SAVE CORRUPT-Holland - One Last Push

Holland part ways with Louis van Gaal ahead of Brasil 2014

The Netherlands National Football Team have announced that current manager Louis van Gaal has left the club by mutual consent ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

van Gaal has not yet commented on the reason why he has left his post as manager of Holland but many signs point towards a disagreement with his players which has left negative moral in their squad.

Edgar Davids, who recently resigned as player/manager of Barnet is currently the front runner for the job according to Sky Bet with the odds looking firmly towards him however Guus Hiddink has claimed that the job 'is his' however nothing is confirmed yet.

Holland will want to bounce back after their last World Cup, when they were narrowly beat by Spain and according to captain Robin van Persie, the team are ready to face all the challenges of the World Cup.

Holland will have to qualify for the World Cup first however looking at their group it seems an easy task with the squad they have:

So many World cup stories! Yours, mine, Aarons! Be reading yours, it will be nice to see if Holland can push on!

2014-03-03 20:43#163809 TheFMProject : So many World cup stories! Yours, mine, Aarons! Be reading yours, it will be nice to see if Holland can push on!

Yeah I know! Seeing as the World Cup is drawing closer I decided to make this one!

Former Manchester United player named as Holland Head Coach

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been named as the new Holland Head Coach which has surprised many football fans around the world.

The is currently no word on why van der Sar has been appointed but the retired Dutch keeper has told a Dutch sports network that he is 'over the moon' with his recent appointment and is 'looking forward to guiding the team to World Cup success'.

Earlier this week Edgar Davids was looking the favourite for the Holland job, with betting on Sky Bet suspended however now van der Sar has been appointed, the retired Dutch midfielder has said that he 'was not interested in the Holland job'.

Guus Hiddink also claimed that he was to be the new Holland manager however this has not come true and we await word from the former Anzhi Makhachkala boss when we get it.

Edwin van der Sar will speak to the press in the next few days.

Edwin van der Sar's Press Conference

New Holland boss Edwin van der Sar was invited by many football networks to discuss his appointment and the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Below we have the full conference in text which happened earlier today. van der Sar also discusses injuries and possible call-ups for the friendly match against Ecuador on the 14th of August, van der Sar is also joined by Captain Robin van Persie:


P: Edwin, you sit here now as the new Head Coach of the Dutch national team, how do you feel?

EVDS: Very honoured. I could not believe it when I was told that I will be the new Head Coach of Holland, especially as the World Cup is coming up shortly. I want to prove to everyone that I am capable of being a good manager I will hopefully prove it here with a great performance in the qualifers.

P: Great great. Do you know why you were chosen to be the new manager?

EVDS: I don't actually! It was a real surprise to me and my family but it was an opportunity of a lifetime for me and I am looking forward to starting my reign here with the friendly against Ecuador in the next few weeks.

P: Do you believe that you can win the World Cup this year?

EVDS: Well, I believe my team can perform to their best and if they do that they have a huge chance of winning it. We have a great squad here with many players who can make the difference for us. It will be a tight competition however I think we have a big chance.

P: Robin, how do you feel about Edwin's appointment?

RVP: I feel very happy for him and I believe he is the right man to lead us to victory this World Cup. I've always admired him and I am very glad he has been appointed. Me and the boys will perform to the best of our ability and we want to show the gaffer that we deserve a place in his team to go to Brazil if we make it through the qualifiers which I think we can achieve.

P: Edwin, final question, will you be putting out your strongest squad against Ecuador or will you play a weaker team to give your other players a chance?

EVDS: I will be fielding a weaker side than our usual starting eleven. I will include some of our more experienced players like Robin to help guide our young lads through the game. The whole team will need to impress me in the friendly and the qualifiers if they want to come to Brazil. Currently I have a couple of players who already have a place on the plane, but there are many spots to fill.

P: Thanks Edwin and Robin.

Classy Holland see off determined Ecuador

Holland defeated Ecuador 3-1 in a friendly game held at the Amsterdam Arena, with Robin van Persie scoring the pick of the goals.

This game marked the first time new manager Edwin van der Sar took charge of the team and he started with a very solid line-up, with Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben starting in the first team.

Holland Starting XI

(4-2-3-1) Stekelenburg,van der Wiel,Douglas,Heitinga,Blind,de Jong,Strootman,Robben,Sneijder,Emmanuelson,van Persie(c)

Ecuador Starting XI

(4-4-2) Dominguez,Paredes,Alvarado,Erazo,Ramirez,Valencia,Guerron,Noboa(c),Cuero,Rojas,Caicedo


Holland made the breakthrough at the end of the first half when holding midfielder Nigel de Jong was able to divert Robben's near post corner into the top corner of the net which left Dominguez rooted to his spot.

Ecuador proved to be difficult opposition for Holland as they break away on the counter and Antonio Valencia crossed the ball into Rojas, however Stekelenburg was able to snatch the ball away and kick it out to van Persie, but Guerron intercepted and played it to Valencia, who struck a fiece 20 yard shot into Stekelenburg's left corner.

A few minutes later Kevin Strootman gained the ball and played it towards Arjen Robben who got past two players and played it dangerously into the penalty box and Robin van Persie was able to touch the ball past Dominguez to put Holland back in the lead.

Robben put the game beyond doubt when he placed the ball into the bottom corner to make it three.

Robben was named Man of the Match as he put in a sublime performance by getting 1 goal and 2 assists which made manager Edwin van der Sar win his first game in-charge.

Nice match ! Good luck !

2014-03-04 17:17#163919 bebero : Nice match ! Good luck !

Thank you!

Holland maintain good form after narrow win

Holland restarted their qualification campaign with a narrow 2-1 win against a resilient Hungary side which gave Holland a run for their money.

Holland were in top spot in their group before this match began and were 8 points ahead of 2nd placed Romania, and a magnificent Jonathan de Guzman goal gave them a huge boost to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Holland Starting XI

(4-2-3-1) Krul,van der Wiel,Heitinga,Douglas,Braafheid,Clasie,Strootman,Robben,de Guzman,Emanuelson,van Persie

Hungary Starting XI

(4-4-2) Bodgan,Varga,Balatoni,Korcsmar,Horvath,Vadocz,Tozser,Gera,Hajnal,Stieber,Feczesin


Holland started the game brightly and 29 minutes into the game, FC Bayern winger Arjen Robben put Holland ahead with a great header into the bottom corner from an Emanuelson cross, which put Holland 1-0 up and silenced the home supporters. This marked Robben's 20th goal for his country.

Holland then doubled their lead when Kevin Strootmen did some wonderful work on the left wing and found Emanuelson who pulled it back to de Guzman who fired into the bottom corner, this gave Holland a strong 2-0 lead.

Hungary pulled one back when Gera found Stieber who curled the ball around Tim Krul in the Holland net, however Holland held out and secured a narrow 2-1 win against Hungary but gives them yet another 3 points in their group.

Good to see some story from Netherlands national team. Best of luck mate!

Did a Netherlands save a little while earlier (link is still in my sig) though I started after the World Cup. In that WC, the Netherlands failed miserably - so you should at least do better!

Good luck lad, will be keen to see how you get on, will definitely be following!

van der Vaart rejects Holland call-up

HSV's attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has rejected a call up from Edwin van der Sar due to not being picked for previous games which left him 'disappointed'.

Edwin van der Sar stated that he wanted van der Vaart to play the final qualifiers to get good international fitness for the upcoming World Cup as he wants to include him in the 23 going to Brazil.

van der Sar will have a press conference soon to discuss this issue and the squad members who may be going to Brazil in the next few weeks, where he will also talk about any injury news.

Holland face Estonia next in the qualifiers and look set to qualify for another successive year, and many are tipping Holland to be the 'underdog' in Brazil.

Holland thrashed Estonia 4-0 in their recent qualifier, with Chelsea youngster Marco van Ginkel scoring the pick of the goals as Holland secure qualification.

Holland are currently unbeaten in their group and travelled to Estonia who are looking unlikely to secure a play-off place as they are sat in 4th place with only 7 points.

Pre-match the focus was on Rafael van der Vaart, who rejected a call-up and criticised manager Edwin van der Sar, however young midfielder Marco van Ginkel moved the spotlight onto him with a remarkable performance.

Holland Starting XI

(4-2-3-1)Krul,van der Wiel,Heitinga,Douglas,Willems,Clasie,Strootman,Robben,van Ginkel,Emanuelson,van Persie(c)

Estonia Starting XI

(4-4-2)Gull,Avasoo,Piiroja(c),Klavan,Sutt,Alt,Savitski,Arge,Puri,Rooba,Kink


Holland kicked off and straight away Estonia moved into a very defensive position, with only their forwards Kink and Rooba pushing on forward putting pressure on the Holland back line.

Strootman was at the heart of the action, pulling the strings in midfield and playing perfectly weighted balls into the wingers Robben and Emanuelson, who were able to push on forward and aim for Robin van Persie in the middle, however Estonia's back line held firm and neutralised the threat of van Persie in the air.

But the deadlock was broke soon after when Marco van Ginkel, who recently got the call up to the Holland squad after Wesley Snejider picked up a knock in the previous game, was set through on goal by Robin van Persie and placed a curling shot around Gull in the Estonia goal.

Holland made it 2-0 when van Ginkel won the ball in midfielder and found winger Emanuelson, who bursted past Sutt and played a driven ball into the 6 yard box where Captain Robin van Persie tapped the ball past Gull to give Holland a deserved 2 goal cushion.

Then came the moment of magic when van Ginkel picked up the ball in the attacking third, drifted past two defenders and fired the ball into the bottom corner to make it 3-0 Holland and get his name of the score sheet for the second time tonight.

Emanuelson rounded off a great performance by smashing the ball from 20 yards into the bottom corner.

Holland have secured qualification and Edwin van der Sar's men really impressed tonight.

Masterclass performance draws qualification to a close

Holland wrapped up their qualification campaign with an emphatic 5-0 thrashing over Andorra, which sees them finish 1st in Group 4, winning all 10 of their games.

Edwin van der Sar called up Luciano Narsingh due to the injury Arjen Robben sustained whilst playing for FC Bayern Munich, and the 22 year old winger impressed giving van der Sar a much harder decision on who to take on the plane to Brazil.

Holland Starting XI

(4-2-3-1) Stekelenburg,Janmaat,Heitinga,van Dijk,Martins Indi,de Guzman,Janssen,Narsingh,Wjinaldum,Emanuelson,van Persie(c)

Andorra Starting XI

(4-3-3) Gomes,Ayala,Lima,Ribolleda(c),Mendez,Moreno,Sanchez,Somoza,Smith,Clemente,Lorenzo


Andorra kicked off and punted a long ball forward straight into the hands of Marting Stekelenburg, who quickly played the ball up field to van Persie. van Persie turned and ran at the Andorra back-line and got fouled 25 yards from goal.
van Persie stepped up due to the absence of Snejider, and hit the crossbar which immediately struck pressure into Andorra.

From their goal kick, they played it straight to de Guzman, who passed the ball out wide to Emanuelson, who played it to Janssen, Janssen in space, laid it off to de Guzman who fired the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out which he celebrated in style.

After the goal, Andorra looked very nervy, making many mistakes at the back which almost cost them a second goal, however Gomes was able to cover van Persie's strike.

10 minutes later, de Guzman picked up the ball from van Dijk and passed it to Wjinaldum, and with his pace, he dashed past two midfielders and threaded the ball through to Narsingh who placed the ball expertly across the goal to give Holland a very well deserved 2 goal lead.

van Persie then made it 3 just before the break when Narsingh got free on the right wing and swung a cross to the near post where van Persie flicked the ball on past Gomes who tried his best to reach the shot, getting his fingertips on it but he couldn't push it away.


Holland performed great the first half and looked to improve even more in the second half.

In the 60th minute, Narsingh got his second when Emanuelson cut inside from the wing and drilled the ball to the far post where Narsingh was unmarked, and with his finishing capability, he was able to tap the ball with great composure into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.

Janessen then finished off Andorra with a remarkable long shot from a very acute angle which found itself lift over Gomes and smash into the top net, which really summed up Holland's performance tonight.

Edwin van der Sar was very happy with his team and has a big decision to make before the World Cup in a few months time.