Van Basten struggles with life in the dugout

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THE HAGUE, May 4, 2009 (AFP) - Marco van Basten is fondly remembered as one of the most lethal strikers of the 1980s and 1990s, but the Dutch football great continues to toil in the dugout.

His first season in charge of Ajax was a disaster for a club that failed to achieve its stated pre-season objective of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Humiliated 4-0 at lowly Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday, the Dutch giants will finish the season next weekend in either third or fourth place, well behind champions AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente.

"It's a shock for which I'm partly responsible," Van Basten said on Sunday, while asserting that he still deserves "a second chance" at the helm of the iconic Amsterdam club.

"Unless the directors decide otherwise, I would like to continue," he said.

Adored as a player, the three-time European Footballer of the Year who inspired Holland to the 1988 European Championship has seen his star dim in the dugout.

Van Basten was frequently criticised during a largely underwhelming four-year stint as coach of the Dutch national team and his first taste of club management has done little to sway his detractors.

Ajax were knocked out of the Dutch Cup by Volendam and have suffered heavy league defeats at the hands of Heerenveen (5-2), Vitesse Arnhem (4-1), PSV Eindhoven (6-2) and Sparta Rotterdam.

Despite his legendary status at the club where he made his name, Van Basten has frequently been the target of protests from the very supporters who used to idolise him.

If he keeps his position, Van Basten will probably owe it to extenuating circumstances.

Injuries have made it impossible for him to name a consistent starting XI, while he was forced to sell defender John Heitinga to Atletico Madrid at the start of the season and then striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to Real Madrid in January.

But some of Van Basten's own signings, such as Serbian attacker Miralem Sulejmani, have struggled, and he has been criticised for persisting with Kenneth Vermeer in goal ahead of the more experienced Dutch international Maarten Stekelenburg.

"This season, we have not been good," admits Van Basten, who has three years left on his contract.

"Mentally and tactically, the team has shown to be lacking. Next season we should be a lot better."