Fred Grim to remain as Ajax coach until the end of the season

VI are reporting that Fred Grim will remain as the head coach of Ajax until the end of the season. Grim took over from John Heitinga after he was sacked following a poor run of form in both the league and European football. Things have turned around somewhat for Grim, which has convinced the board to allow him to remain in charge of Ajax until the end of the current campaign.

By sticking with Grim, Ajax are also giving themselves time to make a crucial decision on who will be the permanent next head coach of the club for the upcoming season. They looked to have found a long term option in Francesco Farioli, who mounted a title challenge last year and won 71% of his games in charge. However, he then left for Porto and Heitinga returned for another spell. So far, Grim is averaging 1.9 points per game, which is only 0.1 more than Heitinga was. More importantly, the side are currently enjoying a seven game unbeaten run that was extended thanks to a dramatic 3-2 win over newly promoted Telstar at the weekend.

Grim will have to complete the rest of the season without long serving Ajax man Kenneth Taylor. The midfielder recently left the club after 16 years to join Lazio in Serie A, making his debut at the weekend.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson