AFC AJAX
Welcome to my guide to a team I have been playing for a little while, and in the meantime have become quite attatched to! Ajax are considered to be a major fallen giant in european football. Gone are the glory days of total football, which dominated both the domestic and UEFA stages. Here is a little FM08 related club info for you.
Year Founded: 1900
Status: Professional
Reputation: Continental
Chairman Status: Loves the club
Favoured Personnel: Jari Litmanen, Louis van Gaal, Rafael van der Vaart, Marco van Basten, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Ronald Koeman
Fierce Rivals: Feyenoord, PSV
Finances: Rich
Club Value: Estimated in region of £110million
Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA (51628 all seater)
Training Facilities: Top Level
Youth Facilities: State of the art+Youth academy
Media Prediction: 2nd
Captain: Jaap Stam
Vice Captain: Edgar Davids/John Heitinga
Squad Ave Age: 25
Starting Budgets: I told my board I felt I could challenge for the title so I was offered 7.5 Million for transfers and 275k for wages. They expect quite high things, and the budgets only vary a small amount between that and title winner. The Squad: As with previous guides I have only selected the best players, and up and coming youth members for a mention. Below is also a list of recommended purchases, and team members to get rid of.
Goalkeepers:
Maarten Stekelenburg: 24 years old this is a superb keeper to retain at the club. With a good all round stat rate and low eccentricity level, doesn't let you down often. Lacking slightly in command of his area though.
Dennis Gentenaar: Backup to the first team, though good enough in his own right to be first choice, this safe pair of hands stepped in several times when needed and did a great job. At 31 just in his prime, maturing as a GK.
Defenders:
Urby Emmanuelson: One of the FMF all-time favourites at leftback, at 21 this youngster has the world at his feet. Fantastic attributes at the start of the game only progress better and better, get him a big contract though, because its not long before the clubs come knocking...
George Ogararu: Romanian rightback with great all round attributes, this 28 year old is sometimes overlooked when searching for a class defender. Fret no more, though he does attract interest fairly quickly from other teams. Can do his job with ease.
Jaap Stam: Most people in England already know about him from his time at Manchester Utd. This rock at the heart of the defence is getting on a bit, but even at 34 can more than keep up with the pace of the division. No need to look for an immediate replacement though because....
Thomas Vermaelen: ...You already have one in this burly Belgian international. Superb stats at only 21 mean if you can keep TV then your defence will be a sfae place for a while to come. Can also cover at DL.
John Heitinga: Capped over 30 times already for his country at the age of 24, this is a must keep if you want Ajax to become a success again. Great all rounder, this natural sweeper can also play in DM if called upon. Scores a few from headers at corners too. Future long term Captain material.
Midfielders:
Kennedy Bakircilogu: Or kennedy to everyone, is a superb AMR with Beckham-like qualities from dead-ball situations. 16 on long shots mean KB can score with regular ease from distance too, though his tackling can lead to him being booked a fair few times. If his influence was better could have been World Class.
Edgar Davids: Another we all know from his time at Spurs, the bulldog that is Davids brings a mean bite to the centre of the park. Great stats, even at 34 means he still commands his MC spot. In my opinion look to off load at the end of the season, and bring in a fresh DM
Albert Luque: A total flop at Newcastle United, I have found since this player excels in the dutch setup. His good passing, and shooting mean a fair few goals scored and provided, though he does tend to back off a lot when facing a player with the ball.
Hedwiges Maduro: One of my personal faves for first team MC this dogged player is a Roy Keane in the making. Box to Box running, good passing and under rated shooting mean a super all rounder. Must keep.
Nicola Mitea: Another Romanian in the side, and a lethal one too just outside the box, this guy is so quick (17) he leaves most of the leagues' better defenders for dead. Weaknesses include influence and aggression, but otherwise, a fab AML.
Dennis Rohmmedahl: Probabaly the leat talented player in the AMLRC setup, this is one that is overlooked, playing only when other players are injured or unavailable. Best to offload soon, as his stats drop badly over the season.
Jan Vertonghen: A very good DM/MC, probably the auto replacement for Davids. Good all round stats, and low aggression combine to a tough tackler that rarely gets booked.
Strikers:
Klaas Huntelaar: Probably the player Liverpool should have signed instead of Kuyt, this forward scores seemingly out of nothing. With Composure at 15 and Finishing at 17, this marksman is lethal around the box, and on occasions, miles from it. Must keep, offer a large contract and huge buyout clause.
Edgar Manucharyan: Highly under rated this pacey Armenian striker is good to play against the smaller, less equipped dutch teams. Scores odd goals, probably on account of his high technique rating (17) catching opposition GK when they least expect it!
Stanton Lewis: One of the up and coming youth teamers, this South African has lower stats than his companions above, but for some reason seems to net often, usually against bigger sides! one to keep, maybe send out for a season loan, but a good prospect
Leonardo: Probably Ajax's quickest player, his dribbling and speed running with the ball are a joy to behold. By Xmas on my game he had scored two goal of the month's with Kinkladze like runs. Can also play comfortably on AML.
Players to get rid of....
Michael Krohn-Dehli. Potential trouble maker who sulks and causes disruption in the squad when he doesn't play.
Gabri: Although a fairly good player, there are much better in his position at AMR. I'd let him go to another club because at 29 he has a few years yet and I wouldnt want him sat on the bench.
Erik Heijblok: Again another who will never make it into the first team, and so better to let move on.
Players to buy in.....
In my game I wanted to emmulate the brilliant standard of the youth team Ajax used to have. So I brought in...
Gabriel Torje, Bogdan Stancu, Alex Fernandez, Ever Banega, Lauri Dalla Valle, Esmir Sabic, Jukka Lehtovaara, Giorgino Wijnaldum, Balazs Dzsudzsak and Mika Aaritalo.
Mainly I strengthened the Ajax frontline, as there are only two or three mainline strikers. The youth team has some good defenders coming through the ranks too.
In conclusion I would say managing Ajax, and looking further into their game than being just one of the big three or four in dutch football is a massively enjoying experience.
Its not as easy challenge as it looks, PSV and Feyenoord will push you all the way, and even teams like Heerenveen an d AZ are good enough too.
Hope you enjoyed the guide, if anyone wants to use it elsewhere then PM me with a request and I'll most likely agree.
Apologies to any discrepancies in the making of this guide, I only have the 8.0.0 game to work from. Also there are a lack of images because i'm hopeless at graphical work, so sorry if you were expecting something special.
AFC Ajax 
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