Dick Advocaat

Resolutions made in football-club offices broadly come in two sizes: the hard choice that requires thorough research and debate, and the blatantly obvious decision. Feyenoord’s call to give veteran coach Dick Advocaat a one-year contract extension was firmly of the latter.

When Advocaat replaced Jaap Stam in October the Rotterdam club were in poor shape: mid-table in the Eredivisie, dysfunctional in almost every area and with morale at rock bottom following a 4-0 humiliation at