F365 Interview: Jaap Stam
Wednesday March 03 2004
The Dutch defender talks about how everything's gone 's***' at Lazio, has a warning for Chelsea and likens Ruud and Patrick to Andy and Teddy at United...
How are things going at Lazio?
"Last year we finished fourth, while in my first season at Lazio we only ended up sixth in Serie A. This year we got knocked out in the first round of the Champions League.
"The remaining big names will be sold this summer. Our director of football, Guisueppe de Mita, has said that at the end of this season Lazio will also sell Dejan Stankovic and our manager Robert Mancini. That would be another big blow."
Are there lessons to be learned after what happened at Lazio? Even the president is in jail now...
"It is so simple to pour millions and millions into a club. As long as you have enough money, every player in Europe can be brought in, but look at us now. The lessons we have learnt are harsh and the reality of our situation is driven home every day."
Is there a danger that Chelsea could go the way of Lazio?
"I look at Chelsea and I know what they are doing. They keep buying all the big names. There will be some success. They will win something. Exactly the same thing happened at Lazio. But look where this club is now. Here, in Roma, they operated no different from the Chelsea owners. But right now we are in a major financial crisis.
"The biggest problem for a club like Chelsea is that, because of all the money spent on the transfer market, the expectations are incredibly big. And when the time comes when there is not enough money to pay everyone, people will still have huge expectations.
"Even at Lazio, with most of our big names gone again, nobody says: 'Listen, we have to cut back, we are facing a few tough seasons ahead'. The whole world is still expecting miracles.
"Players at big clubs do earn a lot of money. We are described as multi-millionaires these days. It has been written and it was said in a documentary on television that I have 20 million pounds in the bank! I guarantee I have not earned that amount of money while I was at United and at Lazio!"
So you're fairly rich then?
"It really annoys me when such figures and exaggerated stories about our salaries come out. It could put some mad ideas in the mind of an idiot. In Holland police broke up a gang last month, ready to kidnap Mateja Kezman, the top scorer of my old club PSV Eindhvoen. This is why I insist that my wife and children are well protected while I am away with Lazio or the national team."
Do you look back on the move to Lazio with some regret?
"Since I have come here, I have been in a lot of shit. I could have done without a lot of things. There were the drug allegations - I could not play for four months. The club struggled to pay the wages to the players for a long time. And I find it frustrating that we are not winning big trophies. At United I got used to winning things. That is why I find this situation very disappointing."
More recently there have been problem in the Dutch camp - but what do you make of the situation between Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert, who refuse to talk to each other?
"It should not make a difference whether they get on or not. If two players do not speak a word off the pitch to each other, that is not a problem. We had that situation for a long time at United with Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole. For years they did not say a single word to each other. But they did manage to play together in a professional way on the pitch. That is how Ruud should be with Patrick in the Dutch national team."
Wednesday March 03 2004
The Dutch defender talks about how everything's gone 's***' at Lazio, has a warning for Chelsea and likens Ruud and Patrick to Andy and Teddy at United...
How are things going at Lazio?
"Last year we finished fourth, while in my first season at Lazio we only ended up sixth in Serie A. This year we got knocked out in the first round of the Champions League.
"The remaining big names will be sold this summer. Our director of football, Guisueppe de Mita, has said that at the end of this season Lazio will also sell Dejan Stankovic and our manager Robert Mancini. That would be another big blow."
Are there lessons to be learned after what happened at Lazio? Even the president is in jail now...
"It is so simple to pour millions and millions into a club. As long as you have enough money, every player in Europe can be brought in, but look at us now. The lessons we have learnt are harsh and the reality of our situation is driven home every day."
Is there a danger that Chelsea could go the way of Lazio?
"I look at Chelsea and I know what they are doing. They keep buying all the big names. There will be some success. They will win something. Exactly the same thing happened at Lazio. But look where this club is now. Here, in Roma, they operated no different from the Chelsea owners. But right now we are in a major financial crisis.
"The biggest problem for a club like Chelsea is that, because of all the money spent on the transfer market, the expectations are incredibly big. And when the time comes when there is not enough money to pay everyone, people will still have huge expectations.
"Even at Lazio, with most of our big names gone again, nobody says: 'Listen, we have to cut back, we are facing a few tough seasons ahead'. The whole world is still expecting miracles.
"Players at big clubs do earn a lot of money. We are described as multi-millionaires these days. It has been written and it was said in a documentary on television that I have 20 million pounds in the bank! I guarantee I have not earned that amount of money while I was at United and at Lazio!"
So you're fairly rich then?
"It really annoys me when such figures and exaggerated stories about our salaries come out. It could put some mad ideas in the mind of an idiot. In Holland police broke up a gang last month, ready to kidnap Mateja Kezman, the top scorer of my old club PSV Eindhvoen. This is why I insist that my wife and children are well protected while I am away with Lazio or the national team."
Do you look back on the move to Lazio with some regret?
"Since I have come here, I have been in a lot of shit. I could have done without a lot of things. There were the drug allegations - I could not play for four months. The club struggled to pay the wages to the players for a long time. And I find it frustrating that we are not winning big trophies. At United I got used to winning things. That is why I find this situation very disappointing."
More recently there have been problem in the Dutch camp - but what do you make of the situation between Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert, who refuse to talk to each other?
"It should not make a difference whether they get on or not. If two players do not speak a word off the pitch to each other, that is not a problem. We had that situation for a long time at United with Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole. For years they did not say a single word to each other. But they did manage to play together in a professional way on the pitch. That is how Ruud should be with Patrick in the Dutch national team."
Buy on AliExpress.com
Now those two really like each other