Cruyff asks De Boer to stay at Ajax
Dutch legend Johan Cruyff hopes Frank de Boer will turn down Tottenham. The rubbish being printed that Marc Overmars and Frank de Boer telling the truth has turned Spurs off him is nonsense.
This sort of thing happens everyday in football and when you are choosing the right man to take over you don't let such trivialities influence a decision that could change the course of your fortunes.
Johan Cruyff won an absolute stack of trophies as a manager and as the best player in the world in the 70's. Holland never lost a game in which he scored and he scored 33 international goals. He is a former Ajax and Barcelona player just like the Frank de Boer so the fortunes of Ajax are close to his heart.
For younger readers who may not know who he is take a look at this list.
Johan Cruyff as a player
Ajax
Eredivisie (8): 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1982–83
KNVB Cup (5): 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1982–83
UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1968
European Cup (3): 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
UEFA Super Cup (2): 1972, 1973
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1972
Barcelona
La Liga (1): 1973–74
Copa del Rey (1): 1977–78
Feyenoord
Eredivisie (1): 1983–84
KNVB Cup (1): 1983–84
As a manager
Ajax
KNVB Cup (2): 1985–86, 1986–87
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1987
Barcelona
La Liga (4): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
Copa del Rey (1): 1989–90
Supercopa de España (3): 1991, 1992, 1994
European Cup (1): 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup (1): 1992
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1989
Personal awards as a player
Dutch Footballer of the Year (5): 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1984
European Golden Shoe (1): 1968
Ballon d'Or (3): 1971, 1973, 1974
Dutch Sportsman of the Year (2): 1973, 1974
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1): 1974
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 1974
Don Balón Award (2): 1977, 1978
Onze d'Or (2): 1986, 1987
FIFA World Cup All-Time T
World Team of the 20th Century
FIFA 100
Golden Player of the Netherlands
World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013
Personal awards as a manager
World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year (1): 1987
Don Balón Award for Coach of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
Onze d'Or for Coach of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
As you can see Johan Cruyff is someone who knows a thing or two about being the best he can be and what it takes to be a winner both as a player and a manager. Frank de Boer is of a similar mould, take a look at his honours.
Frank de Boer as a player
Ajax
Eredivisie (5):1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
KNVB Cup (2): 1992–93, 1997–98
Johan Cruijff Shield (3): 1993, 1994, 1995
UEFA Champions League (1): 1994–95
UEFA Cup (1): 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup (1): 1995
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1995
Barcelona
La Liga (1): 1998–99
As a manager
Ajax
Eredivisie (4): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
Johan Cruijff Shield (1): 2013
Assistant coach
Holland
2010 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
Personal awards
Amsterdamse coach van het jaar (De Fanny) : 2012
Rinus Michels Award: 2013
JFK's Greatest Man Award: 2013
Those awards and honours give you status, something only Rafa Benitez of the candidates mentioned has. Daniel Levy is not going to dismiss De Boer from his candidate list simply because he let the press know Spurs had phoned Marc Overmars. It beggars belief that journalists expect people to fall for that.
Compare his career to that of the guy they want the public to believe is the number one choice, Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino as a player
Newell's Old Boys
Argentine Primera División: 1990–91, Clausura 1992
Espanyol
Copa del Rey: 1999–2000, 2005–06
As a manager
Premier League Manager of the Month: October 2013
Not much point taking a vote is there, Still believe Daniel Levy is going to dismiss one and choose the other because the Dutchman admitted Spurs had spoken to Ajax? No didn't think so.
Now 67 Johan Cruyff was asked about Frank de Boer by Voetbal International.
Cruyff believes like De Boer that individual training programmes are required for each player as well as the usual team training. He feels and I agree with him, that improving each individual, making them the best they can be, is important in improving the team as a whole.
If you improve 11 players the result has to be a better performing unit and it's no surprise that the one player we have who wants to improve his game came from Ajax, Christian Eriksen.
As Tim Sherwood said he is married to football, I have to drag him off the training field. All the players should be like that and it just goes to prove the words of Ossie Ardiles, that the season has been the players fault. He has said as a manager you can do little with what has been bought.
If a player simply wants to play and train on auto-pilot he will, but it will be his choice to do so. Too many of our players expect to be guaranteed a starting place as if they have a devine right whatever sub-standard performances they turn in.
The sooner we can get a manager in so these fragile minded players know what is happening and can relax the better, but this time it has to be the right man. There can never be that guarantee of course but being a winner is essential so any manager who has never won anything immediately has question marks over him.
Frank de Boer has trophies as player and manager and Cruyff's words indicate that far from being out of contention for the Tottenham job his fellow countryman is very much a strong candidate.
This sort of thing happens everyday in football and when you are choosing the right man to take over you don't let such trivialities influence a decision that could change the course of your fortunes.
Johan Cruyff won an absolute stack of trophies as a manager and as the best player in the world in the 70's. Holland never lost a game in which he scored and he scored 33 international goals. He is a former Ajax and Barcelona player just like the Frank de Boer so the fortunes of Ajax are close to his heart.
For younger readers who may not know who he is take a look at this list.
Johan Cruyff as a player
Ajax
Eredivisie (8): 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1981–82, 1982–83
KNVB Cup (5): 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1982–83
UEFA Intertoto Cup (1): 1968
European Cup (3): 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73
UEFA Super Cup (2): 1972, 1973
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1972
Barcelona
La Liga (1): 1973–74
Copa del Rey (1): 1977–78
Feyenoord
Eredivisie (1): 1983–84
KNVB Cup (1): 1983–84
As a manager
Ajax
KNVB Cup (2): 1985–86, 1986–87
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1987
Barcelona
La Liga (4): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
Copa del Rey (1): 1989–90
Supercopa de España (3): 1991, 1992, 1994
European Cup (1): 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup (1): 1992
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1989
Personal awards as a player
Dutch Footballer of the Year (5): 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1984
European Golden Shoe (1): 1968
Ballon d'Or (3): 1971, 1973, 1974
Dutch Sportsman of the Year (2): 1973, 1974
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1): 1974
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 1974
Don Balón Award (2): 1977, 1978
Onze d'Or (2): 1986, 1987
FIFA World Cup All-Time T
World Team of the 20th Century
FIFA 100
Golden Player of the Netherlands
World Soccer Greatest XI of All Time: 2013
Personal awards as a manager
World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year (1): 1987
Don Balón Award for Coach of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
Onze d'Or for Coach of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
As you can see Johan Cruyff is someone who knows a thing or two about being the best he can be and what it takes to be a winner both as a player and a manager. Frank de Boer is of a similar mould, take a look at his honours.
Frank de Boer as a player
Ajax
Eredivisie (5):1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98
KNVB Cup (2): 1992–93, 1997–98
Johan Cruijff Shield (3): 1993, 1994, 1995
UEFA Champions League (1): 1994–95
UEFA Cup (1): 1991–92
UEFA Super Cup (1): 1995
Intercontinental Cup (1): 1995
Barcelona
La Liga (1): 1998–99
As a manager
Ajax
Eredivisie (4): 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14
Johan Cruijff Shield (1): 2013
Assistant coach
Holland
2010 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
Personal awards
Amsterdamse coach van het jaar (De Fanny) : 2012
Rinus Michels Award: 2013
JFK's Greatest Man Award: 2013
Those awards and honours give you status, something only Rafa Benitez of the candidates mentioned has. Daniel Levy is not going to dismiss De Boer from his candidate list simply because he let the press know Spurs had phoned Marc Overmars. It beggars belief that journalists expect people to fall for that.
Compare his career to that of the guy they want the public to believe is the number one choice, Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino as a player
Newell's Old Boys
Argentine Primera División: 1990–91, Clausura 1992
Espanyol
Copa del Rey: 1999–2000, 2005–06
As a manager
Premier League Manager of the Month: October 2013
Not much point taking a vote is there, Still believe Daniel Levy is going to dismiss one and choose the other because the Dutchman admitted Spurs had spoken to Ajax? No didn't think so.
Now 67 Johan Cruyff was asked about Frank de Boer by Voetbal International.
“Everyone at Ajax wants Frank to continue. He has proven for years what he has to offer. But if Frank is allowed to leave, no one can blame him.
“For good trainers the same applies as with good players: if a club comes along… it is logical that the person is going to think about it. And then there can come a time when you have to let him go… But we just hope that Frank stays in Amsterdam.”
Cruyff believes like De Boer that individual training programmes are required for each player as well as the usual team training. He feels and I agree with him, that improving each individual, making them the best they can be, is important in improving the team as a whole.
If you improve 11 players the result has to be a better performing unit and it's no surprise that the one player we have who wants to improve his game came from Ajax, Christian Eriksen.
As Tim Sherwood said he is married to football, I have to drag him off the training field. All the players should be like that and it just goes to prove the words of Ossie Ardiles, that the season has been the players fault. He has said as a manager you can do little with what has been bought.
If a player simply wants to play and train on auto-pilot he will, but it will be his choice to do so. Too many of our players expect to be guaranteed a starting place as if they have a devine right whatever sub-standard performances they turn in.
The sooner we can get a manager in so these fragile minded players know what is happening and can relax the better, but this time it has to be the right man. There can never be that guarantee of course but being a winner is essential so any manager who has never won anything immediately has question marks over him.
Frank de Boer has trophies as player and manager and Cruyff's words indicate that far from being out of contention for the Tottenham job his fellow countryman is very much a strong candidate.
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