X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: f4f17,15af5515548b5f51
X-Google-Attributes: gidf4f17,public
X-Google-Thread: fc9f9,15af5515548b5f51
X-Google-Attributes: gidfc9f9,public
X-Google-Thread: fcfb9,15af5515548b5f51
X-Google-Attributes: gidfcfb9,public
X-Google-Thread: fe7ce,15af5515548b5f51
X-Google-Attributes: gidfe7ce,public
X-Google-Thread: f996b,15af5515548b5f51
X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public
X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-01-30 06:02:55 PST
Path: 
 archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!cleanfeed.casema.net!leda.casema.net!castor.casema.net.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Mart van de Wege <mvdwege.usenet@drebbelstraat20.dyndns.org>
Subject: Re: What does everyone reckon our chances are for the Euro 2004
 qualifying?
Newsgroups: 
 alt.ascii-art,alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian,alt.politics.socialism,alt.seduction.fast,comp.os.linux.advocacy
References: <ii8b5us7f3ef9s5ui2iofjaj5goqmvdv6k@4ax.com>
 <3c55c27f$0$251$edfadb0f@dspool01.news.tele.dk>
 <3c55c608$0$4617$626a54ce@news.free.fr>
 <jgkb5uon8u22vptusq25flqkuc2e10q5hi@4ax.com>
 <Xns91A4ED850F225finald@207.217.77.26> <3c56e685$0$206$626a54ce@news.free.fr>
 <Xns91A591DA14BFFfinald@207.217.77.23> <3c57cfd0.3518600@news.dial.pipex.com>
User-Agent: Pan/0.11.1 (Unix)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-Comment-To: "brokenbroker@ytp.net" <broken broker>
X-Jabber-ID: mvdwege@jabber.org
Message-ID: <kkt83a.o7l.ln@drebbelstraat20.dyndns.org>
Lines: 52
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 13:58:59 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: 62.234.40.106
X-Trace: castor.casema.net 1012399139 62.234.40.106 (Wed,
 30 Jan 2002 14:58:59 MET)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 14:58:59 MET
Organization: EuroNet Internet
Xref: archiver1.google.com alt.ascii-art:14266
 alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian:35403 alt.politics.socialism:15031
 alt.seduction.fast:74635 comp.os.linux.advocacy:183858

On Wed, 30 Jan 2002 11:58:56 +0100, brokenbroker@ytp.net wrote:

> On Tue, 29 Jan 2002 19:20:47 GMT, FinaliDentity <no@spam.com> wrote:
> 
>>"Mirak" <karim-boucher@wanadoo.fr> wrote in
>>news:3c56e685$0$206$626a54ce@news.free.fr:
>>
>>> All taht you say is that france is lucky because they are the first
>>> team to win a world cup and a euro in a row ? AHAHAHAHAHAH Is it luck
>>> to lose only 3-2 against holland with bench players ?
>>> 
>>> 
>>Let's see, Holland, so "great" a footballing power that ...
>>
>>THEY DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR THE WORLD CUP???!!! Geez, you'd think you could
>>come up with a better example than THAT! :)
> 
> Don't you think it's weird that Holland didn't qualify? Perhaps they
> have too many stars which therefore splits the team. When playing their
> best, many believe (incl. me) Holland to be about the best.  It's their
> team spirit/sum of egos that's their problem.
> 
<snip>

Ok, one off-topic x-post and I'll shut up. Apologies to all.

The problem with dutch teams, the national side included, is *mentality*.
We dutch fans, and by extension the coaches and players, like a carefully
structured, tactically intelligent passing game. For this you need a team
with good players (check), a smart coach (check) and good form (always a
variable).

The ego problem of too many stars and no team exists, but the major
problem is bad form. When the form isn't there, the team can't play its
favourite game, so then it would be time to just go in there and *fight*
for every mm of grass. Unfortunately, we don't have the players with the
right sort of mentality for that style, like the germans and the english.
In fact, teams and players that are able and willing to employ this style
of play are roundly boo-ed by both press and public. Only one major team
in our league has this as its 'house style', and unsurprisingly, it is
widely regarded as an 'ugly' team (Feyenoord Rotterdam).

Therefore, on good form, the Netherlands can beat anyone, on bad form they
in turn can be beaten by everyone.

Mart

-- 
'Come not between the Nazgul and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn.
He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness,
where thy flesh shall be devoured, 
and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye'