Ajax History

[aveslacker]

...

Marco van Basten's Ajax-1 début. 26 years ago today!
...

K.

No matter what happens with his coaching career. MvB is and will always be my favourite footballer (closely followed by a certain Mr Bergkamp).

I think more than any footballer, he defined what a #9 should be.

To remind us all...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJna4-O ... re=related

Thanks for the post Ko. Nice one mate

Fantastic video. I'm still worried about him as a coach, but I'm glad that he's stuck his neck out to get involved with the best club on earth.

[Kowalczyk]

Sjaak Wolfs, Ajax's legendary jack-of-all-trades, has passed away. He was 76 years old. A life dedicated to Ajax has come to an end.

The man was an Ajax legend. A unique Ajax character. The fans absolutely adored him. Club people like him are irreplaceable.

http://www.ajax-usa.com/desk/an-ode-to-sjakie.html

http://english.ajax.nl/web/show/id=1548 ... ntid=68043

Rest in peace, good old Sjakie. We will never forget you.

K.

[SE6Ajacied]

RIP Sjaak, As a Londoner born and bred I never met you, and I know you never really had much of a major position at Ajax yet from reading my Ajax history you always seemed to be there, and I certainly still feel that I knew you - a true Ajacied has passed.

[ajaxusa]

Oh, man, he will be missed, most certainly. Everyone should read Menno's great tribute to Sjakie, written way back in 2003. It includes an awesome pic of some of the Ajax USA faithful chatting with (or listening to, really) the man himself at an Ajax training session...

http://www.ajaxusa.com/desk/an-ode-to-sjakie.html

(I know Ko already posted the link, but I don't want anyone to miss it.)

Here's my favorite line:

Coach Co Adriaanse once decided he was no longer welcome on the bench and in the dressing room. An unforgiveable mistake. It led to furious yells from the stands ("Sjakie on the bench!") and the foundation of the 'Sjakie On The Bench Committee'. The end of the story: Sjakie returned to the bench, Adriaanse got fired.

[DanK]

Oh-no!!!

RIP

I would assume a tribute at Sundays game then...

[Kowalczyk]

Beautiful little tribute on Ajax TV:

http://ajax.aegon.nl/index.php?id=1&video=18500

Even if you don't understand the Dutch interviews, the footage from the archives is great.

K.

[yoda]

such a shame the p.s.v fans could'nt be quiet for a minute. by the way, what was sjakie other job ? and do you know if the fact that he left the club had an influence on his health ?

[SPL]

Really enjoyed Menno's write up of 2003 on an Ajax legend.I wonder what he thought that day about seeing Americans who also loved his Ajax and had travelled across half the world to see them.! And all the non Dutch people like me who also love this club.! Probably thought we are all strange
and excentric!!

PS Well the strange and excentric sums me up do not know about the rest of you!!!

[Rooie]

Some movies and pictures of his funeral (today):

Movies:

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-unFIZz6E
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=7u1QnI-u2pY


Pictures:

http://www.ajaxfotoside.net/0809thuis/wolfs/wolfs.html

[Blind3]

Benji, thank you for posting the links. It was very moving to see Ajax supporters giving back in such a classy way to a man who gave so much to our beloved club and touched the loves of so many.

[gordonvandekamp]

Yeah, thanks for sharing the pictures, pretty moving.

[aveslacker]

Great stuff. Very touching.

[SE6Ajacied]

Thanks Benji, wouldn't have found these if you hadn't posted them. It certainly looks like he got a good send-off. Not usual to see fireworks and football shirts at funerals but probably exactly what he would have wanted.

[Kowalczyk]

1900 ** March 18th ** 2009

Happy birthday, Ajax... May you live forever.



K.

[SPL]

Still the greatest day in the history of soccer.( followed by the 4 days we won the European Cup) . I bet those men 109 years ago could not envisage what they created that day. Hopefully the birthday will be complete with victory tonight.

[ajaxusa]

(Slightly off-topic. Not Ajax history per se, but very significant for Dutch football and Amsterdam, so... forgive me.)

Honoring the Voice of Dutch Soccer
New York Times
May 2, 2009

[martinkohout]

Thanks for that link - I missed it the first time around, having gone, as usual, straight to the crossword in a desperate and apparently futile (just ask my kids) attempt to stave off Alzheimer's. Very moving.

[martinkohout]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I'm wondering if anyone can point me to a reliable online source for historical statistics of Ajax players (besides Voetbal International, which doesn't seem to go back past the mid-1950s). Seems to me I once blundered (I don't speak/read Dutch, alas) onto some stats on the Ajax.nl site (career totals for matches played, goals scored, etc.), but they seem to be gone now. Or am I just being even more of a moron than usual in not being able to find them?

Many thanks!

[SPL]

I will make my comments re Eddy Hamel here( Aveslacker's post on new players)
I only recently finished reading that interesting but sad book Ajax The Dutch ,The War, ( Menno and
Ajax USA being credited for appearing in English)

Of all the sad stories in the book I think the story of Eddy Hamel's death ie basically because he happened to have a tooth abscess on the wrong day, was the most moving for me. Thanks for the post Aveslacker.

[beelzebub]

@Mako

In Dutch, results 1990-2009
http://home.wanadoo.nl/ronald.zwiers/Cl ... x/Ajax.htm

In Dutch, Eredivisie results 1956-2009
http://www.koningvoetbal.nl/

European results
http://www.voetbalstats.nl/

I did not find anything from the amateur era (before 1955).

[aveslacker]

I will make my comments re Eddy Hamel here( Aveslacker's post on new players)
I only recently finished reading that interesting but sad book Ajax The Dutch ,The War, ( Menno and
Ajax USA being credited for appearing in English)

Of all the sad stories in the book I think the story of Eddy Hamel's death ie basically because he happened to have a tooth abscess on the wrong day, was the most moving for me. Thanks for the post Aveslacker.

Yeah, it's not as if the holocaust isn't tragic enough, but that is a particularly tragic moment.

Ajax has a beautiful history, even before the famous years. It's important to remember that when things aren't as great as they should be these days.

[martinkohout]

@ beelzebub:

Many thanks for the assistance!

I am still hoping to find statistics for individual Ajax players, though, including season-by-season and/or career totals of matches played, goals scored, etc., especially going back before the professional era (i.e., pre-'55). Guys like Jan de Natris, Wim Anderiesen Sr., Piet van Reenen, Gé van Dijk, etc.

Any ideas? As I said, I think the official website used to have career lists for matches played, goals scored, etc., but I can't seem to find them any more....

[Kowalczyk]

Re-posting...

According to Ajax Netwerk Maup Caransa has died. "Zakenman Maurits ‘Maup’ Caransa is op 93-jarige leeftijd overleden."
RIP

I wonder why Ajax is playing today without black armbands

The good man doesn't need a thread of his own, I reckon... So i moved your post here.

I'm kind of tired and don't feel like typing, so Azeri, perhaps you can explain us who he was...?

K.

[Azeri]

Re-posting...

According to Ajax Netwerk Maup Caransa has died. "Zakenman Maurits ‘Maup’ Caransa is op 93-jarige leeftijd overleden."
RIP

I wonder why Ajax is playing today without black armbands

The good man doesn't need a thread of his own, I reckon... So i moved your post here.

I'm kind of tired and don't feel like typing, so Azeri, perhaps you can explain us who he was...?

K.

Is it a joke?? Have I to explain here who was Maup Caransa???
OK then
http://www.ajaxusa.com/history/kuper/th ... t-one.html

[Kowalczyk]

This is great.

Researchers discovered a 100 year-old film reel of a football match. The ground was easily identified as the ground of DFC in Dordrecht. At first they thought it was footage of DFC vs Sparta (Rotterdam), because the legendary Sparta player Bok de Korver was recognized, but it turns out to be a Holland vs Belgium fixture from 1912.

Now, why is this 'Ajax history'?

One of the Holland players (in white) is Gé Fortgens, the first Ajax player ever called up for the national team. Which means that these are the oldest moving images of an Ajax player, almost exactly 100 years old.

Check it out: HERE. It's beautiful.

The oldest known video footage of Ajax is from 1918. Not available on the internet (I think), but only on DVD.

EDIT: Now, who is Fortgens? After 30 seconds or so, you can see the Dutch team lined up. Fortgens is the top man on the left.

K.