«What time is it? » I asked. Hennrichs, the chairman of Ajax FC looked at me with a stern look and quickly said it was five minutes until show time. It was all truly unbelievable. After a couple of good seasons as manager for the Norwegian side Vålerenga I found myself in the capital of fries, beer and liberalism. It was a done deal as soon as the words are you interested in working for Ajax were uttered. The biggest challenge of my career and subsequently my life stood in front of me. Almost mocking. How could I be worthy of such a task, I wondered.
The sheer magnitude of the stadium and the surrounding city of Amsterdam was truly amazing. “Mr. Seim, it’s time.” I was quickly guided towards the press conference room and the sweat drops were forming in an attack formation. I sat myself down and tried my best to look cool. As though I was totally prepared for this, maybe even too good for it. Hennrichs stood up first and though his hand was quite small, it felt like a ton on my shoulder. “We are proud to present the next manager for Ajax, Eirik Seim. He has done great work at his previous clubs and we are very excited to see what he can do for us here in Ajax.” A great smile formed in the older man’s face as the photographers started their own blitzkrieg.
After what seemed like infinity, but was surely less than thirty seconds he sat down and the journalists put their hands in the air.
“Hello, David from De Telegraaf. Do you think you are ready to lead such a huge side in the dutch league and a giant in European football history?”
“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t feel prepared to take on this fantastic side. It will of course be an immense challenge and a totally new experience but it is still only fotball. I have my firm philosophies that has taken me this far and I am sure that both me and the club will only rise in stature as time goes by.”
He seemed content with the answer I’d given as no follow up question was asked. One down, a lot more to go.
“Lysza from Trouw. Coming from such a small league, me and maybe some of my colleagues haven’t witnessed or heard about your philosophies. Can you tell us more about them?”
Ah, the first sting of the night. Surely, more was to come as the conference progressed.
“I can’t and won’t apologize for coming from what you refer to as a small league. Being born in Norway gave me opportunities and I took my opportunities. This is why I am sitting here and you are sitting there” A laugh from the room could be heard. They understood what I was doing and luckily found it quite amusing. “I believe in youth. I believe in forming a culture through developing young minds that can reiterate my thoughts through actions long after I am gone. We do that by believing in what our younger players have to offer and to show them that the way from the youth sides to the first team isn’t that long. All we need is dedication, hard work and a similar commitment from them in return. In terms of the actual playing you can look forward to a lot of movement, players working for each other and the team and hopefully fantastic moments for both fans, journalists and players alike.”
There was almost someone clapping. How surreal.
The rest of the conference went smoothly with journalists asking about the team, signings and what I thought of the infrastructure of the club. After a long hour had passed I sat down in a comfortable recliner in the side room and took a deep breath. The first hurdle was behind me and I could relax a bit before going home. I still hadn’t found a permanent place yet, so the Scandic Amsterdam Centraal was for now, my home. “Amazing work, Eirik. Amazing work.” The words of the chairman was hard to hear. I was too worked up and in my own head at that point to notice that everyone had gone home.
The hotel alarm woke me up at 6.30 in the morning. I had to be at Ajax Arena early to meet the staff properly. I had of course been having a tour with the high men of Ajax during my interview, but face time with the people who actually do something was very limited. After a swift and unhealthy breakfast consisting of mostly egg and bacon I ordered a taxi and off we went.