Ajaxtalk

ajaxusa schreef:At dinner last night, my son Sean asked me what I thought was a pretty interesting question:

"If you could spend one day playing soccer and hanging out with one famous soccer player, who would it be?"

I asked him to clarify, and he said it would just be kicking the ball around and hanging out all day. No entourage, no big games or anything. It's a ten-year-old's vision of a perfect day with a football hero, and I thought it was f*cking great, beautifully simple and sweet.

But then.. I was stumped! Who would I choose?

His only stipulation was that the player had to still be alive. (That rules out Eddy Hamel and George Best.) I was thinking... someone intellectually interesting, not too uptight or insane (that rules out Maradona, I'm afraid).

Johan Cruyff? Jari Litmanen? Beckenbauer?!

Piet de Visser ...... (secret scout for Roman Abramovic and PSV)..... he always comes across as a very knowledgable, down to earth, and interesting guy.

If he was unavailable....Cruyff's always got something original to say .....

Venezuelan Ajacied schreef:

ajaxusa schreef:At dinner last night, my son Sean asked me what I thought was a pretty interesting question:

"If you could spend one day playing soccer and hanging out with one famous soccer player, who would it be?"

I asked him to clarify, and he said it would just be kicking the ball around and hanging out all day. No entourage, no big games or anything. It's a ten-year-old's vision of a perfect day with a football hero, and I thought it was f*cking great, beautifully simple and sweet.

But then.. I was stumped! Who would I choose?

His only stipulation was that the player had to still be alive. (That rules out Eddy Hamel and George Best.) I was thinking... someone intellectually interesting, not too uptight or insane (that rules out Maradona, I'm afraid).

Johan Cruyff? Jari Litmanen? Beckenbauer?!

Zlatan :worshippy:

I'll buck the trend a bit here - Eto'o of Barcelona because from what I've read about him he seems like quite an interesting and knowledgeable guy (and with my footie skills we'd definately be chatting more than playing).

If not "Super" Dave Bamber although that would probably be quite easy - just move to Blackpool and get him to come and fix my roof.......

....the bit I forgot. Assuming our wishes came true, you lot can tell me all about what Cruijff and Van Basten had to say anyway.......

Just as his former club from rotterdam ceased to be a top club in Holland, our good friend Mesaventure Kalou has to face a future in the French second division where his psg side will soon be relegated.

Don't let him down and send your support.

SE6Ajacied schreef:....the bit I forgot. Assuming our wishes came true, you lot can tell me all about what Cruijff and Van Basten had to say anyway.......

Cruyff would probably say things like this:

"Football is simple, but the most difficult thing is to play simple football."

"You are as valuable as the time you are on TV"

"Italians can't beat us, but we certainly can lose against them."

"Without the ball, you can't win."

"A ball is an essential part of the game."

"Speed is often confused with insight. If I start running earlier than the others, I appear to be faster."

"Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake."

"Every disadvantage has its advantage."

"To win you have to score one more goal than your opponent."

"I'm not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it worked, it would always be a draw."

"Coincidence is logical."

"And if you score, then it's in."

On Italian striker Filippo Inzaghi: "Look, actually he can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position."

On moving from Ajax Amsterdam to Barcelona: "I don't want to be a thief of my own wallet."

"You never see a Dutchman excel in a sport like weightlifting. It's apparently not in our nature to lift weights. We're just too lazy. But we did sail every sea and we excel in hockey, football and volleyball. Being just a little bit smarter helps. Dutch people have the edge there."

"Extremes, I don't like them. Every extreme is crazy [lit. 'something crazy']."

"People say that life is like a stream. They are right. When I last tried to spit into the wind, I spat in my own face."

"When I drive a car, I keep one hand on the wheel. The other is reserved for different tasks."

"Often something in life is probably necessary."

"When I come home after a sport analysis and my wife asks, 'What did you say?' I'll reply, 'I have absolutely no idea whatsoever.'"

"Orange is a happy colour."

"If it isn't going well, then it isn't going well"

"Dancing is more fun on one foot. Give them a football and voila!"

"The cleverest do math, the next-best write books. Dancers are the cleverest with their feet, next are footballers."

"I never wear trousers to church. I don't have anything to hide from God."

"Little by little you have to teach the United States that this is the best game in the world."

"If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better."

"It's better to fail with your own vision rather than following another man's vision."

:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

:xyxthumbs: :worshippy: :xyxthumbs:

I'd love to spend a day with someone that wise and funny.

Manneken Pis schreef:
:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

Yes, well Cruijff has a certain way with words ;) . I'm surprised you've not gone for Jimmy Sirrel or someone MP? (Is he still alive??)

SE6Ajacied schreef:

Manneken Pis schreef:
:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

Yes, well Cruijff has a certain way with words ;) . I'm surprised you've not gone for Jimmy Sirrel or someone MP? (Is he still alive??)

Jimmy is of course a God (and still alive).

My favourite quote from him is "The best team always wins. The rest is just gossip".

BTW fantastic little book if you are sick of the current crop of generic footballers autobiographies is "Steak Diana Ross" by ex-Notts player Dave McVay (now journalist for the Times). It is his memoires when he played under JS in the mid seventies. :xyxthumbs:

Manneken Pis schreef:
BTW fantastic little book if you are sick of the current crop of generic footballers autobiographies is "Steak Diana Ross" :xyxthumbs:

OK, I'll have to look out for that. Probably shows what a footy trainspotter I am that I have actually heard of it (I assume that it didn't trouble the top of the bestsellers list.)
Totally football unrelated but at the moment I'm reading "Batavia's Graveyard" by Mike Dash about the 1629 Dutch shipwreck/mutiny of that name. Really good read and gives some interesting background about 17th Century Amsterdam/United Provinces (so there's a slight Ajax connection and I feel justified to talk about it here ;) )

ajaxusa schreef:At dinner last night, my son Sean asked me what I thought was a pretty interesting question:

"If you could spend one day playing soccer and hanging out with one famous soccer player, who would it be?"

I asked him to clarify, and he said it would just be kicking the ball around and hanging out all day. No entourage, no big games or anything. It's a ten-year-old's vision of a perfect day with a football hero, and I thought it was f*cking great, beautifully simple and sweet.

But then.. I was stumped! Who would I choose?

His only stipulation was that the player had to still be alive. (That rules out Eddy Hamel and George Best.) I was thinking... someone intellectually interesting, not too uptight or insane (that rules out Maradona, I'm afraid).

Johan Cruyff? Jari Litmanen? Beckenbauer?!

Rijkard.

Read a piece on him by Simon Kuper a year ago. He seems truly hilarious. Also, he could enlighten me on interesting superstar tips and tricks. Such as how Xavi got his hair standing whole 90 minutes and how he got the sourpuss Henrik Larsson to speak infront of Nou Camp.

I read that Chelsea have signed a 15 year old from the Fword.

I do hope that they do not try and raid our youth system. They did try and get Sarpong and Goossens back in late 2005.

Am I right in thinking that in Holland you cannot give a contract until 18th birthday.?? If so Vurnon Anita was given a 3 year contract by us in summer of 2005 just after his 16th birthday!!( the above mentioned 2 both had contracts as 17 year olds back when Chelsea were trying to steal them. ) Can you be paid under a youth contract in Holland before you are 18????

In UK you get a full contract at 17 but at 16 you still sign a youth contract as such.We only have a youth system to the age of 18 ie 2 years after leaving school and not 3 years as in Holland.The reserve system in England is poor for all clubs. (Arsenal for instance only play 18 reserve games in a season whereas Ajax play 26 plus about 6 cup games.)

To get to my point what kind of contract can a Dutch lad get between leaving school at 16 and his 18th birthday???

it's a youth contract, and if bought buy a club then usually a compensation of a few thousand euros are given. it all really boils down to the player's choice.

Big game on tonight in the international window. yep, it's Venezuela vs New Zealand. well, maybe 2 people on this board will care. For the record, i'm picking a close win for Venezuela, or at best a draw, and by way of excuse, NZ's only 2 premiership players are both not in the squad.

Well done Holland for a 1-0 win. Haven't seen any of the game or even the scorer, but a good result all the same.

England are currently beating the might of Andorra 2-0 in Andorra (Barcelona, Andorra that is) :cheer:

SE6Ajacied schreef:Well done Holland for a 1-0 win. Haven't seen any of the game or even the scorer, but a good result all the same.

Another shit awful display from the Netherlands.

I had intended to follow the Scotland and Oranje games tonight but was drawn more and more to the Dutch game because of the hypnotic awfulness of the display from the men in Orange.

Gio's lucky goal - the ball was twice deflected on its route to goal - provided the Dutch with a much needed but little deserved 3 points.

If Marco is not willing to change his tactics he should do the right thing - TENDER HIS RESIGNATION.

Holland were so impatient, all their attacks were sloppy and the shots were taken too quick (Kuyt the man to be looking at)

I don't think there's much time for a new coach to take on the team now, but Van Basten should really start thinking about his game.

dws schreef: Another shit awful display from the Netherlands.

I had intended to follow the Scotland and Oranje games tonight but was drawn more and more to the Dutch game because of the hypnotic awfulness of the display from the men in Orange.

Gio's lucky goal - the ball was twice deflected on its route to goal - provided the Dutch with a much needed but little deserved 3 points.

If Marco is not willing to change his tactics he should do the right thing - TENDER HIS RESIGNATION.

Dunno dws, I thought they played ok.
After the break the tempo was high and they could have scored a hatful of goals.

Players of note:
Afelay (sp?) amazed me with his confidence.
Kuyt was mostly isolated (just like JKH and RVN in the past)
Robben seemed to get lost in his own dribbles.
Urby and Jonny has decent games.
Shneijder did a Lord Lucan and disappeared.

But Babel on the right wing was ATTROCIOUS...
I realise he played out of position, but he never beat his man in a dangerous position, and every incisive attack came from the left.

Net net though the shots on goal stats should bear me out on this....a deserved win, even if left late and with a lucky goal.

SE6Ajacied schreef:Well done Holland for a 1-0 win.

OK, I suppose I need to change that (still haven't seen the game) "Well done to Holland for playing so badly and still getting all three points".

They do say that this is the mark of a good team of course anyway - and Euro Champions 1988 and 2008 has a nice sound to it.......

As a Dutch fan this really pisses me off. Individually holland has some of the greatest fowards (KJH, Robben, Van Persie) fantastic midfielders (VDV, Seedorf, Sneijder, Afellay) potential defenders (Boulahrouz, Urby, Heitinga) and imo the best keeper (Van der Sar)

But as a fan I want to boast "We have the best team" and not "We have the best striker" both are nice to say but in football greater teams>individuals.

Holland better get their act together so they can erase their "cant play as a team" label.

If they can play as a team i think they'll be the best in Europe at least.

ZoefdeHaas schreef: If they can play as a team i think they'll be the best in Europe at least.

Ah....but "if" is the biggest word in the English language.... ;)

Frans schreef:Big game on tonight in the international window. yep, it's Venezuela vs New Zealand. well, maybe 2 people on this board will care. For the record, i'm picking a close win for Venezuela, or at best a draw, and by way of excuse, NZ's only 2 premiership players are both not in the squad.

It showed.... 5-0 Venezuelan win :yes:

I had the chance to interview Ricki Herbert befoe the game ;) nice lad very open to the press.

Too bad for the All Whites, two games lost with an overall result of 9-0 (costa rica 4-0 and Venezuela 5-0) :nooo:

Venezuelan Ajacied schreef:

Frans schreef:Big game on tonight in the international window. yep, it's Venezuela vs New Zealand. well, maybe 2 people on this board will care. For the record, i'm picking a close win for Venezuela, or at best a draw, and by way of excuse, NZ's only 2 premiership players are both not in the squad.

It showed.... 5-0 Venezuelan win :yes:

I had the chance to interview Ricki Herbert befoe the game ;) nice lad very open to the press.

Too bad for the All Whites, two games lost with an overall result of 9-0 (costa rica 4-0 and Venezuela 5-0) :nooo:

yeah, that was some nostradamus-like predicting there. ;)
Didn't see the game, but by all accounts NZ were never in it, as the scoreline suggests. Well done to Venezuela. :xyxthumbs:

Sadly for the All Whites it looks like they're going backwards after some good results in europe last year.

If you want to kill a few minutes, here's a nice YouTube compilation of goals.

The twist....it's the passing that creates the goal....

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ortWLYEYnM

:xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs: :xyxthumbs:

Frans schreef:

Venezuelan Ajacied schreef:

Frans schreef:Big game on tonight in the international window. yep, it's Venezuela vs New Zealand. well, maybe 2 people on this board will care. For the record, i'm picking a close win for Venezuela, or at best a draw, and by way of excuse, NZ's only 2 premiership players are both not in the squad.

It showed.... 5-0 Venezuelan win :yes:

I had the chance to interview Ricki Herbert befoe the game ;) nice lad very open to the press.

Too bad for the All Whites, two games lost with an overall result of 9-0 (costa rica 4-0 and Venezuela 5-0) :nooo:

yeah, that was some nostradamus-like predicting there. ;)
Didn't see the game, but by all accounts NZ were never in it, as the scoreline suggests. Well done to Venezuela. :xyxthumbs:

Sadly for the All Whites it looks like they're going backwards after some good results in europe last year.

You can look on the bright side my friend ;) the All Whites under 17 team is going to the World Cup :yes: so at least their is some light at the end of the tunnel.