Dutch Eredivisie, 2009-10

Here is a short but informative preview of the Dutch season which begins this weekend, the first fall-spring European league to start up,

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-...uters&type=lgns

Each of the three main contenders will have a new coach, Alkmaar (Ronald Koeman), PSV (Fred Ruttan) and Ajax (Martin Jol) whuch should add some intrigue to the start of the new season.

Don't forget Twente, last season's runnersup and the only top club to retain last season's manager, Steve McLaren.

Twente began the new season well winning 2-0 at Sparta Rotterdam. New signing Bryan Ruiz netted one of their goals. AZ lost their opener 3-2 to Heracles Almelo as they trailed 3-0 before a late rally cut the deficit to 3-2 but when a penalty decision went against them, they lost their cool and finished the match with 9 men.

A very entertaining match this weekend as PSV beat Ajax 4-3 in Eindhoven. End to end action from both sides, not the best of defending but some impressive attacking play particularly from Ajax's Luis Suarez and PSV's Balázs Dzsudzsák. PSv really needed the win after drawing their first two games, and this was Ajax's first dropped points of the season. Three weeks in Twente, Feyenoord, NAC and Utrecht top the table with 7 points, followed by AZ and Ajax on 6 and PSV and Roda with 5. But to be honest Feyenoord, NAC and Utrecht have not really played any difficult opponents yet.

I watched that game and it was entertaining. But it is true the defending was not good. I was disappointed in Carlos Salcido's play for PSV, a overly hard back pass of his was not controlled by Isaksson the PSV goalie and led to the first Ajax goal, then the 2nd Ajax goal came when the attacker got Salcido on his back and spun around him to score. Salcido was pulled at the half and his countryman Francisco Rodriguez came on for him and did all right. Hopefully that gets Rodriguez back in PSV coach Fred Ruttan's good side. But Salcido's play was of concern to me, a Mexico fan.

A disappointing start to the new season for Ajax who could only draw 0-0 with Sparta Rotterdam last weekend. The pressure will soon start to build on Martin Jol if things do not improve soon. Hmm, maybe he should not have left Hamburg?

Feyenoord are a top the league and I wonder what hobbes thinks after Jonathan De Guzman scored two goals for them over the weekend.

Time to update the Dutch league thread, PSV and twente lead with 17 points from 7 games with Ajax only a point behind. Good win for PSV this weekend 3-1 at Feyenoord and after a slow start Carlos Salcido is playing well again for PSV and Maza Rodriguez is also seeing action off the bench. But it is their Hungaran winger Dszudszak who has really been impressive this season, setting up goals and scoring some, especially off of free kicks.

But the story of the weekend had to have been Luis Suarez the uruguayan striker scoring 4 goals against VVV Venlo. Ronald Koeman and champions AZ have been dropping some points and currently are in 6th place with 12 points, 5 behind the joint leaders.

Great result for Twente scoring an injury time goal to defeat AZ 3-2. Good matchup between the two sides but Twente led by N'Kufo and Ruiz were hard to stop for the AZ defense. Tough start to the season for Ronald Koeman at AZ, they now are more than 10 points behind leaders Twente.

AZ are also up for sale due to the rather spectacular bankruptcy of DSB Bank, the consumer-credit focussed institution founded by Dirk Scheringa. the policeman turned banker and club chairman who had funded AZ's recent rise (they are/were sponsored by DSB, play in the DSB Stadium, etc.)

That's why they will be turning out against Arsenal this evening in sponsorless shirts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/oc...l-shirt-sponsor

More on DSB's failure here.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...JjrRqQD9BE43NO0

sad news for a club who last year we were celebrating for upsetting the status quo but as this quote from the article ursus linked states, obviously Scheringa and DSB did not make enough friends in high places (or upset the big boys in banking for trying to upset the status quo):

The bank's founder and main owner Dirk Scheringa also blames the central bank and the government, saying unnecessary investigation tactics and intentional leaks to the media created an air of uncertainty around DSB that proved fatal.

In addition, he has questioned why major Dutch financial institutions such as ING Bank NV, ABN Amro, and Aegon NV received multibillion euro bailout packages when they ran into trouble, but DSB could not arrange comparatively modest assistance.

Finance Minister Bos attempted to broker a deal whereby banks that received government bailouts would buy DSB, but they demanded terms that were prohibitively expensive, he said.

DSB was based in a town called Wognum, 50 kilometers north of Amsterdam but well outside the corridors of political power. Its growth in recent years upset the status quo in a market with just a handful of competitors.

It was best known for television commercials that aired frequently promising low rates on personal loans.

It is sad to read of AZ's fate, reminds me in a way, well without the associated corruption, of Parmalat's collapse and what that did to Parma. It has taken them about 5 years but they seem to be getting back on their feet now with new owners.

More fall out from the problems with DSB Bank as the chairman of the bank and AZ, Dick Scheringa steps down from his position with AZ:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=goal...=goal&type=lgns

Twente keep on winning (2-1 this weekend) and their summer signing Bryan Ruiz of Costa Rica has been a real revelation, Twente remain top of the table followed by PSV, 1-0 winners over Vitesse this weekend, a point behind and Ajax who crushed Feyenoord 5-1 are in third. The biggest Dutch rivalry has turned in recent years into a mismatch as Feyenoord just cannot keep up with Ajax. Urby Emanuelson and Demy de Zeeuw were impressive today as Ajax won easily.

The funny thing about Ajax-Feyenoord was Feyenoord were in the game even down a man in the first half but they just collapsed in the 2nd and Ajax's passing and movement overwhelmed them.

Ruiz is a good player, he strikes the ball very well and although not particularly fast or strong he seems to create space for himself well.