August 1991
Ajax… Fifteen Years Ago
The start of the Eredivisie is three weeks away as we pull
into August. Ajax are still in the middle of their pre-season
campaign. On August 1st the Amsterdammers find themselves at
Hotel De Bloemenbeek in De Lutte, their traditional home during
the annual training camp in the Overijssel village. In the
evening, Ajax hit for double digits for the first time this
summer: 0-10 in the town of Hattem, against the local amateur
side, VV Hattem.
After friendlies on the 3rd (0-13 against Excelsior '31 in
Rijssen) and another one on the 6th (0-8 against De Zouaven in
Grootebroek) the team drives back to Amsterdam, knowing that
they are starting to look quite good, that John van Loen is
scoring goals like a mad man and that two prestigious
international tournaments lie ahead.
The official team picture. Ready
for the 1991-1992 season!
The first one is the Amsterdam 716 Tournament at the Olympic
Stadium, traditionally the tournament where Ajax present
themselves to the Amsterdam crowd. Participants this year are
Brazilian powerhouse Fluminense, Italian top team Sampdoria
and… 'good old' PSV. Ajax will open the tournament with
a game against the Brazilians on Friday 09 August.
23,000 people show up at the old 'Olympic' and it really is
remarkable how many of them are wearing replicas of the new
Umbro jerseys: the red and white home shirt is (and always will
be) the most popular one, but the green and yellow away jersey
(the colours of ABN AMRO) is remarkably popular as well. The
new sponsors are considerably more active around the ground
than their predecessors were.
Coach Leo Beenhakker gives Dan
Petersen instructions (left) before
bringing him on against Fluminense during the Amsterdam
Tournament.
The starting line-up fielded by coach Leo Beenhakker is as
follows: Menzo; Blind, Vink, Wouters, De Boer; Winter, Jonk,
Groenendijk; Van 't Schip, Van Loen and Roy. Dennis Bergkamp is
rested. Stefan Pettersson will be seriously worried about his
starting slot for the upcoming season. Newcomers Alflen,
Hanssen and Petersen start on the bench.
Much to the delight of the Amsterdam crowd, Ajax play an
excellent game against the Brazilians. John van Loen introduces
himself to the Ajax fans by scoring twice, making it 2-0 to
Ajax. Marciano Vink adds a third. Final score: Ajax 3,
Fluminense 0. What a start. Very convincing indeed.
Four goals in two games at the
Amsterdam Tournament:
John van Loen, in action against Fluminense.
Two days later, on Sunday 11 August, the public turnout is
even better: 26,500 people buy a ticket for Ajax vs Sampdoria,
who field most of their star players (including Lombardo,
Vialli and Mancini) against an Ajax team in which Johnny
Hanssen replaces Marciano Vink. Defender Mannini gives the
Italians an early lead, but after that Ajax pull off an even
more impressive performance than on Friday. Alfons Groenendijk
levels the score with his mighty left foot (32'). Just before
half-time another newcomer, Danish defender Johnny Hanssen,
makes the Olympic Stadium erupt with joy by heading Ajax's
second into the back of the net: 2-1.
Michel Kreek and Dennis Bergkamp return to action in the
second half, but the hero of the day is - once again - John van
Loen, who scores another brace of goals (55'and 75') to make it
4-1 to Ajax. What a result! Ajax win the Amsterdam Tournament
for the first time since 1987, after two wins and with a goal
differential of 7-1. No less than six of Ajax's goals were
scored by new signings. In the days after the tournament Ajax
sell an unusually high number of season tickets. Amsterdam
believes in it!
Not the cup of the greatest importance, but it's always nice
to lift one...
John van 't Schip after Ajax's first Amsterdam Tournament
triumph since 1987.
On August 15 the team flies to Spain for a tournament in the
Spanish port of La Coruña. Ajax were officially supposed
to play their first Eredivisie game (at Vitesse in Arnhem) on
the 18th, but the KNVB granted them permission to go to Spain
instead, because the tournament is such a lucrative affair for
the club. In the first game, on the 16th, hosts Deportivo La
Coruña beat the Amsterdammers (1-0), but the second game
(on the 18th) gives the optimism in Amsterdam another boost:
Ajax 2, Real Madrid 0. Wow, it's been years since Ajax
booked results against teams of that caliber… We're
talking about friendlies of course, but then again: it's not
bad!
De Meer is as good as sold out (19,800 spectators) for the
Eredivisie opener against FC Volendam on Wednesday 21 August.
On Sunday PSV started the season with a hard-fought 2-1 win
over FC Utrecht. Almost everyone expects another neck-and-neck
race between PSV and Ajax this season.
For now, the fans at De Meer expect an 'Ajax show' against
Volendam. The football is definitely not bad, but Ajax fail to
convert one of their (many) early chances and start to play
sloppily as the match slowly gets out of hand and becomes
remarkably unfriendly. Young referee Jan Wegereef has to book
no less than seven players (including four Ajacieden!) and
captain Jan Wouters is actually sent off. There is something
between Wouters and FC Volendam… Last season he was
suspended for a dirty elbow in the face of Alex Pastoor. And
now… a red card.
Ajax win the game after all: John van Loen scores Ajax's
first 'official' goal of the season on the hour, after which
Dennis Bergkamp (from the penalty spot) and Aron Winter make it
3-0. The first two points are pocketed.
A few days later, on the 25th, Ajax drive to Arnhem for the
postponed 'matchday 1' game against Vitesse, last season's
surprising #5 in the Eredivisie. The game in Arnhem is a tight
and exciting one. Ajax get chances to score, but so do Vitesse
and both coaches can live with the final result of
0-0.
The 1991-1992 season has now really started and Ajax can't
wait to return to 'Europe' after the club's one year UEFA ban.
For the first round of the UEFA Cup, Ajax are paired with
Örebro SK from Sweden, most definitely a hurdle that Ajax
should be able to take. Ajax play at home first, on Wednesday
18 September, but it won't really be a 'home' game. As part of
the UEFA punishment for the 'bar incident' of 1989, Ajax's next
three European home games must be played at least 100
kilometres from Amsterdam. After a long search, Ajax announce
their venue for those games: the Rhein Stadium in
Düsseldorf, Germany. It will be strange, but it will also
feel very good indeed to return to the European stage,
a natural habitat for a club of Ajax's reputation…
(MP)
Many thanks to our Ajax Talk friend, 343, for
providing us with this month's pictures!
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Next month:
- Ajax return to 'Europe'!
- Four Eredivisie home games in a row
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