Having missed out on your first European Championship tournament since 1984, the pain you feel today is that of a slow-motion car crash. Deep down, you must have known it was coming; that sense of sliding towards the abyss and inevitability. In a qualifying process that's basically designed to offer second, third, fourth and even fifth chances, you squandered all of them.
Maybe you thought you had cut your losses when you dispatched Guus Hiddink back in June. Hindsight being 20/20, you probably never felt quite right about appointing him in the first place. His term began in a friendly against Italy and, by his own admission, the game was over after 10 minutes -- down two goals and man.