What is your big choker team??

Last night AZ Alkmaar could have won the Dutch Eredivisie... They only had to draw against mid-table team Vitesse from Arnhem. But..... The team of Louis van Gaal choked.... They lost with 1-2 at home....

They were unbeaten for over 20 games in a row. The last loss was in the Hague against Den Haag (3-0). No other team in Europe (except a team in the Georgian league) had a better unbeaten run than them, till last night.

The worst of all is. It was not the first time they choked. Two years ago AZ could have won the Eredivisie as well. They only had to beat Excelsior Rotterdam (already relegated) but they lost with 3-2 so number three PSV won it that year.

4 years ago they lost in the last minute of extra time against Sporting Portugal in the UEFA Cup semi finals… They had the game in hand but they choked with the last corner kick….and lost the game while they were the better team…

Are AZ the only chokers in the world or are there any more?

What is your big choker team?

EDIT: Louis van Gaal and AZ still won the title because Ajax were outclassed by PSV (6-2)

Schalke. Though Leverkusen had 1 great choke at the end season.

Schalke good call

Fortunately for AZ this time, they could lose all their remaining matches and still probably win the league...

Depor were the ultimate choker team back in the early nineties when they should have won the league with the last remaining game of the season, and only needed to win and missed a penalty to clinch it a few minutes from time.

then of course also Real Madrid who went down to mighty Tenerife twice in a row...

From England if you had to name a team who'd you expect to fuck it up or choke in a big game or for a big prize or something then i guess it'd be Tottenham. Newcastle's 12 point lead in 96 was quite epic as well especially since it would have been their first title since 1666 or something.

Didn't AZ choke two years in a row in the UEFA-cup ?

I can't exactly remember, but I think they got knocked out a second time in extra time whilst dominating...

toon h wrote:Depor were the ultimate choker team back in the early nineties when they should have won the league with the last remaining game of the season, and only needed to win and missed a penalty to clinch it a few minutes from time

I was in camp nou that evening. Loved it!

Axeslammer wrote:Didn't AZ choke two years in a row in the UEFA-cup ?

I can't exactly remember, but I think they got knocked out a second time in extra time whilst dominating...

Don't know about that but...

We can add....

AZ lost in 2007 also the play-offs final against Ajax for a Champions League spot...

That same year they also lost the Dutch Cup final against Ajax

They also lost the UEFA Cup final against Ipswich in 1981

L-r d wrote:From England if you had to name a team who'd you expect to fuck it up or choke in a big game or for a big prize or something then i guess it'd be Tottenham. Newcastle's 12 point lead in 96 was quite epic as well especially since it would have been their first title since 1666 or something.

1927 is the only league title... for such a "big" club

Newcastle 1996, Man Utd 1998 & Arsenal 2003 as far as the EPL goes.

Duringh the 90s and early 00s it was definately Inter in Serie A. %th May 2002 - enough said.

Other instances - Juve really choked in 2000. They were 8 points ahead of us at one stage and ended up losing the title on the last day when they lost to Perugia in the rain.

In the lower divisions, Wolves have traditionally been good chokers. But they've actually gotten promoted this time!

AC Milan in CL 2004,against Depor, we won 4-1 at home but then lost 0-4 in away game. In 2005 CL final, we lead 3-0 against Liverpool in the first half but then Gattuso grinched at Gerrard which motivated the scousers to equal the score and then won on penalties

What about Man Utd in the CL in 99, 02 and 04 ?

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote:What about Man Utd in the CL in 99, 02 and 04 ?

99?

Sorry i meant 2000. My apologies.

Barcelona in 07 without a doubt. Also Real Sociedad in 03 when they had been unbeaten for almost half the season! And were top of the league for most of the season untill 2 games from the end when they choked against Celta who were also going for a Cl place. Real Madrid in 04 where everything was set for the league title having a lead of 8 points or so around march but then came the Copa final and everything went crap.

It's hard to call Real Sociedad chokers. They are a modest team that had a modest budget and a modest squad and still they had a chance to win the title up to the last day of the season. That seems a bit unfair.

If Barcelona lost the title this year I think it's clear that they will be the greatest chokers ever.

Jaime wrote:It's hard to call Real Sociedad chokers. They are a modest team that had a modest budget and a modest squad and still they had a chance to win the title up to the last day of the season. That seems a bit unfair.

If Barcelona lost the title this year I think it's clear that they will be the greatest chokers ever.

Just like Real in the CL for the last 5 or 6 years.. amazing especially considering your huge budget. Probably translates Real into the biggest chokers ever.. At least Chelsea managed a final and some semi..

Hem fet un.. wrote:

Jaime wrote:It's hard to call Real Sociedad chokers. They are a modest team that had a modest budget and a modest squad and still they had a chance to win the title up to the last day of the season. That seems a bit unfair.

If Barcelona lost the title this year I think it's clear that they will be the greatest chokers ever.

Just like Real in the CL for the last 5 or 6 years.. amazing especially considering your huge budget. Probably translates Real into the biggest chokers ever.. At least Chelsea managed a final and some semi..

But not amazing considering the idiots that have run our club for the last several years.

Real has ruined Royston

I don't know if anyone remembers how badly Cardiff mucked up two seasons ago? They were about 10 points clear at the start and not only missed out on the play-offs but couldn't even make the top half of the table.

Watford shat themselves completely in a similar situation last season - but still made the play-offs so it wasn't quite as spectacular


EDIT: http://stats.football365.com/2007/ENG/teams/CardiffCty.html

the graph says it all

Erm, Ricky....are you deliberately setting yourselves (ADO) up with this topic ?!

Axeslammer wrote:Erm, Ricky....are you deliberately setting yourselves (ADO) up with this topic ?!

wash your mouth, will you !!!!

The ref decided to give those kruikenzeikers 1 point. It was never a penalty!

Hem fet un.. wrote:

Jaime wrote:It's hard to call Real Sociedad chokers. They are a modest team that had a modest budget and a modest squad and still they had a chance to win the title up to the last day of the season. That seems a bit unfair.

If Barcelona lost the title this year I think it's clear that they will be the greatest chokers ever.

Just like Real in the CL for the last 5 or 6 years.. amazing especially considering your huge budget. Probably translates Real into the biggest chokers ever.. At least Chelsea managed a final and some semi..

I don't think you understand what is meant by choking. If we had a super team and that was set to win but squandered it the end then yes but the fact that the team is crap means you can't expect much more.

Ricardo
AZ against Sporting was terrible for AZ. They played superbly throughout as I remember it and should have won by alot. Also played some great football in the league. How does the current team stand compared to that team?

Super Madrid wrote:

Hem fet un.. wrote:

Jaime wrote:It's hard to call Real Sociedad chokers. They are a modest team that had a modest budget and a modest squad and still they had a chance to win the title up to the last day of the season. That seems a bit unfair.

If Barcelona lost the title this year I think it's clear that they will be the greatest chokers ever.

Just like Real in the CL for the last 5 or 6 years.. amazing especially considering your huge budget. Probably translates Real into the biggest chokers ever.. At least Chelsea managed a final and some semi..

I don't think you understand what is meant by choking. If we had a super team and that was set to win but squandered it the end then yes but the fact that the team is crap means you can't expect much more.

Exactly.

@ Super Madrid

That team played greater football. Pure on the attack but also a bit more mature with players like Perez, Landzaat, Van Galen, Timmer.

The current AZ plays more often on the counter attack and is a younger team with dangerous players like Mounir El Hamdaoui and Moussa Dembele.

But it is more the team that won them the title than the individual class...

All credits must go to Louis van Gaal because when you can become champions with unknown defenders like Klavan, Moisander and Moreno you must have done something right.

Important players besides the above players are. Goalie Romero, Argentine international and olympic champions. He broke his hands. He was angry so he punched the wall... Stijn Schaars, Dutch international, natural born leader and captain of the team. Also Maarten Martens and De Zeeuw gave their contribution this season..

Also worth to mention is Kew Jaliens not persé for the talent but he is the only experienced player and he is very cool. He accepted he had to sit on the bench because Van Gaal chose for Moisander and Moreno also he still showed his professionality in the dressing room.

I tell you, the team can surprise in Europe again even in the Champions League. Van Gaal will tell his players that all the others are crap and they are the best so they wont have too much respect for the big names.

Ricardo Jol wrote:@ Super Madrid

That team played greater football. Pure on the attack but also a bit more mature with players like Perez, Landzaat, Van Galen, Timmer.

The current AZ plays more often on the counter attack and is a younger team with dangerous players like Mounir El Hamdaoui and Moussa Dembele.

But it is more the team that won them the title than the individual class...

All credits must go to Louis van Gaal because when you can become champions with unknown defenders like Klavan, Moisander and Moreno you must have done something right.

Important players besides the above players are. Goalie Romero, Argentine international and olympic champions. He broke his hands. He was angry so he punched the wall... Stijn Schaars, Dutch international, natural born leader and captain of the team. Also Maarten Martens and De Zeeuw gave their contribution this season..

Also worth to mention is Kew Jaliens not persé for the talent but he is the only experienced player and he is very cool. He accepted he had to sit on the bench because Van Gaal chose for Moisander and Moreno also he still showed his professionality in the dressing room.

I tell you, the team can surprise in Europe again even in the Champions League. Van Gaal will tell his players that all the others are crap and they are the best so they wont have too much respect for the big names.

I remember them toying with Ajax or PSV that season like it was nothing. Played quite unlike other teams I had seen when they attacked.
Perez was great back then and got alot of goals just a shame he couldn't reproduce that form. He never got the confidence from Morten Olsen which most thought was strange since Morten Olsen had Denmark playing exactly like a dutch team. Co Adriaanse should have stayed instead of going to Porto. Would have been great to see that team in CL. Think they could have done some damage to the big teams.

This AZ team was boring they kept the 0 for countless of games, just a better footballing version of PSV.

Also before the van Gaal hype starts all over again, first price of him in more then 10 years. Real TOP coach! Still well done of him.

O, btw...ADO