Ajax is ready to Rock!

July 23rd, 2011 | by: Jan | Comments(110)

Our national champs, Ajax, has started its preparation phase with ambition. New striker Kolbeinn Sighthorsson scored his first goal for Ajax against Brondby IF. The Icelandic striker, coming from AZ, saw his new team mate Thulani Serero from South Africa score as well, as did left winger Ebecilio. Ajax won 3-0.

Jan Vertonghen and Siem de Jong are still out with injuries. Kenneth Vermeer was Ajax’ goalie in place of Stekelenburg. Theo Janssen wore the skipper band.

“A total surprise,” Janssen said about his skipper role. “Stekelenburg is number one of course, and Jan Vertonghen is number two but both were absent. There are other experienced players at Ajax, so me receiving the band was actually a surprise.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a leader per se, but if a leader motivates players on the pitch to give it their all, than yes…”, says the former Vitesse and Twente midfielder.

Another player who made the headlines last season in the Eredivisie is Miralem Sulejmani. He’s extremely happy with his coach Frank de Boer. The Ajax coach knows to touch something in the Serbian winger. “I’m glad to work with him, you can tell that he rather play with us instead of coach us, haha…. That motivates enormously.”

Frank de Boer: “…so I say to Martin van Geel….why don’t you sign Ronald Koeman? I was kiddin’. You know? But he says: yes, brilliant. Ronald Koeman. So, Feyenoord won’t be a problem this season.”

“He is pretty tough on us, but always with a ball. And as he plays along and works with us, you never think “you have it easy, sitting on your ball”… This coach is possessed and it’s only normal that you start to actually love the guy. He’s working so hard for us. He doesn’t have an ego. I love it when he has a go at me. No problemo.”

Team mates Greg van der Wiel and Daley Blind are as positive about De Boer. Blind: “Oh yes, he’s present at practice, haha. He is a fanatical. But it makes us better everyday. And this is a group that is like a sponge. We all want to become better players.” Van der Wiel: “You do think every now and then: cut it out, man… Sometimes I think, leave me be… But it’s all part of it. Sometimes it’s not fun but it’s necessary.”

Tschue La Ling will not take the role of general manager at Ajax. Cruyff’s candidate will not be supported by candidate board directors Ten Have, Marjan Olfers, Edgar Davids and Paul Romer. Wim Jonk is now the strongest candidate.

Tscheu La Ling in the early 1980s.

The new board wants a business director and a football director. Jonk will take the football seat, but it’s yet unclear who will take the business role.

Cruyff has already conceded his loss and announced to support the board’s directives. La Ling does feel he has become the victim of a filthy slander campaign after JC mentioned his name.

An angry Ling says: “They’ve said I have a criminal record, that I went bankrupt…those stories are easy to check and I can prove it’s bullshit, but stories that I would have links to criminals…that’s a different cattle of fish. I’m very sharp and will sue anyone who claims silly things.”

“I have never borrowed money for my businesses. How can you go broke then? I work hard and by now I have four companies and I’m at the point of starting a new big project with new investors. This bullshit is something I don’t need.”

“Ajax is still a snake pit. If it wasn’t for Johan I would never have stepped in. But you can see what Johan has to fight. But our bond is stronger than ever. I won’t let him down and he won’t let me down. I was never a hard worker on the pitch. But off the pitch, people will find out that I will go as hard and long as I can. Some will find out.”

Toby Alderweireld hopes to play a leading role this season at Ajax. The Belgium defender focuses on every single word assistant Dennis Bergkamp says to him.

“I’m not a debutant anymore. I played almost everything the last two seasons. Team mates treat me differently. They listen more. Like I listen to Dennis. It’s weird, but for me, whatever he says is sacred. He played at such high level for so long. I’m afraid some could have a lot of football intelligence but if you’ve never experienced it yourself, it’s simply different.”

Like with Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff is another idol of Alderweireld. But he doesn’t agree with everything JC says. “Well, he’s been highly critical on our youth development system and I was a product of that. I can’t share his criticism. People say Feyenoord’s is so good, and it is, but we have a lot of talents still ( Van der Wiel, Alderweireld, Blind, De Jong, Ebicilio, Eriksen) and we won the title. Not that Johan sees it totally wrong. I guess he has very stringent criteria and Johan wants perfection. Just like Frank and Dennis.”

Dennis says to Stekelenburg: “Had a prank with Toby. He listen to everything I say. So I say, in your next interview you need to criticise Johan… He respects that… Hahaha.”