wassup guys ... i'm finally back and settled in Atlanta and looking forward to the new season ...
summer was insane
... went to the World Cup -- got to see the Nederland v Srbija game; I'll post pics soon on the Oranje thread ...
the World Cup was extremely disappointing from our Dutch point of view ... I don't what is up with Van Basten, but I feel like he's to blame for our exit ... first dumping Huntelaar, then Van Nistelrooy ... I'm sure either of the two would have finished that 1-on-1 chance Kuyt had against the Portuguese ...
ah well, at least Klaasy showed his stuff on debut! -- ok, the Irish were a below par side, but it's still a great start ... and what about that assist for Robben, eh?
as for our beloved Ajax, man I am worried ... I was really hoping Ten Cate's man-management skills would be the key to removing our inconsistency and instilling the self-belief our talented squad needs ... I suppose there is still time, but after a 5-0 opening day win, we shoot ourselves in the foot by handing a Champions League spot to those FCKers ... I was devasted that night ... nothing less than an all out effort to claim the UEFA Cup will do now!
Klaasy seems to be going through a bit of a lean patch, statistically ... he's a tough lad, but his reaction after that last penalty summed up how he's feeling now ...
Sneijder has been ridiculously important for us this pre-season and season opening ... let's hope he keeps up his thunderbolt shots throughout the season ...
and Harry's departure is not the worst thing in the world ... not only is it worth seeing all the ruckus in 010, but in terms of a full squad, we did not really need him ... don't get me wrong, I liked his spirit, but I'd much prefer to see Babel or Markus starting (Mauro should always start when available; he's been brilliant) ... plus Perez provides that extra forward option now ...
what I am really disappointed about is Patrick Kluivert's decision ... I'll never forget Vienna 1995, and I feel all the more betrayed for it!
on the positive side, our own signings have been very good ... pick of the bunch have to be Jaapie, who has given our backline a real facelift ... and Gabri has been amazingly impressive with his adventurous forrays ... he looked nothing like that at Barca ...
all-in-all, I really think we have what it takes to bring the Eredivisie crown back to its rightful place ... our squad has the talent, and our manager has the pedigree ... hey, if we play our cards right this season, we should make a big splash in Europe too! C'MON AJAX! THIS SEASON IS OURS!!