Brian_Elliott
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Reged: 17/06/2006
Posts: 31
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I just wanted to make note that Ajax defender Jaap Stam has retired from the game with immediate effect. Stam cited injury problems as the reason, although he also said that he had considered retiring at the start of the season.
Stam was the finest defender that I ever saw - though I don't mind admitting I wasn't around to watch the Moores, Beckenbauers, or even the Baresis, at their peak.
He was immensely dominant in the air and on the ground, remarkably strong, amazingly quick for a big man - it is said that in the late 90s, the only player in the Dutch squad quicker than he was Marc Overmars - and could get the ball down and play, too, though he often left that to others.
He was a part of the Manchester United treble-winning side in 1999, and when he was sold to Lazio by Sir Alex Ferguson after failing to impress upon return from lengthy injury, David O'Leary was not the only manager to suggest that it was "the most baffling transfer I've ever come across".
Proving Ferguson wrong - something it took the Scotsman until this year to publicly admit - Stam went on to have several excellent seasons in Italy with Lazio and Milan, though he was banned for four months after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone, a charge which he vehemently denied.
Stam returned to Holland in 2006, with Ajax, though he had been expected to rejoin his old side, PSV Eindhoven.
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Brian Elliott is a freelance journalist who has written for the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, and Sport Illustrated on the subjects of soccer and Mixed Martial Arts.
You can have have your say about goings-on in world soccer by visiting
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barney
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Reged: 08/06/2006
Posts: 238
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A strong imposing defender and a key member of that treble-winning side. I wouldn’t rank him as high as someone like Maldini but certainly one of the best defenders of his generation.
I always assumed that the reason he was sold was because he had revealed in his autobiography details about being illegally ‘tapped up’ by Ferguson before he joined United. Ferguson was furious with the revelation and vowed to sell Stam asap.
Edited by barney (30/10/2007 12:46)
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Brian_Elliott
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Reged: 17/06/2006
Posts: 31
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On this occasion, I actually believe Ferguson is telling the truth. It was a football decision, and he thought the achilles injury that had kept Stam out for several months, had detrimented his ability.
If he did believe that, I can understand his reasoning for accepting Lazio's bid.
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Brian Elliott is a freelance journalist who has written for the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, and Sport Illustrated on the subjects of soccer and Mixed Martial Arts.
You can have have your say about goings-on in world soccer by visiting
Discuss Soccer
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Historyman
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Reged: 14/07/2007
Posts: 240
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I'm usually a little sad whenever a veteran player retires, and in Jaap Stam's case there's no exception. I first remember seeing him during the '98 WC in France, and he made defending seem so effortless in what was an outstanding Dutch side.
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hiberno
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Reged: 15/07/2007
Posts: 8
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Em, I don't know if anyone else remembers, or if it's just me. But right after he was transferred, he suddenly tested positive for drugs and was banned for a while. If I remember further rightly, the manner in which he was "building himself up" was not exactly new to him. Then again, a team mate skipped a drugs test and got a ban, so it's nothing major or new.
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stephen_woodside
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Reged: 02/05/2007
Posts: 1883
Loc: Huyton, Merseyside
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To be cynical, Jaap Stam should have not had the chance to retire as he tested positive for drug use. Ok, many will say everyone deserves a second chance, but any athlete who resorts to gaining an advantage to enhance performance, should be banned for life. I dont expect anyone to agree with my feelings on this subject, but i stand firm in my beliefs that drug users in sports should suffer the harshest of penalties, this way those who wish to repeat those offenders will think twice of commiting such crimes if they are serious about being clean in their given professions. As for Rio Ferdinand missing his drugs test, he acted so dumb with lame excuses. Even though it is not difficult for the Manchester United defender to act thick, the FA saw right through him and gave him the just and appropriate ban, saying this Rio's numbness ended out as a clever move as by the time he was tested, any drugs that he may have taken would have long left his system. So are footballers really not so bright as the stigma attached would suggest, or are they more intelligent than many would believe??
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Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Edited by stephen_woodside (31/10/2007 22:52)
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Brian_Elliott
member
Reged: 17/06/2006
Posts: 31
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Quote:
To be cynical, Jaap Stam should have not had the chance to retire as he tested positive for drug use. Ok, many will say everyone deserves a second chance, but any athlete who resorts to gaining an advantage to enhance performance, should be banned for life. I dont expect anyone to agree with my feelings on this subject, but i stand firm in my beliefs that drug users in sports should suffer the harshest of penalties, this way those who wish to repeat those offenders will think twice of commiting such crimes if they are serious about being clean in their given professions. As for Rio Ferdinand missing his drugs test, he acted so dumb with lame excuses. Even though it is not difficult for the Manchester United defender to act thick, the FA saw right through him and gave him the just and appropriate ban, saying this Rio's numbness ended out as a clever move as by the time he was tested, any drugs that he may have taken would have long left his system. So are footballers really not so bright as the stigma attached would suggest, or are they more intelligent than many would believe??
Although several players were banned for nandrolone around the same time, it is interesting to note that none of the case went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or any other kind of legal arena. One reason for this is that it is almost impossible to prove that someone was deliberately doping for nandrolone, unless the athlete's levels were unquestionably high. Nandrolone usage can be tested very basically, so it's unlikely that anyone would deliberately "build up", as you put it, with nandrolone.
I'm not certain whether the actual test levels of Stam, Davids, de Boer, or Guardiola were ever released. Assuming that their levels were not through the roof, it would have been hard to make any guilty ruling stand up in court. Remember that nandrolone is produced naturally in the body.
I was interested this week to read that Pep Guardiola was acquitted of his doping offence, also for nandralone, which happened several months after Stam's.
I don't know the exact reasons why his conviction was thrown out, but the same reasons may apply to the cases of Stam, Davids, and de Boer as well.
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Brian Elliott is a freelance journalist who has written for the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, and Sport Illustrated on the subjects of soccer and Mixed Martial Arts.
You can have have your say about goings-on in world soccer by visiting
Discuss Soccer
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steve31
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Reged: 15/07/2007
Posts: 595
Loc: the wirral
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stam was an awesome defender at his peak in 1999 and will go down in history after winning the treble.once united sold him their defence crumbled and took a while to rectify.who did they get to replace him?ive gone blanc?stams decision to retire was down to lack of motivation as hes won pretty much everything and probably dosent need the money etc...
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