Danny Blind Sacked by Netherlands After World Cup Qualifier Loss vs. Bulgaria

Netherlands manager Danny Blind has been sacked after his nation's 2-0 loss to Bulgaria in a qualifier for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Saturday.

The news of Blind's dismissal was confirmed on Sunday by the Royal Dutch Football Association (h/t the FIFA World Cup Twitter account).

Blind's sacking hardly comes as a surprise. In fact, Michael Bell of Football-Oranje.com had called for the decision earlier in the day:

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They can not risk any more of these lifeless performances and need to look for a new man in charge to bring back some confidence and passion. A meeting is scheduled on Sunday between the KNVB and Blind which will hopefully lead to the coach's sacking.

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Bell took Blind to task for risking the Netherlands' bid to be part of the World Cup in Russia. Indeed, the nation's chances of earning qualification were dealt a significant blow by the loss in Bulgaria. It's the second defeat in five qualifiers and has left the nation in fourth place in Group A.

A big part of the problem has been Blind's inability to get some of his country's senior stars firing.

Specifically, Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has struggled, as has Liverpool playmaker Georginio Wijnaldum. It hasn't helped that younger players, such as 24-year-old Ajax maestro Davy Klaassen, have struggled to make the grade on the international stage.

Football Oranje put Blind's struggles into context alongside previous Netherlands managers:

OptaJohan also summed up the former Ajax skipper's dismal record in competitive qualifiers:

Nevertheless, Blind remained defiant and said in a statement on the KNVB website (h/t Bell) how he believed the Netherlands were heading in the right direction under his guidance: "I believe we were on the right track. The away game against Bulgaria was an incident. It's a pity that it has ended like this."

However, Blind may struggle to find sympathy after he failed to guide the Netherlands to a place at UEFA Euro 2016 and oversaw such a disappointing start to World Cup qualification.