The Dutch failed to qualify for the world cup because they were edged out by Portugal (who, like them, had finished in the semis of EURO 2000) and by Ireland, inspired by Roy Keane.
If you watched those games, and I did, you'd see that the Dutch were monumentally unlucky not to get to the WC. That group was as hard as they come, and they lost out to two of the top 15 nations on the planet.
England are in trouble against Turkey this time, and don't have a team like Ireland breathing over their shoulder either. The Czecks are a very good team too, and it's no shame to be a couple of points behind them.
Group 3
Czech Republic 7 6 1 0 20 3 19
Holland 7 5 1 1 15 6 16
Austria 7 3 0 4 10 11 9
Moldova 7 2 0 5 5 14 6
Belarus 8 1 0 7 4 20 3
Group 7
England 7 6 1 0 14 5 19
Turkey 7 6 0 1 17 5 18
Slovakia 7 2 1 4 9 9 7
Macedonia 8 1 3 4 11 14 6
Liechtenstein 7 0 1 6 2 20 1
Holland can call on the talents of Kluivert, Van Nistelrooy, Makaay and Hasselbaink up front and guys like Davids, van Bommel, Van Der Vaart, Hofland, Staam, Van Der Sar, Reiziger, Melchiot, Overmars, Zenden, etc.
That's a team to match England.