is good enough for them -- we must win. This reminds me of the situation a couple of years back when we lost the title on goal difference on the last day of the season -- let's have a happier ending this year.

[paladinby]

Should convert our chancies better.

Well, but winning when playing like shit is better than loosing playing the same way. Especially now.

[SPL]

Well we wont lose the title on goal difference this time and it will be in our own hands. Trouble is a
draw and PSV win then they will get 2nd place thanks mainly to that 10-0 win v Fword.

I cannot say we have played that great these last 5 games but we have won them all and we have had some luck but never give up.

Just wish the league game was next week .Ok I want us to win the cup but the title is everything.2 long weeks to wait.

[souras84]

Now is the time! Seems as if the luck the others teams had all these years is coming on our side. I'll take it! And now... The Double

[acab]

The luck is one of the most important qualities of a champion. We haven't any these 7 long years. But the wheel is turning....

[mkkid]

Time to book my flights now

[Kowalczyk]

Madness, this. Madness.

F*ck me.

May 15. May 15. May 15. May 15.

K.

[Monkey Tonk]

That was the 2nd one for Enoh....passes out of the box directly to the opposition player....WTF

Nerves. Lack of cool. Once can happen, but twice. Enoh is enough.

[bluedaddy19]

It appears that the move to play de Jong up front and sit El Hamdaoui paid off today.

i knew this was coming

okay, granted that i did not see every minute as i kept getting interrupted... but what exactly was so much superior today because of de jong instead of el-H?

i'm not trying to say el-H has been awesome, because he has not lately, but we did not magically look better today as a team going forward and we were quite fortunate to win

frankly, i think people are all just scapegoating el-H when he hits a bad patch and looking for any excuse to put him down

[Tom_]

I agree with bluedaddy's comments. But de Jong offers better passing I reckon, and although el H's finishing is better than de Jong's, it's been off recently. I think benching him was the way to go.

It's funny how out of the last three seasons this is our best chance to win the Eredivisie. I felt like we were far better last season. We had 85 points and 106 goals in 2009-2010! Either all three teams are a lot worse this season, or Twente were exceptionally good last season...

[Orange14]

I don't think de Jong is the long term answer to our striker problem, don't get me wrong. He is just a more disciplined player than El Hamdaoui. He holds the ball up well and doesn't try to make something out of nothing as El Hamdaoui does. I frankly was surprised that de Jong got the start today but it was de Boer's decision and I'm not scapegoating El Hamdaoui either. Two things de Jong did today that El Hamdaoui would not have done: 1) passed to the cutting player and 2) got off a good snap shot on the turn which was unfortunately saved.

Long term what do we do? Castillion is an unknown and again hurt. Too little football over the last 18 months to make any judgement. Two players mentioned as transfers: Dost and van Wolfswinkel (we won't get Luuk de Jong unless we are willing to pay and extortionist's ransom). Dost did not impress much today but he is quite tall; I don't know about his ball skills. van Wolfwinkel is a solid player but has had injuries this season and I think the better of the two. Interesting decision for the management.

[Ajaxfanuk]

BELIEVE, the double is in our own hands. This is a huge moment in the recent history of our club, these next two games could end up determining a lot. This hasnt been a vintage season for any standards, we've lost some stupid games, we havent really thumped anyone and we've played messy football that I have had to watch through my fingers sometimes. Now it comes down to this, a home game to win the league. I want the cup final, we all do, but the league takes priority. The double however, that would really make it a year of note. Let's get that 3rd Star and let the rebuilding of our great club commence!!!

HUP AJAX!