O'Malley's Oranje

O'MALLEY'S ORANJE 10 vs. KOREANS 2 Team Oranje went into this cruch game knowing nothing less than three points and a resounding victory would do after a series of plucky but very unlucky performances in recent weeks; and a resounding victory was exactly what was delivered. A change of personnel saw a newish look side take the field with Big Jeroen being welcomed back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines and Frankie the flying striker being switched into a somewhat unorthodox position in defence. The Dutch started quite well although some sloppy possession in the final third meant they failed to punish the sprightly koreans who then had a period of pressure that was dealth with relatively easily by the Dutch defence with kepper Max ("whats up with those shorts??") largely untroubled. After about 10 minutes the break through was finally made as midfield dynamo Lodewijk latched onto a pass by the busy Joao and danced through the static Korean defence to calmly slot home, 1-0 to the Oranje and a collective sigh of relief was heard throughout the field and on the side lines by the very enthusiastic following. Soon after it was 2-0 as some good work down the left flank by Koen ended in a Korean defender firing into his own net. The Korenas were punished soon after when one of their players foolishly decided to verbally abuse the linesman which resulted in a straight red card from the uncompromising referee; unbelievably shortly after another korean saw red when his crude two footed lunge at Janus in addition to some phsyical confrontation with the ref saw another direct red. This leaving the Korenas shocked and in disarray there then came a period of intense pressure with Tom Bus & Daniel causing mayhem down the wings - before the Koreans knew what hit them it was 5-0 as Lo was fed by Tom and again capitalised on poor korean defending to slot home, Joao finished convincingly after a fine ball by Jeroen and the youngster Bart hammered home from a tight angle after further destructive work by manager Tom Bus. From having stuggled to score in the previous games, suddenly the Dutch were looking invincible and chance after chance came their way; if only someone had have taken up a position on the second post it could have been double figures by half time. Half time couldn't come soon enough for the ravaged korean team, the confidence within the Dutch camp was there for all to see and the second half couldn't come soon enough. The Dutch picked up from where they left off and Daniel, increasingly impressive raiding the right flank, soon increased the score, tapping home after an effort rebounded off the cross bar from Koen; then Ben crept up for a corner delivered by Lodewijk, saw his initial headed effort blocked only to swing on the loose ball and watch as it slowly trickled in. The koreans still played their 3 man offence and after a period of customary Dutch complancency they hit back with 2 breakaway efforts - not enough to get the alarm bells ringing but proof that against a better team 100% concentration needs to be maintained throughout 90 minutes. One moment that had Oranje hearts in mouths came when Max jumped out of the way of a korean free kick to let the ball hit the back of the net - with everyone thinking the south american had lost his sanity, he came out the one laughing as the free kick was indirect and indeed he was correct to leave it - very smart and aware. Then came the Tom Bus show, first rising to expertly head home a curling cross from Janus on the right then scoring with a fine left footed effort from about 35 yards after being played through by the busy Daniel; Lodewijk capped an impressive display with a much deserved hat trick, after good lead up work again by Janus, the midfield dynamo ghosted around a couple of flat footed, exhausted koreans to calmly stroke home. The final whistle blew to cap a fine performance by the jubliant Oranje team; ten goals was an impressive return although in all honesty it could have been at least double and the fact we conceeded against a weak nine man opposition highlights that there is still work to be done to ensure we compete with the higher placed teams. All in all however, a time for celebrations and a win that means we now have more points on the board than in the whole of last season - well done, each and every one of you; the future's bright - the future's oranje........... Individual Ratings (marks out of 10): Max. 7 : Strong, positive, good communication, no chance with the goals; decision making on the indirect free kick was pure genius!!! (not so sure about the shorts though!!??) Tim. 8 : Solid, dependable as ever, even out of position. Impressive display & always a pleasure to play along side Ben. ??: Come on, how do you rate yourself without questions being asked about bias!!??? A so-so performance and added a goal. Jeroen. 7 : Solid, added class and composure on first game back Frankie. 6 : Centre forward playing defence but stuck to task and adapted well until injury Lodewijk. 9 : Lots of running, creativity, deserved 3 goals and numerous assists. Great Performance. Janus. 8 : Didn't score but played part in several goals - some intelligent running, battled and defended well when asked. Remco. 6 : Limited playing time but did what he had to do when on the field, attack and defence wise; great vocal support from the bench too. Jack. 6 : Offered a lot but a bit more strength and confidence required - should have gone on own 2nd half to score instead of passing. Joao. 7 : Clever display from the little Brazilian, linked well with midfield and deserved his goal. Bart. 7 : Effective, if a little subdued for his standards - good goal. SUBS: Koen. 8 : Unlucky not to start but showed class and clever use of the ball when on. Tom Bus. 9 : 2 fine goals, troubled a wobbly defence - could have been more if the second post option had been pursued!!?? **STAR MAN** Humphrey. 6 : Stuck to task well until "tired"..... after only having been on the field 10 minutes!!!???? Junior. 7 : Battled well and attacked effectively in his last game Daniel. 8 : Bright, energetic, caused problems with pace and strength Beer. 7 : Solid & composed - deserves more time on the pitch?? Keet. 6 : Got stuck in Chris. 6 : Battled well - should he or shouldn't he have taken the guy out for the first goal