AZ Champion Watch

Since 1981(the last time they won it) we are gonna have a different league winner in Holland bar the usual three. And by the look of the current table it will sadly be AZ, next year is our year btw. They came close in 2007...but we all know what happened that day...Epic Fail!

It will also be the FIRST price for von Gaal in more then 10(!) years!! And it will be interesting to see how he is gonna react, did he became a humble person..or will it be the great im the best ever again van Gaal?

Rumours are he wants to take revenge on Barca by coaching Madrid some day.

Anyway the standings...cant think of any other team bar UTD that is so close to the title.





they only need another 13 points...but have a tricky programme!

15-03-2009	FC Utrecht - AZ	14:30 uur
22-03-2009	AZ - Feyenoord	14:30 uur
04-04-2009	AZ - ADO Den Haag	19:45 uur
10-04-2009	NAC Breda - AZ	20:45 uur
18-04-2009	AZ - Vitesse	19:45 uur
26-04-2009	Ajax - AZ	14:30 uur
03-05-2009	FC Twente - AZ	14:30 uur
10-05-2009	AZ - sc Heerenveen	14:30 uur

Big chance they are gonna win the league at AJax...I would love that!

Steve Mclaren's Twente in 2nd

the Ajax game is the key, we can do it, we just need to believe.

Jew Kaliens = WPOTY 2009/10

They have some good players like Dembele, Romero, Pocognoli, Hamdaoui, Schaars etc, but will they be able to keep them? I hope so; least for a season or two.

Unlucky England
Maclaren

I hope they drop a few points and win the league in the Jewrena

Come on Twente.

Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

GianDeano Zola wrote:Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

McClaren is getting a lot of Dutch fans : his Twente plays attractive and attacking

Kudos to the umbrella man

Calidad wrote:They have some good players like Dembele, Romero, Pocognoli, Hamdaoui, Schaars etc, but will they be able to keep them? I hope so; least for a season or two.

You forget the best player they have....maybe even the best player in the Eredivisie : Demy de Zeeuw

Axeslammer wrote:

GianDeano Zola wrote:Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

McClaren is getting a lot of Dutch fans : his Twente plays attractive and attacking

Kudos to the umbrella man

It's surprising, because he never used to get his sides to play like that at all...but Twente look like they could be on for another high finish, and hopefully will make the CL this time...

Axeslammer wrote:

GianDeano Zola wrote:Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

McClaren is getting a lot of Dutch fans : his Twente plays attractive and attacking

Kudos to the umbrella man

He was never a bad coach but he took on the impossible job.

Credit to him for fucking off Beckham and attempting to move us forward but I bet Umbro didn't like it

The thing that makes me laugh about England fans is their agenda's - we had goals correctly disallowed v Argies in '98 and Portugal in '04 due to clear fouls by Shearer and Terry and they're up in arms saying we are cheated.

When McLaren gets an absolute howler given against England in Moscow which completely alters the shape of the group it is not seen as a mitigating factor.

Pierre Littbarski wrote:

Axeslammer wrote:

GianDeano Zola wrote:Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

McClaren is getting a lot of Dutch fans : his Twente plays attractive and attacking

Kudos to the umbrella man

He was never a bad coach but he took on the impossible job.

Credit to him for fucking off Beckham and attempting to move us forward but I bet Umbro didn't like it

The thing that makes me laugh about England fans is their agenda's - we had goals correctly disallowed v Argies in '98 and Portugal in '04 due to clear fouls by Shearer and Terry and they're up in arms saying we are cheated.

When McLaren gets an absolute howler given against England in Moscow which completely alters the shape of the group it is not seen as a mitigating factor.

England should have qualified with ease in that group. One howler didn't ruin it for him it was numerous games of shite. 0-0 with Macedonia ffs.

L-r d wrote:

Pierre Littbarski wrote:

Axeslammer wrote:

GianDeano Zola wrote:Twente were a good side anyway...McClaren has done well, but he inherited a good side. I always look out for Twente's results as they are my favourite team in Holland (just ahead of Feyenoord). But, as shown with Boro...he can do ok with smaller sides where he has less pressure.

McClaren is getting a lot of Dutch fans : his Twente plays attractive and attacking

Kudos to the umbrella man

He was never a bad coach but he took on the impossible job.

Credit to him for fucking off Beckham and attempting to move us forward but I bet Umbro didn't like it

The thing that makes me laugh about England fans is their agenda's - we had goals correctly disallowed v Argies in '98 and Portugal in '04 due to clear fouls by Shearer and Terry and they're up in arms saying we are cheated.

When McLaren gets an absolute howler given against England in Moscow which completely alters the shape of the group it is not seen as a mitigating factor.

England should have qualified with ease in that group. One howler didn't ruin it for him it was numerous games of shite. 0-0 with Macedonia ffs.

"With ease" in a group with Croatia and Russia - sums us up perfectly!

FFS Pierre...Russia without Arshavin were average, and Croatia are not exactly a team that England shouldn't be able to beat, at least at home.

England should've qualified, no matter what Pierre. It was a disgrace that we didn't...

Yep same with Van Gaal & Holland. Was a big fuck up too, still he's a decent manager.

I think Croatia and Russia were and are quality sides, containing an array of players who can pass the ball around better than England's players can manage. England don't have a central midfielder better than Zyrianov; in Anyukov and Zhirkov, Russia have the better attacking full backs; Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko comprise a balanced striking pair that England cannot match; whilst in the two games they played in the qualifiers, the Croatian forwards and attacking midfielders passed and moved more intelligently than their English counterparts. I think England's European Championship qualifying group was a tough one, though they didn't play at all well in it - they needed to play very well against very good opposition, and they didn't manage to do so.

Is the 'absolute howler' that was given against McClaren in Moscow the penalty decision that enabled Russia to level the game at 1-1? The foul by Rooney that led to that penalty did take place outside the box (and if the foul was given outside the box, then I think Rooney should have been sent off for it, but that is besides the point); however, England only had the lead in the first place after an offside goal.

Despite all that, had England played how they could've/should've been able to, they should have qualified no questions asked...

Back onto AZ Alkmaar: we played them a couple of seasons ago, when they knocked us out of the UEFA Cup, and they had quite a different side in those two games - Arveladze and Koevermans played up front for them, and I recall being particularly impressed by Martens and Jenner on the wings. I'm surprised they sold Jenner, because he was very threatening in both games.

How do they tend to line up now? Did van Gaal change things round a lot last summer, after a poor season?

Ideally something like :

Bashmachkin wrote:I think Croatia and Russia were and are quality sides, containing an array of players who can pass the ball around better than England's players can manage. England don't have a central midfielder better than Zyrianov; in Anyukov and Zhirkov, Russia have the better attacking full backs; Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko comprise a balanced striking pair that England cannot match; whilst in the two games they played in the qualifiers, the Croatian forwards and attacking midfielders passed and moved more intelligently than their English counterparts. I think England's European Championship qualifying group was a tough one, though they didn't play at all well in it - they needed to play very well against very good opposition, and they didn't manage to do so.

Is the 'absolute howler' that was given against McClaren in Moscow the penalty decision that enabled Russia to level the game at 1-1? The foul by Rooney that led to that penalty did take place outside the box (and if the foul was given outside the box, then I think Rooney should have been sent off for it, but that is besides the point); however, England only had the lead in the first place after an offside goal.

Behave mate. Russia are not a great side and England easily beat them at home and were miles ahead of them. They should have won in Russia but collapsed. In Croatia it was a mess then at home to Croatia was unbelievable that after lackluster performances vs Macedonia and co. This time round showed that England should be beating Croatia and can do quite comfortably if prepared right.

Mclaren isn't all to blame he's a very good coach he did great with Man Utd also, but he's not cut out to be the leading face at a big team/club. Hopefully he'll keep doing well with Twente get them into the cl. Have another year with them, then find a cl aspiring epl club that wants him. If he's lucky.

McLaren did really well at Twente, everyone thought they couldnt repeat last year after they lost their best players El Ahmadi and Engelaar...but since those two have beens such an epic fail at Feyenoord and Schalke(though not the easiest clubs to succeed ) it just shows you that it is a very good team.

Same with AZ basically, not that much chanced if you compare it with last year (when they were almost relegated) But its a real team now! And the fact El H. scores a lot helps as well of course.

GianDeano Zola wrote:Despite all that, had England played how they could've/should've been able to, they should have qualified no questions asked...

Not really, if the the FA are focused on who sells the most shirts & who is the most marketable rather than who compliments each other the best to form a great team.

England were able to put a lot of big names on the table, and that intimidated certain countries, even though it was a shit unbalanced team that was there for the taking. It was our hype alone that got us to the WC2006 QF's, Paraguay & Ecuador could've beaten us had they showed less caution & fear.

After that, everyone realised we weren't quite what we were made out to be, an started playing with no fear. Surprise, surprise, we got shown up. England are simply not that good! The best results came with Heskey & Barry in the side to balance things up a little bit, and in the end McLaren dug his own grave by bowing to pressure bringing Becks back, & going back to a Lampard & Gerrard CM in that final match against the Croats.

it's not the defeats in Moscow & Zagreb that pissed me off, but the inability to beat Macedonia at home, Israel away, and hang on once we got back to 2-2 vs.Croatia.

Bashmachkin wrote:Back onto AZ Alkmaar: we played them a couple of seasons ago, when they knocked us out of the UEFA Cup, and they had quite a different side in those two games - Arveladze and Koevermans played up front for them, and I recall being particularly impressed by Martens and Jenner on the wings. I'm surprised they sold Jenner, because he was very threatening in both games.

How do they tend to line up now? Did van Gaal change things round a lot last summer, after a poor season?

axe's line-up is right. They play 4-2-3-1-ish too.

Schaars is back which is a huge plus. El Hamdaoui is finally showing how talented he is & Apart from that they've about the same team as last season. Main difference is when it comes to tactics. AZ used to play very attacking (dominating, with a lot of possession); now they're more a counterattacking team. Nowdays they've no problems leaving the majority of possession to the opposition even at home & be merciless on the break.

Jenner's sale made a lot of sense. Very limited player. Martens is very good though.

Julio Ricardo CruZZZ wrote:
Jenner's sale made a lot of sense. Very limited player.

I don't think he's that limited as a player, he lacks commitment and backbone though.

The best thing Van Gaal did was eliminating the "negative spirits" from the dressing room : Donk, Waterman & Jenner for starters.

With Schaars and de Zeeuw AZ has the ultimate controlling midfield (*with* attacking capabilities), Van Marwijk should copy that right into Oranje.

Julio Ricardo CruZZZ wrote:
Martens is very good though.

Couldn't agree more

How do AZ lineup? Looking at their results, they seem to be a fairly conservative side?

Axeslammer wrote:Ideally something like :

Dembele - El Hamdaoui

Martens - Schaars - De Zeeuw - Mendes da Silva

Pocognoli - Moisander - Jaliens - Swerts

Romero

BUMP for calidad.

@axe
on Jenner: 1 trick pony, very easy to defend. Beerens is MUCH better footballwise.

Still, it says it all about the current state of Dutch football if this team can win it.

Not saying they didnt deserved it. But most matches AZ are boring to watch, but we all know grinders win prices. Twente play better football then them.

Very young team though...

AZ probably have the money to gold onto them for a couple of seasons.

PSV hardly ever played stuuning footy either when they won things.

On AZ sometimes you've to be lucky with other teams fucking up. Don't think Dutch footy suddenly is in a poor state. Ajax maybe is, because they're stuck with Van Basten. PSV will be back, same goes for Feyenoord.

AZ's current football could be more suited to getting results in the CL next season. Trying to play the opposition off the pitch is far more difficult than playing sneaky. Think they can hurt big clubs next season.

Do agree on Twente playing the best footy (Am a 4-3-3 fan anyway & like teams who press the opposition like they do), kudo's to Macclaren for not changing anything.