Johan Cruyff

^ Cruyff had nothing to do with that...do some research first, I'd say. They (the board, who have nothing to do with Cruyff) sold Suárez to cover up for their losses.

Will Cruyff's velvet revolution at Ajax end in glory or turmoil?

Thursday 07 April 2011 18:06
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In the space of little over a week the velvet revolution led by Johan Cruyff and his cohorts was in danger of turning into a reign of terror, with Cruyff assuming the Maximilien Robespierre role.
Last Wednesday the Ajax supervisory board, appointed as a result of an internal investigation conducted the last time the Amsterdam club were as deeply embroiled in crisis back in 2008, resigned.
Club Chairman Uri Coronel cited the ongoing turmoil at the club as the reason for their departure, and reasoned that Cruyff’s god-like status at the club had made it impossible for them to win the hearts and minds of the vastly disgruntled fans, despite attempting what Cruyff labelled had a smear campaign.
At first it seemed as though the rumblings behind the scenes could affect the players on the pitch, chants of ‘Johan’ grew throughout the home game against Heracles on Sunday as the home team struggled to break down their opponents.
The tetchy atmosphere was quelled in the 58th minute when a fortunate Oleguer goal broke the deadlock before Siem de Jong’s quickly added his eight of the season.
By that stage, Ajax looked settled and grabbed a third from Araz Özbiliz, his first for the club. The heralded the impressive début of Danish teenager Nicolai Boilesen - playing at left-back coming on for the injured Daley Blind, although a centre-back by trade. He gave a virtuoso performance that could see him as a permanent fixture in the not-too-distant future.

Cruyff, for all his greatness, is no stranger to turmoil at the club. As a young player was often at loggerheads with his more experienced team mates, sometimes lambasting them for something as simple as losing possession. He also famously went against the power-brokers at Ajax and won more player freedom at the club, demanding full-time contracts at a time when players were no more than semi-pros.
However in 1973, after 10 successful years, Cruyff left the club in somewhat unceremonious circumstances - even today nobody knows the full truth behind his departure, although it is widely speculated to be at least partly down to him losing the captaincy. Despite his great presence on the field of play and the artistry and imagination that captivated his audiences, Cruyff had a contradictory side.
A winner by any definition, Cruyff insisted on the highest of standards from his team mates, although he did at times seem to have difficulty owning up to his own shortcomings. Whenever he lost possession, it wasn’t his fault - it would be the player who passed the ball. If his pass to a team mate didn’t reach its target then it would be that team mate who was to blame.
After eight years split across spells at four clubs in Spain and the United States, Cruyff returned to Ajax in 1981, although not before handing out a piece of unwanted advice from the stands to then boss Leo Beenhakker.
Cruyff was in the stands for a match against FC Twente, and ambled down to the dug-out to lectured the manager on where exactly he was going wrong and how to correct it. And, as if this wasn’t unhelpful enough, it was caught live by national television cameras.
Ajax, who at the time was losing 3-1, managed to turn things around on the basis of Cruyff’s advice - winning the game 5-3. Beenhakker was humiliated, what should have been his finest moment was overshadowed (highlights below).
Beenhakker later muttered that he “should have socked Jopie (Cruyff‘s nickname in his homeland) on the jaw then and there. Live on telly. The smug little b*st*rd….”


Despite being in the twilight of his career, there was still time for another falling out with the club he loved. After three successful years back in Amsterdam, it was time to negotiate a new contract.
The board, at the time lead by chairman Ton Harmsen, were reluctant to match Cruyff’s demands. They reasoned that Cruyff wasn’t getting any younger and wouldn’t be value for money - this no doubt dismayed the player and in an act that could best be described as typically Cruyff, he signed for fierce rivals Feyenoord, proving the Ajax board wrong by helping secure a league and cup double for the Rotterdam club.
But, true to form, Cruyff soon reconciled with Ajax, taking over as coach in 1985, with the Dutch FA turning a blind eye to his lack of qualifications.
In the first three seasons in the dugout, Ajax won two Dutch Cups and a Cup Winners’ Cup in 1987, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. First a training ground bust-up with Frank Rijkaard, who later vowed to never play under the coach again.
The straw that broke them camel’s back came when the board sold captain Marco van Basten to AC Milan, Cruyff putting it politely blew a gasket and that was that, his last official position at Ajax ended, he moved to FC Barcelona where he gained unparalleled success, but his story with Ajax didn’t stop here.
As Louis van Gaal began to put Ajax back on the map in the mid 1990’s, an irrational and personal vendetta from Cruyff towards Van Gaal began to surface. Some say it was down to jealousy, speculating that the legendary No.14 felt he didn’t enjoy the same support from the boardroom as Van Gaal during his own tenure in the dugout.
This feud continued when Van Gaal became coach at Barcelona, with Cruyff often be overcritical of his compatriot’s coaching methods when talking to the press - something Van Gaal has yet to forgive him for to this day.


But it didn’t just stop at Van Gaal – Cruyff would continue to pick away at a string of Ajax coaches over the next decade, including Morten Olsen and Co Adriaanse.
The patern had finally looked like ending in 2008, when Marco van Basten, one of Cruyff’s disciples, signed to become coach after leaving the national team (a role the Dutch FA gave after persuading by Cruyff).
Shortly later it was announced Cruyff would be returning to the club as technical director in the wake of the departure of the previous board. Cruyff said shortly after “Nobody has ever – and I mean ever – said, ‘You fix it’.”
“They don’t dare ask. Because if I have to do it, I will fix it, but I’ll do it in a way many people won’t like. That’s why they keep me at arm’s length.”
However things turned sooner even sooner than was expected, when a month later Cruyff pulled out of the proposed return citing “professional difference of opinion” between him and Van Basten, who complained that Cruyff’s plans were “going too fast.”
And now, fast forward to 2011, when it seemed a brave new world would be ushered in, many are wondering if it’s yet more uncertain times.
When now he is expected to be a unifying force he’s already become the opposite. His admission that he wouldn’t assume an official role has left many fans questioning his inability to place himself in a position of responsibility for the club that he clearly loves.
Instead he’d rather stay on as an advisor to Wim Jonk, Dennis Bergkamp and Frank de Boer. His plan is for all three to get actively involved in training youth players, focusing more on their individual skills than on team play at the early stages of their development.
His plan will see Bergkamp become head of the youth academy (De Toekomst), Jonk head of scouting and De Boer remaining as first team coach. "It's clear what has to happen," he said after leaving the meeting last Wednesday. "We are ready."
His legacy of embracing the club’s philosophy and as a pioneer of the brand of football with which Ajax became synonymous means it’s hard for the club to say no to him – despite his disruptive past.
After all, the groundwork he laid at Barcelona didn’t leave the Catalan club on too bad a footing...

Ajax have no seriuous money, so they will always sell their best players. Therefore I can't imagine them being in a position like they were in the mid 90's in keeping their best players because other clubs will offer these players higher wages than Ajax can afford.

Of course they can't.

But they can try at least. Whatever comes now, it won't be worse than what the last donkeys made of the club. This is Ajax!!!

The following is a translation of Johan Cruyff’s weekly article in ‘El Periodico’.

Johan Cruyff’s key points.

Mourinho is doing his job the only way he understands it. The person responsible for allowing the Portuguese to ruin Madrid’s legacy is Florentino. And only him.

I don’t know what are all the fuss about… and all the surprise. The hands on the foreheads after Mourinho’s Champions League post match press conference. I’ve heard he’s a loco. That he is a manipulator. I have read a thousand adjectives trying to define what he said, and how he said them, and for the most part, it was not good. It was ugly, disgraceful, and he lost all credibility. And while it is aimed and fired at the Portuguese, I think if there is anyone who should be blamed for everything that has happened, it is none other than at the Casa Blanca itself.

Mourinho is doing his job, in his own way, and in the only way he understands football. But he is just the coach. Above him, is someone who decides everything, the president. He is the boss. And he is the one who draws the line [that can or cannot be crossed] in the club. It is the president that will decide what the club wants, and how he wants his team to be. He is the one who selects his ‘general’, the qualified person who would lead his players in their campaign.

Ultimately, on the pitch, the coach is an extension of whatever values the president wants to defend. There is only one problem: when the only value that he wants to defend is the final victory, when he gives all the power to his general so he can finish off the ‘enemy’, disregarding all of the institution’s history and values, then that president [himself] has crossed a very dangerous line.

Disregarding everything

Florentino signed Mourinho to end Barca’s supremacy at any price. I couldn’t care if he wants to relinquish dominance on the pitch, and giving up the attacking football that, for years, had been the foundation of Madrid’s game at the Bernabeu. It doesn’t matter to me that a professional would complain about everything, I mean everything, as long as they get the win. But Florentino has forgotten that he has fantastic players – Players that could eventually form a great team. Players that, one day, could topple Barca while giving joy to their fans.

When I came to Barcelona in ‘88 [as their coach], Madrid, for me, was the best team in the last 40 years [prior to that]. They had La Quinta del Buitre [The five vultures] and had just won three back-to-back league titles. In Barcelona, everyone was crying foul. The referees were to be blamed for everything – Madriditis in every way. They were better, so of course they were winning. They won two more titles [after that] but we were growing [in strength]. [From the time I arrived,] we were helping Madrid to be better but were growing ourselves, until the day when we were playing as good, or maybe even better, than them that we managed to beat them. It was the Dream Team against La Quinta.

We won four consecutive league titles ourselves, but they were still very good. And they could have even beaten us to two of those league titles. They were a great team, but then no matter how great they were, you can always beat them by playing well. But if you choose the wrong path, you can always end up with nothing.

The victory they [Mourinho's Madrid] achieved in the Copa del Rey, being something of a major accomplishment, has turned into something minor, almost insignificant. Today, everyone was only talking about whether Pepe’s expulsion in the Champions League was fair or not. Some say yes and others not. By contrast, there were no discussions about other actions that were so clear cut. The culprits got off scot-free and no one complained. Between the Cup and the Champions League, Villa was assaulted by Arbeloa, Marcelo on Pedro, and the stamp of Pepe on Messi was horrible. I’m not trying to claim anything. It happened but the referee didn’t see it, period. I’m not talking about whether they should be expelled or not. I’m talking about their [playing] style. These moves have been replayed [on TVs] a thousand times around the world. And someone who is impartial, sitting on his or her couch at home, I don’t believe he or she is buying it [Madrid’s innocence]. I’m talking about their behaviour on the pitch.

I know Butragueno and Valdano very well. What they are [as a person], and had been, as players, what they stood for, and what they stand for [now]. I have not talked to them, but I do not believe they approve these kinds of behaviours. But never mind. Their president has made his choice. Mourinho is now an extension of Florentino. The Portuguese is merely the executioner.

The role of Guardiola

I listened to Guardiola’s press conference prior to the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. I support what he said. Except it was a mistake. It was not he who should have said them. He is an employee. A general, but still, an employee. His job is to prepare his team so they can play well and win, but not be the face of the club, even if he does it better than anyone else. This responsibility rests with the president or his delegate. Florentino has Mourinho because the ‘entertainment’ comes with the ‘package’. This is the second time that Pep has got to do something that he detests. Let’s hope it is the last time.

Legendary #14!! He invented the diamond formation.. how FC Barcelona play.
He is the inventor of the attack of Barcelona!!

benaiges: "when one day a player decided to quit school, cruyff called him at 8am and made him clean the boots of all first team players."

Click to expand...

ahhahha

The following is a translation of the first part of a question and answer session with Johan Cruyff published in El Periodico.

A year ago, you returned the insignia of honorary president [of FC Barcelona]. Afterwards, you had a meeting with [Sandro] Rosell to try to fix things, but the distance continues and you have not returned to the Camp Nou.

No, no I haven’t once been back to the stadium. It’s just that, on an institutional level, I like very few things that they do. I don’t see a path and there are strange things [going on]. For example, last year they sold [Dmytro] Chygrynskiy for 15 million because they said they could not even pay his wages and now they have spent nearly 70 million because they will likely pay nearly every variable, in two signings [Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fábregas]. If you say there is no money, it is because there is none, and you must accept that, but this does not seem very consistent.

But now the club will generate more income with the Qatar Foundation contract, although the deal must first be ratified by the assembly.

I already said that I do not like shirt sponsors; however, if it is necessary then something must be done. But if there really was so much urgency, why did they simply not do it the year before when, according to them, things were so bad? Why are they doing what they are doing with the [other sporting] sections? Can you save the club with this money? I don’t get it. You can fix things with just a little imagination, like using just a part of the proceeds from the Gamper [trophy], because Napoli came to play for free. You already cover the costs. What is a section? It’s one of the symbols of Barça being more than a club. These are people who have an emotional bond [with the club]. They always talk of emotions and sentiment, but with certain gestures and decisions, they betray themselves.

There are problems with your foundation.

Yes. The club is undergoing expansion, to promote an image of unity—similar to what they have done with Bill Gates and his foundation, and it seems perfect to me. Or with Shakira as well. But here, in Catalunya, they do nothing. My foundation, which does things here around Catalunya, has not been paid. Why play games? I see no consistency between one situation and the other.

The fact you have not been paid seems to be more attributed to the financial claims the club has made and to the fact that it was a deal that you signed during your days with Joan Laporta’s board.

But there’s a contract. I keep doing the things that I was doing before and pay out of pocket. I read that [Rosell] needs to talk about this with me but he has not done so—not him, not anyone. They go on making excuses, but nothing that makes sense. If he wants to make a difference, then do it, say something, but you can’t keep lying to these handicapped children. This type of aid is a part of the responsibilities of a club like Barça. You have to set an example and the example is not to always be crying about lacking this or that, and criticizing the ones who came before you.

But this war continues. There is a legal liability movement against Laporta and his directive staff.

Yeah, yeah. Many are criticizing him but you are collecting trophies now because of the good work he did before. So, why do you behave like that? I truly don’t understand it. Even though I have been at the club for many years and I normally know from which directions the shots are coming, it’s not clear any longer.

Why?

Because I see strange things. What am I referring to? The Qatar deal, for example, when you know that Rosell had or has relations and business and we’re talking about a very rich country. Just look at what he has done to the sections like it matters nothing, and he speaks about how much debt we have and always with this economical topic. What does he want, to someday turn Barça into a private corporation?

That seems impossible.

I’m not so sure. So, in which direction do we move? What kind of club does he want? There are things here that you don’t understand and make you suspicious. If you want to sell a company, what do you do? You eliminate that which does not pique the interests of the buyer. Let’s say Qatar [Foundation] is the buyer. The other sections of the club won’t interest them, neither will the local foundations because they already have their own. These are not pleasant thoughts and I am not saying it’s true, but you see things that make you think there could be something behind it all.

Your relationship with [Pep] Guardiola remains intact and on the margins of the situation. You play golf, eat together, talk often …

Yes, one thing that has nothing to do with the other. We are friends. What can you say? Do you hide what you think? Do you hide yourself? If he asks you something, would you not answer? It’s absurd. The friendship I have with him gives me great pride.

He’s already beating you in titles: 12 to 11.

That gives me even greater pride. I haven’t worked for 15 years and he is making me even more famous. So, how am I supposed to be jealous of someone who is maintaining my prestige? What more could I ask for? What’s even better is that this is the best way for this philosophy to stay on its feet and bearing witness to the admiration that he provokes, for however small it is, that little rascal [laughter]. If you pick up any newspaper in the world and there is an article talking about the great style of Barça, my name always appears and makes me even more famous. Oh, that it lasts, that it lasts.

Precisely. This relationship with Guardiola is one of the reasons why you have decided not to write every Monday in El Periódico as you did before and which you will now do once a month.

Here you always have people who want to misinterpret things. I do not want to interfere with Pep’s work nor do I want to make him feel uncomfortable because of what I think about the team each week. Last season I spoke very little about things going on with the club. But I see things continue to be the same. When Rosell said he and his team were not bullies or charlatans, what was the point? Why do you even have to make that allusion? And we are accusing [José] Mourinho? If you have inherited one of the most exceptional things in the world and in the span of a year have had more glory and more trophies than anyone else, a secure team for years to come, be grateful.

But Guardiola is the guarantee that all will continue the same.

It scares me to think about what will happen when he’s not around, because Rosell has always been against people like Pep and [Frank] Rijkaard. His philosophy is more Brazilian and Portuguese. Everything started with Rijkaard, with his behavior. He was a gentleman. If he had been working under Rosell, he would have been thrown out within six months and it’s also likely that none of this would have occurred.

Great interview and comments as always from Johan... sad to see how Rosell has pissed all over this relationship. Would be nice for Rosell to show a little respect to one of the most important figures in our history

They put up the second part:

From his retirement place, in El Montanyà, Johan Cruyff contemplates Pep’s Barça with pleasure. He is happy that his student has already mastered the art he created about two decades ago. His vision of football is still alive in the current team, and more so, it is getting perfected by thay young skinny man he discovered in the Mini Estadi one day, ignoring those voices that said he wasn’t good enough. Cruyff once gave his blessing to Pep as the new coach appointed by Laporta and Txiki, opposing a lot of people who wanted Mourinho. So he is delighted to talk about Pep and his team.

Pep is doing a fantastic job, he does everythin well.

Why?

From the football point of view, everything is going great. The currect success is a consequence of maintaining the same philosophy for years. But now I witness that the club is not only obsessed with winning silverware, but making money. The approach should be different. Last season, it seems money is the reason to exist for Barça. But I think that football must be the most important thing. Football does not exist to generate money, but just the opposite.

What do you mean?

I was saying that Pep is doing a great job because he isolates his team from the rest of things happening at the club level. They (the directive board) have a different view of things. We saw that in the pre-season, before the Spanish Supercup and the US tour. I know the club must take any chance to earn money, but there’s got to be a balance, training is needed and there’s got to be time to do that, and prepare the tournament properly.

Madrid also went on tour, but it seemed they were much more prepared to win that first title.

Perhaps people didn’t realize, but Barça took many risks. Guardiola knew. Luckily, everything went fine, but losing the Super Cup would have meant a big blow for the start of the season. And the chances of losing it were big because of that difference in preparation between both teams. Guardiola was very brave, he took big decisions and managed enormous risks, and it wasn’t easy, they were facing Madrid. But he said: “I will play them, no matter what happens”. And it worked. But it all has to do with the obssession about money. You have to collect, sure, but you also need time to get ready, to prepare. The balance was not right, at the begining of this season.

And what about the war-like atmosphere that surrounds the clasicos since Mou has arrived?

I have never seen anything like it. The situation has become very unpleasant. Mourinho? I have already talked about him in El Periódico, long time ago. I don’t need to repeat that. The problem seems more serious to me. Madrid has a responsibility as a big football team, and there are things that should not be allowed.

Why do you say that?

There are millions of children worldwide that are receiving a bad example, Madrid does not care about them. Since Valdano left, things have gotten much worse. You can say anything about Valdano, but he is a gentleman. Mourinho may be a good person in private and he is a very good coach, but he shows another face to the world. Madrid needs to change this situation.

They don’t seem to.

Madrid is suffering of bad luck, bad luck of having this Barça side at such a great level. If Madrid played in another league, or another time, they would do great and win lots of silverware. They are a good team, but they haven’t found the way of defeating Barça yet. And if we discuss about tactics, then I can say I am a bit surprised. There are always some ways of defeating a team. What is worse for them, is that they always make the same mistake. But if they don’t know how to fix it, it’s much better for Barça.

I asumme you won’t tell me what it is..

Of course I won’t say! It’ their problem. I know Madrid can make excuses or justify things that have no justification, but the world does not share their vision. Beyond winning or losing, Barça has a clean image and Madrid’s… is not what it was. And besides, there is Mourinho… if players are submitted to a coach like him, someone that causes trouble every day, what can they do? I mean, how some players react…

You are talking about Casillas, Xabi Alonso…

I speak in general. When you see them acting the way the have in the past games, you think “these are not them”. I guess they think the same, once the game is finished… They’re like between a rock and a hard place. What can they say? That they do not agree with the coach? They can’t. Mourinho’s attitude does not only affect his own image but his players’ reputation as well.

In one of your articles in El Periódico, you said that Florentino’s soul is inside Mourinho’s body.

It’s true. Being a president does not only mean to lift trophies. It also involves taking tough decisions. That’s his job. It is not always nice. Madrid has been a huge club for so many years, thanks to their style, their behaviour..and it’s been huge in Spain and the world. But they are losing their prestige with each passing day. They are obsessed with Barça and they’ve crossed the line. And people here should understand that because it was the other way around, for many years. But we never reached these limits.

About the news signings, Cruyff says he is not surprised by the arrival of Cesc. “Not even when Guardiola used him as a “false” striker. He knows his players and always finds the best way for them to do their job. Cesc motivates the rest, nobody gets relaxed.”

About Alexis, he said, “Alexis is a brave kid. I liked him since his first game. And it was not an easy game, at the Bernabéu, facing a team that was much more prepared than Barça. Alexis works hard, he goes after every ball and does not only think about himself. That is the basic quality for this team, and what I like the most. It doesn’t matter if he scores or doesn’t, or he doesn’t complete a dribble. Now Barça has another player like Pedro, who chases every ball, or Messi, who is the best but also works hard for the team, or Villa, who runs all the time. They’re all honest people.”

Good stuff...

I made a video about him, tell me your opinion

^