On Sunday we reached the end of our first week and all that the lads could think about was the forthcoming matches. This day was all about moving out of the hotel into the KNVB complex where would be spending the rest of the week.
The KNVB complex is the home of Dutch football. The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of all Dutch football, and the complex is the heart of the association.
We had a nice lie in which was rare and then a late breakfast and we were on our way 20 minutes down the road to the complex. We had a few hours to spare when we arrived at the hotel and then it was straight off the training ground for a light session to loosen the legs.
Training was very enjoyable and really worked up our appetite for dinner. After dinner we headed out for our third bowling session of the week. Part of me started to believe we were a bowling team with all the time we were spending on the alleys! Never-the-less it was a lot of fun!
Day 8 – We began the day with a very wet session in the morning as the heavens decided to open upon us. This mainly involved a bit of shape work and set piece work because of the match we have tomorrow.
After the session it was a quick bite to eat and then a bit of time to dry off and an afternoon session with an Ajax coach with another very prestigious background including 30 caps for the Dutch National Team and also a couple of year as Assistant Manager for them.
To end the day we went on a team bike ride to find the nearest shops. These shops happened to be 2km away from the complex! The bike ride was very hard but such a laugh. A lot of banter and a few crashes managed to take my mind off the pain and distance. Hopefully I will have enough energy for tomorrow’s game.
