It is probably reasonable to say the Dutch, in recent years at least, have inflicted more misery on Republic of Ireland supporters than the rest of the planet's footballing nations combined.
Today at Lansdowne Road they have a chance to inflict some more when the teams meet in a crucial World Cup Qualifier. Then again, Mick McCarthy's men have a monumental opportunity to settle some old scores.
It's difficult to know where to start.
How about 1988? Remember? The Republic was only eight minutes away from getting the draw they needed to advance to the knock-out stages of the European Championships when Wim Kieft's head intercepted a Ronald Koeman scuffed shot and, like a Shane Warne delivery, spun implausibly when it pitched, arcing, around Packie Bonner into the right-hand corner of the goal. The ball, that is, not Wim Kieft's head.
Dream over.
Next, the 1994 World Cup finals. The Citrus Bowl, Orlando. The Dutch were already one up when Wim Jonk hit a harmless long-range effort loosely in the direction of Bonner. George Hamilton captured the mood of the nation: "oooooh Packie". 2-0.
Dream over.
They were at it again a year later, this time in the play-offs for Euro 96 at Anfield. Patrick Kluivert scored twice and it was au revoir Jack Charlton, his final game.
Dream over.
Dutch and Irish football supporters have always bonded beautifully, but these defeats were beginning to put a strain on the relationship. The Irish were doing all the giving, the Dutch all the taking, as lopsided a relationship as you're likely to find.
True, there have been good days, not least the giddy 2-2 draw in Amsterdam a year ago in this World Cup Qualifying campaign, but when you think the last time the Republic beat Holland in a competitive international it was Mark Lawrenson who scored the winner, that'll tell you how long ago it was.
When Lawrenson's diving header hit the back of the net Robbie Keane the Younger was two months old, St Winifred's School Choir ("There's no-one quite like Grandma") were the happening band at the time and a loaf of bread was so cheap they were practically giving them away. The year was 1980. On the positive side a draw would do nicely today, all but ensuring a place in the play-offs . . . assuming the Republic finish second by beating Cyprus in October and assuming Portugal top the group by winning their three remaining games. If the Dutch don't win today they'll face the truth that they will miss out on the 2002 World Cup . . . unless Cyprus do them a favour when they come to Dublin.
(Incidentally, the Republic now know precisely who they'll meet in the World Cup play-offs, should they reach them, after the draw was made yesterday - Oman, China, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Thailand, Iran, Bahrain or Uzbekistan. The wailing you hear is emanating from those Irish supporters who faithfully follow their team to every away game.)
Anyway, back to the Dutch. Their football folk are still trying to fathom how they've never won the World Cup - for them to fail to even qualify for the competition would very probably result in manager Louis van Gaal being exiled to another solar system, where his new neighbours would be most of the current Dutch squad.
He has his problems, too, ahead of today's game. If you exclude van der Sar, Stam, Hofland, van Bommel, Cocu, Kluivert, van Nistelrooy, Zenden and Overmars this is a very ordinary Dutch team. Granted, they're all included but it's still a point worth making.
Edgar Davids, the midfielder who makes Roy Keane seem as menacing as a bunch of chrysanthemums, hasn't made it to Dublin after being banned following a positive test for nandrolone. It was a mishap, incidentally, that fellow Dutch footballer Bert Konterman blamed on greedy Dutch farmers.
"They inject cows with nandrolone to enhance the beef and make more money for themselves," he alleged, adding that Davids had probably been nandrolonised when he chomped on a Dutch quarterpounder. To which Dutch farmers replied: "Yeah, right. Good one, Bert".
And what of Jaap Stam? He's had a traumatic week after being exiled by Manchester United to Lazio for £15.25 million, although his mood might lighten when he picks up his first pay cheque (£75,000-aweek). Nobody's entirely sure why he was sold but the suspicion is it had something to do with his autobiography in which he alleged David Beckham "may not be the brightest spark". If he'd been an English player he would have said that Beckham has "a great right peg and gives 110 per cent, Brian", but Dutch footballers have an ugly habit of speaking their minds.
Exit Stam, then, with not even the fact that he'd just had a new kitchen installed in his Manchester home persuading Sir Alex to give him a reprieve. There's no room for sentiment in football, so if Stam's mind seems elsewhere today when Niall Quinn is bearing down on him it'll be on that kitchen.
Yet another problem for van Gaal, one McCarthy is spared: he has so many world class forwards he doesn't know which ones to pick. Their combined transfer market value is roughly equal to the average earnings of the global arms industry. On July 1st, 1976, in a couple of Dutch maternity wards, two babies were born. They grew up to be Patrick Kluivert (Barcelona) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United) and today they're likely to be van Gaal's chosen two.
Marking them will be Steve Staunton, who can't get in to the Aston Villa first team this season, and Richard Dunne, who plays his football in the English first division. Dunne, though, is confident he can handle Kluivert, declaring this week that "thanks to manger Mick McCarthy, I know exactly what I have to do again to prevent him scoring". Memories of McCarthy's days marking the imperious Dutch forward Marco van Basten came flooding back.
When asked once, by a journalist who likened van Basten's movement to that of a ballet dancer, what he'd say to the mega star when they squared up, McCarthy replied: "You can't pirouette on a limp Marco".
So, then, will the dream be over come five o'clock today? No. Three reasons: (1) The Republic are nearing the end of one their finest ever qualifying campaigns (unbeaten in two games against Portugal and one against the Dutch) and the Gods could never be so unkind as to deny them qualification; (2) The Dutch can't keep beating us forever; (3) It's written in the footballing stars that the Republic will have to travel to Iraq, through their no-fly zone, before booking their spot in Japan and Korea for the 2002 World Cup.
It would be a suitably dizzy end to what has been a startling qualifying campaign.
