The fact they dress like roadworkers does make them more noticeable, but the number of Dutch fans in Dublin is commendable.
An orange-clad brass band were entertaining Thursday evening drinkers in the city centre, while quite a number of visiting supporters were milling around outside the Aviva Stadium on Friday morning.
They are true fans who may well get a glimpse at the brave future of the Netherlands football team, as manager Danny Blind looks to rebuild after the cataclysmic failure to qualify for an expanded European Championships that will feature the likes of Wales, Iceland, Northern Ireland and tonight’s opponents.
The orange aristocrats of European football are reduced to the role of warm-up act for a Republic of Ireland team whose interest in the Dutch extends no further than their mooted training base at Versailles, which was snapped up as soon as the 2014 World Cup semi-finalists finished behind Turkey, Iceland and the Czech Republic in their Euro 2016 qualifying group.
Martin O'Neill doesn't rush his team selections, so why would he rush his squad announcement? | @dionfanning https://t.co/Ooep1MpVQl
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 26, 2016
After the mortification, the catharsis has already begun. A 2-1 win at Wembley back in March suggests the Dutch will be tricky opponents for Martin O’Neill’s side. Without the likes of Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder, Blind will field a youthful side focused on the future.
Pity nobody out in Abbotstown appears to care too much about the result on Friday evening.
Ireland have a very good record against the Dutch, their last meeting in 2006 under Steve Staunton the only defeat in four meetings with the Oranje.
That 4-0 shellacking in Lansdowne Road was preceded by a 1-0 win back in 2004 when the current roles were reversed – Brian Kerr’s men spoiling the pre-Euro 2004 party as Robbie Keane twatted a 25-yard rocket in Amsterdam.
Memphis Depay or Wembley scorer Luciano Narsingh could do similar in the Aviva tonight and O’Neill’s world will not stop turning.
Friday night is intended to help O’Neill whittle down a squad he will not name until Tuesday night.
The hope would be that the Republic of Ireland manager already has a fair idea of the 23 he will take to France, but then you consider the former Aston Villa and Celtic manager is asking Kevin Doyle to play against the Philadelphia Union this Saturday before flying over for the Belarus game in Cork on Tuesday and you think he is keeping an open mind.
Therefore we can expect the Ireland team tonight to feature a few stalwarts like John O’Shea and Glenn Whelan, alongside some potential bolters like Harry Arter and David McGoldrick.
O’Neill is fond of Ipswich forward McGoldrick and you sense a goal, or even an industrious display, could spell the end for Colorado Rapids striker Doyle.
Arter is competing for a spot in Ireland’s crowded midfield. O’Neill likes what he brings and his chances of making the plane are far greater than those of his Bournemouth team-mate Eunan O’Kane.
Arter’s need to impress is not a common concern. Some, like Aiden McGeady, seem France-bound no matter what happens (barring injury) between now and Tuesday.
The winger’s exclusion from Sheffield Wednesday’s play-off final plans has not shaken O’Neill’s long-held admiration for the misfiring McGeady, while Keiren Westwood’s value to the Owls could end up costing him a place on the plane.
Arguably Ireland’s most in-form goalkeeper, he is preparing for Wembley while Shay Given is almost sure to get a chance to prove his worth to O’Neill and join Darren Randolph and, presumably, David Forde in Versailles.
But, little over a fortnight out from the start of a major tournament, for there still to be so much to ponder is amazing. Maybe it is all straight in O’Neill’s head and this is just a ploy to distract from the business at hand.
Whatever the score Friday the real result won’t be known till Tuesday.
The future may be bright, the future may be Oranje, but this friendly is all about the men in green and their manager’s plans for them.
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