A week before the actual evaluation with the Dutch FA Bert van Marwijk decided to resign from his post as national coach. He has not disclosed the reasons for his departure yet, but it is not a secret that the disastrous past weeks left him little ground to work on towards the World Cup in...

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart seem to become the victims of their own revolt as sources around the national team have leaked the end of their career under Bert van Marwijk in the Dutch team. Other departees are likely to be Mark van Bommel, Joris Mathijsen, Wilfred Bouma, Khalid...

In the end Bert van Marwijk caved in to public demand and cut the controlling midfield in half, while adding Rafael van der Vaart to the creative suite. He also send in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for Ibi Afellay. With the topscorers of the Premier League and the Bundesliga in one front line, an...

In the second edition of Orange Crush Harry Pearson  explains insightful, what any Dutch national coach has to deal with. The Dutch press is not only reporting the games, but they are also reviewing the tactical acumen and the choice of players of the man in charge. When Holland reached the...

A 2-0 score and a German win is enough to propel the Dutch into the quarter finals. The downside: Portugal is the opposition. They are in the same niche as the Dutch in international football with many talented players and coaches over the years. Clubs that won several European Cups. Still,...

Despite two defeats, there is still hope in the Dutch camp. If the Germans beat Denmark, and why not, Holland need to beat Portugal by a two goal margin and off we go: quarter finals in Warschau. Let’s forget for the moment that Portugal is the Angstgegner of the Dutch with only one win...

The Dutch are still in with a chance, but they need to beat Angstgegner Portugal with a two goal difference and hope the Germans beat Denmark. “Men against boys”, noticed Mark Lawrenson on BBC1 and it summed up the night quite well. The problems at left back  were easily...

I grew up with the idea of the ‘bad Germans’. Their national team seemed smug, arrogant, while Bayern München irked as well. We watched the Bundesliga highlights every Saturday, hoping Beckenbauer & Co would lose. On European nights we hoped for all the German clubs to lose,...