Day six in Holland - brought to you by Alistair Linden, the club's Education Officer...
Zaterdag
The sun is shining and the hotel is quiet. Both Rochdale and Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Academies are off around Den Bosch district exploring on their bikes. I due to age and a right knee that can’t bend past 90 degrees I am stuck here in the luxury of the de Ruwenberg drinking free coffee.
The journey back from Dordrecht last night went quickly arriving back at around 10.30. Most of the lads went off to their rooms straight away. This morning arrived shortly before we went to bed, well at least that’s what it felt like. Everyone was exhausted. In fact 2 players were had to be rescued from the Land of Nod as they had been so tired last night they had forgotten to set their alarm.
Tonight’s verbal jousting began with Simon Williams our LFE rep and Rochdale Academy alumni was surprised by today’s event. Having been told he was going on a boat ride in Den Bosch he was bemused by the fact that the ride was not on a powered boat but an inflatable surf board with a paddle. Somewhat crestfallen Simon embarked upon his river cruise and promptly fell in. The balance and poise of previous years had left him.
Tonight the staff embarked on a verbal tour of diverse topics that included transfer prices, Alderley Edge, Astra Zeneca, Alt J, Hozier, Future Islands and house prices in Hartlepool. What an eclectic crew we are.
However the highlight of the night was Lofty Brown’s stunned realisation that Korea was in fact 2 countries and the population had no access to the internet beyond their country. Once he found out there had also been a war in the early 1950’s his brain went into overdrive.
Provided with an IPad he devoured facts about Jong Il and his remarkable sporting and literary achievements and when presented with a picture of Kim Jong Un’s haircut he went into meltdown.
Exhausted he retired to bed to consider the revelations he had uncovered. I fear we have created a monster. As with Dr Frankenstein who had high hopes of his creation becoming a benefit to mankind I fear once the Pandora’s Box of a world beyond Rochdale AFC and the Bubble Room at Alderley Edge has been revealed to Lofty Brown he will become an bearded information junkie wandering the world.
Meanwhile his brother Adam Brown sat stunned in the corner trying to come to terms with meeting his female twin in Den Bosch.
I leave on Monday and I have no idea of the psychological damage that has occurred here!
Goede nacht.