Marco van Basten’s managerial style is having mixed results at Ajax. Photograph: Michael Kooren/Reuters
Give a Dutchman a choice and he will say no. It’s in his inherent nature to question and resist. The refusal in the Netherlands’ first ever referendum, when the European Constitution was voted down in 2005, surprised few and confirmed why we [...]

Groningen coach Ron Jans with defender Ondrej Svejdik. Photograph: AFP
It wasn’t terribly long ago that FC Groningen were tap-dancing on the brink of bankruptcy. They wobbled and nearly fell into the abyss before being forced to go hat-in-hand to rich backers in order to pay players’ wages. But if Groningen were to look down today, [...]

Ibrahim Afellay starred for PSV at the weekend. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
While England watched Chelsea take on Manchester City in a match-up between natural gas and crude oil (natural gas won 3-1 on this occasion), Holland saw a far more amusing bout between AZ manager Louis van Gaal and his own mouth.
Having just witnessed [...]