The final weeks of the football season are drawing close to an end. There is a fight for the title and one hell of a scrap developing for Eredivisie survival.

Our local team, ADO Den Haag are right in the mix at this time. There fortunes rise and fall like the world stock markets right now. One weekend there is a glimmer of hope and euphoria, followed quickly by a painful crashing back to reality.

ADO now only has six games in which to save themselves from the drop or that of the dreaded play offs. ADO must aim to finish 15th or higher. It is by all means very possible. Despite the results, the performances have deserved more. An example of this was the draw against VVV Venlo last Sunday. ADO completely dominated that game from start to finish. The heart and fight in the team was clearly there for all to see. The fans witnessed the effort and appreciated it. Unfortunately this performance matched so many others this season, where good play lacked where it mattered, in and around the penalty box. I swear even the woodwork is cursed to be against them.

Along the way, ADO has had many problems off the field to contend with; the fears of financial ruin and closure due to their huge debts and the local government refusing any more bail outs. There have been rumours in the press of unrest in the player’s camp. Some may be true, others not, but if you believe all you read, ADO is about to crumble before our eyes, which it wont! The local team as in any city is a vital part of its heritage and pride. Any city can tell you, when the local team starts to perform the whole local area gets a boost. It may look cloudy for ADO now, but who knows what lies on the horizon of next season? Anyway, to lose ADO would be a waste of a lot of cash. No team would equal large white elephant of a football stadium, what would you do with it? It makes no sense to let ADIO fold. So there is a huge reason for everybody to fight and pull together for our local team

P W L D PTS

14 Sparta ................28 6 7 15 25

15 Vitesse............... 27 6 6 15 24

16 ADO Den Haag... 28 5 9 14 24

17 Willem II ............28 7 2 19 23

18 RKC Waalwijk.....28 4 0 24 12

The final run in for ADO is not too bad. There are three games that are most definitely winnable and one good for a draw in my opinion. That would certainly be good enough for a safe finish. The two tough games remaining are those at home to Ajax and away to FC Utrecht. Anything gained from these two matches would be a welcome bonus. Yet ADO have turned it on against the big teams over the past two seasons, so they still are in with a shout.

Fri 26-03-10 NAC Breda v ADO Den Haag 20.45

Sun 04-04-10 ADO Den Haag v AJax 12.30

Sun 11-04-10 FC Utrecht v ADO Den Haag 12.30

Wed 14-04-10 ADO Den Haag v N.E.C. 21.00

Sun 18-04-10 ADO Den Haag v RKC Waalwijk 14.30

Sun 02-05-10 Heracles v ADO Den Haag 14.30

There are many football fans amongst the expat community. Many religiously follow the teams back home. Many miss going along and supporting them, shouting them on to victory. Well as a huge footy fan, I know I miss going to watch my beloved Liverpool FC, I miss being able to get rid of the pent up frustrations of the week by being able to shout for my team.

Before I started writing about ADO, I went to the games; the atmosphere inside the ground is phenomenal considering the average crowd is 10,500. So why don’t you all come along and give your local team a lift and show them some support. It is a safe environment to watch football. The Forepark Stadion is reputedly one of the safest stadia in the world. Another major plus point is; watching Dutch football is much cheaper than in most other European countries. Plenty of parking close to the ground. Trams 3 and 4 go from Zoetermeer and Den Haag centraal station every 6 minutes on match days. It is only a 10 minute walk from Forepark station to the ground.

There are three more home games to come. The next one against Ajax is for clubcard holders only. But the remaining two, at home to N.E.C and RKC are open to everybody. Tickets can be purchased from the stadium ticket office on the days leading up to the game and before the game itself. Wednesday 14-04-10 ADO Den Haag v N.E.C. 21.00 and Sunday 18-04-10 ADO Den Haag v RKC Waalwijk 14.30. So please come along and support your local football team. They need your support and you’ll be in for a good bit of footballing entertainment. Believe me, once you have been the first time, you will want to go back. There is no excuse not to go.

By Neal McClimon
neal@thehagueonline.com
 

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