NOS Football•
John van ‘t Schip is the rest of this season trainer of ‘his club’ Ajax. The 59-year-old former player of the Amsterdam team is “proud of the club, but not of the position we are in now. And I want to help with that.”
Van ‘t Schip did not have to hesitate to join the current number one in the Premier League. He felt strengthened by the conversations he had with his wife Daniëlle, who died on October 10 at the age of 55.
“We had good conversations about that,” says Van ‘t Schip. “From the start, she said: ‘Do it. Go for it.’ This applied to what was initially the plan (a role in technical management, ed.), but also in case I had to take over from Maurice. “
Conversations with his wife were a ‘push in the back’ for Ajax coach Van ‘t Schip
“We were able to share that nicely with each other, it was a push in the right direction. You are working on certain things yourself, but because we have discussed it with each other, the choice to do it is a lot easier.”
Football as a distraction? “That’s it, we’ve also talked about that. In the process I’m in, I can fully commit to it. I have a daughter and a son at home in Australia, for whom I also have to be there. But they are there completely behind.”
Ajax and Van ‘t Schip were already discussing a role in technical management. He will only fill that position after he finishes the season as head coach. Hedwiges Maduro, interim coach since the dismissal of Maurice Steijn, will again become assistant under Van ‘t Schip.
European football
With five points from eight games, Ajax currently occupies the last place in the Premier League. “The top four are quite loose,” says Van ‘t Schip. “We want to join in the coming matches, European football is the objective. But it starts with working every day, getting better every day. Then objectives come at the finish line.”
Van ‘t Schip: ‘Ajax must join in quickly, European football is the objective’
Van ‘t Schip, who won four national titles and the UEFA Cup as a player, already knows where he will start as coach of Ajax. “Building trust, providing clarity. We must improve this step by step.”
“First of all, we have to act as a team with the staff. That also reflects on the players. In addition, we have to be very clear to the group. Because you see that when things go less well or confidence is lost, they have a hard time. They need help with that.”
Van ‘t Schip previously expressed harsh criticism about Ajax’s much-discussed transfer summer under the now departed technical director Sven Mislintat.
“Whoever appointed Mislintat does not understand football,” he said on ESPN last month. “Maurits Hendriks and Edwin van der Sar seem to me to be the ones who had an important role in this. The supervisory board also played an important role as a controlling body, but at that time it contained people with no real feeling for the club. Danny Blind was already gone by then, Jan van Halst not yet appointed.”
After his appointment, Van ‘t Schip agrees that the purchases were not the happiest: “I think we all know that. But I draw the line there. And I think it is very important to draw the line and look ahead. What “What happened before me, I can’t do anything with it. I have to look ahead and that is what I am going to do. The players must be empowered.”
After the worst start to a season in the club’s history, three home games now await the new coach. FC Volendam, SC Heerenveen and Brighton are coming to the Johan Cruijff Arena. “Getting points is important. And we are certainly not going to park the bus.”
“We must try to do that in a way that everyone has a good feeling about. A way that suits us, what we want. It is clear that we will not immediately reach a very high level in this regard, but we do strive for that. after.”
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