Dutch Football - UEFA Cup - NEC are happy with "all these big clubs"

"The intellectualisation
of football has
always foundered
on a simple problem-
-the players. Doing
all your most
rewarding thinking
with your feet seems
to dull the philo-
sophical impulse.
Unless, of course,
you are Dutch.
According to legend,
Europeans played
a moronic, muscular
version of the world's
game, until Holland
proclaimed its vision
of total football in the
1974 World Cup,
and enlightenment
dawned."

From:
Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football

NEC are happy with "all these big clubs"

Wednesday 08 October 2008

NEC suffered a tough fate in group 4 with Tottenham Hotspur (Eng), Spartak Moscow (Rus), Dynamo Zagreb (Cro) and Udinese (Ita).

They start their campaign away to Dynamo Zagreb on 23 October.

On the 11th of November Tottenham Hotspurs are coming to De Goffert.

The team of coach Mario Been will have a tough challenge to finish third in a group that also hosts the 2006 UEFA Cup winners Spartak Moscow and the current number 2 of the Seria A.

"That will be some story," Been said.

"Tottenham may be having a bad start in the Premier League. But they have pumped so much money into that team. That must come out at some point. And Udinese is nice because I have played in Italy myself. But I am sure our fans would have preferred AC Milan and Ronaldinho from that country."

Technical Director Carlos Aalbers was impressed. "Damn, I felt as if I was looking at the draw for the Champions League. All these big clubs, but great to be in among them. I think it's a great group. One with appealing opponents but also one with chances to come through."