Rose Cantine

The Dutch national football team is not doing well at all. They played in Sofia, Bulgaria this weekend and earned a draw (1-1) against Bulgaria, not exactly the most incredible team in the universe. A key Dutch player, Dirk Kuit, was injured. They’re trying to blame it on the weather. Apparently it rained and the pitch was soggy and muddy. Nice try guys, but the Netherlands is one giant mudflat and it rains all the time.

Over the past few weeks, the same sort of behaviour we’ve come to expect from Dutch players - criticizing the trainer - reared its ugly head, this time from Ruud van Nistelrooy saying nasty things about Marco van Basten (the trainer). I expect the Dutch team to self-destruct as they normally do, only this time, perhaps they’ll self-destruct earlier and not even make it to the Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. Attention Ruud! Please save your nasty anti-trainer comments till the end, then and only then can you all sabotage yourselves in true “Oranje” style.

But the shocker of the weekend is . . . Scotland defeated les Bleus (France) 1-0. Another shock: Sweden defeated Spain 2-0 and Israel held Russia to a draw 1-1.

For a roundup of the Euro 2008 qualifying matches this weekend, click here.

Time to down my sorrows in beer … very good Belgian beer.