The ongoing Suarez rumors…
By: Adams |
7 Comments
He has scored 25 goals in 25 games, and has been listed among the brightest Eredivisie players in the last 20 years and rightfully so. Suarez has also been proving to be valuable for the Uruguayan national team, which has also drawn attention from some of the best teams in Europe.
It’s only natural for a player with his skill and mentality to want to move on in terms of proving himself in larger league. But I honestly hope he doesn’t leave this January, which will leave Ajax in a similar state as last season when Huntelaar left for Real mid-season. We are far too dependent on Suarez, and losing him would be the end of our season. Suarez has proven to be our main goalscorer and really our offensive catalyst, and although I think he needs to move on eventually, for the sake of the club he needs to stay until this summer. We simply cannot afford to make the same mistake twice; having Suarez at Ajax is priceless to us. I’m just worried that comments like the ones our technical staff are making at the moment will only welcome more offers, and then Suarez could really be on his way out in January.
Furthermore, this past weekend when Suarez scored against Willem, he held on tight to his shirt and showing everyone how much he liked playing for Ajax. I know it sucks every time, I read a rumor about him leaving, and I think the gesture was appreciated by all Ajacieden. We might not know what the future holds for Suarez, but I’m just happy I got to witness another wonderful player play for Ajax for the time being.
For those who don’t know what all the hype is about….(Some clips)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgUn4RrL9Ic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW8HaqpatNo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgUn4RrL9Ic&feature=related
Category: Team News
Down with Willem!
By: Adams | Add Comments
This past saturday, Ajax won 4-0 against Willem II Tilburg. The Southerns have been terrible in defense this season, and Ajax was able to punish them for their defensive short-comings. The game started and finished with Ajax dominating the pitch. Then in the 29th minute, because of handball that occured during a free-kick, Ajax got a penalty. Unfortunately Suarez missed the PK and we were forced to wait for the first goal until the 45th minute. Overall, the connectivity and play was just great this past weekend. I realize that Willem II isn’t exactly the toughest team to beat, and that in terms of teams in Holland, beating them is really not an achievement but neverthless I walked away pleaseed with the show my boys put up this weekend. Alongside Enoh, Suarez and Pantelic and Sulejmani also scored this past saturday.
This week is a big week for us. We have Dinamo Zagreb this Thursday in an important Europa League fixture, and AZ this weekend. Although AZ have been suffering from an crisis, they are still the Champions and hopefully we can take also manage to do what Twente and PSV (and alot of other clubs lol) have done this season and that is beat AZ. I like the work Jol has been doing with the boys, and hopefully we can built on our momentum and keep pushing in these more difficult fixtures. I’m more worried about Dinamo than AZ, I suspect Arsenal to serve them a ass-kicking on a silver platter later on today and for us to handle them as well. But Dinamo, they are just a dreadful team to play against. I think when they are organized and healthy, they could destruct many teams in Europe. So here is hoping for the best, hopefully our fans come out and support as well, because believe me we are going to need it, if Suarez can’t find the back of the goal this Thursday. So come on Ajax, make me proud!!
Category: Team NewsHi All….New Blogger!
By: Adams | 8 Comments
I’ll pick up, where the last guy left off and continue to regularly update anyone who is interested about the AFC Ajax. Since last season’s disappointing finish and the eventual departure of Van Basten, things have looked a little better for Ajax but alot of problems continue to plague Ajax.
Luis Suárez. Our light in a dark room, that continues to shine and bring Ajax to new levels. Martin Jol has made him captain this season, and he continues to amaze and enlighten everyone with his wonderful performances. He has scored most of Ajax’s goals this season 12 goals in the league, and several others in the Europa League as well. I couldn’t be more pleased with his results, but this begs the question–what happens when light blows out in a dark room? You get darkness. When Suarez doesn’t score, Ajax doesn’t score. We have become entirely too dependent on his services, and although he tries to push Ajax and himself every week. It simply doesn’t work.
Players like Sulejmani, Marko Pantelic (Summer signing), and even Dario Cvitanich are simply not cutting it. Pantelic has proven to be quite the goalscorer for Hertha Berlin, but at Ajax has yet to make much impact on the game. Cvitanich tries and even though we long for another addition upfront, his effort is appreciated. Sulejmani has been a shadow of a player at Ajax, and has done little on the pitch to show anyone that he was worth his price-tag.
I started watching Ajax when I was about 4 years old, and I have been a fan ever since. The things that have made Ajax such a legendary club in the past need to be restored right now. You could always see pride on peoples faces when they witnessed players like Bergkamp and Kluivert excel at Ajax. What has made Ajax successful is its ability to pull its own talent, and try to build teams based on a specific philosophy. Honestly, one cannot be upset with the current situation and point fingers to Sulejmani/Cvitanich or even Pantelic for our current situation. We have to look at ourselves and specifically our youth academy, and the inability to rely on our domestic talent that has made us so weak in recent years.
It’s not all bad at Ajax though. Our patient board has managed to sign Martin Jol this summer. Martin Jol is the right person to bring out the best in our players, and with the right experience level has the trust of everyone associated with this club. We want stability, someone to grow with the club instead of changing coaches every season and Jol can bring that to Ajax. Then there is the signing of Demy De Zeeuw. He has become such a catalyst for us this season, and I couldn’t be happier with this signing. He’s just such a natural leader and with him playing every week at Ajax, things have been alright for our club. And lastly, our defense has been solid this season. Jol has added Toby Alderweireld in our defense, and his partnership with Vertonghen has been excellent so far. Hopefully they can both stay healthy, and continue to hold down our central defense for most of this season. So who knows what this season will bring, I’m just happy to be a fan of the best club in the world.
Category: Team NewsWrite for Ajax Offside
By: Daryl | 2 Comments
We’re in need of a new blogger here on Ajax Offside. If you’re an AFC Ajax fan with opinions to share, then this could be for you.
It’s not a paid position, but it’s definitely a lot of fun. We have a very popular Oranje blog so there’s definitely an opportunity for someone to write for a large Ajax-loving audience here.
If interested, please read our blogging guidelines and then send an email to daryl[at]theoffside[dot]com
Category: Team NewsThe Way to Step Forward
By: Matt | 2 Comments
The dog ate my homework, and wordpress just ate my post. Believe what you want to believe, but know this: if Ajax makes it past Marseille tomorrow, it will do much to ease the wounds of not winning the eredivisie (at least for me). If half of Ajax is dominating the domestic competition, the other half is European glory (and the third half has got to be selling players to Spain, England and Italy for mad cash). If we can’t step forward this season with a title, maybe we can step forward with a cup run?
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Category: Team NewsHello Aissati, Goodbye Title*
By: Matt | Add Comments
On the day we got to see Ismael Aissati for the full term we also may have seen the end of our drive for the title*. I have my people checking on whether or not the two are related, but it looks doubtful. Aissati looked rusty yet promising, Evander Sno looked out of sorts, and AZ looked untouchable. Video highlight after the jump. Pay attention, there will be a quiz.
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Category: Team NewsNew Life in Amsterdam
By: Matt | 4 Comments
From now on, we must agree to make the following pledge: before we criticize Ajax, we must begin with a statement recognizing that this is a young team with an inexperienced manager. If that mantra does not remind us how wild the swings in form may be, then we are just not going to appreciate what is taking place on the pitch. The kids are growing up. Sometimes they are good. Some times they are bad. Right now, things are good. Nice.
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Category: Team NewsDoes Ajax Need to Win the UEFA Cup?
By: Matt | 6 Comments
If the victory over Feyenoord proved to us that all is not lost (didn’t it?), then what will we learn from the UEFA Cup match against Fiorentina today? Do we have bigger fish to fry at home in the eredivisie? Or is this the tournament that we focus on since we won’t likely catch AZ? I dunno, but as you can tell, I am not watching the match today (for reasons that have more to do with me than any answer to the questions above.) Are you?
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Category: Team NewsWhat Is On the Line This Weekend?
By: Matt | 4 Comments
For those of you who expected, nay, demanded a title from Ajax this term, the critical point of the season has already come and gone (unless you agree with me that AZ is still capable of collapsing). But, for those with more modest expectations, the critical point may begin this weekend. The biggest question is this: can Ajax begin to recover under Marco van Basten after years of decay? Or will this fragile experiment fail, proving that Ajax is going the way of the eredivisie in general? To answer this, enter F*word.
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Category: Team NewsWhat Marco Needs to Learn
By: Matt | 6 Comments
The major criticism of Marco right now is also perhaps the most obvious: he has not managed the men at his disposal very well. And, coming from a man who regularly gets high marks in “man management” on FM, this means something. Here are a few of Marco’s greatest hits so far, but I’ll skip to the payoff before the break: If MvB can learn from his mistakes, we have no need to speak of his dismissal.
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Category: Team News
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