September 1988
Ajax... Fifteen Years Ago
Only three league games have been played, but already
something's brewing at De Meer. Coach Kurt Linder makes Ajax
play defensively, without wingers. Deriding reports appear in
the media. To his own defense Linder states, much to everyone's
surprise, that he was never informed about the new signings and
that he would not have contracted the same ones. Everyone feels
that the traditionally tough away game at FC Twente on 04
September must be won in order to keep things quiet.
Something's in the air.
John van 't Schip is kept on the bench in Enschede, where
Ajax plays in a 4-4-2 formation again, with a defensive
midfield (Wouters and Scholten) playing in front of a four man
defense. The start is good: Wim Jonk, Ajax's Volendam
youngster, opens the scoring after 20 minutes. But it doesn't
last long: striker Piet Keur equalizes before half-time. The
insecure Ajax lot collectively bows its head as Twente's
Finnish star Mika Lipponen fires home to make it 2-1, deep into
the second half. Ajax's 'hunt' for the equalizer is
unconvincing and powerless. Two away games, two defeats.
Next destination is Lisbon. This might be the perfect moment
for a short break, away from the increasing pressure at home.
Lisbon's Alvalade Stadium is filled with 70,000 roaring green
and white Sporting Lisbon fans. Danny Blind is still suspended
due to his red card in last season's final against KV Mechelen.
Frank Verlaat replaces him.
The start is dramatic. Lisbon's first shot on goal (by
Oceano) slams home behind Stanley Menzo via the inside of the
post. It seems like Ajax will get ripped apart. But there's
always Stefan Pettersson, Ajax's shining star in dark times, to
convert a rebounding ball from close range: 1-1, an extremely
important away goal. But the happiness doesn't last long. Less
than a minute after Pettersson's strike, referee Bridges from
Wales rewards a Forbs dive with a penalty. Paulinho Cascavel
makes it 2-1 from the spot. Only 26 minutes later, erratic
defending by Hans Werdekker allows Joao Luis to score again:
3-1. Ajax drifts about, watching the Portugese miss one chance
after another. It could already have been 6-1 or 7-1 as
Silas dives to the grass and wins a second penalty for his
team. This time Litos converts. 4-1. What a tragedy.
The only man not to blame for the disaster is
Stefan Pettersson, who makes it 4-2 in the 80th minute,
completely out of nowhere. Perhaps a 2-0 win at home is
possible. Thank God the return leg will not be played in two
weeks, but in four, on 05 October. It gives Ajax extra time to
prepare for a tough, but (thanks to Stefan Pettersson) not
completely hopeless task.
A lonely, shining star in
dark times: Stefan Pettersson, equalizing for Ajax in
the dramatic away game at Sporting Lisbon (4-2).
[Photo: ANP] |
Back in Amsterdam the atmosphere amongst the fans has turned
grim. No league game is scheduled for the weekend of 11
September. Ajax is the special guest for the anniversary game
of amateur side Quick. The 0-3 win is cynically welcomed by the
fans: three-nil against a bunch of amateurs... Great!
14 September, meanwhile, marks the start of
Oranje's qualification group for the 1990 World Cup in
Italy. The European champion finds itself in a group
with Wales, Finland and West-Germany. Only one Ajacied is
invited by the new coach, Thijs Libregts: the lucky one is Jan
Wouters. The country is buzzing with optimism, for a change: a
new sense of self-confidence is about in The Netherlands. This
squad should be able to qualify for Holland's first World Cup
tournament since 1978 - and be able to go for the 'big
one' in 1990.
The first hurdle on the 'Road to Rome',
however, is an unexpectedly tricky one. Wales
comes awfully close to nothcing an unexpected 0-0 from
Amsterdam's sold-out Olympic Stadium. The game has a lot in
common with the Ireland match during Euro 88,
including (luckily enough for Holland) its happy
ending: Ruud Gullit's slamming header in the 82nd minute
hits the cross-bar, after which the AC Milan star nods the
rebound against the netting himself: 1-0. Phew... Don't ask
how, but Holland is on its way...
Ajax's next Eredivisie game is on 18 September, at home
against Roda JC. John van 't Schip is benched again. The low
attendance of 7,500 is no surprise. Referee Van der Niet helps
Ajax on its way by giving a penalty which Peter Larsson
converts. Nevertheless, Ajax plays poorly again. The Limburg
visitors are at least as dangerous. Ajax sighs in relief as
Robbie Witschge makes it 2-0, just before half-time, as a win
is the only result Ajax will get away with today.
The worst case scenario for Ajax in general and Kurt Linder
in particular unfolds in the second half, as Roda turns the
game upside down in no time: John van Loen makes it 2-1, and
Henk Fräser equalizes five minutes later. Another four
minutes later Roda's fast little winger Frits Nöllgen puts
the guests in the lead. From 2-0 to 2-3 in nine minutes'
time... Ajax defenders Werdekker, Verkuyl and Blind are
desperate. They don't know what to do. It seems like Roda is
playing with fifteen men instead of eleven.
John van 't Schip in
action, in yet another dramatic September fixture: the
home game against Roda JC (3-3). [Photo: Top Sports
Marketing] |
Stefan Pettersson - who else? - equalizes for a 3-3 final
score. Many F-Side hooligans don't even see that goal. They are
outside, attempting to storm the main stand of De Meer via the
main entrance. While the battle with the police rages on
outside, Ajax tries everything to score the winner. It doesn't
happen. A 3-3 draw at home, after a 2-0 lead at half time.
Linder and his team slink off, their heads bowed.
It really is no fun to play for Ajax in times like these.
The Amsterdam police announce safety measures the next day.
There will be police surveillance at De Meer during every
training session, as rumor has it that F-Side hooligans intend
to attack the team during training. Also, chairman Ton Harmsen
will from now on be escorted by the police from his house to De
Meer and back. The police will permanently keep an eye on his
premises.
Even earlier than expected, on Tuesday 20 September,
chairman Harmsen announces the inevitable: "Ajax and Kurt
Linder have decided to part ways". Was Linder fired? He
reportedly resigned himself. No-one knows exactly. Linder was
Ajax's head-coach for only five Eredivisie games and one UEFA
Cup match. It is useless to deny that his return to Amsterdam
was a major mistake. With a midweek Eredivisie fixture at PEC
Zwolle coming up there is no time to waste. The new man in
charge is presented immediately: Anton 'Spitz' Kohn, one of
Linder's assistants and an experienced 'troubleshooter'. He was
also part of last season's 'triumvirate' that took over when
Johan Cruyff walked out the door. This time Kohn's second will
be a young, ambitious coach formerly working in the youth
system, named Louis van Gaal. On the training pitch they will
work as equals, but Kohn will be the public figure.
New coaches for Ajax-1
after the dismissal of Kurt Linder: young, ambitious
coach Louis van Gaal explains what the problem
is. [Photo: Cor
Mooy] |
Kohn and Van Gaal immediately revert to the 4-3-3 system the
players are familiar with. Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Witschge
are the wingers in the Ajax line-up in Zwolle. Acknowledged
'bad buy' Hans Werdekker is left out. It's not enough to stop
the bleeding at such short notice. The stumble in Oosterenk
Stadium is the most painful one so far. Ed Roos opens the
scoring for the hosts, Arnold Mühren equalizes in the 71st
minute and after that, basically, everything goes wrong. Michel
van Oostrum makes it 2-1 less than 60 seconds after the
equalizer. In the final two minutes Edwin van Ankeren and -
again - Van Oostrum make for a devastating final score: PEC
Zwolle 4, Ajax 1. What a game for young defender Frank de Boer
(18) to make his official Ajax-1 début...
The next morning it appears that several windows of the De
Meer offices are smashed. Graffiti on the wall next to the
board-room provides insight into the feelings of the hard core
of Ajax fans: "Board against the wall!", "Football =
War" and "Van der Eijden f##k off!" The name of Ajax's
manager is Van Eijden, not 'Van der Eijden', but the message is
clear. The punch-line of the graffiti artists is a mysterious,
ominous one-liner: "F-Side ain't easy!" As if Ajax did not know
that yet...
Crisis at De Meer.
Outraged F-Side supporters have left the Ajax board a
note on the walls of the De Meer offices. [Photo: Bert
Verhoeff] |
With its self-confidence down to zero and itself as its
worst enemy, Ajax travels to the tiny southern town of Waalwijk
on 25 September for the Eredivisie away game against RKC. The
newly promoted side embarrassed Ajax in the KNVB Cup last
season. Revenge? Not exactly. As Ajax returns to the
dressing-room at half time the score is 2-0 to RKC, courtesy of
Cees Schapendonk and former Feyenoord striker André
Hoekstra. Young Ronald de Boer makes his comeback into the
first team in the second half and brings Ajax back into the
game. But September 1988 is to end as a month without a single
Eredivisie win. Hoekstra deals the knock-out punch in the 89th
minute. 3-1.
The next morning, six days and two Eredivisie
defeats after Kurt Linder's dismissal, another press-conference
is announced at De Meer. This time chairman Ton Harmsen
and his full board have an announcement to make about
their own positions: they're calling it quits.
The pressure, the threats... it has become too much.
They're jumping off the sinking ship. The 'Harmsen era',
which started in 1978, has come to a bitter end on 25
September 1988.
The word 'crisis' is slowly becoming an understatement to
describe the state of total despair at De Meer. You can feel
nothing but admiration for André Kraan, Rob Been and Jan
Neefjes, the three Ajacieden with the sense of responsibility
and the courage to serve as the interim Ajax board. Kraan will
be the chairman for the time being, Neefjes will serve as
treasurer.
Vice-chairman André Kraan,
who unexpectedly became interim chairman
and 'crisis manager' on 25 September 1988 [Photo: Jan Mud/Ajax
Magazine]
At the end of September, Ajax is in the hands of
troubleshooters, who hardly know what to do to stop the
bleeding. The club finds itself back at a historically low
13th slot on the Eredivisie table. What a monumentally
bad, absolutely terrible month it was... (MP)
Next month:
- Crisis at De Meer... and PSV coming up...
- 'Mission impossible' against Sporting Lisbon?
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