Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Moderators: ajaxusa, Kowalczyk, mods
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
I think that all the damage was done by the tsunami! Those guys have experience and have buildings that withstand quakes over 9 on the richter scale
May the Force be with you
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Not sure if everyone's seen this already - it really is the most stupid refereeing decision I've ever seen - thankfully the player involved didn't get a ban...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12734470
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12734470
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
It's been age's since I posted any photo's so here's another set. Top of the table clash, 1st v 2nd from the Ryman Premier League on Saturday, Sutton United v. Bury Town. Sutton won 2-1 and are now 8 points clear and set to be promoted to the Conference South (English level 6) next season.
Hope you lot enjoy these http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn40 ... il%202011/
Hope you lot enjoy these http://s322.photobucket.com/albums/nn40 ... il%202011/
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
-
Manneken Pis
- Berichten: 1331
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:29 pm
- Locatie: Brussels
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Interesting article on football betting from Simon Kuper in the FT.....
Why football is in a fix
By Simon Kuper
Published: April 15 2011 22:16
Visiting China for the first time last month, I was struck by the gambling. People were betting even under a statue of Marx and Engels in a Shanghai park. In a state betting shop in Beijing, dead-eyed middle-aged men – exactly the same types who populate British bookmakers in mid-afternoon – were staring at screens full of numbers. Then there’s all the illegal gambling that you don’t see.
Travelling around China, I felt what I had previously only understood intellectually: that what is happening there will change most things that happen elsewhere. In football, the consequences could be terrible. Partly because of Chinese betting, and partly because the world now wagers online, the sums gambled on European games have soared. That makes fixing European matches more lucrative. Inevitably, more matches are being fixed.
Estimates of today’s betting volumes are staggering. Declan Hill, in his seminal 2008 book on match-fixing, The Fix, quoted “a recent study for the American journal Foreign Policy [that] estimated the entire Asian gambling industry, both legal and illegal, at $450bn a year.” That’s perhaps 20 times the revenues of all of European professional football. When the sums bet on games dwarf the players’ wages, it’s no wonder match-fixing has become a global, stable and mature industry.
There probably always was more fixing than most fans realised. In the South Korea-Italy quarter-final at the World Cup of 2002, the Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno made some peculiar decisions. He strangely disallowed an Italian goal, sent off an Italian, and gave the Koreans a penalty. South Korea won 2-1 and many Italians filed the match under the worldwide conspiracy against the Italian people. Initially this looked like paranoia. However, later in 2002 and again in 2003 Ecuador’s league suspended Moreno after suspicious matches. He’s now in jail in New York having pleaded guilty to smuggling heroin. With hindsight, perhaps the Italians had a point.
But match-fixing has worsened since then. Today Asians bet even on European children’s matches. In the largely deserted stands at Dutch second-division games, Chinese with headsets report every corner-kick back to Shanghai or Bangkok. There’s even a new Dutch word for them: belchinezen or “phone Chinese”. Two Chinese monitors were horribly murdered in Newcastle in 2008, probably by someone who wanted their money. South Asian bookmakers fixed much of international cricket in the 1990s, but now the action is in football. The frequency of attempts to fix European games is thought to have increased in recent months. David Howman, director-general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, warned recently that “the underworld is now controlling a significant proportion of world sport”. Howman said: “The same people who are trafficking in steroids and encouraging athletes to cheat by doping, are the ones who are engaged in illegal betting. This is essentially money laundering, bribery and corruption in relation to match-fixing and spot-fixing.” Illegal gambling is a wonderful way to launder funds – and so much sweeter if you’ve fixed the match.
Poorly paid players are easiest to bribe. The Hungarian goalkeeper Matyas Esterhazy told a European Union conference in February that he understood “one hundred percently” why some other Hungarian players took bribes. “If somebody has nothing in front of his eyes, and gets an offer of 20 times his monthly wages, he can’t say no in my opinion.” However, even well-paid footballers sometimes take bribes. Hill says players can become vulnerable when they themselves become gambling addicts. The ex-Arsenal player Paul Merson wasn’t a match-fixer, but his new memoir How Not to be a Professional Footballer gives detail on gambling addiction in the sport. Expect the next “sting” by a British tabloid in football to feature match-fixing.
Investigators in several European countries are now pursuing match-fixing cases. A trial in Bochum, Germany involves 47 allegedly fixed games. Hill has even produced evidence suggesting fixes at World Cups. Unfortunately, match-fixing is almost impossible to prove. Everyone involved always denies. Police can end up trying to chase mafias in multiple countries. Sepp Blatter, head of the global football authority Fifa, has finally begun talking about the problem. However, the number of football officials in Europe who work full-time on match-fixing is probably about five. That might not be quite enough.
Match-fixing is now the biggest threat to football. In 2006, after Italy’s dominant team, Juventus, were punished for habitually arranging results, a Roman friend e-mailed me to say he was “in a strange mood. It was all fake!” What he had always thought was reality had turned out to be a stage-set, like The Truman Show.
Football will collapse if more fans start feeling that. In 1994, during an English match-fixing scandal, Nick Hornby argued in the FT that if match-fixing existed, it dwarfed all the game’s other problems. “Once we begin to doubt that what we are seeing is real, then we will cease to care,” he wrote, “and without the caring, it is all over.” China’s rise, and the internet, bring that moment closer.
Why football is in a fix
By Simon Kuper
Published: April 15 2011 22:16
Visiting China for the first time last month, I was struck by the gambling. People were betting even under a statue of Marx and Engels in a Shanghai park. In a state betting shop in Beijing, dead-eyed middle-aged men – exactly the same types who populate British bookmakers in mid-afternoon – were staring at screens full of numbers. Then there’s all the illegal gambling that you don’t see.
Travelling around China, I felt what I had previously only understood intellectually: that what is happening there will change most things that happen elsewhere. In football, the consequences could be terrible. Partly because of Chinese betting, and partly because the world now wagers online, the sums gambled on European games have soared. That makes fixing European matches more lucrative. Inevitably, more matches are being fixed.
Estimates of today’s betting volumes are staggering. Declan Hill, in his seminal 2008 book on match-fixing, The Fix, quoted “a recent study for the American journal Foreign Policy [that] estimated the entire Asian gambling industry, both legal and illegal, at $450bn a year.” That’s perhaps 20 times the revenues of all of European professional football. When the sums bet on games dwarf the players’ wages, it’s no wonder match-fixing has become a global, stable and mature industry.
There probably always was more fixing than most fans realised. In the South Korea-Italy quarter-final at the World Cup of 2002, the Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno made some peculiar decisions. He strangely disallowed an Italian goal, sent off an Italian, and gave the Koreans a penalty. South Korea won 2-1 and many Italians filed the match under the worldwide conspiracy against the Italian people. Initially this looked like paranoia. However, later in 2002 and again in 2003 Ecuador’s league suspended Moreno after suspicious matches. He’s now in jail in New York having pleaded guilty to smuggling heroin. With hindsight, perhaps the Italians had a point.
But match-fixing has worsened since then. Today Asians bet even on European children’s matches. In the largely deserted stands at Dutch second-division games, Chinese with headsets report every corner-kick back to Shanghai or Bangkok. There’s even a new Dutch word for them: belchinezen or “phone Chinese”. Two Chinese monitors were horribly murdered in Newcastle in 2008, probably by someone who wanted their money. South Asian bookmakers fixed much of international cricket in the 1990s, but now the action is in football. The frequency of attempts to fix European games is thought to have increased in recent months. David Howman, director-general of the World Anti-Doping Agency, warned recently that “the underworld is now controlling a significant proportion of world sport”. Howman said: “The same people who are trafficking in steroids and encouraging athletes to cheat by doping, are the ones who are engaged in illegal betting. This is essentially money laundering, bribery and corruption in relation to match-fixing and spot-fixing.” Illegal gambling is a wonderful way to launder funds – and so much sweeter if you’ve fixed the match.
Poorly paid players are easiest to bribe. The Hungarian goalkeeper Matyas Esterhazy told a European Union conference in February that he understood “one hundred percently” why some other Hungarian players took bribes. “If somebody has nothing in front of his eyes, and gets an offer of 20 times his monthly wages, he can’t say no in my opinion.” However, even well-paid footballers sometimes take bribes. Hill says players can become vulnerable when they themselves become gambling addicts. The ex-Arsenal player Paul Merson wasn’t a match-fixer, but his new memoir How Not to be a Professional Footballer gives detail on gambling addiction in the sport. Expect the next “sting” by a British tabloid in football to feature match-fixing.
Investigators in several European countries are now pursuing match-fixing cases. A trial in Bochum, Germany involves 47 allegedly fixed games. Hill has even produced evidence suggesting fixes at World Cups. Unfortunately, match-fixing is almost impossible to prove. Everyone involved always denies. Police can end up trying to chase mafias in multiple countries. Sepp Blatter, head of the global football authority Fifa, has finally begun talking about the problem. However, the number of football officials in Europe who work full-time on match-fixing is probably about five. That might not be quite enough.
Match-fixing is now the biggest threat to football. In 2006, after Italy’s dominant team, Juventus, were punished for habitually arranging results, a Roman friend e-mailed me to say he was “in a strange mood. It was all fake!” What he had always thought was reality had turned out to be a stage-set, like The Truman Show.
Football will collapse if more fans start feeling that. In 1994, during an English match-fixing scandal, Nick Hornby argued in the FT that if match-fixing existed, it dwarfed all the game’s other problems. “Once we begin to doubt that what we are seeing is real, then we will cease to care,” he wrote, “and without the caring, it is all over.” China’s rise, and the internet, bring that moment closer.
“If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.”
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up. I've never seen this done before but it makes sense since he now has established the distance and has a visual to check on if the either side cheats a little by moving.
Appie Nouri will forever be remembered for his grace and humanity on and off the pitch!
-
aveslacker
- Berichten: 2925
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:33 pm
- Locatie: Hong Kong!
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
What do you think of Charlie Davies's comeback?Orange14 schreef:I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up. I've never seen this done before but it makes sense since he now has established the distance and has a visual to check on if the either side cheats a little by moving.
AFC Ajax
Landskampioen 2013-2014
Landskampioen 2013-2014
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
He still cannot play the full 90 but so far it looks promising. He seems not to have lost any speed and creates havoc for defenders in the MLS. Red Bulls started our former midfielder Tanio who looked good as their holding mid. Our youth development team is in Amsterdam this weekend for the annual youth tournament at Ajax!aveslacker schreef:What do you think of Charlie Davies's comeback?Orange14 schreef:I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up. I've never seen this done before but it makes sense since he now has established the distance and has a visual to check on if the either side cheats a little by moving.
Appie Nouri will forever be remembered for his grace and humanity on and off the pitch!
-
ajaxusa
- Moderator English Section
- Berichten: 781
- Lid geworden op: do okt 09, 2003 10:05 pm
- Locatie: California
- Contacteer:
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
As a referee and a fan of the game, I'm not in favor of it. I guess I'm an old traditionalist, but I like the ambiguity, the controversy, and the nuances of the game as-is. I take lurid pleasure in watching teams kvetch and moan about the position of the wall, the occasional finger in your eye that is the well-executed quick-kick. The game has an almost Darwinian way of compensating for the encroachment of the wall. A good referee can manage it without a can of paint.Orange14 schreef:I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up.
Interesting, though. Thanks for posting!
Mark it 8, Dude.
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Here is a blog listing the top 20 potential Eredivisie transfers this summer. Wait until you see #1 and the projected price tag; don't collapse laughing!!!
http://bornoffside.net/2011/04/20-eredi ... er-movers/
http://bornoffside.net/2011/04/20-eredi ... er-movers/
Appie Nouri will forever be remembered for his grace and humanity on and off the pitch!
-
Manneken Pis
- Berichten: 1331
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:29 pm
- Locatie: Brussels
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
This was tested in Brazil a few years ago ... but I don't know if it was seen as a 'success'.Orange14 schreef:I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up. I've never seen this done before but it makes sense since he now has established the distance and has a visual to check on if the either side cheats a little by moving.
BTW how did Luke Rodgers play for the Red Bulls (he used to play for my team in England)?
“If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.”
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Yes, and he's like a bull in a China shop, quite reckless in his play. Our match officials let players get away with a lot that they would not get away with in the Dutch league (but would in the EPL). He did have a decent match.Manneken Pis schreef:This was tested in Brazil a few years ago ... but I don't know if it was seen as a 'success'.Orange14 schreef:I saw something interesting last evening when my home town club, DC United played the New York Red Bulls (we lost 0-4 on some Ajax-like defensive lapses; one of the weird matches where we had over 60% possession but could not get a decent shot on goal). Early in the first half a foul was called just outside our box and the match official whipped out a can of what looked like white spray paint. He sprayed a line on the grass where the free kick was to be taken from and then paced off the ten steps and drew another line where the wall was to be set up. I've never seen this done before but it makes sense since he now has established the distance and has a visual to check on if the either side cheats a little by moving.
BTW how did Luke Rodgers play for the Red Bulls (he used to play for my team in England)?
Appie Nouri will forever be remembered for his grace and humanity on and off the pitch!
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Let's just hope some lazy scouts are reading that blog!Orange14 schreef:Here is a blog listing the top 20 potential Eredivisie transfers this summer. Wait until you see #1 and the projected price tag; don't collapse laughing!!!
http://bornoffside.net/2011/04/20-eredi ... er-movers/
Surely Vertonghen will fetch more than van der Wiel?
-
ajaxcolombia
- Berichten: 759
- Lid geworden op: ma jul 19, 2010 6:36 pm
- Locatie: Barranquilla, Colombia
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Its funny that most of Van der Wiel's value comes from having been the right back for the dutch NT. This guy really is has been seeing a different player from the one who plays for ajax.
Godenzonen
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
He played well at his position for Ajax last year and at the world cup. It is only this year that he has disappointed. My opinion is that when they didn't make the big team transfer for him that he was hoping for, he basically stopped trying his best -- whether in conscious retaliation, or unconscious disappointment, who can say.
-
aveslacker
- Berichten: 2925
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:33 pm
- Locatie: Hong Kong!
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
I also think he might have dead legs from playing basically nonstop for the last 19-20 months.rjf1 schreef:He played well at his position for Ajax last year and at the world cup. It is only this year that he has disappointed. My opinion is that when they didn't make the big team transfer for him that he was hoping for, he basically stopped trying his best -- whether in conscious retaliation, or unconscious disappointment, who can say.
AFC Ajax
Landskampioen 2013-2014
Landskampioen 2013-2014
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Thought I'd share this forum I just found, I think I could waste hours on here 
I knew about the website years ago but only just realised there's a forum attached too (I've not really browsed it in detail before).
Anyway, here it is http://footballgroundguide.ipbhost.com/ ... howforum=2
I knew about the website years ago but only just realised there's a forum attached too (I've not really browsed it in detail before).
Anyway, here it is http://footballgroundguide.ipbhost.com/ ... howforum=2
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Re EK <17: You may be able to see new young Fisher today at 11:30 a.m. on Gol-TV (Direct TV satellite) with the Danish <17 team. Later at 2:00 p.m. they show Netherlands vs England.
Good luck
Good luck
-
Manneken Pis
- Berichten: 1331
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:29 pm
- Locatie: Brussels
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Oranje U17 won 1-0, and will play the Hermans in the final.Kilroy schreef:Re EK <17: You may be able to see new young Fisher today at 11:30 a.m. on Gol-TV (Direct TV satellite) with the Danish <17 team. Later at 2:00 p.m. they show Netherlands vs England.
Good luck
The Dutch have not conceded a goal in six games....
http://www.uefa.com/under17/news/newsid=1629815.html
“If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.”
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Just had a look at the Ajax.nl shop to see if they had anything nice up yet celebrating the title.
I think we've all seen this before but there's something extra now which will go nicely with the gold sleeve badge
http://www.ajaxshop.nl/nl/ajax-wedstrij ... rt-1112-jr
I think we've all seen this before but there's something extra now which will go nicely with the gold sleeve badge
http://www.ajaxshop.nl/nl/ajax-wedstrij ... rt-1112-jr
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
-
Manneken Pis
- Berichten: 1331
- Lid geworden op: do feb 03, 2005 4:29 pm
- Locatie: Brussels
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
In all the excitement of Ajax's Eredivisie win, there was another great result on Sunday. The Dutch U17 team drilled the Germans a new hole in the final of the European Championships in Serbia (5-2). It served as the perfect 'aperitif' before the big one at the Arena. This team has played brilliantly throughout the tournament has been uniformely hailed as the best team (the Danes were also good).Manneken Pis schreef:Oranje U17 won 1-0, and will play the Hermans in the final.Kilroy schreef:Re EK <17: You may be able to see new young Fisher today at 11:30 a.m. on Gol-TV (Direct TV satellite) with the Danish <17 team. Later at 2:00 p.m. they show Netherlands vs England.
Good luck
The Dutch have not conceded a goal in six games....
http://www.uefa.com/under17/news/newsid=1629815.html
Now they will go to the U17 World Cup in Mexico in June....
“If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better.”
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
I made a brief report under Ajax Oranje. Over half the team come from F Word and english clubs are after them which is sad as they will likely disappear like nearly every other dutch kid who has come to England . We have very little at this age group just a forward who was a sub plus the spare goalie.
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Does anyone know of a website that sells Voetbal International magazine and will send to the UK? The VI website itself only posts within the Netherlands and I'd really like this week's with Ajax's league win in it? If not can anyone take pity and send me one? Happy to pay all costs or exchange for something obviously.
cheers.
cheers.
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
-
afcajax73
- Berichten: 702
- Lid geworden op: do okt 09, 2008 4:58 pm
- Locatie: Stoke-on-Trent, England
- Contacteer:
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Dont think ive really heard of places selling or being ordered for the UK, but it might be worth asking in one of your larger WHSmith stores if they can order it you in. They often will do this. Otherwise, maybe check out eBay?
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
Cheers, I'll give WHS a try - certainly nothing on Ebay though....afcajax73 schreef:Dont think ive really heard of places selling or being ordered for the UK, but it might be worth asking in one of your larger WHSmith stores if they can order it you in. They often will do this. Otherwise, maybe check out eBay?
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!
-
SE6Ajacied
- Berichten: 2437
- Lid geworden op: wo mar 23, 2005 1:14 pm
- Locatie: Still quite close to London SE6
Re: Grab Bag Of Random Posts
OK, 9 years after being told by the FA that forming their team was not in the 'wider interests of football' and holding public trials on Wimbledon Common for players for the (very) regional 9th division of the English game, the Combined Counties League, AFC Wimbledon won the Conference Play-Off final, beating Luton Town on penalties to regain their league sratus.
The added bonus of course is that Franchise FC (MK Dons) lost in the League One play-offs and are only one division higher instead of 8 when this story started
The added bonus of course is that Franchise FC (MK Dons) lost in the League One play-offs and are only one division higher instead of 8 when this story started
Forza Haarlem. HFC Gone but not forgotten!