18 Oct 2008: Ajax - FC Groningen

[dws]

Poor finishing very nearly cost Ajax two points.

[SPL]

finally got a stream on sopcast after about 20 mins and it was good for all the game.Only get a small screen unlike the mediaplayer streams for the last 3 games where I got a perfect full picture but it did not stop my enjoyment.

Nerve racking at the end all the time it was 1-0. Our finishing was not good and we should have scored more . Only real problem with defence was Vermeer for crosses as their 2 best chances in second half were his mistakes.Not sure what happened with the disallowed goal?

Still we held on and this is a massive result for us. Wait until we start scoring goals!

[dws]

finally got a stream on sopcast after about 20 mins and it was good for all the game.Only get a small screen unlike the mediaplayer streams for the last 3 games where I got a perfect full picture but it did not stop my enjoyment.

Nerve racking at the end all the time it was 1-0. Our finishing was not good and we should have scored more . Only real problem with defence was Vermeer for crosses as their 2 best chances in second half were his mistakes.Not sure what happened with the disallowed goal?

Still we held on and this is a massive result for us. Wait until we start scoring goals!

Note: GK is a defender just like any other, and with Vermeer behind the play only one defender was between the Groningen player and the goal, thus Groningen player was offside.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Scrappy hard fought victory against the table leaders and PSV fucking up against NAC...Cant get any Better than this....Oleguer just tied his total goal record at Barcelona...lets hope he can score a couple more for us :hupajax.gif:

[SPL]

Thanks dws. I can follow a game fairly easy in Dutch but what with the smaller screen I was not sure why it was dissallowed.

I wont have a problem on Thursday as the Villa game is on channel 5 live.

5 points off the top now and it can only get better.KJH will score goals
and Sulejmani will be back soon . In addition it was good to see Oleguer and Gabri return .

[Van basten]

Nobody yet scored in Arena this season, except us Let's keep that way

[dws]

Thanks dws. I can follow a game fairly easy in Dutch but what with the smaller screen I was not sure why it was dissallowed.

I wont have a problem on Thursday as the Villa game is on channel 5 live.

5 points off the top now and it can only get better.KJH will score goals
and Sulejmani will be back soon . In addition it was good to see Oleguer and Gabri return .

Spl, when watching via sopcast you can opt to play the video in Windows media player. To do this: navigate the screen pointer to the bottom right corner of the sopcast screen and select the button for playing in media player. You can then select to increase viewing area by navigating the screen pointer over the said viewing area and 'right clicking' the mouse to reveal the video resizing options.

[Kowalczyk]

Nobody yet scored in Arena this season, except us

Yeah, and even we didn't score that many...

It's hard to score at the ArenA, apparently (the opposite was true last season!).

K.

[DanK]

Nobody yet scored in Arena this season, except us

Yeah, and even we didn't score that many...

It's hard to score at the ArenA, apparently (the opposite was true last season!).

K.

The scoring will come at some point (hopefully from us I mean). Our forwards have too much talent. We just need to keep winning in any way possible. Eventually things will fall into place. (I hope).

More than happy with the win last night

[SPL]

dws.

Thanks for the info. I did indeed do what you said but it was not that clear for me. When getting a stream direct from media player I have had a full screen and it was clear.

Thanks again for helping out a novice computer idiot like me. Much appreciated.

PS I am now going to spend an hour catching up videos on Ajax Tv . Pleased to say that they come out very clear on a full screen but that is because it is not a stream.

[SPL]

dws

reading your post again although I did click onto windows media I am not sure I actually did what you said. I will try it next time.

[dws]

SPL, you probably pressed the full screen button(middle button marked FS) to the bottom right of Sopcast media player. Selecting the button to the right of the FS button allows you to watch the video at double size or full screen via the Standalone version of media player. I tend to select Full Screen if watching from distance and opt for 200% (double size) when watching from close in.

[Blind3]

Very happy with the result !! Love the clean sheet.

[LucaS]

For the fifth homegame in a row. I didn't check, but I'm convinced that's already more than last season in al the homegames

[Kowalczyk]

For the fifth homegame in a row. I didn't check, but I'm convinced that's already more than last season in al the homegames

Yes, it must be.

It is fascinating that the difference between home and away games is so enormous. Ten goals conceded in four away games... That's pretty outrageous. One can lose in Heerenveen, fair enough, but five goals conceded against Willem II, Feyenoord and FK Borac...? That's still far too much.

Home games are fine so far. Absolutely.

K.

[SPL]

Thanks for all your advice dws. I have made notes for the future.

[gordonvandekamp]

My thoughts on the game:

I'm most glad that Ajax started the game with some intensity right from the kick-off, I think we're in trouble when we start games lazily. Good to have Gabri and Oleguer back, we're crap without them. Suarez looked very good as well. I like Vermeer's confidence and willingness to challenge balls hit in the box, he just needs to make sure he clears them out of harms way and not to the opposition in the box, that seemed to happen at least 3 times in the match.

Huntelaar's looked pretty bad, he did with Oranje in the last two games, and he looked bad Saturday. He just seems to be a step off and is thinking too much rather than just playing the game. I hope it doesn't last much longer and he and Suarez are able to get in sync timing-wise again, when they are I expect 3 goals a game.

I've been impressed by Sarpong's talent, but he still needs to develop on some things, like his finishing, and I think he could be a big contributor this season.

Most importantly I'm just glad we got the win. We could have one 4-0 or lost 2-1 just as easily depending on how the chances were converted. Towards the end it was one of those games that could have gone either way and it was a game I think we really had to win if we expect to fight for the title. We're 9th, but only three points behind Groningen in 2nd now. Had we lost, it would have been 12th on 7 points, and Groningen would be topping the table with 16 points.

[Van basten]

This is Eredivisie Team Of The Week by Goal.com


Goalkeeper:

Luciano (Groningen): Groningen may have lost to Ajax, but absolutely no blame can be alid at the feet of shot stopper Luciano after an impressive performance. He pulled off a number of fine saves to deny Suarez and Huntelaar and can feel hard done by to have lost.

Defenders:

Ronnie Stam (Twente): The new signing was in fine form for his side during the 2-0 win over fierce derby rivals Heracles. He was solid, organized and he hardly put a foot wrong. The best showing from Stam since signing for Twente on deadline day.

Oleguer (Ajax): The Spanish defender returned from injury and was decisive in the clash against Groningen. He scored the only goal of the match and Groningen striker Marcus Berg hardly got a sniff all evening thanks to the former Barcelona player.

Andreas Granqvist (Groningen): The towering center back saw his equalizer being disallowed for offside. Nevertheless, the strong defender was responsible for yet another off day of Ajax's Klaas Jan Huntelaar and was a solid defensive duo with Gibril Sankoh.

Youssef el Akchaoui (NEC): The left back gifted his side the lead with a late spot kick and raced down the wing on countless occasions. He controlled the left wing and has developed into one of the best left backs of the Eredivisie.

Holding Midfielders:

Gabri (Ajax): Gabri returned to match action after an ankle injury and his return is crucial in Ajax's title bid. The midfielder was simply instrumental against Groningen with his pace and stamina. Ajax's midfield is more balanced with Gabri back as holding midfielder.

Arek Radomski (NEC): The NEC midfielder enjoyed a very good afternoon against regional rivals Vitesse. He leveled both side only minutes after the break and kept Vitesse's midfield at bay. One of his best performances since he joined the Nijmegen side last summer.

Attacking Midfielders:

Saidi Ntibazonkiza (NEC): The young right-winger made once again clear that he's a serious threat for any defender. His speed is a phenomenal weapon and it was his run that resulted in a late penalty. Saidi capped his good performance with a goal in the dying seconds of the match.

Mounir El Hamdaoui (AZ): The Moroccan AZ forward was AZ's match winner with two goals and makes it to the team of the week for the third week in a row. El Hamdaoui is without a doubt one of the best attackers around in the Eredivisie.

Luis Suarez (Ajax): The former Groningen star faced his old team-mates on Saturday evening and posed a major threat for the Groningen defenders. He's Ajax best attacker at the moment and outclasses Oranje striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar week by week.

Striker:

Frank Demouge (Willem II): The strong attacker helped his side to a 1-0 victory against Rotterdam giants Feyenoord with his seventh goal of the season and a strong overall display. However, Demouge was lucky to stay on the pitch after elbowing Feyenoord defender Kevin Hofland in the face

[aveslacker]

Striker:

Frank Demouge (Willem II): The strong attacker helped his side to a 1-0 victory against Rotterdam giants Feyenoord with his seventh goal of the season and a strong overall display. However, Demouge was lucky to stay on the pitch after elbowing Feyenoord defender Kevin Hofland in the face

[Blind3]

I never knew "Giant" was Dutch for "Holy Shit, our season's going down the drain" . Interesting.