i was probably aware of the possible impossibility of holland winning the world cup this year. yet, i was willing holland to win. the faith, the belief, all stemmed from the fact that to me, this world cup is the last chance for redemption, to right everything that has gone wrong. not for holland, but for me. i know that if we win it, it will erase all the pain of the past two years. especially from december onwards.

this redemption, is something only holland can achieve; not germany, not spain.

ps said before, sometimes what happens to ur team can bear an uncanny resemblance to your own life.

the season when everything went wrong for arsenal, valencia and ajax, the 04/05 season was a prime example. for him, it was arsenal only. for me, it was three times the coincidence.

05/06 wasnt fantastic. moments of brilliance. but mostly all wrong.

every moment, clinging on to the belief that things will change.

so, my faith in holland mirrored this belief.