Euro 2016: Netherlands feel loss of Man United boss

Guus Hiddink has lost three of his four matches back in charge

Michael Lintorn is surprised to find Netherlands odds-on to win their qualifying group despite being six points off second...

Though the Netherlands has been a country responsible for so much innovation in football, you get the impression that the power brokers at their KNVB aren't the most imaginative.

Need to find a successor for Bert van Marwijk? How about that guy who was in charge 12 years earlier? Want somebody to replace him? How about the one who first took the job 19 years ago?

This thinking meant ignoring Ronald Koeman, who worked with five members of the World Cup 2014 squad last season at Feyenoord, where he enjoyed an excellent three years before a similarly bright beginning at Southampton.

In fairness to Guus Hiddink, when he agreed to take charge of the Dutch national team in March, he probably didn't expect to have much to follow. Louis van Gaal had achieved World Cup qualification capably enough, but wasn't hugely popular and was winless in three games - being outclassed by France a few weeks earlier - and a tough draw led many to forecast a group-stage exit.

However, Hiddink instead inherited World Cup bronze medallists, who thrashed both the hosts (Brazil) and holders (Spain), went the distance with runners-up Argentina and turned could-be-greats like Daley Blind into household names. It was a sudden shot of optimism to a dubious Dutch public.

It has worn off just as rapidly as it had emerged though owing to Hiddink's disastrous start. A 0-2 friendly defeat to Italy could be shrugged off - it was Antonio Conte's opening match as Azzurri boss and Bruno Martins Indi was sent off very early - but nothing since then could be excused so easily.

Euro 2016 qualifying Group A commenced with a 1-2 defeat away to Czech Republic, an immediate alarm bell for a nation whose side had won 26 of their previous 28 qualifiers, losing just once at the end of a successful Euro 2012 preliminary campaign.

Then they trailed Kazakhstan - 23 defeats in their previous 30 competitive fixtures - for 45 minutes in Amsterdam, leaving it until the 82nd minute to assume a lead, before being beaten 0-2 in Iceland.

There is no immediate danger of them failing to reach the tournament given that third place now pays out a play-off berth at the very least, yet for a team used to sailing through these processes recently, it is a concerning adjustment.

The biggest problem is that both of their conquerors - Czech Republic and Iceland - have sailed through their first three encounters unblemished - meaning that they are six points off the pace required to guarantee automatic progress, but they can still be laid at around 1.865/6 to finish top.

Hiddink is in the firing line - Ronald de Boer labelled his ideas as "old-fashioned" - and it isn't merely hindsight to say that the appointment was always underwhelming. While the 67-year-old is one of the most experienced international managers around, he hasn't accomplished anything significant for five years - six if you don't think winning the FA Cup at Chelsea was particularly inspired.

He was unable to guide Russia to World Cup 2010 or Turkey to Euro 2012 and didn't lift Anzhi Makhachkala to the anticipated heights back when they were investing heavily.

Admittedly, van Gaal was hired during a similar period of stasis in his career and that worked out, but the Man United manager was only two years removed from revitalising Bayern Munich and taking them to a first Champions League final in nine years.