Unbelievable Jeff! #3

So, tonight's Dutch Cup match between Ajax Amsterdam and AZ Alkmaar was abandoned after this incident when an idiot fan ran onto the pitch to attack the AZ goalkeeper Esteban. The fan comes running on with a flying kick at the Costa Rican stopper who manages to avoid the idiot before landing a couple of hefty boots himself. Esteban was subsequently sent off by Jeremain Len's best friend Bas Nijhuis after the incident, so the whole AZ team did the decent thing and trooped off behind. The match was suspended and subsequently abandoned.

As we thought, the YouTube video got pulled so here it is on the BBC Sport Website

Unbelievable Jeff!

Advocaat replaces Koeman in Alkmaar

Dutch champions AZ have moved quickly to replace Ronald Koeman, sacked at the weekend following defeat at home to Vitesse. In comes the vastly experienced Dick Advocaat who was first choice to succeed Bayern-bound Louis van Gaal in the summmer, but the former Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg boss had already agreed terms to become Belgium's gaffer.

Sacked by Zenit after a run of poor results, Advocaat took up the Belgium job earlier than planned, but failed to take them to the World Cup finals. That means he'll only have friendlies to worry about on the international scene for the rest of the season which makes combining the roles significantly easier.

Advocaat takes charge in Alkmaar for the rest of the current season. In a press conference, he said "We need to get European football at AZ. If we do not achieve this, then I will have done something wrong." That's setting your stall out early. AZ are currently six points off qualifying for the Europa League and seventeen from making it into second place and the qualifiers for the Champions League. He has the talent at the club, but he'll need far more luck than Koeman was afforded.

AZ's defence takes another lurch to disaster

It's been a turbulent week in Alkmaar. Defeat on the field to league leaders Twente was just the start of it, which left the club in sixth place on the table, fully nine points adrift of top spot. With a Champions League game against Arsenal coming up, the worrying lack of form bodes ill, but then came the news that sponsors DSB Bank has gone bankrupt.

The club have received all the sponsorship payments from the failed company already, but one subsidiary of DSB Bank was the holding company that owns AZ. That company has now also gone into bankruptcy meaning that the club is up for sale and will play against Arsenal in shirts without sponsors logos.

Last season saw AZ take just their second ever Eredivisie title, the first coming in 1981. Their defence that time saw them finish third, nine points off top spot. This defence is going spectacularly badly, not helped by the club losing a manager, several key players and now their owners. Tough times ahead in Alkmaar.

New Bayern Coach

After guiding AZ to the Eredivise title Louis Van Gaal has been released by the club and appointed coach of FC Bayern Munich. Van Gaal has signed a 2 year contract with the German giants and officialy takes over in July.

AZ champions despite defeat: Eredivisie reviews

Heracles 4-0 NAC
NEC 1-1 Roda
De Graafschap 0-1 Groningen
Feyenoord 1-0 Twente
AZ 1-2 Vitesse
Utrecht 2-1 Heerenveen
Willem II 3-3 Den Haag
Volendam 3-0 Sparta
PSV 6-2 Ajax

AZ finally get over the line to seal the Eredivisie title, their second, despite a defeat on Saturday as their nearest (though not that near) rivals also lost. Had AZ won, it would have been completely irrelevant what Twente and Ajax did and when Mounir El Hamdaoui nonchalantly slid the ball under Eloy Room on the quarter hour, it all looked to be going to plan. Ricky van Wolfswinkel wasn't in on the script meeting and equalised after half an hour and, six minutes from time, AZ failed to clear a corner and Alex Buttner volleyed in from twenty yards to win it for Vitesse.

And so AZ would have to wait to see how the others got on before the champagne could be uncorked. Twente were their own worst enemies in Rotterdam, Douglas Franco sent off in giving away the decisive penalty, expertly converted by Roy Makaay, and Chiek Tioté followed suit five minutes from the end. And there was still time for Gio van Bronckhorst to see red as well as Feyenoord closed out a win. Ajax were involved in the final game of the weekend in Eindhoven and were ripped apart by a rampant PSV. The defence backed off Edison Mendez on 22 minutes, inviting the shot. He accepted the invite and blasted home from 25 yards. Ibrahim Afellay got the second with a superb finish after Nordin Amrabat shot was turned away by Kenneth Vermeer and Amrabat seized on the worst back-pass you could wish to see to make it three. Luis Suarez got one back before the break, but Jason Culina and a quite excellent free-kick from Balazs Dzsudzsak reasserted PSV's dominance. Miralem Sulejmani got a consolation, but Otman Bakaal ensured PSV had the last word. The fight now is for second and Champions League football next season with Ajax and Twente separated by a point.

PSV's win moves them above Heerenveen in goal difference into the second automatic spot for the Europa League following that win and Heerenveen's surprise loss at Utrecht. Paulo Henrique put them ahead after just three minutes, but the lead lasted just four minutes when Michael Silberbauer equalised. Two minutes from time, Darryl Janmaat gave away a penalty which earned him a red card and Gregoor van Dijk converted it to win the game and keep Utrecht's hopes of European football alive.

Down at the bottom, the automatic relegation spot changed hands again as De Graafschap were beaten and Volendam won well against Sparta. That result plunges Sparta back into trouble as Rowin van Zaanen, Paul de Lange and Gerson Sheotahul got the goals while Yuri Rose was sent off for Sparta. De Graafschap went down to a first-half Markus Berg penalty at home to Groningen and they now assume last place. Indeed, Volendam go above Roda as well as they were held 1-1 by NEC in Nijmegen. Sekou Cissé put them ahead, but Bas Sibum got a deserved equaliser for the home side. Den Haag looked to have pulled themselves away when they ran into a 3-0 lead early in the second half of their game at Tilburg. Karim Soltani (twice) and Richard Knopper got the goals, but Willem II hit three in the space of six minutes to square it up, Mohamed Messoudi, Frank Demouge and George Murad all scoring between 71 and 77 minutes. Four set pieces did the damage for Heracles on Friday night as they dented Breda's hopes of European football. Three free-kicks and a penalty resulted in four goals in the first half to secure an invaluable win.

So many congratulations to AZ. To have lost just three games in 31 - and going on a 28-game unbeaten run in between times - is a tremendous record. They've now got a three-game victory parade to enjoy. They've been the best side all season long and they've learned from last year when they were in a similarly dominant position and screwed it up, losing out to PSV on the final day. No such worries this time as Louis van Gaal has turned them into a resolute outfit. They may struggle in Europe next season, but that's an issue to worry about later.

Eredivisie week 30

Friday:
NAC v AZ
Saturday:
De Graafschap v NEC
Den Haag v Sparta
PSV v Utrecht
Twente v Roda
Sunday:
Heerenveen v Volendam
Ajax v Willem II
Feyenoord v Heracles
Groningen v Vitesse

Eleven points clear and in need of just two wins - maximum - to seal the title, AZ go to Breda to take on NAC in the Friday game. Indeed, it could be done and dusted this week should Twente and Ajax both fail to win. Last season, AZ were in a position of strength before blowing it completely in the closing stages. They don't look like doing that this term, even though NAC are one of only two sides to beat the Alkmaarders this season - twice in fact, once each in league and in cup. Van Gaal's men are a different prospect and learned from their disappointment last year to become a far more steely side, difficult to break down and more professional. AZ should win this one, then it's a case of gluing themselves to a TV for the remainder of the weekend.

On Saturday, Twente host troubled Roda at the Arke Stadion. Nothing less than a win will do for Steve McClaren to preserve their admittedly slim title chances. Realistically, their ambition is to maintain themselves in second and secure Champions League football next season and finish above all of the traditional big four for the first time in their history. The return of Blaise N'Kufo from suspension bolsters an attack that misfired last week and the burly Swiss will be the focal point of the attack once more. Roda have bigger troubles than football, as they're about to be subsumed into a Limburg regional side. If the players show the passion and anger that the fans did last week, then they could spring a surprise, but Twente ought to preserve their own long unbeaten run here. Ajax host Willem II at the Amsterdam ArenA on Sunday and look to have little trouble in scoring a win. The gap back from Twente to Ajax reduced to a single point last week, so the pressure is on, even if the title is gone in all but imaginary circumstances.

Down at the bottom, Volendam pulled themselves off the bottom by beating Feyenoord last week, but a trip to Heerenveen is a much tougher prospect, especially with their hosts chasing a Europa League place. De Graafschap replaced Volendam on the bottom and they welcome NEC to De Vijverberg with a good chance of grinding out the point they need to get them back out of it. Sparta's trip to Den Haag is a big game at the bottom with the winner able to all but forget about being sucked into the relegation play-offs.

Feyenoord and Heracles are both struggling for consistency, but little rests on this game while PSV will start short odds favourites at home to mid-table-mediocrity personified in Utrecht.

Chasers draw as AZ roll on: Eredivisie reviews

Sparta 0-1 Willem II
Heerenveen 2-1 Groningen
De Graafschap 1-0 Heracles
Den Haag 1-1 Ajax
Volendam 1-0 Vitesse
NAC 1-2 Feyenoord
Roda 0-0 Utrecht
NEC 0-1 AZ
Twente 1-1 PSV

If there was little in the way of a challenge to AZ's premacy before this weekend, there's virtually nil now. Both Twente and Ajax drew, so AZ's gazillionth game without a defeat pulled them eleven points clear at the top. With just eight games remaining, they'll have to implode spectacularly for anyone else to have a chance. They were far from their best in beating NEC 1-0 this weekend, defender Kew Jaliens heading home Demy de Zeeuw's fine cross for the decisive goal. They're without first choice keeper Sergio Romero for the foreseeable, not that it matters a great deal. So irked was Romero by conceding one goal last week that he punched a wall and broke his hand. Goalkeepers being nutters is supposed to be a stereotype, but it's incidents like this that keep the notion alive and well. NEC just couldn't convert chances with Bas Sibum and Dennis Rommedahl among those that probably ought to have done better. Instead, AZ continue their cruise to the title.

The extra breathing space was gifted to them by draws for Twente and Ajax. The Amsterdammers' fans were banned from ADO's compact Zuiderpark making for an odd atmosphere. The fayre on the field didn't exactly inspire anyone to start making some noise. Ajax were poor without the suspended Luis Suarez, although Evander Sno's attempts in getting himself sent off - Marco van Basten withdrew him before it could happen - were mildly diverting. Rob Wielaert got his first goal for Ajax since joining from Twente with a deflected volley, a move which ADO boss André Wetzel responded to by bringing on Wesley Verhoek and the substitute exchanged passes with Richard Knopper before volleying home to square it up. A draw was about fair in the end. Twente needed a late, late, late equaliser to snatch a draw at home to PSV. Balázs Dzsudzsák had put the Eindhoveners ahead after Ibrahim Afellay had taken a quick free-kick with the Twente players still whining at the referee. As the board went up to indicate three minutes of stoppage time, it looked like PSV would take all three points, but four minutes later, Andreas Isaaksson spilled Marko Arnautovic's shot at the feet of Blaise N'Kufo and the veteran Swiss fired home.

Both Ajax and Twente are in danger of being usurped by fast rising Heerenveen who are in terrfic form and playing some lovely football. A bad tempered Friesian derby at the Abe Lenstra saw Groningen lose two players to red cards, Martijn Meerdink the first to go on 25 minutes. It took Heerenveen 35 minutes to capitalise when Christian Grindheim fired in from 20 yards. Danny Holla got Groningen back on terms ten minutes later but then lost Gonzalo Garcia to a second yellow after kicking the ball away. From then on, it was a matter of time and Viktor Elm finally broke Groningen just as the 90 minutes were up. That leaves them just a point back from Ajax.

Tension down at the bottom was lifted when De Graafschap finally won a game, 1-0 at home to Heracles. Luuk de Jong's goal early in the second half was enough and piled on the pressure for Volendam's home game against Vitesse the following day. They responded magnificently with Jack Tuyp scoring in the first half and the entire team holding solid for the remaining hour. Volendam are still bottom by a point from De Graafschap, but they're both within sniffing distance of safety. Roda lie sixteenth, two points above De Graafschap and they drew 0-0 with Utrecht in a poor spectacle while Sparta were plunged back into trouble on Friday night as Willem II ended a six-game losing run thanks to George Mourad's late goal. Feyenoord have ended all talk of relegation by finally winning away from home, beating NAC 2-1 in Breda. They had to come from behind as Breda took the lead through Donny Gorter's penalty late in the first half, but second half goals from Georgino Wijnaldum and a late winner from Jon Dahl Tomasson sealed it for the Rotterdammers.