Did you know that Guus Hiddink's second stint as Netherlands manager lasted more days than he spent minutes leading football matches?
The Dutch finished third at World Cup 2014 under Louis van Gaal, but in their ten matches since Hiddink was named as the successor to the current Manchester United boss, the Netherlands have been ahead in games for a grand total of 238 minutes.
Some 84 of these minutes were also in a rare positive performance under Hiddink's guidance too, when beating Latvia 6-0 in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
In his 334 days in charge, Oranje could only scrabble together ten points from six qualifiers, which has left them in third spot in Group A, three adrift of the Czech Republic and five behind unlikely leaders Iceland.
The top two in each group and best third-placed team are guaranteed to qualify for Euro 2016 and the other eight "bronze medallists" contest play-offs to reach France, and the Dutch are far from assured a top-three finish at present, especially with Turkey a mere two points behind them.
Yet, somehow, the Netherlands remain just 2.50 to top Group A and an even more surprising 1.20 to deliver a top-two finish with four more matches remaining. A lay in that market looks far more appealing.
The Dutch finished third at World Cup 2014 under Louis van Gaal, but in their ten matches since Hiddink was named as the successor to the current Manchester United boss, the Netherlands have been ahead in games for a grand total of 238 minutes.
Some 84 of these minutes were also in a rare positive performance under Hiddink's guidance too, when beating Latvia 6-0 in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
In his 334 days in charge, Oranje could only scrabble together ten points from six qualifiers, which has left them in third spot in Group A, three adrift of the Czech Republic and five behind unlikely leaders Iceland.
The top two in each group and best third-placed team are guaranteed to qualify for Euro 2016 and the other eight "bronze medallists" contest play-offs to reach France, and the Dutch are far from assured a top-three finish at present, especially with Turkey a mere two points behind them.
Yet, somehow, the Netherlands remain just 2.50 to top Group A and an even more surprising 1.20 to deliver a top-two finish with four more matches remaining. A lay in that market looks far more appealing.
This is backed up by a recent poll by the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, in which 91% of respondents didn't believe the national team would finish in the top two of Group A. Six in ten also held the opinion that the Netherlands wouldn't qualify by any means for Euro 2016.
Hiddink's below-par stint should not have come as the greatest shock based on his consistent struggles since executing a short-term salvation of Chelsea in 2009, which brought FA Cup success.
His legacy was dented after Russia lost a play-off to Slovenia to fail to qualify for World Cup 2010, Turkey suffered the same fate against Croatia to miss out on Euro 2012 and then, despite a monumental salary, Hiddink got nowhere near winning a Russian title with Anzhi Makhachkala.
The big problem for the Dutch FA is where they turn to now?
Ronald Koeman might have taken the job after the World Cup, but he looks out of the question after impressing at Southampton, while Phillip Cocu is working similar wonders at PSV and Ajax's Frank de Boer doesn't seem interested either.
The initial plan was that Ajax legend Danny Blind would take over after Euro 2016, but the feeling is that he will be named way ahead of schedule.
This seems another dangerous move as Blind's only career managerial stretch to date was 14 months at Ajax, with the club finishing an unfathomable fourth in 2005/06, 24 points behind Eredivisie champions PSV and 11 shy of third-placed Feyenoord.
The Netherlands do have home games against Iceland and the Czech Republic to come, alongside road trips to Group A bottom side Kazakhstan and Turkey, that latter of which may well prove the biggest of their remaining qualifiers.
Third spot seems most likely at present but, with Blind at the helm, it could prove a case of theblind leading the blind out of Euro 2016 before the tournament even kicks-off.
Hiddink's below-par stint should not have come as the greatest shock based on his consistent struggles since executing a short-term salvation of Chelsea in 2009, which brought FA Cup success.
His legacy was dented after Russia lost a play-off to Slovenia to fail to qualify for World Cup 2010, Turkey suffered the same fate against Croatia to miss out on Euro 2012 and then, despite a monumental salary, Hiddink got nowhere near winning a Russian title with Anzhi Makhachkala.
The big problem for the Dutch FA is where they turn to now?
Ronald Koeman might have taken the job after the World Cup, but he looks out of the question after impressing at Southampton, while Phillip Cocu is working similar wonders at PSV and Ajax's Frank de Boer doesn't seem interested either.
The initial plan was that Ajax legend Danny Blind would take over after Euro 2016, but the feeling is that he will be named way ahead of schedule.
This seems another dangerous move as Blind's only career managerial stretch to date was 14 months at Ajax, with the club finishing an unfathomable fourth in 2005/06, 24 points behind Eredivisie champions PSV and 11 shy of third-placed Feyenoord.
The Netherlands do have home games against Iceland and the Czech Republic to come, alongside road trips to Group A bottom side Kazakhstan and Turkey, that latter of which may well prove the biggest of their remaining qualifiers.
Third spot seems most likely at present but, with Blind at the helm, it could prove a case of theblind leading the blind out of Euro 2016 before the tournament even kicks-off.
