15 Jul 2009: Bristol City FC - Ajax

[Kowalczyk]

Just confirmed!

At Ashton Gate!

K.

[Mr_Holte]

I notice that Bristol already have tickets on sale for this. I wonder when Ajax will? Wouldn't think it would be to much longer...

[Mr_Holte]

I managed to get a ticket for this in the away end via an Ajax mate in Holland. Looking forward to it. Anyone off here going?

[SE6Ajacied]

I managed to get a ticket for this in the away end via an Ajax mate in Holland. Looking forward to it. Anyone off here going?

Not me, a bit too far for a friendly, especially with the Saints game as well - and besides, I've been to Bristol City a few times but never Southampton.

[SPL]

I am just sticking to the Southampton game .

[Kowalczyk]

At Ashton Gate!

Long live the marvellous FootballGroundGuide.co.uk!

http://www.footballgroundguide.com/bristol_city/

K.

[Kowalczyk]

Ajax announced that Oleguer, Gabri and Enoh won't make the trip to the U.K. due to injuries. They will undergo treatment and will follow a special training program in Amsterdam.

K.

[saddlerian]

26mins.....Ajax one up!!!! Suarez

30 mins ... Ajax two up!!! Emanuelson

81....Ajax three up!! Luque

84 ...Ajax four up!! Rommedahl

[Van basten]

Nice Who scored the last two?
Mhm.. Luque you say..

[Kowalczyk]

I wasn't there and I didn't see any footage just yet, but according to the reports Ajax really played very well for more than an hour. Fast ball circulation, good movement off the ball, accurate passing, loads of chances... The match report on the Bristol City website is raving, too.

Good to hear.

K.

[Monkey Tonk]

Very good to hear!

Wow. Almost a believer again...

[SE6Ajacied]

Very good to hear!

Wow. Almost a believer again...

Lol with a name like MONKEYtonk I was sure you'd always be a believer (when I saw her face....)

[gordonvandekamp]

A bit of a flowery report on the match:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/sport/Aj ... ticle.html

Ajax hand Bristol City a football lesson
Thursday, July 16, 2009, 07:00

Bristol City 0 Ajax 4: Bristol may be ready to embrace football's biggest show on earth but, on the evidence of this one-sided dress rehearsal, it could take considerably longer for City's players to become versed in continental ways.

On the night Bristol's bid for World Cup host status received official lift-off, Ajax issued a reminder to all present inside Ashton Gate of the technical gulf which persists between Europe's elite and English football's second tier.

Far from being a celebratory occasion, this was an exercise in pain for Championship players who were clearly second best.

Sunk by two goals in six first-half minutes from the outstanding Luis Suarez and Urby Emanuelson, Bristol City were more comprehensively beaten than the scoreline suggests.

Substitutes Albert Luque and Dennis Rommedahl doubled the tally during the closing stages, but the damage could have been far greater.

So one-sided did the game become, it was difficult to see how it could benefit City manager Gary Johnson, who cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

If City fans turned out in their thousands wanting to assess a clutter of new signings, they were pretty much none the wiser come the final whistle.

A more realistic evaluation may be possible when the Robins visit League Two Cheltenham on Saturday.

Although results in pre-season generally have little bearing on events when the campaign begins in earnest, City's latest warm-up outing suggests there is still much work to be done on the training ground.

There was a surprise addition to City's squad in the form of Peter Brezovan, the 29-year-old Slovakian goalkeeper released by Swindon Town at the end of last season.

Given the calf strain which forced first-choice Adriano Basso to adopt a watching brief, and the injury-enforced absence of reserve stopper Stephen Henderson, City boss Johnson opted to invite the former Bratislava goalkeeper for an impromptu trial.

His intention was to start with recent accquisiton Dean Gerken and introduce Brezovan at half time.

Managed by former Tottenham boss Martin Jol, Ajax's class of 2009 may lack the total football tag accorded the Johan Cruyff-inspired European Cup-winning side of the early 1970s, but they still possessed sufficient wherewithal to make their Championship opponents labour in the evening sunshine.

Johnson challenged his players not to concede possession cheaply against the Dutch pass masters, yet the home side still spent much of the game chasing shadows as Ajax moved the ball with precison and pace.

City's defence was prised open during the opening exchanges, Uruguayan striker Suarez sliding his first-time shot narrowly beyond the far post after being set up by a superb pass from Dutch international Emanuelson.

That effort served merely as a range-finder and when Emanuelson again picked out the Latin forward in the 24th minute, Suarez found the back of the net from 15 yards with a nonchalance which stunned the Ashton Gate crowd into silence.

There was plenty to admire about the second Dutch goal, which arrived six minutes later.

On this occasion, Emanuelson benefited from a defence-splitting pass from Miralem Sulejmani which rendered his angled finish straightforward.

So superior were the visitors, this contest resembled a training ground exercise in which Bristol City's players were permitted to play no more than a peripheral role.

Constantly dragged out of position by opponents who remained one step ahead throughout, the Robins surrendered their shape, purpose and spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.

Azax keeper Marrtin Stekelenburg was a virtual spectator until Bradley Orr momentarily inconvenienced him with an audacious lob from 40 yards which dropped just over the bar. That was as near as City came to a shot on goal.

Johnson made four substitutions after the interval and Cole Skuse gave home fans a glimmer of hope when letting fly from 25 yards with a shot which skidded inches wide of the target.

But Ajax continued to dictate terms and the ubiquitous Emanuelson was denied a second goal only be Orr's last-ditch goalline clearance.

City's overworked defence was exposed time and again, most notably when Gregory van der Wiel strole in on the overlap and drove wide and Ishmail Aissati miscued with the goal at his mercy.

Eager to impress, Brezovan made smart saves from Suarez and Emanuelson only to blot his copybook when advancing off his line and inviting former Newcastle winger Luque to sweep the ball past him from fully 30 yards.

And there was still time for Danish international forward Rommedahl to rub salt in open wounds, applying a clinical finish to another expansive build-up to confirm the Dutch side's supremacy.

Nice to see some still regard Ajax as "Europe's Elite"

[Mr_Holte]

Ajax played some really good stuff yesterday. An enjoyable evening, around 300 Ajax fans I would guess, and fair play to Bristol they also created a good atmosphere even at 4-0 down. Suarez and Urby were my pick of the bunch. I have always rated Martin Jol, lets hope the silky football is a show of things to come!

There was also lots of trouble in the city centre and outside the stadium yesterday involving Ajax and the police:

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage ... ticle.html

[SE6Ajacied]

Here's another internet piece. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 153832.stm

Interesting story surrounding Bristol City's keeper for the night.....

[DanK]

Nice to see some still regard Ajax as "Europe's Elite"

When was this written 1995? Europes Elite. That's a good one.

[Kowalczyk]

Nice to see some still regard Ajax as "Europe's Elite"

When was this written 1995? Europes Elite. That's a good one.

That's one of the great side-effects of the fact that the English don't follow anything that happens outside of the U.K. They still think that Ajax play great football and win the Dutch league every year.

Let's just keep it like that, shall we. They don't need to be enlightened.

K.

[Mr_Holte]

Nice to see some still regard Ajax as "Europe's Elite"

When was this written 1995? Europes Elite. That's a good one.

That's one of the great side-effects of the fact that the English don't follow anything that happens outside of the U.K. They still think that Ajax play great football and win the Dutch league every year.

Let's just keep it like that, shall we. They don't need to be enlightened.

K.

That's very true.

Last season when Villa played Ajax, on all the Villa forums they were raving about Ajax before the game, and most would have been happy with just a draw. Obviously I knew abit more detail and was pretty confident Villa would just about win. I see Ajax as someone like a West Ham standard. Not sure if you would all agree on that?

And if you were a Bristol fan yesterday, you would probably still be thinking Ajax really are still the "CLASS ACT OF AJAX" (A quote from the programme!)

[afcajax73]

I think were better than West Ham, on our day we can compete quite well with teams like villa, spurs, arsenal, everton etc.

[SE6Ajacied]

Nice to see some still regard Ajax as "Europe's Elite"

Let's just keep it like that, shall we. They don't need to be enlightened.

K.

I'm afraid it might be a bit late

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/ ... e_of_Ajax/

[jamcocteau]

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/ ... e_of_Ajax/

SE6Ajacied, thanks for posting this. First part is ok and sums up what is happening but then falls into one lazy and poorly researched article - very systematic of the poor standard of journalism now prevailing in Britain.

Firstly if he actually thinks that Nigel De Jong is one of the biggest players who have been transferred from Ajax over last few years just because he is now with money bags Manchester City then he needs to so some more research. Why not mention Sneidjer, Van Der Vaart, Heitinga, Maxwell, Babel, Grygera - all better players than De Jong and playing for bigger clubs. But hey bar Babel they dont play in the so called best league in the world.

Then to go on mention that the likes of Kennedy or Rommendahl, 2 proverbial bench warmers, are the biggest names at Ajax is the sign of one bitter badly informed individual. Maybe he means they are biggest in that their full names have most letters in them. Now I know we do not have a great squad at moment but with the likes of Suarez, Vertonghen, van der Wiel, Aissati playing it is obvious that this guy does not do any research.

Then the last piece re prices for food inside the ArenA shows the guy is clueless. Ajax do not own the ArenA nor are responsible for the prices, prices remain same for all events in ArenA. Excuse my maths but he states that Ajax charge 8 pound for a beer and burger is incorrect, 8 euros maybe but not 8 pound. Maybe the fact that he never got change from his 10 Euro card has pissed him off. And not forgetting that with Sterling being so weak a currency then of course things will cost more for him. But hey Johnny Foreigner should reduce their prices to compensate for Britain being up shit creek.

I suppose getting a trip to Amsterdam will be the highlight of his journalistic career before he gets a job with the likes of the Sunday Sport

[Amol]

Excuse my maths but he states that Ajax charge 8 pound for a beer and burger is incorrect, 8 euros maybe but not 8 pound. Maybe the fact that he never got change from his 10 Euro card has pissed him off. And not forgetting that with Sterling being so weak a currency then of course things will cost more for him. But hey Johnny Foreigner should reduce their prices to compensate for Britain being up shit creek.

I liked the following paragraph particularly plus the fact that he used 4 out of the 19 paragraphs to complain about expensive beer.

But once van Gaal departed, so did Edgar Davids, Michael Reiziger, Finidi George, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Winston Bogarde over a two-year period, which was capped in 1999 by the departures of the Ajax twins Ronald and Frank De Boer.