Eredivise

1

One game left in the Dutch top flight and PSV might just have blown it. AZ and Ajax both won and PSV conceded a goal on 86 minutes away to Utrecht meaning the table now looks like

AZ 72 +53
Ajax 72 +47
PSV 72 +46

Next week’s fixtures are:

Sunday, 29 April 2007
Excelsior v AZ, 13:30
FC Groningen v FC Utrecht, 13:30
FC Twente v NAC, 13:30
Heerenveen v Feyenoord, 13:30
NEC v ADO Den Haag, 13:30
PSV v Vitesse, 13:30
Roda JC v Heracles, 13:30
Sparta v RKC, 13:30
Willem II v Ajax, 13:30

Excelsior are in a relegation playoff no matter what their result against AZ so they’ve nothing to play for (but some crucial matches coming up) and presumably that makes AZ decent favourites. Cracking ending though.

2

PSV had a huge lead a while back. Losing Alex and Kone seems to have hurt them badly.

3

This was a cracking finish played out on Setanta yesterday which I watched in Glasgow.

AZ lost 3-2 at Excelsior in a super match. Excelsior went 1-0 up after 20 minutes. The right winger Slory (who was untouchable all game - terrific performance) rounded the keeper and was fouled. Penalty and red card and Excelsior went one up.

AZ equalised 5 minutes later through Cziommer with a free kick. It was a good game all throughout with plenty of chances but no more goals until the hour when Drost scored for Excelsior with a shot from the edge of the box that went in off the bar and bounced back out again. Correctly given as a free kick. Then Koevermans (AZ’s best player by a mile on the day and 22 goals this season) equalised for AZ with a header after a goalkeeping error. Then Excelsior lost a man and AZ pressed on for the winner that would have won them the title. In injury time Excelsior got a goal on the counter attack to take the points.

Ajax (in second place at the start of the day) went 1-0 up after 20 minutes at Willem II. They didn’t score again until 10 minutes from time and in the meantime PSV (only a goal behind at kickoff) had gone 4-1 up on Vitesse and eventually won 5-1.

Some afterthougts from the season:

  • Van Gaal is an egotistical prick. He left straight for the dressing room (cameras followed him down the tunnel all the way to the door) when they lost the last goal. Didn’t bother waiting to console his players who were distraught or to shake hands with anyone or thank the fans. Obviously he was devestated but his actions were selfish.
  • Alves scored 4 for Heerenveen yesterday. Previously mentioned by myself and Bandage as a cracking striker for someone to sign. 34 goals this season.
  • Slory has signed for Feyernood for next season (Excelsior are a former feeder club for Feyernood)
4

I felt really sorry for Alkmaar. I don’t know much about them but I would have liked to have seen them win it ahead of either PSV or Ajax. Koevermans was crying like a baby at the end - he didn’t deserve it to finish like that after also hitting the post with a rasper of a strike after 85 minutes. Agreed on Van Gaal and that winger was sensational for Excelsior.

5

Poor Alkmaar.

After the heartache of last week they lost the Dutch Cup final 8-7 on penalties to Ajax today after 1-1 draw and no further goals in extra time.

They’ll want to hit the booze for a while I’d imagine.

6

They’ll have to hold off the booze until they play in their CL playoff with the other Dutch teams in the minor places.

7

Of course, forgot about that.

Is it 2nd vs 3rd or are 4 teams involved?

8

2nd v 5th and 3rd v 4th then a final for 1 CL place.

AZ finished 2nd last year and Ajax finished 5th and Ajax got the Champions League. AZ were 3rd this year obviously but were so close to winning it that they’ll be destroyed if they miss out again.

It would suit Celtic to have a random team from 4th or 5th to win it for seedings purposes, though Zaragoza dropped points today meaning we’ll probably still need a faller in the qualifying rounds too (and hope we get through unscathed of course).

9

What a shocker for AZ Alkmaar.

They lost the final of the CL Place play-off 3-0 to Ajax at the weekend.

So:

They’re leading the league going into the last day of the season and then lose at lowly Excelsior to throw away the title.

The following week they lose the Cup Final 8-7 on penalties to Ajax after a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Then they get to the CL Place final and have a chance of salvaging their season but they lose that too.

Poor fooks.

10

Reminds me of Michael Ballack, Bernd Schneider and Oliver Neuville in 2002

They lost the league with Leverkusen from leading for most of the season, then they lost the final of the Champions League also with Leverkusen and then they lost the World Cup final with Germany

11

It was only after a lot of their players went on to achieve great things at other clubs that it became apparent what a great side that Leverkusen one was. Remember their coach with the curly grey hair - Toppmoeller was his name. Last I heard he was managing some random Eastern European country like Georgia or someone.

12

Yeah he fell from grace pretty quickly - not sure what he did wrong. I know they nearly got relegated so I presume he was sacked but you’d have thought someone else would have given him a chance.

They also had Daum as a coach before then who made them into the force they were beforehand - good league positions but no trophies. Then he was about to get the German job and some rumour came out about cocaine abuse. Memory of it is that he volunteered for tests to quash the rumours and it transpired he was hoovering up the stuff. Why did he volunteer for the test? Anyway he fecked off to Turkey then I think.