FM14: AFC Ajax - Ushering in a New Period of Greatness

[Chef Raekwon]

I'm very reactionary when it comes to transfers, it's really a case by case basis as I would never look to sell my in form players but if I was to recieve a bid of outright silliness or if, as I and Llew have experienced, a player won't sign a contract on his expiring deal then sure I'd sell anyone.

Anxiietyyy - Be great to see your posts added to the good group of lads in here, To add to Romero in terms of value rocketing, Gaston Gil Romero(sp) is another, I picked him up for £2.2m and he's with £10.75m with some serious interest. The same can be said for domestic based players though, a lot of the young guys I've brought have massive values now.. Hoesen, Reidweld, Kishna, Bazoer, Meleg and a host more are sitting around the £8m-£10m mark.

Chef - That's De Jong for me, he's a consultant performer every season but his value as a tutor & a captain is immense, same with Blind. Both are worth £10m+ an have interest on and off but thier respective value to the blood line of the club is too great for me at this stage.

I do enjoy seeing so many different approaches to the transfers and player development side of things, I really need to post my players in Cleon's Ajax thread to get his input.

Same for me. They are also great players for the Dutch league, and good players for your CL campaign, until they are 30+ years.

[col_nufc1]

What a fantastic OP Chef Raekwon , it's filled with a enormous amount of detail which I have just read through tonight.

I am going to start a Ajax save tonight, I am thinking about signing a load of old pros that are available on free transfers just to tutor some of the excellent youth players that are at Ajax.

[tommonufc]

Season 2014/15

Just under a game under half way through my league campaign and I'm still unbeaten.

Best news though has been the success in Europe so far this season - progressing on the final round of fixtures into the knockout stages.

Stand out performer by a mile has been Ocampos!!

[RicardoW]

Just finished my second season. Ajax is my club, normally I'm playing the Ajax way (only youth, buying of top talents allowed, 4-3-3). This time I was so frustrated by the CL events IRL that I decided to give my fullest, scout Argentina, play the best tactic there is (3-4-2-1 without a striker). Got kicked out of the semi's CL in second season, won the EL first season.

My current team: Jeronimo Rulli; Sasha Serapio (18yo Argentinian regen), Thiago Casasola, Stefano Denswil; Ricardo van Rhijn, Daley Blind, Gaston Gil Romero, Erik Kok (17yo Dutch regen); Lucas Andersen, Lucas Romero; Viktor Fischer.

[Chef Raekwon]

Just finished my second season. Ajax is my club, normally I'm playing the Ajax way (only youth, buying of top talents allowed, 4-3-3). This time I was so frustrated by the CL events IRL that I decided to give my fullest, scout Argentina, play the best tactic there is (3-4-2-1 without a striker). Got kicked out of the semi's CL in second season, won the EL first season.

My current team: Jeronimo Rulli; Sasha Serapio (18yo Argentinian regen), Thiago Casasola, Stefano Denswil; Ricardo van Rhijn, Daley Blind, Gaston Gil Romero, Erik Kok (17yo Dutch regen); Lucas Andersen, Lucas Romero; Viktor Fischer.

I laughed!

Good results, hope you keep it up and win the CL in 1-2 seasons!

[col_nufc1]

Ajax Half Season Review 2013/14.

Transfers.

I started this save bringing as many older pros in that I could on free transfers that would be good tutors for the legion of promising youngsters that you have at your disposal at Ajax.

I signed three players that are going to be at Ajax for a long time, first I bring in Belgian wonderkid Youri Tielemans from Anderlecht for £2.9m, he has the potential to become a top notch player for the club.

I also signed Tom Ince from Blackpool for £3.8m, he is a another good young player that will fit in well with players we already have here and at a bargain price.

I also made the Stanislav Lobotka loan a permanent deal for £425k.

Peformance so far.

As expected we are top of the Eredivisie at the half way stage and to be fair we could and should of had a bigger margain but for me playing the kids in a lot of games to help aid there delevopment quicker.

We got a good group in the Champions League which I fully expected us to qualify from, which we did but we had to do it the hard way as by mistake hadn't registered any of our players expect for the goalkeepers and defenders :o. Luckily for me the kids came through big time for us and we finished a respectable second behind Arsenal.

These are our results so far this season.

Star players.

Siem de Jong : Playing in central midfield in our 4-5-1 formation Siem has been outstanding for us, scoring seven goals and making three assists in his sixteen games. He his getting plenty of interest from some of the big boys but as of yet no one has put a bid in for him, thank god, it might be because I have scared them off by setting his asking price to £100m .

Ruben Ligeon : I was in two minds what to do at the start of the season, either buy a new wingback or play Ruben and boy am I happy that I chose the latter. He has been brilliant scoring three goals and making seven assists, he's like a winger not a wingback.

Bojan : Again I was undecided about who to play upfront out of Bojan and Kolbeinn Sigþórsson but I chose our loanee from Barcelona and he has not let me down. He has scored nine and made five assists in eighteen games as either a lone forward or on the wing.

Tom Ince : Even though he has only played twelve games, I had to put Tom in as he has scored six goals giving him a goal every other game which is a impressive start to his Ajax career. Hopefully he can produce the same in the second half of the season.

What would you prefer I do in the future, monthly, half or full season reviews ?

[tommonufc]

Season 2014/15

Won a second Eredivisie, this time with Feyenoord running me a lot closer.

Progressed into the knockout stages of Champions League this year, but was handed Barca in the draw.

Managed to pick up a colossal bargain in the January window by purchasing Marko Pavlovski from OFK Beograd - who had his contract running down but would negotiate for some reason - with me purchasing in January for £80K. After being given a budget boost in January I also brought in Gaston Gil Romero.

Player of the season was quite comfortably Lucas Ocampos.

For next season I'll be experimenting with more of a 343 approach!

[RicardoW]

I laughed!

Good results, hope you keep it up and win the CL in 1-2 seasons!

Gonna be difficult. Had to sell Blind, Andersen and Fischer because they were unhappy I rejected bids for them. Got a decent sum for all of them: 8,5 million for Andersen (FC Porto), 12,75 million for Blind (FC Porto again) and 32 million for Fischer (Chelsea). Decided not to go for fast glory, but getting youths in.

First team now: Rulli; Serapio, Casasola, Denswil; Van Rhijn, Romero, Gil Romero, Kok; Nouri, Ufuk Sofor (18yo Dutch regen); Siem de Jong. Dropped Lucas Romero a line to get Nouri, the regen and De Jong in. Nouri and De Jong performing wonders, so CL quarter finals are a must this season.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

PRE-SEASON REPORT - Friendlies, Transfers and more stuff...

Following last season's delightful double-winning triumphs, we're back for another season - hopefully one of equal success and fortune. Despite our ambitions, our plans took a considerable blow to the belly, sadly, as I'll come onto later...

All in all, it was a productive pre-season. We remained faithful to the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 set-ups respectively and the players showed a promising level of familiarity with them, meaning we could focus much more on fitness and returning to a suitable level of match sharpness. The football played wasn't as fluid as hoped, but that will come in time - especially when the new additions have fully bedded-in to Amsterdam, Ajax and our footballing philosophy. Our best, and most promising, performance was against Danish side, AB. We combined well in attack, defended well and a whole bunch of youngsters impressed.

The trip to Turkey, for friendlies against Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş JK respectively, was also valuable. We played against two good sides, at both ends of the pitch, and did fairly well. Considering these were our first friendlies of the Summer, that is. Dejan Meleg, a remarkably talented youngster, scored a fine goal, while new arrival Stefan de Vrij impressed against Beşiktaş.

Pre-season is, of course, an ample period to assess the development of some of our youngsters, and we certainly did that. Dejan Meleg, Jaïro Riedewald, Abdelakh Nouri and Óttar Magnús Karlsson, to name but a few, featured heavily in pre-season, all hoping to make a mark and feature for the first-team in the coming season. Needless to say, all those who got an invaluable chance most certainly took it. I look forward to overseeing their development over the coming season.

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AN AJAX WORLD CUP -2014 FIFA World Cup

We had five players over in Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For the Netherlands, new club captain Daley Blind, Jasper Cillessen, Siem de Jong and Ricardo van Rhijn all featured, while Viktor Fischer and Nicolai Boilesen were both important parts of the Danish squad, but the latter's tournament was cut short due to a serious knee cartilage tear.

France won the World Cup for the second time in their history, beating Brazil on penalties after the game finished 0-0 over 120-minutes. Dutch involvement ended in the quarter-finals, having been beaten 2-0 by eventual champions France, which certainly isn't something to be ashamed about. Former Ajax favourite, Luís Suárez, finished as the tournament's top goalscorer with four goals, while Neymar won the much-coveted Golden Ball award, joining the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Pelé and Ajax legend Johan Cruijff in the history books.

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SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW - the Ins and the Outs

This Summer wasn't expected to be a particularly busy one, but it turned out to be fairly hectic. With a couple more days remaining in the transfer window, there's time for one or two other deals, although I don't expect anything earth-shaking. We had to compensate three first-teamers leaving the Amsterdam ArenA, but I'm confident we've done so...

INS

STEFAN DE VRIJ AGE: 22-years-old | POSITION: Centre-Back | CLUB: Feyenoord | COUNTRY: Netherlands | FEE: Free

This transfer was secured back in January, as you all probably know having red my previous updates. A fine defender and still only 22-years-old, De Vrij captained a Feyenoord side last season which finished 7th. He impressed during pre-season and will certainly feature heavily for the first-team this season. We now have five first-team centre-halves.

SØREN RIEKS AGE: 27-years-old | POSITION: Attacking Midfielder | CLUB: NEC Nijmegen | COUNTRY: Denmark | FEE: €1.5 million

Pacey, tricky, technically-proficient - Søren Rieks is a typical Ajax player. Moreover, he's a boyhood Ajax fan! A mainstay for NEC Nijmegen last season, Rieks brings depth to a forward line which has lost Bojan and fellow Dane, Lasse Schøne, as well a proven Eredivisie effectiveness. €1.5 million is seemingly a good price for him, having joined on a 2-year contract worth €8,000-a-week.

NICOLAJ THOMSEN AGE: 21-years-old | POSITION: Midfielder | CLUB: Aalborg | COUNTRY: Denmark | FEE: €800,000

It's another Dane! Nicolaj Thomsen becomes the 10^th Denmark national at Ajax and is one of five Danish signings. Versatile, talented and technically-gifted, Nicolaj Thomsen will be an excellent addition for the forthcoming season as well as in the long-run. Capable from a deeper midfield role, out wide or in a more advanced position, Thomsen combines technical quality, a willing work ethic and exceptional potential. I'm really excited his addition.

THORGAN HAZARD AGE: 21-years-old | POSITION: Midfielder | CLUB: Chelsea | COUNTRY: Belgium | FEE: Season-long loan

As Siem de Jong left to Marseille for a considerable fee, we looked to replace his influence in more than one way - both from within the club and externally. Thorgan Hazard, brother of Eden and Kylian, brings creativity and naturally attacking guile to a midfield which lacks it somewhat. The Belgian international spent two exciting years at Zulte Waregem on loan from Chelsea. Hazard signs on a season-long loan, but I'm hoping come season's end, I will be able to tempt Chelsea into letting him join Ajax on a permanent deal - or for a further season, at least. Hup, Hazard!

MAIKEL KIEFTENBELD AGE: 24-years-old | POSITION: Central Midfielder | CLUB: FC Groningen | COUNTRY: Netherlands | FEE: €2.9 million

Following Groningen's relegation, the sale of their better players, and subsequently highest earners, commenced. Stefano Magnasco left for Italy, Johan Kappelhoff is looking to leave while Marco Bizot is also seeking pastures new. I decided to exploit Groningen's demise too - with 24-year-old Maikel Kieftenbeld, a holding midfielder by trade, joining the club on a 3-year contract. Possessing well-rounded attributes, Kieftenbeld can also deputise at right-back, a position where we may be a little bit short following Ricardo van Rhijn's departure. Hard-working and team-orientated, I'm sure he'll be a worthwhile addition.

OTHER ADDITIONS

Aside from those signings profiled above, we signed six other players - mostly for the Ajax Jong and Under-19 groups. 20-year-old Danish midfielder, Lasse Vigen, joins the Jong Ajax side on a season-long loan from Fulham, while Jeroen Houwen was also added to the Jong Ajax squad, joining on loan from Panathinaikos having joined them from Vitesse in the same Summer. Both talented youngsters; both good additions.

In terms of youth signings, a trio of Scandinavian defenders were signed: Linus Wahlqvist (17; IFK Nörrkoping; €150k), Mads Westh (16; regen; Brøndby IF; €150k) and Kjeld Nielsen (16; regen; Aarhaus GF; €80k). We also signed a young Dutch regen from Sparta Rotterdam, 6'4" left-footed midfielder Leandro Kuijpers for a nominal fee. All good additions for the future, I'm sure.

OUTS

There were plenty of outgoings this Summer. Many left on temporary loan deals, but there were a few that left on permanent deals - three of them first-team regulars. Here are all those that left the club on permanent deals:-

Club captain Siem de Jong, Danish midfielder Lasse Schøne and highly-rated defender Ricardo van Rhijn all left the club for an estimated combined total of €25 million. The reason for their departure was simple: expiring contracts and a reluctance to comply with the club's wage demands. All three wanted over €30,000-a-week to remain at the club, which is wholly unrealistic. I had planned for life without Siem de Jong as he deserved a move to a bigger league. We had offers from various European clubs, but Olympique de Marseille was the best option for him and, financially speaking, the best option for us. Lasse Schøne, who I am a huge fan of, left for the Barclays Premier League. Norwich City will pay a total of €7.25 million over 3-years. Ricardo van Rhijn moved to Internazionale on a 5-year contract. A bitter blow, but one I am confident of managing.

Elsewhere, Kenneth Vermeer - who played second-fiddle to the excellent Jasper Cillessen last season - departed for Torino in a €3 million deal. Joeri de Kamps, who returned from a season-long loan spell at SC Heerenveen, left for another Eredivisie side in Heracles for €190,000. Six players also left the club on free transfers.

LOANS

There were twelve loan deals all-in-all this Summer, the most noteworthy of which was Fabian Sporkslede's departure to Champions League qualification hopefuls, PEC Zwolle. Talented deep-lying midfielders, James Elmorfidis and Branco van der Broomen joined Fortuna Sittard and Almere City on season-long loans respectively. Talented wideman Daoud Bousbiba also joined Eredivisie side NAC Breda for the duration of the 2014/'15 season. Here's a list of all the Summer loans:-

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Sorry for the rather cumbersome update, but I hope you appreciated it...

[shoonaldo]

Ajax Half Season Review 2013/14

After reading this thread and Cleons thread in the tactics & training discussion part of the forum I decided to start a save with Ajax.

Transfers

My original plan was to only to buy the first three players and then play the season with the squad I had but then Monaco came in with a bid for Daley Blind which I accepted after a few rounds of negotiations. With Blind gone I felt a little light at the back so I brought in Rojo and de Bock for reasonable fees although Rojos agent still owns 45% iirc. The free transfers were just signed for tutoring the youngsters.

Eredivisie

The league campaign has been pretty straightforward so far. The only 2 losses came at home against Zwolle(1:0) and away to Utrecht(3:0)

The Cups

We beat AZ 1:0 in the Super Cup to win our first trophy of the season and we`re through to the quarters of the Dutch Cup by beating WKE(5:2), Telstar(3:0) and Zwolle(4:0).

The Champions League however was a lot tougher as we finished third behind Juventus and Man Utd and ahead of Viktoria Plzen. So now we will face Basel in the Euro Cup.

Players & Tactics

Here is my preffered tactic with my first team.

The players have been performing pretty well so far. Only Viktor Fischer has been performing below expectations.

My best players at the moment are:

Rodrigo Gomez with 5 goals and 18 assists in 23 appearances

Kolbeinn Sigporsson with 16 goals and 3 assists in 13(2) appearances until he broke his leg and will now probably miss the rest of the season

and Bojan with 12 goals and 5 assists in 12(9) appearances

Future Transfers

As I feel DM is the weakest part of my team I have arranged transfers for Oscar Lewicki, a 21 year old from Häcken for 230k and for Alexander Milosevic, a 21 year old from AIK for 350k.

Thanks for reading.

[col_nufc1]

Ajax Season Review 2013/14.

Transfers.

Eredivisie.

Results.

Part One

Part Two

In The Cups.

JC Schaal: AZ 0-2 Ajax

KNVB Beker Final: Ajax 3-1 Vitesse

Champions League Quarter Final 1st Leg: Ajax 1-2 Manchester City

Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg: Manchester City 2-2 Ajax

The Squad.

Star Players.

Tom Ince : The English winger had a fantastic first season in Holland and he was my player of the season. He scored 18 goals in 31 games and he has the chance to pick up his first cap for England after he was selected for the World Cup squad.

Stefano Denswill : The young Dutch defender has improved massively in his first full season in the first team and I think he is going to develop into a World Class defender. In my opinion he should of been included in the Dutch National team by now but it hasn't been the case yet.

Ruben Ligeon : The young wingback had a great season for us, unfortunately he missed most of the second half of the season as he was out of action with a torn hamstring for three months.

The Future.

The team needs a striker or two to come in next season, with Bojan's loan finishing and him returning to Barcelona. We also need a top notch left back and central midfielder to come in, depending on what sort of transfer budget we get off the board. I am having to constantly ward off teams for the likes of Siem de Jong, Daley Blind, Viktor Fischer and Ricardo van Rhijn so hopefully we can keep them at Ajax. Kenneth Vermeer, Lasse Schöne and Lerin Duarte will be leaving if I can get some decent offers for them.

[tommonufc]

Selling off two of the club best players because you wouldn't budge over a wage structure of £30,000! Each to their own I guess...

[RicardoW]

It's something I always did in my Ajax saves, simply because it's realistic. Dutch clubs rather sell those players and get youths for the spaces.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Precisely, RicardoW. It's the way of many clubs around Europe nowadays - whether it be in the Netherlands, Germany or elsewhere. De Jong is on €61,000-a-week at OM (!), while Van Rhijn is on €40,000-a-week at Inter Milan having left Ajax. Those are figures that I neither want or need to pay. Davy Klaasen, our new number ten, and Thorgan Hazard will both replace the former, while Ruben Ligeon's replaced the latter very well.

Hopefully, I'll have my first monthly update of the new 2014/'15 season up here soon...

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MONTHLY UPDATE - Johan Cruijff's Shield and August...

After a good pre-season, we returned to competitive action against Eredivisie runners-up PEC Zwolle in the inaugural Johan Cruijff Schaal. The Eredivisie campaign, and our defence of our fourth title on the trot, commenced just a week later. Here's how the snippet of July and the whole of August went...

26.7.2014 | Johan Cruijff Schaal

PEC Zwolle - 1 (Nijland '87)

AFC Ajax - 2 (Fischer '3, Denswil '90)

Following last season's disappointment in this competition, we were up for revenge - and there wasn't any better way to settle ourselves than an early goal, as Mitchell Dijks' through ball down the side of PEC's defence was taken in well by Viktor Fischer, who slotted underneath Kevin Begois. 44 minutes in, Tobias Sana, with our final chances of the game, failed to double our lead and we almost paid for it late on. Stef Nijland capitalised on slack defending, before finishing at the second attempt. Another added 30 minutes of play looked nailed on, until Stefano Denswil rose high above anyone else, unchallenged, to head in with power and purpose. A year on, we made-up for our AZ slip up to clinch an eighth Johan Cruijff Schaal.

2.8.2014 | Eredivisie

FC Utrecht - 2 (Igboun '23, Bulthuis '57)

AFC Ajax - 0

Our rotten form against Jan Wouters' Utrecht continued into a new season. Last season, we lost the corresponding fixture and drew at home; once more, we couldn't handle Utrecht's physical approach as Sylvester Igboun - seemingly an excellent acquisition - caused us plenty of problems, not least scoring the opening goal. His near-post header crept in, giving the home side a familiar lead. After Dave Bulthuis' set-piece header flew in, we never really looked like staging a comeback. A worrying state of affairs. Vast improvement needed.

10.8.2014 | Eredivisie

AFC Ajax - 2 (Moisander '42, Ligeon '75)

Heracles Almelo - 0 (Quansah second yellow '58)

In stark contract to our now-bogey side FC Utrecht, I've yet to lose to Heracles during my time at Ajax. And nothing's changed, thankfully. We dominated the game: registering 25 shots at goal, controlling possession (67% possession) and racking up 676 completed passes, we we put ourselves in an excellent position to control and win the game. The first came from a typically Hazardous corner from Thorgan, which was met well at the near-post by Niklas Moisander. Our second was much more of what Ajax are about - a sweeping counter-attack, which saw Hazard play a weighted ball into the path of Ruben Ligeon who duly finished with remarkable poise and ease. We're back on track.

16.8.2014 | Eredivisie

AZ Alkmaar - 0

AFC Ajax - 2 (Veltman '15, Serero '17)

A two-minute two-goal moment sealed an impressive win. Our clinical approach early on impressed and surprised, as Joël Veltman showed the awareness and composure of a seasoned striker to give us the lead, capitalising on Danny Hoesen's glanced header. The second was even more pleasing as we combined well on the edge of AZ's penalty area; Thulani Serero, an integral component to our midfield, skipped passed Jan Wuytens before lashing a right-footed shot into the inside of side netting. AZ made little, a point typified by their 7 shots at goal, Moisander and Veltman's 100% tackle completion and a total of 27 interceptions.

24.8.2014 | Eredivisie

AFC Ajax - 3 (Hoesen '18, '51, Serero '66)

PEC Zwolle - 1 (Drost '41)

Following up from our Cruijff Schaal triumph, PEC made the trip from Zwolle to Amsterdam in need of a result as they hadn't won in four games in all competitions. Unfortunately for them, we outclassed them and duly earned a good win. Danny Hoesen scored a brace for the first time since February. He opened the scoring by bursting onto Viktor Fischer's headed through ball and finishing well passed a poorly position Diederik Boer. After Jesper Drost, a player we looked at during the Summer, equalised, Danny Hoesen stepped-up once more - although he was helped by a fortuitous ricochet off the cross bar. He nodded in to retake the lead.

Thulani Serero's second goal in as many matches was an excellent one - Serero headed clear the ball from within our 6-yard box. Viktor Fischer's defence-splitting pass found Danny Hoesen's clever run. Serero's lung-bursting run was rewarded as Hoesen slid him in and the South African finished coolly. Another fine goal, the type of which we will hopefully be scoring more of.

30.8.2014 | Eredivisie

AFC Ajax - 2 (Fischer '7, Hoesen '56)

FC Twente - 0

We controlled possession, but we failed to control Twente's characteristic free-flowing football. They registered 17 shots at goal and we were somewhat fortunate that Twente seemingly left their shooting boots back in Enschede. Despite that, we were good overall. Viktor Fischer scored his second goal of the season, having been played in by make-shift left-back Stefano Denswil. Fischer's second strike of the season was similar to his first: a good near-post finish. Danny Hoesen doubled our lead 10 minutes into the second-half, charging onto Thorgan Hazard's outswinging corner and heading passed Martin Campaña.

Honourable mention: Daley Blind, who put in a real captain's performance. He set the tempo well, completing 75 passes from his deep-lying playmaker position. He completed his defensive duties to a similarly excellent standard. Blind completed 3 tackles, made 5 interceptions and covered 8.1 miles on the pitch - a figure only eclipsed by Twente's impressive Felipe Gutiérrez.

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NEW CONTRACTS - ze verblijven

Siem de Jong, Lasse Schøne and Ricardo van Rhijn all left the club due to contractual issues. In the hope of avoiding such a situation - seeing important players leave the club over a reluctance to comply with the club's wage structure - we extended the contracts of a whole host of players; Davy Klaassen, Kolbeinn SigÞórsson and Thulani Serero to name but a few.

The aforementioned trio signed contract extensions, and received a healthy bump up in wages, until 2018, as did the following: Joël Veltman, Viktor Fischer, Nicolai Boilesen, Melvin Vissers and Kenny Tete. We also managed to extend the contracts of Tobias Sana and Fabian Sporkslede, who's currently impressing on loan at PEC Zwolle, to 2017 respectively. Again, all received healthy increases in their weekly wages, although none of them are earning over €16,000-a-week.

Worryingly, Danny Hoesen is refusing to enter negotiations over a new contract. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, an important decision will have to be made in January as to what his immediate future will be - to sell on and garner some financial reward or keep him until the end of the season, in the hope he'll agree a new deal at the club. Both are risks I'm willing to take, but have yet to decide which one.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE DRAW - Barça beckon

After last season's disappointing slide out of the competition at the first hurdle - despite wins over Arsenal and Atlético Madrid at the Amsterdam ArenA - I'm really looking forward to seeing how we'll respond. The European Cup has been a huge accolade in Ajax's incredible history. I want to bring back the glory years to Amsterdam and Dutch football as a whole, although it will be a gradual process. This season, I would love to escape from the group stage and take on one of European football's 'big boys'.

Our hopes of clinching qualification from Group B were boosted after the draw. We've been drawn in the same group as FC Barcelona, a club which needs no introduction and has prominent links with AFC Ajax, Russian side Rubin Kazan and Norwegian club Valerenga, who battled off Strømsgodset in the Tippeligaen title tussle last season. The latter two are very beatable teams, while the double-headed fixture with Barcelona are something which I am already relishing. We will open our Champions League campaign away in Russia against Rubin Kazan.

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[/center]I hope you all enjoyed another update, my second in relatively quick succession. Good luck with your saves![/center]

[col_nufc1]

The Dutch National team has just won the World cup in Brazil on my save, beating Belgium 1-0 in the final . Louis van Gaal then retired, so I thought I would apply for the job and unsurprisngly I never got it, Carlo Ancelotti did. Just think of how many of the Ajax youngsters I could of given some caps to .

[col_nufc1]

I do enjoy reading your updates Llew_Arshavin23, you put so much effort into them and the quality is there for all to see . A good start to the season for you with the exception of the loss to FC Utrecht but you have certainly bounced back from the defeat.

Your Champions league group is one which you have a excellent chance of qualifying from.

[Hoarau]

Great update Llew, as usual the depth of info is top level.

I commend your approach to players contracts, it's something I've had bitter experience with. Be a shame to lose Hoesen in that scenario so I can understand your willingness to let him go.

That's me just getting to turn FM on for the first time in over a week, so hopefully I can get the second half of the season played this week and get an update done for Season 6.

[RicardoW]

Damn. Did go out of the CL in group stage, but the win in the last group game saw us go to the EL. We ripped that apart, with wins against Sporting Portugal, Juventus, Basel, Arsenal, before putting HSV aside in the final with a 4-0 scoreline. First European trophy

Decided to change things up a bit, as the regens coming through are almost all strikers. Changed to a 4-2-2-2 now, without transfers it's going to look like:

Rulli; Van Rhijn, Casasola, Serapio, Denswil; Romero, Gil Romero; Nouri, Emanuelson (bought him and Heitinga back, legends!); De Jong and Trindade de Vilhena (for a free from Feyenoord). Second eleven buffed up a bit with the likes of Heitinga, Grimaldo and the talents grown a year.

Want that CL title now!

[ronaldo1026]

I'm halfway thru my first season and cruising, and really trying to establish depth and a system that I can plug youth players into as I move on. I've made it to the CL 2nd round, but Van Rhijn tore his hamstring and is out for 3 months. It's a good opportunity for Ligeon and Tete to stake a 1st team claim, but they most likely will be liabilities vs Lyon. I'm also getting offers in the neighborhood of €15m for Van Rhijn...is it wise to accept it now, knowing he's out until the end of the season anyway, or should I hang onto him and keep one eye on next season's CL?

I'm torn...I like Van Rhijn and he's a dream RB for me, but being able to sell him for big money now and replacing him thru the youth ranks fits my philosophy going forward. Any advice?

[tommonufc]

Has anybody in here managed to win the Champions League yet?

I managed to get to the Semi-finals last season (15/16).

[RicardoW]

I'm halfway thru my first season and cruising, and really trying to establish depth and a system that I can plug youth players into as I move on. I've made it to the CL 2nd round, but Van Rhijn tore his hamstring and is out for 3 months. It's a good opportunity for Ligeon and Tete to stake a 1st team claim, but they most likely will be liabilities vs Lyon. I'm also getting offers in the neighborhood of €15m for Van Rhijn...is it wise to accept it now, knowing he's out until the end of the season anyway, or should I hang onto him and keep one eye on next season's CL?

I'm torn...I like Van Rhijn and he's a dream RB for me, but being able to sell him for big money now and replacing him thru the youth ranks fits my philosophy going forward. Any advice?

If it's your philosophy: sell him. I think Tete is more than capable of replacing him in a year or two, three. If you can wait that long, it's rewarding to succeed in that way.

[hnp]

Hi guys, inspired by the excellent guide posted by Chef Raekwon ,and some excellent updates by many others I thought id have a go with Ajax.

First seasons transfers

Had to go for Ekdal as Poulsen out for 4 months. Amartey instead of Enoh.

Ola John too good to pass up on for £1.3m

Tactic used and my first 11 was

Initially planned on Duarte instead of Schone. Injury to Duarte changed this so cancelled Schones sale to Norwich and im so glad i did

After a poor start to the season with one win in four things seemed to settle down barring the odd champions league hangovers

Tough Champions League group but good wins i felt against PSG and Napoli but defeats to Arsenal.

Barca in the next round , went a goal down in the 2nd leg so went for it and suffered the concequence

Dutch Cup was a 3-1 over AZ

Stand out performers for the season for me were

Ola John - 18 goals / 17 assists / player of season / Golden Boot / Young player of Year

Siggporsson (when fit!) - 22 goals

De Jong - 12 goals / 8 assists

Schone - 10 goals / 10 assists

Anybody bought their stadium ?

I asked ,begged even ....ive now got a £135m loan and £79m in interest !

£8m transfer budget for the new season

Currently settling into second season with a few signings and a few tweaks .

When i can tear myself away from playing i'll hopefully have an update

Thanks for reading

[yorkshire22]

Hey, Haven't updated for a while (damn real life ) but I've just finished my 2nd season where I completed the domestic treble, finishing the league campaign with the tightest defence and the most prolific attack. Seem to have the team playing the way I want but one thing that I haven't put too much focus on is the youth system and development at the club, something which I'm really going to focus on in the new season. Hopefully get a proper update posted up soon!

Good stuff from the other posters as always!

[col_nufc1]

Ajax Season Review 2014/15.

Cash/Claused Transfers l Free Transfers l Loan Deals

Eredivisie.

Results.

Part One l Part Two

In The Cups.

JC Schaal: PSV Eindhoven 0-2 Ajax

KNVB Beker Final: PSV Eindhoven 0-3 Ajax

Champions League Semi Final 1st Leg: Ajax 0-0 Real Madrid

Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg: Real Madrid 2-0 Ajax

The Squad.

Star Players.

Stefano Denswill

The young Dutch defender has made remarkable improvements in the last two seasons and he has now become a regular in the Dutch National team. He is also a free kick expert and scored four goals from long range, with the other goal coming from a corner kick.

Sébastien Corchia

I was in two minds whether to sign Sébastien because Ruben Ligeon had a great season last year, but I decided to sign him as he only cost us £3.6m from relegated FC Sochaux. He was brilliant for us as a Complete Wing Back and he is also a great tutor for the younger players.

Mike van der Hoorn

The third defender to be picked as one of my players of the season, the Dutch central defender formed a great partnership at the back with Stefano Denswill and was a threat in the opponents box at set pieces. He also got his first international cap with the Dutch National team.

[col_nufc1]

Young Player Of The Year.

Abdelhak Nouri

The young playmaker had a great season and is coming very close to replacing Siem de Jong as the Advanced Playmaker in central midfield. He's also just as good on the wings and I am expecting a big season from him next year.

The Future.

Hopefully a few more of the youngsters in Jong Ajax are ready to make the step up to the first team squad next season.

I might let Tom Ince leave the club as he has been very injury prone this season and only played 14 games, albeit his scored a impressive 9 goals in them games but he is wanted by Barcelona, Manchester City and Arsenal so I could get a decent transfer fee for him and it would let one of our youngsters stake a claim for his spot.

The strikers should be scoring more goals for us so that is something I'll have to try and remedy, either by tinkering with the tactics or by signing/giving a youth player chance upfront.

The forum is being daft again so I have had to use two posts

[Chef Raekwon]

Great update, col_nufc1! Thanks for sharing!

Can you tell me where you got your facepack? It seems very up to date as it has a good and recent picture of Nouri, which is seemingly still rare.

[col_nufc1]

Great update, col_nufc1! Thanks for sharing!

Can you tell me where you got your facepack? It seems very up to date as it has a good and recent picture of Nouri, which is seemingly still rare.

Thanks Chef Raekwon, it's just very annoying that it wouldn't go on one post, these forums are very temperamental at times.

The facepack I am using can be found here FM14 Cut-Out Faces Megapack Thread. It's a excellent facepack but it is missing a few of the Ajax younger players like Branco van den Boomen and Nabi Hakimzadeh and a few others.

[Chef Raekwon]

^ Cheers!

[Hoarau]

Been an age since my last update, but i am still playing as ajax.

Currently approching the end of my 6th season and it could be "Thee one" as i'm heading into the 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League final 1-0 up against Bayern Munich!

I'll update once im finished within the nect day or so. Great season col, the improvment in Denswil makes me really regret letting him go!

[edgar555]

Great thread Chef

Some quality updates too, well done all. My own updates won't be as in depth.

Here's what I'm up to with Ajax.

Just got to Jan of the 1st season.

Signings so far: Jeroem Houwen - £1.5m up front, add ons for league and international appearances. He's in Jong Ajax for now. Pedro Luis Cavenda (DRL/WBR) from Lazio for £3.5m.

No transfers out, but Jasper Cillesen went on loan to Genk after moaning about a lack of first team football, just 3 games into the season.

My main formation and depth chart is:

GK (GK): Vermeer/van der Hart

DR (FB/S): Cavenda/van Rhijn

DC (CB): Veltman/van der Hoorn - its tough to pick between these two. Both have had excellent runs but also had absolute mares at times!

DC (BPD): Moisander/Denswil

DL (FB/A): Blind/Boillesen

MC (BBM): Schone/Serero

MC (CM/D): Poulsen/Lobotka/Enoh - Lobotka has been surprisingly effective, Enoh not so much and I'll look to sell him this window

AMR (IF/A): Bojan/Sana - Bojan has been excellent but picked up a fair few injuries.

AMCL (SS): De Jong/Andersen

AML (IF/S): Fischer/Duarte

STCR (F9): Sigthorrson/Hoessen

I also have a second tactic inspired by this thread: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/383963-Frank-De-Boer-s-Ajax-A-second-opinion-required...

We are top of the league at the break, 3 points above Feyenoord, with PSV a further point back. We've lost to both of those away from home but both games came during a monster injury crisis that saw us without our top scorer (Sigthorsson); our top assister (Bojan); the player involved in most goals - assists and goals combined (De Jong); our highest rated player (Moisander) along with our best defensive mid (Poulsen); our second best CB (Veltman) and 1st choice DL (Blind). Serero and van der Hoorn were also out.

We went through our CL group top and undefeated. We won all our home games and drew all our away games against Man U, Schalke and Steau. Man U lost to Schalke on the last match day to go out at the group stages. We now face Atletico Madrid in the 1st KO round.

We also face Helmond in the quarter finals of the KNVB Beker.

We won the Johan Cruijff Schall 3-1 over AZ.

Overall very happy with our start and hope for at least the Eredivisie title this year.

[yorkshire22]

Love it when a plan comes together!

[Hoarau]

Nice one man!

Kasper Kusk, legend.. I sold him on too soon.

[adidinamoa]

Love it when a plan comes together!

Hello! What tactics do you use? Thanks!

[Chef Raekwon]

I find it odd to see van den Boomen get so much love and playtime in the last few iterations of FM, especially since he only has a PA of

-7

.

But again, great updates guys! @edgar555, I see your thread on Frank de Boer's tactics. If I can find the time anywhere soon, you can see a pretty detailed comment because I think that tactic is deserving of a few slight tweaks!

[RicardoW]

Van den Boomens attributes are not that great, but he outperforms the better players in my save as well. Might be his great passing.

Sold Lucas Romero for 40 million Euros to Shakhtar, rest of my team still in the house. Became third in group CL, behind Bayern and Liverpool (although I trounced Bayern 4-0 at home, lost too many points in the other games).

[edgar555]

I find it odd to see van den Boomen get so much love and playtime in the last few iterations of FM, especially since he only has a PA of

-7

.

But again, great updates guys! @edgar555, I see your thread on Frank de Boer's tactics. If I can find the time anywhere soon, you can see a pretty detailed comment because I think that tactic is deserving of a few slight tweaks!

I've used van den Boomen quite a bit due to injuries and in KNVB Beker and he's played really well.

When I get time I'll also add more about that FDB tactic as I've made several changes to what's suggested.

[yorkshire22]

Nice one man!

Kasper Kusk, legend.. I sold him on too soon.

Yeah, picked him up first season for £450k and he was average but last season and the start of this one he's been quality and his value has risen to £9m so pretty happy with that!

And with regards to van den Boomen, He maybe isn't a "superstar" but he performs well for me, is a homegrown Dutch player and does the job well so I've no reason to replace him yet! Even though he's attracting interest from Sunderland in the premiership...

[RicardoW]

I managed to sold Van den Boomen for 6,25 million to Sociedad this summer Van der Hart, getting only 8 games in 4 seasons as he's my back up, joined Sporting for 9 million. Crazy sums of money, for which they're ofcourse gone.

One transfer dealing I had to think longer about, was a 20 million offer for Tonny Trindade de Vilhena, whom I bought a year ago for 3 million. Decided to cash in and managed to get the sum up to 27,5 million, and he went to Man United.

Failed again in Europe, reaching the quarter finals of the Europa League which sent me out against Arsenal. Decided to go more for own youth, so used the money to bring back a 31 yo Hedwiges Maduro and a 33 yo Wesley Sneijder to provide depth. Bought Daley Blind back from Porto as a replacement for Van den Boomen.

Next season I'm going for a first team of: Jeronimo Rulli; Sasha Serapio, Thiago Casasola, Stefano Denswil; Ricardo van Rhijn, Daley Blind, Gaston Gil Romero, Urby Emanuelson; Abdelhak Nouri, Wesley Sneijder; Siem de Jong.

Only Rulli, Serapio, Casasola and Gil Romero as players from outside Ajax. Will be replacing them slowly if good bids come in. Already have regens capable of replacing Casasola/Serapio and Gil Romero.

[JBC#1]

Has anybody in here managed to win the Champions League yet?

I managed to get to the Semi-finals last season (15/16).

Won it once. Holidayed through a couple of rounds though, got a couple of relatively easy knockout ties (Celtic and Marseille) then somehow beat Arsenal in the final. This was quite early on (2019, I think) so was quite a surprise.

[Hoarau]

Well I done it!!!

6th season and we finally claimed top spot in Europe by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League Final! Nice wee touch wih it being the 5th time Ajax have won the trophy they now get to keep it. Pretty much everyone in the squad is wanted by a host of clubs, thier values have sky rocketed aswell.

I'm gonna get a full update posted within the next day or so..

[RicardoW]

Nice job! Next season must be the season for me too then!

[JBC#1]

Does anybody know how I could get my jong ajax sife promoted back into the jupiler?

[Chef Raekwon]

Well I done it!!!

6th season and we finally claimed top spot in Europe by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League Final! Nice wee touch wih it being the 5th time Ajax have won the trophy they now get to keep it. Pretty much everyone in the squad is wanted by a host of clubs, thier values have sky rocketed aswell.

I'm gonna get a full update posted within the next day or so..

Congrats man! Always nice to reach such a landmark!

Does anybody know how I could get my jong ajax sife promoted back into the jupiler?

I'm sorry, but I have no idea.. I don't think they are supposed to relegate in the first place, though. I'll look into this, but this won't get fixed in the winter update.

[Llew_Arshavin23]

Great to see so many fantastic updates on your respective Ajax saves. Congratulations to all who have achieved success with Ajax too!

I'm hoping to have an overdue update on here later on. We're starting to pick up form now...

[Llew_Arshavin23]

MONTHLY UPDATE - SEPTEMBER

After a good start to the Eredivise season, adding another Johan Cruijff Schaal to our honours list to boot, September saw the return of the UEFA Champions League to stadiums all over Europe and televiision sets much further afield. Three successive away fixtures offered some stern tests. Here's how the month went...

Before that, I've decided to present my monthly updates - the results part of it, at least - in a rather different manner. As opposed to analysing each result in depth, I'll give a much less time consuming overview of the month.

We extended our unbeaten run, in all competitions, to an impressive eight games. Even more impressively, we didn't concede a goal in extending our unbeaten run. Danny Hoesen, in the absence of the injured Kolbeinn SigÞórsson, is finally starting to realise his potential under my management. He kicked the month off with a well-taken goal, latching onto a defence-splitting Hazard pass, against Sparta Rotterdam in a good 2-0 win away from home.

Having played on the Saturday, we faced a quick turn around and a arduous journey to Russia to face their national champions, Rubin Kazan. We started well as Davy Klaassen was slipped in behind by Viktor Fischer. The finish was typically unerring from Klaassen and ultimately won us the game. Back in the much more familiar surroundings of Dutch town Echt, we took a youthful group of players - which included the likes of Jaïro Riedewald, Melvin Vissers and Dejan Meleg - for our opening KNVB Beker match of the season. The Danish duo of Søren Rieks and Lucas Andersen sealed a win over EVV, but it could've been much more. €3 million signing, Maikel Kieftenbeld, made his full debut following injury and two substitute appearances.

Some 180km north of Echt lies the Amsterdam ArenA, where our final, and only home, fixture of September took place: an impressive 4-0 win over ADO Den Haag, a win compounded by the excellent football we played. Danny Hoesen ended the month as he started, by scoring goals. His second goal was a result of typical Ajax fluency, flamboyancy and excitement - a good passing move culminated in Klaassen back-heeling the ball into Hazard, who played the killer pass into Hosen's lengthy stride, who made no mistake. An excellent performance to bring an end to an unbeaten run.

---

JONG AJAX

It's more than fair to say it was another dire month for our Jong Ajax side in the Jupiler League. The oldest player (Jari Litmanen aside) is 21-year-old Jody Lukoki and the distinct inexperience, particularly at this level, has evidently shown. On a more positive note, they did register their first win of the season against Katwijk.

Jong Ajax Jupiler League record - Position: 20th, Wins: 1, Draws: 0, Losses: 8, Top Scorer: Roope Riski - 2, Most Assists: Ricardo Kishna - 2, Highest Avg. Rating: Peter Leeuwenburgh - 6.78

---

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT - de Jongeren

DAVY KLAASSEN AGE: 21-years-old | APPS: 8 | GOALS: 1 | ASSISTS: 1 | AVG RATING: 7.30

While the above statistics of a solitary goal and an assist in 8 appearances may not be outstanding, his displays - which can't be portrayed by statistics - and development most certainly has been. Our new number 10 has morphed into the void left by Siem de Jong with exceptional ease and has become a real leader within the team - even at the tender age of 21!

While his development has been very good, there's much more potential that Davy has yet to fulfill. He could add a bit more pace to his game, but the technical facet of his game will be given particular attention over the coming season, especially his passing.

MELVIN VISSERS AGE: 18-years-old | APPS: 1 | GOALS: 0 | ASSISTS: 0 | AVG RATING: -

He's featured more for the floundering Jong Ajax side this season, but it most certainly hasn't hindered his development over the past month or two. Vissers, who made a substitute appearance against EVV in the Beker, has made long strides towards becoming a regular for the first-team. Over the past year, the technical facet of his game has seen considerable improvement - his technique, ball control and ability to shoot from range have all improved.

Moreover, his mentality has improved, largely due to the tutelage of Thulani Serero, who's been a fine mentor to him. First-team success awaits the young man from the Hague.

---

I hope you all enjoyed my latest update and it's slightly altered format. Good luck with your saves!

[col_nufc1]

Ajax Season Review 2015/16.

Cash/Claused Transfers l Free Transfers l Loan Deals l How Players On Loan Did.

Eredivisie.

Results.

Part One l Part Two

In The Cups.

JC Schaal: PSV Eindhoven 0-2 Ajax

KNVB Beker Final: ADO Den Haag 0-3 Ajax

Champions League Final : Real Madrid 1-2 Ajax

The Squad.

Star Players.

Ben Davies

The Welsh wingback was my player of the season in his first year at Ajax. Nicolai Boilesen can't get into the team now because of the good form of Davies.

Stefano Denswil

Another solid season from Stefano, who is now a regular in the Dutch squad. He has asked to leave a few times now to go to a bigger club but I have been able to persuade him to stay at Ajax for now.

Richedly Bazoer

Richeldly got his chance to be a first team regular due to the Mike van der Hoorn's injury at the start of the season, he took that chance and now forms a very good partnership at the heart of our defence with Stefano Denswil.

[col_nufc1]

Young Player Of The Year.

Youri Tielemans

The Belgian teenager is getting better and better every season and I can't wait to see how much more he can improve and end up being the focal point of the Ajax team.

The Future.

I think Viktor Fischer will leave in pre season as he wants to go to a bigger club and has been transfer listed by request. His form was pretty poor this season I think because he was unhappy. The likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City want him so I should be able to get a decent offer for him.

I am not going to restrict myself anymore on who I can sign and if a good player becomes available I will sign him regardless of his wage demands. I have lost out on numerous players that I could of signed if I went above my £50k a week wages budget that I set and that will not happen anymore.

Why can't I post this in one post, stupid bloody forums.

[Chef Raekwon]

Excellent updates guys, keep 'em coming!

[Hoarau]

Great update gents, great to see with diversity.

My own update is slow in coming as I've found myself getting to the World Cup semi final which extended my season more than I expected so once the tournaments over ill get my update sorted out. Lots of news and moves.

[yorkshire22]

Just entering the January transfer window in my 3rd season and have picked up 2 players at different ends of their careers,

Tielemans is a player who I've had an eye on for a while and at the age of 19 I felt like the time was right to bring him into the fold at Ajax, he's obviously a technically gifted player and I hope he can become a little more rounded and be a real asset for the club, and at only £3m from Anderlecht he could be a bargain.

And at 35 Dirk Kuyt is at the opposite end of the age spectrum and arrives with vast experience to his name that I hope will rub off on some of the younger players, but I'm also hoping he can contribute with some firepower that the current crop of forwards are lacking just now. He joins from Fenerbahce for a fee of £700,000