The Eredivisie is a good league with some big clubs and excellent players.
Dutch football continues to produce footballers who excel at home and abroad but on this evidence, the pace of the game there can't prepare a player for life in the Championship.
Milan Smit belatedly announced his arrival in England with two goals against Ipswich and spoke of his "relief" after getting on the scoresheet in a league he's spent more than six weeks trying to acclimatise to.
He says the "intensity" is different in England's second tier and at times it's looked like the man who signed from Go Ahead Eagles would not overcome the shock to the system.
- Last-gasp penalty denies Ipswich victory at Stoke
Stoke manager Mark Robins revealed the relentlessness of training on top of the matches has been something new for Smit but spoke of the centre-forward now "finding his feet".
There's still work for Smit to do as he tries to get up to speed but the goals he scored against Ipswich alongside his physical traits provide cause for optimism.
He's still only 23 and at 6ft 3in tall, he has the physical attributes to compete and will surely look to get stronger.
His first goal was a poacher's finish while the second was a high-pressure penalty taken with almost the last kick of the game and, taken together, they show his instincts and nerve are good.
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