What On Earth Is Going On At Ajax? 

I feel like half of all teams in Europe deserve a “what is going on at ____” video 😂😂everyone is flopping this season

Last season, Ajax didn't win a single Eredivisie game against PSV, Feyenoord or AZ Alkmaar for the first time ever. And if you count their loss on penalties in the Cup final as a loss, they're on a 5-game losing streak against PSV. It's bizarre to witness.

The fact that a 17-year-old is currently our best player says enough about the current situation of the club.

Santiago Gimenez really just made Ajax ragequit

Imagine if you were in charge of the signings at Ajax. Knowing that every summer your best players will all leave and you have a limited budget to replace them with. Sounds like a nightmare to me.

You keep using Brighton as the only example outside of Ajax that can survive after losing so many players. Benfica has done it for the last 10 years, repeatedly.

I remember when Postecoglu was mentioned for the job as well. Media and Ajax fans were just as dismissive, saying good results with a Scottish team was in no way enough to become manager of Ajax. Looking at Spurs I think they would have really liked him. For me the game between Ajax and Feyenoord this year will always go down as the game where an average playing Feyenoord beat their arch rivals so badly that the Ajax ultras got the game called off because they couldn't take a loss.

As an Ajax fan, I have to compliment you on the research you must have done for this video. You pretty much got everything spot on without leaving out anything important.

As a Dutch guy, with a dad who supports Ajax and me who follows every football news in Holland, I have to say this is a great video!! Very complete and well done in terms of research! Keep up the good work!👌🏻👌🏻

There's a third player that is responsible for the mess: Edwin van der Sar, who was a very weak general director. He was way too passive, like when he kept the technical director position open for way too long after Overmars's dismissal, and when he did something, it was usually not good. The worst thing is when he cancelled celebrations for the women's team becoming champions, because "the fans weren't feeling it after the disappointing results of the men's team". Mind you: this was after the Overmars scandal, which he knew about and led fester before it came out. Van der Sar had a stroke this summer, which nearly killed him, which means he had to resign. And although Mislintat may be a literal fraud (Stuttgart is looking into his transfers now as well), he had a point regarding Steijn, who consistently puts players in positions they weren't bought for and then complains in public how hard is job is with all the crappy players Mislintat gave him. Put yourself in the position of a 20-something who moves abroad for the first time for a new job, only to be called a talentless hack in front of the entire nation by your new boss. Not professional at least. This has lead to senior players publicly putting his qualities in doubt, which usually isn't a good sign for a head coach.

33:43 him mentioning Bryan Brobbey as Ajax’s best talent just tells you how horrible of a situation they’re in right now

Small update: Ajax just lost against Utrecht (16th place) due to a 90th minute goal making it 4-3 for Utrecht. This was after fans threw a cup on the field causing the match to be temporarily postponed. Long story short: Ajax is now 17th out of 18 and is in the direct relegation zone. A position that Ajax hasn't been in for a long long time.

I think Rosenborg BK from Norway could also deserve a "What on earth". The way that club has fallen from grace is fascinating and total

Problem for Ajax is they sold too many players without any proper replacement and Ten Hag's departure have opened the loophole and which is clearly visible right now plus recruitment team is very horrible

Its crazy that AEK can very possibly finish 1rst or 2nd in the Europa group of death

Thank you for making this, I've wanted it for so long.

Edson was the defensive backbone, without him it all crumbled

this just keeps getting better. i didnt think that was possible

Why not bringing in Cristian Chivu as head coach?He played for Ajax before Internazionale Milano.

My club, West Ham, have just signed two of their best players, Alvarez and Kudus. A few years ago this would have been nigh on impossible.

there there are thing I would like to add. Overmars, van de Sar, Danny Blind (then on the board of directors) and later ten Hag, had a suicide pact to gain power within the club. This is the foundation on which the success was built. Overmars needed than power to bring Henk Veldmate (a outsider) to de club, a former headscout from fc groningen how brought suarez to Europe. All the players from latin America came from his network. He is know technical director of fc groningen a club that also needs a video.

Knew Alfie was gonna make a video about this. Cheers mate I already know it’s gonna be a great watch 🍻

It gets even worse in the National Cup competition..... "SV Hercules vs Ajax 3-2 - All Goals & Highlights - 2023".... played December 21..... SV Hercules is 3rd league amateurs....

It's crazy to think all of this downfall has happened so quickly 😳

Excellent work as always

I had been waiting for this video

Ajax is my favourite Dutch team, so to see them in this kind of chaos is pretty shocking. Less Bayern of Eredivisie, more Hertha of Eredivisie now.

Great post Alfie. Just a shame the game after they played Feyenoord ended up being stopped too but this time due to a serious injury caused accidentally by Brian Brobbey. They cannot get a break ever since the Overmars scandal, Ten Hag is now showing the stress at Old Trafford and Van Der Sar then having his stroke. Could really see them in big trouble this season.

I am really impressed with how well informd you are, honestly you know more about Dutch football then all of the media here, the joke about van Halst cracked me up and we all know van Gaal so he js back like expected, Mislintat and the people who appointed him really did make a mess wich is comparable with the situation Ajax was found in after the bosman arrest, maybe even worse

AYYYY, Alfie gang, we here. Best football channel in the web and the humour is a huge plus ! 🖤 Love from Chile 🌶

Very impressive video you really did your homework!

Very informative!

Good analysis. Especially the part about the club culture and its relationship with the press. The largest Dutch newspaper (Telegraaf) especially is usually involved in some campaign to influence the club. They were for example extremely critical of Erik Ten Hag. He was from the eastern part of the country and was therefore portrayed as a 'hillbilly' without 'Ajax-DNA'. The results under Ten Hag were awesome but Telegraaf, despite being extatic, never acknowledged it was partly his achievement as well. NOS, despite being a public broadcaster, has an unhealthy relationship with Ajax as well. I remember PSV becoming champions in 2016. The NOS late night football talkshow 'Studio Football' did not mention the title winners but was instead almost solely focused on how on earth it had been possible that Ajax had NOT become champions.

As a Dutch HITC Sevens fan (and a Feyenoord fan)... I was hoping for this...😂 from everything that happend with Promes, Onana, Overmars and now this... it is like a telenovela

Can't wait for Part 2 soon!

Ajax: -Sells all their best players -Becomes shit Man utd: -Buys Ajax's best players -Becomes shit

Im loving this so much it’s just to wonderful to witness to see ur bitter rivals collapsing so rapidly after our collapse a few years ago 😊

Same thing as Dortmund. Overachieving in terms of creating talent. Both clubs attract highly talented young players. Sadly it is the norm that key players will be poached. Then you have a period when players can't be replaced properly, and all hell breaks lose.

DO you do a podcast? I have to confess I mostly listen to you as I'm doing other things and really enjoy it, you do a great job of painting the picture verbally

I haven't watched the video yet so there's a chance I'm just replicating what you've said but coming from a huge Ajax fan based in Amsterdam I think there are three major issues which contributed to our "downfall" in recent years. Firstly, we did not replace the team leaders accordingly - the best example is Tadic's departure this summer. There seems to be a severe lack of leadership on the pitch, not helped by the fact that the current head coach is also not the most established name in Dutch or international football. Secondly, even though we spend money on new, promising signings there seems to be no pattern or plan when it comes to targeting new players - with lots of recent transfers looking like typical 'panic buys'. Also, while I generally praise signings of young, high-potential players, Ajax's transfers to me seem like we were playing Football Manager in real life - not necessarily the way to go in my honest opinion. Thirdly, Sven Mislintat - thank god he's gone. No transfer strategy, no identification with the club, the lack of support from the board - the list goes on and on. I won't be surprised if it takes us good 3-5 years to come back fighting for the Eredivisie, especially looking at how both PSV and Feyenoord are developing.

I think I speak for every supporter of every other club in the Netherlands when I say: "I am laughing my balls off".

Good to have a 'outside' view on this, you nailed it

Is there a more summarized video, I love the channel but some videos are too long to finish with my tight work schedule

Ajax’s chaos/downfall rn is crazy given the fact that they was one Lucas Moura goal away from advancing to the 2019 Champions League Final

Coming from the east of the Netherlands I'm 100% Tukker backing FC Twente. However I love good football and used to admire Ajax, especially in 90's. (Skipping school to watch Ajax-Gremio) It's sad to see how more money causes more problems. I hope they recover quickly.

I looked at a recent Ajax team sheet & thought it was nothing special, only so long you can be a feeder club until the well dries up, too much talent leaves to get adequately replaced or both

Out of all the names on the shortlist to become coach Kjetil Knudsen everybody in amsterdam was actually most enthousiastic about. Maurice Steijn appointment literally came out of the blue for everybody in Amsterdam and even Holland. he wasn't even on the shortlist. Later Steijn and Mislintat got into bad blood

This bring me so much joy

Everybody in Netherlands who arent an Ajax fan is having great times right now I can tell you.

If you do that for ManUtd Alfie will have to create a 2 hour video for sure.

I am an Ajax fan since I was a kid and know that the team is going in cycles meaning young talents grow up and leave and are replaced with younger talents and a few necessary buys for positions where the academy players are simply not good enough or completely missing that year. This is why I was so shocked when this year it was known that for sure Timber and Alvarez are going, but there was no replacement ready and Alvarez was supposed to leave in winter already. How did they not have someone lined up? When summer started and Tadic left, I knew we are in huge trouble. Steijn was hired late, Mislintat did not bring anyone till end of summer except Van Den Boomen. Tahirovic came at time when I would expect club signs last 1-2 players max and not that we have 2 weeks till end of transfers and club is finally ready to start buying players. I mean what did club do since Mislintat was appointed? It was like they are not aware that there is a time limit to their decision making. And when they finally got the players late in summer, the expectations were that they need to fit in starting lineup and start playing at least on 75% of their abilities and that is just nearly impossible given the fact they were all bought late and need to move in to Amsterdam and train with the team etc. all at once. They also did not replace Kudus and have no one as a brain of the whole play as Ziyech or Tadic so that is crippling them as well. The fact that Steijn also does not reall show any advanced tactical approach and complains about new players not having quality is not helping as well. I think the signals all is going bad were there longer time and club just totally surprisingly (for such a renown institution) completely failed and folded. This season is gone and I just hope they can settle the boat for the next one.

I love your videos but there's a slight inaccuracy at the start of the video, it was Vic Buckingham who invented total football and brought it to Ajax. Rinus Michels perfected it. In fact I'm almost certain it was Buckingham who gave Cruyff his debut in senior football.

Given the unbearable arrogance of Ajax fans here in the Netherlands, I can't help but have a lot of Schadenfreude right now. They'll get out of this slump, I'm sure as soon as they get the board sorted. But the sheer amount of toddler temper tantrums of Ajax fans right now is hilarious to me

what makes the fall of ajax more extreme to is the amazing rise of their arch rivals feyenoord, who a few years ago looked financially broken, sold 10 of strating 11 in the 2022 summer transfer window and are now seriously competing in the champions league. (would love a Feyenoord video during this season)

Excellent analysis and good to get an outsider's view. Of course, incredibly much has happened in the four weeks since the video was made, so you could almost make another one :-) PS: you have omitted to discuss the disastrous part that van der Sar has played in the demise of Ajax since Overmars left (and before it by not building in safe-guards in the organisation and instead relying on a single point of failure, Overmars).

Very good video

We need a "What the hell is going on at Schalke 04 Part 2" since they are currently in the relegation zone of the 2. Bundesliga, with no coach, no leadership and a terrible team after being relegated from the Bundesliga last season. If they continue to fall apart, Germany's second biggest club could cease to exist after being relegated from the second division.

Have you considered doing one of these for santos? They’ve been going through it this season, in the relegation spots.

this is a far more realistic view on the situation than the one I saw a few days ago.

This was excellent, can you make a video about the Michael Beale era at Rangers next?

great one! do lyon next

as a feyenoord fan i see this as an absolute win

I was only thinking after seeing the table last night you should make a video about what’s going at Ajax, then this appears 😆👍🏻

While most of the things mentioned here are 100% correct, there are some factors that also aren't in ajax's favor. The amazing comeback of feyenoord at the hands of football director Te Klouse and having arguably the most talented Dutch coach in Arne Slot who for a second season put together an incredible attacking who imo along side leverkussen are the most fun to watch teams in europe. AZ Alkmaar becoming steady title contenders the past 5 years and can be argued that they have the best youth academy atm in the. Netherlands (their youth team notably winning the CL last season)

Alfie please I'm commenting from the Caribbean can u please make a video on why the epl officials are against Liverpool since the start of the season yesterday was just the icing on the cake

Im an ajax fan(ajacied as we call ourselves. Good video! Well documented! For me as a ajacied this year is hell. Seeing everything that was built the past decade disintegrate in such a way is nothing short of horrible

Ohh to put it simply, van Der Sar waited way too long fo get a replacement for Overmars (like 1.5 season) giving carte blanche to a guy that had lied during his interview (or not even reported)about possible conflicts of interest that may arise, who then brought in players from an agent who had bought shares from the company this director owned but who almost all of them played in the second tier in Germany. Also a lot of legends/former legends that were working at Ajax left because of Van Der Sar. So basically everything can be traced back to the apathy or lack of leadsrship while at the club

This year truly feels like ANY team big or small can absolutely fumble the bag so much that they'll be at risk for relegation! Chaos in its purist form for the beautiful game.

The sad truth is that firing Overmars was the moral thing to do but started the technical downfall. Sometimes absolute world class leaders have an extreme dark side. As an institution, Ajax should not have been so dependent of one man's prowess, but it happened and now they have to recover from it.

Brave choice to try and pronounce Schreuders name. All kidding aside, you really did your research. It's too early to tell with a lot of these new signings tho, also Steijn has the tactical acumen of someone who only found out about football last week

You need to do the same for Sheffield Wednesday. Wtf is happening at Hillsborough. The chairman appears to be the main blameworthy person, but there is a deeper issue which needs to be highlighted.

Ajax success in the past was very much down to their ability to grow talent through their gold class academy and how they identified world talent from different continents. They were going to face this issue eventually

Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 554) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.

We dont have quality at the moment.. Its so hard to watch and my heart cry's when i'm looking at a match..

Chelsea, Ajax, Roma, and possibly, Manchester United. All of those clubs are in danger this season when we looked on their league positions.

Can't wait for your video on Rangers to come out.... because my god do we deserve one of these this season!

Ajax are still in denial in their acceptance of inevitable changes. United was also in the same boat for a very long time, but Ajax doesn't have that kind of money to afford fooling around.

#thepeopleschannel a video on the Bangladesh premier league and the rise of Bashundhara kings would be good A team who went into the top flight after promotion and won the last four league titles now! Are they the next Newcastle? Are they a team to keep a eye on next few years? Thanks Alfie 😊

Not only ajax but Dutch Teams like Feyenoord, PSV and AZ lose their best playera every year too. Thats the fate of the Dutch League, you got a good season... you lose a lot of players. Kinda like the Portuguese League

Heartbreaking to see Ajax like this. Modern football is a cruel shitshow

Its crazy seeing people saying Ajax was the Dutch Bayern. Which is so not true. Bayern got 32 league wins when Dortmund coming in second with only 5. While Ajax got 36, you also have Psv with 24 and Feyenoord with 16. Which is even closer if you only look at Eredvisie wins (since its called that way, 28 ajax to 21 PSV). Sure Ajax had the most wins the last few years with of course that CL semi finale season but its more like a exception, not standard.

It's starting to look like it was not Ten Hag that was the talent at Ajax but the fellow with the hobby of 'photographing nature'

Make a video on watford please. Fa cup final in 2019 now looking like may go down to league 1

In a week time you can make part 2....

You’d think years of Champs League football on top of hundreds of millions of Euros profit from selling players they’d have had a rainy day fund set aside for one or two seasons in case they didn’t get into Champs League. The fact they had to host a fire-sale and cuts budgets immediate is crazy

This makes a little up for the ridiculous 100 million Euros, Ten Hag spend on former Ajax player Antony. (was happy the player left... hated his diving and his injury faking). But he could get him for way and way less, which almost destroyed the League. Luckily they missed out of CL last year and now Mislintat bought the wrong players 👍

19:50, To be fair, the Greek league is much lower scoring though (and has harder defensive formations).

Please consider doing the "What On Earth Is Going On At PGMOL?"

Some time ago you made a video whats going on at Turkish league, from that point on situations has changed and i wished you could make a video what is the reason behind it because Turkish teams never seemed better then now

It is absolutely disgusting that sexual harrassment in football goes without any punishment. People of power can literally do anything, we've all heard what disgusting things greenwood has done but the way in which united keep denying and keep saying court has relieved him(which is definitely not true). The bar is literally in hell and still football will never reach it

Good friend Alfie Potts Harmer,your beloved Hull City got a draw at home against Plymouth Argyle yesterday to be in fifth position with 16 points with only goal difference separated with fourth place Sunderland!!!🏋‍♂️

Surely got to be a what's going on at Sheff Wednesday soon. Club is in an absolute mess. I can only think it's because things will probably get worse and Alfie is waiting!

It's my team Alf is a shame we will never be able to recreate the early to mid 90's again. They are effectively the Man Utd of The Netherlands.

oh my GOD you did it thanks 😊😊😊

Alfie, you shoul do a video about the swedish league "What is going on in Allsvenskan"

You could do what on earth is going on video at FC Basel rock bottom of their league with no goals in October and 20 times champions of Switzerland and Europa League Semi Finalists just 10 years ago Might be an interesting one to do @HITC Sevens

I remember back in the 1990s how Ajax was famous, if not infamous, for their youth academy.

I was asking that exact same question when I Googled them yesterday and realized they were in 14th

I would like to see Edwin Van Der Sar replace Tony Khan as Fulham's director of football. Even though Edwin Van Der Sar left Ajax on bad terms, at least, he has the experience.

Two months on Ajax are mid table.