Feedback about the new layout/skin will always be appreciated (is it too black for anyone?), as well as comments on my gramar (one of the reasons I'm doing this story is to develop my English more, cause I need to speak a lot of it at my job).
Taking over the world with young players - The Ajax story
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January transfer window update
P l a y e r s W a n t e d
As expected, a lot of teams were interested in Ajax player Suarez during the January transfer window. The biggest include AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Valencia. Manager of the Ajax side Rik Nuyts anticipated this and issued a hands of warning for the interested clubs. AC Milan manager Leonardo ignored the warning a placed a
€ 17.25 M bid for the player. Despite this being a large bid, Nuyts rejected it. He later explained that even € 17M wasn't worth losing the best player in the squad.
€ 17.25 M bid for the player. Despite this being a large bid, Nuyts rejected it. He later explained that even € 17M wasn't worth losing the best player in the squad.
Alderweireld was noticed by scouts from Napoli and Sampdoria. It was Sampdoria who reportedly placed a bid of around € 6 M for the Belgian centre-back. Manager Nuyts refused the bid because it was his opinion the fee wasn't high enough for such a good young player.
Interest in Ajax's other young belgian defender was also high. Clubs like Sampdoria, Everton, Zaragoza and Valencia were all getting in line to bid for Vertonghen's siganture. The highest bid finally came from Valencia, a whopping € 8 M + clauses. Again manager Nuyts rejected the bids. Some reliable sources state that Nuyts is trying to hold on to his players as long as he can. By doing this he will be able to keep some important players at Amsterdam Arena and the one's that eventually have to be sold, will have a high pricetag on them.
Also there are rumors that there were bids for Rodney Sneijder and Jonathan dos Santos by Zenit, Roma and Valencia. We haven't been able to confirm these rumors though.
A j a x P l a y e r I n t a k e
Ajax have signed 3 young players during this transfer window. The bought players are: young centre-back Nicolai Boilesen from brondby, right midfielder Keko from Atletico and Zé Eduardo, who was already on loan at Ajax, from Maga.
Also, young Brazilian left-back Dodô will join Ajax on 1.6.2010 for a fee of around € 1,5 M. While Corinthians asked a fee of € 6 M + clauses for the player, Ajax was able to get the player for a lot less because of his € 1,5 M fee release clause.
Fun story - nice concept with the youth coming through.
Some great progress from Dos Santos - what training are you using for him? On my game he isn't developing to well
Thanks! I used Tugs trainings as a starting point. I made a seperate training program for every (important or promising young) player to fit their needs/abilities. dos Santos can take quite a hard training, but then don't overplay him. I usually play him every other match. I concentrated his training on his strong points and his physical abilities. So training his strength, aerobic and tactics is very important. Also his attack training is quite high with my program.
But then again, players abilities also do tend to vary a bit between different games.
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hAVE TO AGRRE THIS ONE BEST LAY OUTS NICE WIN AGAINST PSV GET IN TRY GET STANCU VERY YOUNG 2.5M EASY
not sure if it's too late, but i've edited the name and included rodney sneijder as well. keep hold of luis suarez for as long as you can.
Thank you very much for the poll. Suarez loves Ajax so i've been able to keep him for the moment. However he has R Madrid and Barca as favourite clubs too, so if they place a bid it's gonna be tough to keep him. But i won't sell him under € 20M (6)
January update
Not a lot of matches this month. February is going to be packed though.
My team will have to play 8 matches in just 28 days.
Also thanks to Man v.1 for the new clublogo's on my skin, they look much better now.
My team will have to play 8 matches in just 28 days.
Also thanks to Man v.1 for the new clublogo's on my skin, they look much better now.
Saturday, 23 January:
AZ had more shots, but we had the best chances. Again Suarez showed that he knows just where the goal is. Overall a good performance from my boys, with everyone rating at least 7.0
Þ Man of the match: Rodney Sneijder (7.5)
Sunday, 31 January:
Feyenoord is always a difficult side to win from. They made the first goal from a nice counter-attack in the 12th minute. But in the end the Ajax team had more quality and came back in the game, eventually winning it in the added time.
Þ Man of the match: Gregory van der Wiel (7.9)
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Tuesday, 26 January:
I wouldn't say we dominated theis game, but RBC imo never had a chance. I decided to play quite a lot of B-players in this match against the lower division team. Overall every Ajax player performed well and I'm glad to see I have good back-up players in my team. In the mean while it's starting to become a habit for lower devision teams to score a great freekick in a game against my Ajax boys. This was (again) the case in this match.
Þ Man of the match: Mitchell Donald (8.7)
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End of month conclusion:
Pro’s: Only 3 matches this month, but we won them all. (H)
Con’s: I made a request to the board for snazzy looking pencils with my name on them, but they refused my request. I thought about making an ultimatum, but then realised I would have to do all the stairs to the board room again to make the ultimatum so I decided to have dinner with one of the player's WAG's instead...
Best youth player of the month: Because I'm still to drunk from my dinner last night I didn't finish this section. But then again no player was really better then the rest in the 3 matches combined so I have an excuse <).
League Table:
February update
Wednesday, 3 February:
A good match against struggming team Roda JC. I saw some nice teamwork today and I'm pleased that my squad has attained a good level of understanding.
Þ Man of the match: Gregory van der Wiel (8.0)
Sunday, 7 February:
The 1st and 2d placed team in the Eredivisie battle it out on Ajax ground. Suarez showed real class again in this match. He is without doubt the best striker in the highest Dutch division leading the top scorer table with 17 goals.
Þ Man of the match: Luis suarez (8.7)
Saturday, 13 February:
Ajax record their first loss in 11 Eredivisie matches. I can't expect my boys to win all of their matches and Heerenveen played a good match so I'm not that disappointed about this game.
Þ Man of the match: Heerenveen's Teofilo Gutuierrez (7.4)
Sunday, 21 February:
Vitesse locked down their defense and forced us to result to long shots. Big mistake. Sulejmani and Enoh are known in the Ajax squad for having great long shots and they each put one of their shots behind the goalkeeper.
Þ Man of the match: Eyong Enoh (7.7)
Sunday, 28 February:
View attachment 34810
The players were to cocky in this match. Not a good performance. But we are still comfortably leading in the Eredivisie.
Þ Man of the match: FC Utrecht's Jan Wuytens (8.2)
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First leg at Amsterdam Arena
Thursday, 18 February:
HSV came at us with everything they had, but we were concentrated and very determined to get a good result. My defense played a great match, with crucial and well timed tackles from my defenders and amazing goalkeeping from Maarten Stekelenburg. On the other end of the pitch my midfield and attacking players were slicing through the opposition defense and this led to an early goal from Suarez. Luis Suarez was once again on his way to playing a great match but the German leg choppers couldn't take this and went for his legs. As a result Suarez had to go off with a leg injury in the 30th minute and he'll be out for about 10 days. The Ajax players were now even more determined to crush HSV at that's what they did. A cool 3-0 after the first leg...
Þ Man of the match: Maarten Stekelenburg (8.3)
Second leg at Amsterdam Arena
Thursday, 25 February:
We really missed Suarez in front of the goal. Also the attacking HSV players played the match of their lives. They were constantly pounding on our defense and in the end it was Stekelenburg's fantastic performance that made sure that the ball only hit the net twice. Not the best match ftom my team but we qualified for the 2nd knockout round because of our great result at home so I'm pleased of course.
Þ Man of the match: Maarten Stekelenburg (9.0)
The board's expectations were that the team would qualify for the second knockout round and we did! But now we see ouselves facing Roma in the EURO Cup. A very good team and it's going to be very difficult to qualify for the quarter finals.
View attachment 34808
View attachment 34808
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End of month conclusion:
Pro’s: We won in the EURO Cup and we qualified for the next stage.
Con’s: We lost some matches but I can live with that. The thing that worries me the most was the message from my assistant manager at the end of the month:
View attachment 34817
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! :O I immediately offered him a new contract. He wants
€ 27.000 p/w and I think he deserves it. Unfortunatly the board will only allow me to give him € 23.000 p/w
. So i offered him 3 times more signing on fee, increased his bonuses and increased his yearly wage rise. Next month I'll know if he accepts the contract or not...so you guys will have to wait for the next update... (A)
View attachment 34817
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! :O I immediately offered him a new contract. He wants
€ 27.000 p/w and I think he deserves it. Unfortunatly the board will only allow me to give him € 23.000 p/w
. So i offered him 3 times more signing on fee, increased his bonuses and increased his yearly wage rise. Next month I'll know if he accepts the contract or not...so you guys will have to wait for the next update... (A)Best youth player of the month: Opare played some good matches again this month. And I got a message from my assistant manager again.
View attachment 34815
I actually never got this kind of message before for another player, but I have already gotten it 2 times now for Daniel Opare!
View attachment 34815
I actually never got this kind of message before for another player, but I have already gotten it 2 times now for Daniel Opare!
League Table:
March update
Sunday, 7 March:
We won with the lowest number of goals. The early goal from Suarez put us comfortabely in front for the whole match and we didn't let sparta come trough our defense.
Þ Man of the match: Luis Suarez (7.5)
Sunday, 14 March:
We should have won this game. We had the better part of possession, more chances and made less mistakes. Poor finishing coast us a victory and I let my players know their performance was disappointing.
Þ Man of the match: PSV's Otman Bakal (7.4)
Sunday, 28 March:
Again not a good match in the Eredivisie and 2nd in rank FC Twente is closing the gap on us. We had more possession and more chances but still found ourselves on the losing end. If we want to win the Eredivisie the performances from my boys must become a lot better.
Þ Man of the match: Groningen's Andreas Granqvist (7.5)
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First leg at Amsterdam Arena
Thursday, 11 March:
In this first match in the 2nd knockout round there were no goals to be spotted. Roma Sure did try to get one in the net but Ajax stood firm on home ground relying on their fans to support the defense. With the 0 - 0 score, the second match in Rome could prove to be very interesting, with both teams still in the run to qualify for the quarter finals.
Þ Man of the match: Roma's Brede Hangeland (7.5)
Second leg at stade Olimpico
Thursday, 18 March:
Þ Man of the match: Luis Suarez (8.6)
For the quarter Final Ajax will have to face German Team Hertha BSC. Acoording to Manager Nuyts this is one of the best draws Ajax could have asked for. Ajax avoided playing against other team like Fiorentina, Werder Bremen, Sporting Cp and Everton.
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Tuesday, 23 March:
Al the action in this match was to be seen after the first 90 minutes. Untill then both teams were evenly matched, but after bringing in Luis Suarez in extra time everything changed. Only 1 minute after being involved in the match, Suarez bagged his first goal. PSV came back to level in the 114th minute but a quickfire double in the 117th and 120th minute by de Zeeuw and Suarez secured the victory for Ajax. After the match manager Nuyts stated that bringing in Suarez in extra minute decided the match. The Uruguayan striker made 2 goals and 1 assists in only 30 minutes of play.
Þ Man of the match: Luis Suarez (8.5)
Ajax will now play the final of the Dutch Cup against AZ.
End of month conclusion:
Pro’s: Suarez signed a new 5 year contract with the Ajaxieden. We're in the EURO cup semi final, which no one really expected. We also qualified for the Dutch Cup final.
Con’s: Our form in the Eredivisie hasn't been good for the last couple of matches and the 2nd and 3rd in the Eredivisie are closing in.
Best youth player of the month: For the first time: Romelu Lukaku. He didn't have a superb start in the Eredivisie and scored very few goals. Finally the tide seems to be turning with him giving good performances and really improving his stats in the last 6 months.
League Table:
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A lot of updates comming this evening (im already in the month of july in my game). A lot of them were planned for yesterday but the site was under maintenance (as everybody surely knows). Got some interesting match results at the end of the season and some very risky transfers in the new season! Some will declare the signings to be the work of a madman, others will recognize that they are in facts signings made by a man of genius. <)
Oh and I almost forgot, i'm gonna post a top 3 of the young players who improved their stats the most during the season (As I promised in the beginning of my story) The results are...very interesting to say the least. Definetly a different order then the poll above...
Oh and I almost forgot, i'm gonna post a top 3 of the young players who improved their stats the most during the season (As I promised in the beginning of my story) The results are...very interesting to say the least. Definetly a different order then the poll above...
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April update
Sunday, 4 April:
A good performance from striker Cvitanich. He showed that he's still worthy of a place in Ajax's first team. Unfortunately Enoh picked up a rather serious injury, he will be out for 2 months.
Þ Man of the match: Dario Cvitanich (8.3)
Sunday, 11 April:
A good match. We were definetely the better side and Cvitanich gave a great performance again. If we can keep perfforming like this, we will end in first place in the Eredivisie.
Þ Man of the match: Dario Cvitanich (8.5)
Wednesday, 14 April:
Not the best of matches, but im happy we got to win. We can need all the points we can get to keep the first place with 2nd placed FC Twente still not far away in points.
Þ Man of the match: Luis Suarez (7.5)
Sunday, 18 April:
A bore draw. We should have gotten much more out of this match. We were the better team but the players were not able to put one in the net.
Þ Man of the match: Gregory van der Wiel (7.4)
Tuesday, 27 April:
A draw again. Not the best of results, but the point we collected today was enough to secure our first place in the Eredivisie!
Þ Man of the match: RKC's Ruud Berger (7.3)
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Quarter Final against Hertha BSC
First leg Thursday, 1 April:
Second leg Thursday, 8 April:
Well i think its fair to say Ajax and Hertha BSC are very worthy opponents. We came out victorious only because our away goals advantage, Lukaku made a very important goal in the second leg. I'm of course pleased to be through to the semi finals against Everton which will prove to be a very tough opponent in my opinion.
Þ Man of the matches: Luis Suarez (7.3 average)
Semi Final against Everton
First leg Thursday, 22 April:
Second leg Thursday, 29 April:
I really didn't expect to win from Everton in the Euro Cup and maybe we are somewhat lucky to have obtained the win. Nevertheless a win is a win and to the surprise of my people who deemed Ajax to be an outsider in this competition we are in the final against a strong playing Genoa team. Goalkeeeper Stekelenburg was the most important player in the second leg. He prevented Everton from scoring by saving no less than 12 shots on target.
Þ Man of the matches: Maarten Stekelenburg (7.6 average)
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Sunday, 25 April:
A great match with Ajax coming out on top. A lot of action on both sides but we managed to finish 2 shots more and got a deserved victory against AZ along with the Dutch Cup trophy!
Þ Man of the match: Marko Pantelic (8.4)
End of month conclusion:
Pro’s: Let's see, we won the Eredivisie, we won the Dutch Cup and we are through to the EURO Cup final. I would say it has been a pretty good month ^^)
Con’s: none available this month.
Final League Table in the next update after the last match against NEC in the Eredivisie.
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May update
Sunday, 2 May:
A decent game. I'm glad dos Snatos capped a last goal in the final seconds of the Eredivisie of this season. The result doesn't really matter anymore because we won the Eredivisie already, but my team still gave a decent performance with which I'm pleased.
Þ Man of the match: Jonathan dos Santos (7.4)
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Wednesday, 15 May:
Genoa was a better team, not a lot better but still... The fans are devestated by the result, I am very proud of my players however. No one expected us to qualify for the final, or even the semi finals for that matter. I am confident we can do good in the Champions Cup next season. But we would get much further with a few changes in the squad...
Þ Man of the match: Genoa's Ivan Juric (7.7)
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End of month conclusion:
Final League Table:
Pro’s: We brought good and attractive football to the EURO Cup final against Genoa
Con’s: Genoa brought better but less attractive football to the EURO Cup final.
Final League Table:
End of Season Summary:
The board has announced an expansion of the stadium because he have gained a lot more fans this season:
View attachment 35715
View attachment 35715
Eredivisie stats summary:
Top 3 best improved young players:
Which stats have they improved? Find out in the pictures...
1) Daniel Opare: The Ghanaian right back has impressed everyone in the last season. Ajax bought him from Real Madrid at the beginning of the season because he was not considered to be good enough to stay at Bernabéu. Ajax manager Nuyts did see potential in the youngster but even he couldn’t have imagined him improving so vastly over the course of just one season. Experts agree that one of the biggest reasons for Opare improving this much is his exposure to first team football. He increased a whopping total of 59 (!) stats and is therefore the best improved young player for AjaxWhich stats have they improved? Find out in the pictures...
2) Zé Eduardo: This one is the surprise of the season. The young defensive midfielder started this year on a loan at Ajax and was evaluated by everyone as a decent and mediocre player. However after a few month the Brazilian youngsters potential exploded. He started to give excellent first team performances and greatly improved on his stats by the end of the season. As a result he has improved 38 stats and is now the 2nd best improved youngster for Ajax this season. Something no one expected at the beginning of the season.
3) Jonathan dos Santos: A lot of people expected the Mexican midfielder to be in this list. From the first matches the youngster played for Ajax it was already clear that dos Santos was going to be a great addition to the squad. He kept his form during the whole of the season and improved a great deal i.e. 36 stats, which gives him a nice third spot in the list.
Romelu Lukaku was a good 4th with 30 stats improved. He improved most of them in the last 3-4 months of the season however, so it’s quite possible that he will firmly stand in the top 3 of next season… Only time will tell.
July/august transfer window update:
Together with signing some cheap and decent prospects manager Nuyts decided to go out on a limb and put a great deal of the clubs money (in total even € 20-30 M more than the transfer budget) into only 2 players! Some people stated that Nuyts is the dumbest manager ever, while some say that Nuyts is a genius in his financial approach. The most negative response came from Mario Been, manager of Feyenoord who are fierce rivals of Ajax. Been took a quick glimpse at the transfers and said: “What a daft *****! If he think's he's gonna make it with that kind of financial planning the idiot is mad, mad I tell ya!!”
Here are all of the transfers:
View attachment 35794
Even though Nuyts has just spent almost 1/5 of the club’s total value on transfers in only one month, he told the media at a pressconference that he has a plan to cover the substantial money investment.
Here's a summary of his defense:
1) Most of the money for my 2 expensive signings will only be paid after they have played more than 40 matches for Ajax.
2) Discuss all you want, but in my opinion those 2 players are worth the money.
3) I’ve already (more or less) achieved my goal of making Ajax one of the world’s best talent generating football teams. This has 2 advantages: First I can rely on Ajax’s own promising new youngsters to improve my squad (so I don’t even care if I’m not going to have a transfer budget next season(s) ) and second I can make a lot of money from all of the promising players I don’t really need (As I already did in some degree in this transfer window)
4) If I succeed in making Ajax a top club again, we will get a lot more money
from prizes, gate receipts, sponsor deals etc. to improve our financial state
again. And with this I also want to point out that I believe my 2 expensive
singings are going to be key for Ajax to become a top club.
Only time will tell if Nuyt's plan is going to work. But for the moment he still has the full support of the Ajax board.
Some detailed info about the 2 most expensive signings ever for Ajax:
View attachment 35796
View attachment 35795
And the new promising left full back that Nuyts signed:
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