Few tears shed for Ten Cate at Ajax

At the end of the seventies I was corresponding with a friend in Deventer who supported Go Ahead Eagles, still in the Eredivisie at that time.

Hilarious were the parts describing the farcical performances of one of the wingers of his team who was a typical all-or-nothing player you don't see anymore today. For every blinder of a game, he would miss three sitters a week over the next month. One of those types who could make every manager go nuts.

Having hung up his boots halfway through the eighties, Henk ten Cate, for it was he, took up coaching and slowly made his way into the top flight, where he eventually directed NAC Breda to their highest position ever and a UEFA Cup spot in 2003.

Among his qualities were creating an attacking and neat playing style and making young players better. His name was mentioned among the top three clubs, but they all remembered how Ten Cate had flown off the handle after a late penalty in an European match with Vitesse Arnhem in 1997 and gone looking for the referee in anger. It took a couple of people to physically grab him and bring him back to his senses.

So when it seemed clubs outside the big three were as far as he could go, he was delighted to become the assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona. Out of the limelight and without real responsibility he became popular with the world class players at Nou Camp as he brought a lot of fun to training hours. Winning the Champions League was partly dedicated to him.

At that same time Ajax disposed of Danny Blind, who was deemed not good enough for them despite winning the play-offs and the Dutch Cup. As they were running out of decent candidates, many of them having been axed at the Arena in the past, the Amsterdam born-and-raised Ten Cate entered the frame.

According to the club's introducing text, Ten Cate was the man to bring Ajax to the next level, while, most importantly, Johan Cruyff signed a seal of approval. With this appointment the board of directors hoped to silence the fifth column of former players and directors which has brought down so many colleagues of Ten Cate in the past.

Coaching Ajax is not easy. As I mentioned in a recent column measurements are made by the yardstick of the seventies and whatever the results, there are always influential people moaning.

Even in the final of 1972, when Ajax really kicked the living daylights out of a sorry Internazionale team, you could still hear whistles at the first backpass to goalkeeper Heinz Stuy after more than an hour's play. That is what a manager faces in Amsterdam.

It was all too much for Henk ten Cate, who seemed to crack under the pressure at the big fixtures. Twice he could not steer his team into the Champions League, while the championship was up for grabs after PSV struggled in the second half of last season and had almost thrown in the towel.

On each of these occasions the team stared victory right in the face, but somehow managed to reach the final whistle empty handed. Fear seemed to dominate the players in these games. They might have been influenced by their coach.

Ajax is a bit like the Lorelei. Everyone knows it is a dangerous place, but few can resist its lure. Negotiating a safe passage there in a career is nigh on impossible.

In Ryan Babel and Wesley Sneijder, Ten Cate had some talented youngsters in his squad. Babel used the Euro U-21 tournament to earn a transfer as he felt it was time to go, but Sneijder seemed set to stay this season.

Rumours of his departure to Madrid had died down in July and the midfielder drank a champagne toast to an extended stay at the Arena with the directors.

This unprecedented move, and a fairly ridiculous one I should add, might have eased the worries of Ten Cate as he was fine-tuning his eleven for the coming season.

At the end of August however, all the toasters of July happily agreed to another money-dangling proposal from Real. Technical director Martin van Geel even squeaked a couple of million euro extra from the Spanish champions by hesitating until close to the August 31 transfer deadline.

The next week a Sneijder-less Ajax crashed into the first round of the UEFA Cup instead of into the Champions League, while the midfielder's replacement never materialized due to the lack of time left.

The bonus Ajax earned on the Sneijder transfer by staggering it another month has evaporated amid their European disaster.

To console the season ticket-holders for the unability to keep its promise to play in the Champions League on a regular basis, the board invited all for free to the first round game against Dinamo Zagreb. What fun must they have had, losing in extra time, but what can you expect from a free lunch anyway?

Firing Ten Cate would be the sixth casualty in a row, so the Ajax board must be delighted with the solution that is offered to them by interest from London. Whether they get away with it will depend on the next manager to take the hot seat. Suggested are Marco van Basten and Guus Hiddink, so anyone else will earn a cold welcome. Or maybe someone named Mourinho. With his antics he would be ideal.

Going to Chelsea into a supporting role seems a good idea for Ten Cate, where he could be the intermediate to bring Ronaldinho to Stamford Bridge.

Having become the laughing stock of the Eagles fans in 1981, he also did well to go down a division on loan to Telstar.

I was present at one of his first games for that team as they came to visit the famous former title-holders of 1954 EVV Eindhoven, where I was a season-ticket holder. Before the kick-off I promised the people around me an evening of high entertainment with that clown from Deventer being in the starting eleven of the opponents.

And exciting it was. Within eight minutes Henk launched a scorcher into the top corner and went on to score another two straight from the corner flag. I am not sure, but he might have set up the other three goals as well. I am only able to laugh about it now.

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