One of the co-authors of Soccernomics, Simon Kuper is also an expert on Dutch soccer. On this edition of the World Cup Buzz podcast, I talk to Simon about the romance surrounding the Oranje, when we learned about the team from Euro 2008, and whether he feels a suspect defense and hold up in South Africa.
Great discussion guys. Holland are a team very close to my heart – the 1998 team featuring Bergkamp, Kluivert, Cocu, the de Boers, van der Sar and the rest of the squad got me into the game in the first place!
Don’t worry about the fumbles Chris, podcasting is a tough gig and it’s hard when you’re wanting to get opinion and it gets turned around! It’s not always expected.
You’re doing a great job, just keep it up.
No worries Andrew, but that was Richard who got into the disagreement with Simon (and they later determined they were actually in agreement). Thanks for the kind words, though. Richard is doing brilliantly.
Cheers,
The Gaffer
Oops, sorry. Meant to say Richard, little mistake there.
Totally agree – these podcasts are brilliant and it takes two to tango. I’ve been listening daily.
I have just discovered these podcasts & I must say that they’re excellent. This one, in particular, had an amazing depth of analysis & knowledge on the part of the guest, Simon Kuper. Thank you.
I also would like to say that there wasn’t really a disagreement. Simon simply misunderstood Richard’s argument. I got what Richard meant to say right away: That a fit team can cope with Holland’s quick passing game better than a team that isn’t as fit. It was good to see that they worked it out.