This hasnot been a great week for Earny. First he had a verbal fight between NAC star player Leonardo and the coach, in which Earny firmly choose the side of the coach and then this weekend NAC had to face Louis van Gaal AZ team in the new AZ stadium. They got routed with a blistering 8 - 1 defeat. In another thread I already mentioned that NAC is a high pressure cooker that can make you into a class manager fit for teams like Feyenoord, Ajax, PSV and AZ. Earny just learned how hot the temperature can get. I keep you informed on his NAC adventure this season.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure I was a little p'off at Earnie for saying that he may not take any Americans because he'd have to pay them ~ $420K minimum wage. That was pretty insulting to the guys who perform well in MLS, as well some of the better young prospects in the pipeline.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure I didn't take it that way. Isn't it more insultint to his club if he were to pay $420K to an American when he could sign 2 Dutch players for the same price? Earnie's responsibility here is to the club, not to young Americans .
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure He said on another occasion that he was looking for guys with double nationalities ( = US and an Euro passport), so I think the quote you're referring to is out of context. The reason for his search for the double passes is the budget NAC has to spend. $420k salaries are a big dent in his budget, so his targets are the ones that he can pay Euro beginners salaries. He doesnot mean disgarding any Yank at all, but he has to row with what he has got.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure My point was then, as is now, that there are Yanks who would justify their $420K salaries. If Earnie is looking for the players willing to play for $200K, then he'll end up with a squad that may do well in Regional Liga Nord but will get relegated from Eredivisie. Besides, the Dutch soccer isn't that poor for Earnie to play $200K starters. NAC averaged almost 15K in attendance and Talpa's TV deal is pretty good as well. I expect their payroll to be no less than $8-10M, much in line with an average Colaship team where the average pay for all players - starters and non-starters combined - is ~ $350K.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Ok, I'm not following you here. The rule for a certain payout to non-EU players is specifically to make them one of the highest paid players on the team. That is, if you are after somenoe from outside the EU, they must be a player of considerable talent --- thus their higher wages. So, by definition, the AVERAGE player in the Eredivisie, is making less than this $420K. So an average team woudl have plenty of players below the minimum non-EU salary. There was a report earlier that the colaship may be the 5th highest revenue league in Europe (better than the Eredivisie). But lets say the average is around that of the CCC --- $350K. Salaries being what they are, the median salary is probably much less than that... meaning your "average" player is making less than the "average" salary. So, unless that non-EU player is going to be one of your better players, it's definitely cost effective to buy EU. Or am I missing something? What Americans are you suggesting would go right in and be one of the better players for NAC?
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Well, following the definitions - the non-EU minimum in the Netherlands is the same as the league average for everyone, so the average in Eredivisie is $420K whereas, in Colaship, it's $350K. Consequently, on average, the pay is higher in the Netherlands' top division than it is in CCC (by 20% or so). Now, the distribution of the revenues may be a little different. Ajax can gross $80M, PSV and F-noord anywhere between $55-70M while NAC Breda may be lucky to make 35%-40% of that. Still, a club with $25M in revenues can spend about half of that on salaries and that means that Earnie should have several players on the roster making just under a mil, way above the non-EU minimum. Yes, Earnie is dissing the Yanks by saying that they are not good enough for the $420K minimum. Or so I claim. Most MLS All-Stars would not find themselves out of place in Eredivisie. That would include all the defenders - Boswell, Robinson, Erpen, Conrad as well as Clark, Dempsey, Mapp, Kljestan, Mullan, Ching, Mastroeni, et al. A note - by saying that they would warrant their contract, I am establishing a certain line. The mentioned players aren't supposed to become the Dutch league stars overnight, if ever. All I am saying is that, with a pre-season camp and a month of team training under their belts, they would not embarrass themselves. Unlike NAC Breda, which did. An 8:1 loss? Ouch.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure According to Dutch newspaper "Algemeen Dagblad" teambudgets are like this: 1.Ajax--------------------- 65.0 (million euro) 2.PSV----------------------55 3.Feyenoord----------------40.2 4.Heerenveen---------------23 5.AZ-----------------------21.0 6.FC Twente--------------15.1 7.FC Utrecht-------------15 8.Vitesse-----------------13.7 9.FC Groningen--------------12.5 10.NEC----------------------11.9 11.Willem II----------------11.8 12.Roda JC-----------------11.5 13.NAC----------------------11 14.Sparta------------------8.8 15.ADO---------------------- 8.1 16.RKC----------------------7.9 17.Heracles------------------7.3 18.Excelsior-------------------3.6
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure So, from the above figures, NAC Breda has a $14M budget. Half of MLS would fit under that number.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Earny announced that he has or is going to have talks with star player Leonardo about the problems that have arisen between him and the coach that led to Leonardo being suspended for the first match against AZ. Several clubs have told Earny that they gladly will take Leonardo from the hands of NAC Breda, but Earny made it clear that he's going nowhere. Amongst the clubs that showed their interest was Goochies club Standard and Dutch club NEC Nijmegen. Earny made it also clear that he certainly isnot going to sell him to Dutch competitors. If I could give Earny some advice than I would put Leonardo on the plane to Standard as fast as possible, because though Leonardo is a brilliant player he also is a pain in the rear area when there are already problems like now with Brand.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure , no it is the Brasilian, last year signed by NAC from Feyenoord. We were glad he was gone after making too much trouble. By the way, do you have any idea which double passport player(s) Earny could have been referring to when he hinted that he was looking in that category?
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Is that 'salary' or is that 'salary and transfer fees?' Is it just players or players and team staff?
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure True enough. FWIW, Preston North End had a $6.5M budget the year it went into the Colaship promotion play-offs (2005?). There's room for about half a dozen of guys to make half a mil or so but then you will a big problem with injuries and suspensions when your back benchers have to fill in.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Things got a little fuzzy this weekend. Leonardo was, after his talk with Earny, convinced that he could get back training with the first team. But other rumours were that the coach E. Brand wouldnot have him back, that he had it with Leonardo. Any way, Leonardo started at the bench and was subbed into the match. So I guess that Earny's opinion mattered most. The team at home played against Ajax considerably better than their awful match against AZ. Ajax needed two inspired actions of Sneijder to clinch victory 1 - 2.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Just a few days before the transfer window closes Earny signed midfielder Danny Mathijssen from AZ on a loan for the rest of the season. Earny was very pleased with the arrival of Mathijssen,as he fits perfectly in the team, he said. The loan agreement also gives the option to buy him after this season.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Earnie Steweart needs a haircut! But way to go Earnieee
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure From my first posts you got the message that NAC is a pressure cooker with a nag to overheat. The first weeks in the new season has been an affirmation of that, and it didnot escape the attention of the journalists. So here is an interview with Earnest Stewart given to the AD Sportwereld paper addressing those issues. “It’s not going that bad at all” NAC-manager Stewart gives his opinion on the hectic start of the season. Earnest Stewart has been manager Technical Affairs of NAC only since a few months. In that period he had to soothe one incident after the other. A conversation about difficult footballers and coach Ernie Brand. Anouar Diba tuesday infuriated walked away from the training. Have any sanctions been imposed on him? Stewart: “We agreed that Diba for the time being reports with the reserves team. This measure has been promted by the fact that it was the second time in a short while Diba walks away. I cannot tell how long this bannishment will last. Annouar took note of this announcement.” Are you disappointed in Diba? “No, that’s not the case. I understand that people have certain emotions. And these are being expressed in a for them typical way. Only the expressed emotions donot correspond with our way of doing things.” Two weeks ago Leonardo was sent off the training after a row. Coincidence? “Nothing is coincidental. Leonardo and Diba are two individualists, they are different from other people. But you cannot fool me into believing that something like this doesnot happen at other clubs. In my time also players walked off the training field. But you could say that with NAC these things always get public. Unfortunately that I cannot change. As long as there are people along the field watching the training, rows will get to the press.” NAC hasnot got older, experienced players in the selection to cut rebellious young ones down a peg or two. “I donot agree with that. But I donot think it relevant to talk about that now.” Why not? “Than you get those Wild west stories about what we lack and that sort of things. I’m not in the mood for that.” Does NAC scout for leader types sufficiently? “Most certainly, but those guys are not for the picking. I just read in the newspaper that Phillip Cocu is the last real leader in Dutch soccer. And NAC of course had Alfred Schreuder. Alfred and Phillip are the type of players that are wanted by many more clubs.. But with our budget it is however difficult to acquire that type of players.” But now, with Brian Pinas, NAC once again fetches a player who isnot one of the easiest going persons. “I spoke with Brian several times and he made a splendid impression then. Anyway, with eleven ideal son in laws you donot get far either.” How is your relation with coach Ernie Brand? “Good”. But are you both on the same track? You wanted that Leonardo, after a short bannishment, was going to train again with the team, but Brand thereupon left him out of the group sessions again. “That’s not the way things went. I said that Leo had to report with the first team, because he was simply sitting at home. I think that a player simply should come to the club, even though he is punished. Well, Leonardo came and subsequently it is up to the coach whether he may practice again. Only Brand decides on that.” Interim coach John Karelse last summer after NAC did keep the “Eredivisie” slot said that this NAC needs an established name as a coach. Only such a person would radiate enough authority to keep this squad in control. You subsequently came with the beginning head coachErnie Brand. “Some people should refrain from making utterances on certain matters. I think NAC, considering the possibilities, has appointed a good coach, who has our full confidence.” Does Brand finish the season? “I think that that is an unrespectful question, I will not react on that.” Last season the club management said they backed first Ton Lokhoff and later Cees Lok. Both coaches were sacked short after that. “I have nothing to do with last year, for I was not there yet. All I know is that within NAC everybody works rock hard to make the team better. Everybody makes mistakes along the line, but luckily you always have the chance to mend those. As bad as it makes the press every time, it is not the case with the club in my eyes.”
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure maybe they should have hired Ton Lok ... that'd be a real wild thing.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Thanks for the translation and keeping us up to date on Earnie Stewart.
Re: Eanest Stewart Dutch Management adventure Earny has a new problem with Leonardo. After being allowed back into the first team he has been playing extremely well ( I mentioned that he is an excellent player that needs to be tight controlled) and now this weekend he excelled against Feyenoord in the "Kuip" under the watchful eyes of scouts of big foreign clubs with a lot of money. It maybe well the case that in the transfer window in december a transfer is in the making and Earny will have some cash in his treasure chest.