Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Send Me a Postcard, Dolberg -- Eredivisie 2019/20

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Send Me a Postcard, Dolberg -- Eredivisie 2019/20

    Opening day for the Dutch league yesterday and after picking up ESPN+ mainly for the EFL games (Serie A is a decent bonus), I noted that they had the Eredivisie as well, so "watched" three games -- there was a fair amount of laundry folding and child wrangling, so my attention wasn't complete. Overall I was impressed with the standard of play, even in the game without a giant club involved.

    Although it's fairly hard to say from one game, Ajax seem to be setting up with Blind as the fulcrum in the middle of the field, with one of the CBs stepping up to provide support and then pretty much everybody else streaming forward. Vitesse took good advantage of this and could feel unlucky that they didn't score more, although the same could probably be said of Ajax, who looked very dangerous with Van der Beek, Ziyech and Tadic forming an impressive attacking trident just behind Dolberg. You can see why Ajax have shelled out for Edson Alvarez, as they looked very callow at CB. The Twente-PSV match was far more turgid, with the recently promoted side pretty happy to keep things tight and PSV only scoring through a well-executed set piece. Crowds at all the games seemed to be of a good size, with loads of people clearly enjoying the day out in the sun with a bit of beer.

    #2
    First time in 31 years that all of the traditional top three teams dropped points.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by scratchmonkey View Post
      Overall I was impressed with the standard of play, even in the game without a giant club involved.
      Not to sound patronising about the Eredivisie but from the few Ajax games I've attended and their games that I stream (I don't have cable TV so don't watch other teams) the quality of the football is excellent, even from the counter-attacking defensive sides. The composure and lack of aimless hoofing makes the actual football more enjoyable than when I'm watching the Premier League, which I'm generally more interested in because I'm British.

      Comment


        #4
        I missed this thread last year, Geoffrey’s disappearance from the board was particularly ill-timed given Ajax’s form. His rundowns of the league were genuinely some of the best English language content on the Eredivisie you could find.

        I’ve said often that one of the reasons I’m trying to learn Dutch is English language coverage of the Eredivisie relies heavily on the Dutch Masters/Total Football stereotypes, although my level of Dutch is about equivalent to Dusan Tadic’s at the moment. Not helped by the fact Dutch people can sometimes be spectacularly unhelpful to Dutch learners, as Tadic is finding out.

        Comment


          #5
          I'd also like to know more about the Eredivise and despite living in the Netherlands for four years my Dutch is laughable. That the natives speak English so well and can be pedantic about pronunciation does make it difficult but really, I could've tried harder, and plan to at some point in the future. Which probably won't happen, then.

          Total football or let's just say the Dutch way of playing is such a revelation when you're used to a completely different football culture that it's hard not to remark upon the difference, especially as a lot of Brits I know assume it's a piss-poor league not worth following. The arrogance from friends when Spurs drew Ajax in the Champions League appalled me and I was incredibly happy at their disbelief at their multi-million footballers being schooled until that miraculous come-back and the final whistle when the whole of Amsterdam went into shock. I've seldom felt so depressed.

          My best mate's brother was at Palace as a teen, playing with Wayne Routledge amongst others, and he said that when they toured the Netherlands they hammered one of the top sides 7-1 or something. He said the difference was that they never hoof it and always pass out from the back so you just press high and the bigger, stronger English kids take the ball off them. Evidently that works well at youth level but by the time they're adults, Dutch players have the sort of technique, skill and composure that was famously lacking from the English game in the 90s, particularly among defenders. When I was a lad youth football was all about taking no chances and physicality rather than technique and ball skills. When I see kids playing in the playgrounds here I feel that they're less talented than those in London but I reckon the coaching is far better in the Netherlands as they focus on what's important in the long-term rather than results at U-15 level. Think we can see these days that that's changing in England, but the Dutch seem to have been doing it since the 60s.

          Comment


            #6
            Today's most important matches:

            PSV 0-4 AZ
            Ajax 4-0 Feyenoord

            After 11 rounds, Ajax are six points ahead of the chasing pack, including PSV and AZ. Feyenoord is 12th, two places behind Sparta who are fellow Rotterdammers.

            Comment


              #7
              PSV have fallen off a cliff

              3-0 at Utrecht, 0-0 at home against LASK in the Europa league and then their first league loss at home in three seasons. AZ looked quite good, though not on Ajax's level (they were up four at the half and put into cruise control).

              Comment


                #8
                Hadn't noticed this thread.

                Yes, the Dutch tend to regard their language as impenetrable for foreigners (nothing could be further from the truth), it probably stems from some kind of insecurity due to Dutch being so similar to German. After 19 years there (including half of my childhood) I could probably read the entirety of the bible in perfect Dutch, but would likely still mess up on a single vowel somewhere, after which they would demand I switch to English. If I go to Belgium, though, they just assume I am a native Dutch speaker from somewhere in the Amsterdam region. It's all relative.

                Anyway, after the 4-0 loss against Ajax, Jaap Stam left Feyenoord and has now been replaced by the now 72 year old Tricky Dick.

                Speaking of ageing Dutch managers:


                Last edited by anton pulisov; 06-11-2019, 16:40.

                Comment


                  #9
                  AZ back playing in their own stadium. They had to remove all the roofing above the stands after a partial collapse a few months ago (not during a match, thankfully!) Dodgy construction. Their first home match was Ajax, which they won 1-0, to go joint top. Ajax still grieving the Spurs thing. It will take ten years at least. Three losses in a row now (WillemII, Valencia, AZ) and no goals scored in those three games.
                  ​​​​
                  Mark van Bommel sacked by PSV.

                  Daley Blind became dizzy during the Valencia match and suddenly had to sit down in the middle of the pitch.
                  ​​​Unbelievably, he wasn't subbed off straight away. It's as if the Nouri thing never happened. It now transpires that Blind had a heart inflammation, and had a pacemaker fitted this week as a precaution. Ajax not releasing very much information. Some speculation that his football career might be touch and go. Blind just became a father two months ago and is obviously set up for life... Maybe time to re-evaluate life's priorities.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    AZ lost to Sparta 3-0 today

                    It's a funny game

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Alan Pardew: ADO Den Haag appoint ex-West Ham & Newcastle manager as head coach - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50901742

                      Found the correct thread now.

                      What can possibly go wrong? I cannot find the right wag joke for here.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        The ADO ultras are different

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Yes, when I saw the photo I thought they must be doing well there but it appears that this was at their first game in charge, after the winter break. they won 2-0, against the bottom club RKC Waalwijk.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Lost in the tributes to Harry Gregg yesterday was the death of Barry Hulshoff. The defensive rock for the three successive Gouden Ajax European Cup champions, and suffered one of the more important injuries in football history when he hurt his knee and was ruled out of the 1974 World Cup. I suspect the Netherlands are world champions with him in the side.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Hakim Ziyech off to Chelsea in the summer, the club with the bizarre refereeing decisions.

                              If you can't beat them, then join them I suppose.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Hakim Ziyech, good player.

                                Utrecht once had a striker, Leon de Kogel, who didn't quite make it and eventually got shipped out to a club in Malta. Returning home after training one day, the taxi he was in took a wrong turn and rammed into another car. De Kogel woke up in hospital crippled and fighting for his life. He later spent six months at a military rehabilitation centre. The taxi driver wasn't insured, his club hadn't insured him and the insurance companies said there was nothing they could/would do. So he spent all his money on hospital bills and legal fees.

                                Long story even longer. Up steps Ziyech, a complete stranger, and settles all his outstanding debts. De Kogel can walk again now.

                                Hakim Ziyech, good man.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  I genuinely fear for him at Chelsea

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                    I genuinely fear for him at Chelsea

                                    Why?

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by Aitch View Post
                                      Hakim Ziyech, good player.

                                      Utrecht once had a striker, Leon de Kogel, who didn't quite make it and eventually got shipped out to a club in Malta. Returning home after training one day, the taxi he was in took a wrong turn and rammed into another car. De Kogel woke up in hospital crippled and fighting for his life. He later spent six months at a military rehabilitation centre. The taxi driver wasn't insured, his club hadn't insured him and the insurance companies said there was nothing they could/would do. So he spent all his money on hospital bills and legal fees.

                                      Long story even longer. Up steps Ziyech, a complete stranger, and settles all his outstanding debts. De Kogel can walk again now.

                                      Hakim Ziyech, good man.
                                      By all accounts he is a top guy and doesn't let fame go to his head. I also love how he makes mince meat out of the average stupid Dutch sports interviewer. He makes them look dumb for asking stupid questions, and melts their little hearts while he's doing it. He also told all the big clubs to go f*ck themselves last summer when they left it to just before the transfer deadline to sign him.

                                      Which is why his choice of Chelsea made me sad. Maybe Lampard promised him all sorts of things football-wise, but surely Ziyech knows that Lampard might not even be manager in six months from now.
                                      Last edited by anton pulisov; 19-02-2020, 00:00.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Chelsea just strikes me as a very different club than Ajax in just about every way

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Daley Blind fainted in a friendly match against Hertha Berlin. His in built defibrillator was automatically triggered, according to its electronic log book thingy. This would suggest that he had a mini heart attack.

                                          I don't understand why this guy is still playing football, or why Ajax is allowing him to.

                                          Comment

                                          Working...
                                          X