Tight at top and bottom
The Korean season is coming to a close but the final week or so promises to be full of action at both bottom and top, even if quite a few of those in between are starting to dream of, or dread, 2014. Ulsan Horangi took the 2012 Asian Champions League title but have benefitted domestically after not qualifying for the 2013 version of the continental competition. Focusing on the league alone has really helped Kim Ho-gon’s men stride into the lead.
Going into the weekend’s round, Ulsan are two points clear at the summit above their only challengers Pohang Steelers although Pohang have played a game more with just two matches remaining.
These two south-eastern rivals have pulled away from a fading pack. Pohang have won the last four games, a recent record surpassed only by Ulsan with 15 points taken out of a possible 15. Striker Kim Shin-wook has been banging in the goals with 19 this season with Rafinha helping out with ten after returning from injury in the summer. This partnership – the original little and large combo –has been working very well. With Japanese midfielder Chikashi Masuda pulling the strings in midfield with Han Sung-woon consistently dangerous out wide, Ulsan have a constant goal threat and their strong defence means that a title is within reach.
With Pohang defeating Jeonbuk Motors on penalties in the FA Cup final in October, there is already some silverware in the Steelers’ cupboard. Hwang Sun-hong’s men have been consistent without really hitting the heights this season. Even so, a title would be a fantastic achievement.
The scramble to avoid the trapdoor
Jeonbuk and Seoul look to have a place in the 2014 Asian Champions League place in the bag leaving much attention on the battle to avoid the drop, a fight that has really got going in recent weeks. The bottom two go down while the team in 14th plays off against the winner of the second division. The bottom three Daejeon, Daegu and Gangwon have all started winning even if it is all a little late for Daejeon.
The team has taken 12 points from the last four games which would be great had it not managed just 16 from the 32 before that. A stress-related illness in October had coach Kim In-wan indisposed as his assistant Cho Jin ho has done a fine job. Daejeon are four points from safety with just two games left to play, if it happens, it will be the greatest escape since relegation was introduced in 2012. Gangwon also looked dead and buried but the situation in the east was not quite as dire. Under new coach Kim Yong-gap, they have taken five wins from the last seven and have moved out of the automatic drop zone, ahead of Daegu by three points.
Daegu's recent form has not been quite as impressive. They are three points behind Gangwon and Gyeongnam with three games left to play. The final game of the season when Gangwon come to visit could be decisive. Gyeongnam have slipped down into trouble with only goal difference keeping them in 13th. Just four wins from the last 16 has put the team in trouble with fans in September demanding the head of Ilija Petrovic. The club stood by Serbia’s 2006 World Cup coach and it remains to be seen if such loyalty will be rewarded.
Seoul lose out to Guangzhou
FC Seoul failed in their bid to become champions of Asia for the first time, losing to Guangzhou Evergrande in the final of the 2013 competition on away goals. Over 55,000 fans witnessed an exciting 2-2 draw in the first leg in the Korean capital on October 26. Seoul drew first blood through Sergio Escudero only for Elkeson to head Marcello Lippi’s men level on the half hour. It was looking grim for the K-League team just after the break when Gao Lin put the Chinese visitors ahead but Dejan Damjanovic gave the hosts a deserved equaliser four minutes from time.
Guangzhou controlled much of the second leg at home in southern China on November 9 and the pressure finally paid off after 58 minutes when Elkeson scored a fine goal. Just four minutes later however, Damjanovic silenced the stadium but Seoul were unable to get the all-important winner.
Better news for national team
For South Korea coach Hong Myong-bo, performances since he was appointed in July had been better than results but neither were perfect. That was why a 2-1 win over Switzerland in Seoul on November 15 was so well-received. The Swiss took an early lead but after the break, Korea sparkled thanks to Lee Chung-yong, Lee Keun-ho and Son Heung-min. The team ranked seven in the world did tire a little but just couldn’t keep up with the lightning-fast attacking play of the Taeguk Warriors.
A 2-1 defeat against Russia in Dubai four days later was not quite so good but still, there was little to choose between the two teams. This time Korea took an early lead but a goalkeeper howler from Jung Sung-ryung, struggling at the moment, let the Russians back in at a time when it was looking likelier that Korea would extend their lead. Progress is being made though there is still some way to go.
Tags
World Soccer football
Tampilkan postingan dengan label FC Seoul. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label FC Seoul. Tampilkan semua postingan
Kamis, 21 November 2013
Kamis, 05 September 2013
September Split in South Korea
The K League Classic Divides
The first day of September marks the end of summer in South Korea and the end of the league as we know it. From now, until the end of the season, the K-League’s 14 teams will be split into two Known simply as Group A and Group B, the top half will fight it out for the title while those downstairs will be hoping to avoid relegation.
After 26 rounds, there are 12 left, meaning that the teams in each group will meet each other twice. Authorities hope that this leads to more meaningful games and more excitement. It does for the top half but for Group B, not so much.
The Title Race is ON
Pohang Steelers are in pole position but only just. Two straight defeats going into the split have cut the lead that the three-time Asian champions have to a single point. Indeed, the top four are just three points apart. It is set to be quite a finish.
The Steelers are not the real story, though the absence of foreign stars is certainly unusual and of interest, and neither are Ulsan Horangi, a point behind in second. In the past few weeks, it has been all about FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Motors. The top two from 2012, have both put together quite a run of results.
Seoul, don’t forget, started the season with four points from the first seven games and even after that, for a while, were not exactly the model of consistency. Nobody ever really thought that the team would miss out on the top half of the league but the defence of the title looked over almost before it begun. But Choi Yong-soo’s men ended the first stage with 28 points from a possible 30 and even the two points dropped were done so in slightly unlucky fashion with a late winner ruled out when the goal looked good.
Some of the wins were dramatic in the extreme with last-minute victories something of specialty as the games against Incheon United and Daejeon Citizen showed. And then there was the long-awaited and much-enjoyed win over rivals Suwon Bluewings. It could be that the team's Asian Champions League campaign, a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia at the home of Al Ahli in the first leg of the quarter-final leaves the semi-final within reach, slows down the Seoul domestic charge.
The resurgence of Jeonbuk Motors since the return of Choi Kang-hee from his spell with the national team has been only a little less impressive. Just one defeat in 12 games, with 27 points collected have put the 2011 champions right back in it and that is even with the loss of playmaker Eninho to China.
Four into two didn't go
On the final day, there was a four-way sprint to jump and hold on to the fast-retreating ladder that gave the final two spots in the upper level. Suwon didn't look to be in much danger of missing out and got the point they needed and, in the end, it was needed as the other three teams all won.
That meant Jeju United had no chance as the islanders, who have faded of late, needed Busan I’Park and Seongnam Ilhwa to slip. Few gave Busan a chance at Pohang but the well-drilled southerners team collected a dramatic 2-1 win at the home of the leaders. That meant that Seongnam had to win by two goals and the Yellows started well with a first minute strike against Gyeongnam but try as they might, they just could not get the second.
Beating the drop
Not that Seongnam and Jeju are in danger of relegation as they are 25 and 24 points respectively above the trapdoor. Daejeon Citizen have just 14 points, one less than Gangwon, the other team sitting in the drop zone.
Gangwon recently fired coach Kim Hak-beom, harshly in the view of many, and hired Kim Yong-kab, assistant at Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande. Kim has left a team that can't stop winning and is now with one that can't stop losing. He hasn't been able to stop the rot with four straight defeats making a losing streak of eight for the easterners.
Seongnam and Jeju may be safe but the likes of Gyeongnam and especially Daegu will have to watch their step.
Hong searching for a win
Four games, one goal and no wins. It does not make for good reading but then it does not tell the full story for South Korea under new coach Hong Myong-bo.
July's East Asian Cup saw the Taeguk Warriors record goalless draws with Australia and China before being defeated by Japan in Seoul. The first two should really have ended in victory. The game against the Socceroos was as one-sided as a goalless draw could possibly be and the stalemate against China once again saw the opposition goalkeeper in great form and the home strikers in generous mood.
The game against the Asian champions was slightly different, and controversial with banners and flags making headlines. Korea put Japan under a good deal of pressure that the Samurai Blue largely withstood before snatching a last-minute winner.
Then came an August goalless draw with Peru in Suwon that followed earlier patterns of domination and then frustration. September 6 against Haiti in Incheon marks the first time that Hong has summoned the European-based stars. Failure to win that game will not go down well.
The first day of September marks the end of summer in South Korea and the end of the league as we know it. From now, until the end of the season, the K-League’s 14 teams will be split into two Known simply as Group A and Group B, the top half will fight it out for the title while those downstairs will be hoping to avoid relegation.
After 26 rounds, there are 12 left, meaning that the teams in each group will meet each other twice. Authorities hope that this leads to more meaningful games and more excitement. It does for the top half but for Group B, not so much.
The Title Race is ON
Pohang Steelers are in pole position but only just. Two straight defeats going into the split have cut the lead that the three-time Asian champions have to a single point. Indeed, the top four are just three points apart. It is set to be quite a finish.
The Steelers are not the real story, though the absence of foreign stars is certainly unusual and of interest, and neither are Ulsan Horangi, a point behind in second. In the past few weeks, it has been all about FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Motors. The top two from 2012, have both put together quite a run of results.
Seoul, don’t forget, started the season with four points from the first seven games and even after that, for a while, were not exactly the model of consistency. Nobody ever really thought that the team would miss out on the top half of the league but the defence of the title looked over almost before it begun. But Choi Yong-soo’s men ended the first stage with 28 points from a possible 30 and even the two points dropped were done so in slightly unlucky fashion with a late winner ruled out when the goal looked good.
Some of the wins were dramatic in the extreme with last-minute victories something of specialty as the games against Incheon United and Daejeon Citizen showed. And then there was the long-awaited and much-enjoyed win over rivals Suwon Bluewings. It could be that the team's Asian Champions League campaign, a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia at the home of Al Ahli in the first leg of the quarter-final leaves the semi-final within reach, slows down the Seoul domestic charge.
The resurgence of Jeonbuk Motors since the return of Choi Kang-hee from his spell with the national team has been only a little less impressive. Just one defeat in 12 games, with 27 points collected have put the 2011 champions right back in it and that is even with the loss of playmaker Eninho to China.
Four into two didn't go
On the final day, there was a four-way sprint to jump and hold on to the fast-retreating ladder that gave the final two spots in the upper level. Suwon didn't look to be in much danger of missing out and got the point they needed and, in the end, it was needed as the other three teams all won.
That meant Jeju United had no chance as the islanders, who have faded of late, needed Busan I’Park and Seongnam Ilhwa to slip. Few gave Busan a chance at Pohang but the well-drilled southerners team collected a dramatic 2-1 win at the home of the leaders. That meant that Seongnam had to win by two goals and the Yellows started well with a first minute strike against Gyeongnam but try as they might, they just could not get the second.
Beating the drop
Not that Seongnam and Jeju are in danger of relegation as they are 25 and 24 points respectively above the trapdoor. Daejeon Citizen have just 14 points, one less than Gangwon, the other team sitting in the drop zone.
Gangwon recently fired coach Kim Hak-beom, harshly in the view of many, and hired Kim Yong-kab, assistant at Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande. Kim has left a team that can't stop winning and is now with one that can't stop losing. He hasn't been able to stop the rot with four straight defeats making a losing streak of eight for the easterners.
Seongnam and Jeju may be safe but the likes of Gyeongnam and especially Daegu will have to watch their step.
Hong searching for a win
Four games, one goal and no wins. It does not make for good reading but then it does not tell the full story for South Korea under new coach Hong Myong-bo.
July's East Asian Cup saw the Taeguk Warriors record goalless draws with Australia and China before being defeated by Japan in Seoul. The first two should really have ended in victory. The game against the Socceroos was as one-sided as a goalless draw could possibly be and the stalemate against China once again saw the opposition goalkeeper in great form and the home strikers in generous mood.
The game against the Asian champions was slightly different, and controversial with banners and flags making headlines. Korea put Japan under a good deal of pressure that the Samurai Blue largely withstood before snatching a last-minute winner.
Then came an August goalless draw with Peru in Suwon that followed earlier patterns of domination and then frustration. September 6 against Haiti in Incheon marks the first time that Hong has summoned the European-based stars. Failure to win that game will not go down well.
Selasa, 02 Juli 2013
Comings and Goings in South Korea
Hong Comes Home
After 135 caps, and spells in charge of the Under-20 and Under-23 national teams, Hong Myong-bo is now the head coach of the South Korean senior side. The charismatic captain of the 2002 semi-final reaching squad, the ex-defender was always going to become the main man, it was just a question of when.
It is now. He has a lot of work to do. With less than a year to the World Cup he has to take a team that struggled and stumbled along the road to Brazil and turn it into a Taeguk Warriors machine that can get past the group stage in South America. Fans believe and the KFA hopes that he can do it. After all, he led the Under-20s to the last eight at the 2009 World Cup and more famously, brought home the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Choi goes home
After 18 months of mild torture, some for the fans but mostly for the man himself, Choi Kang-hee has returned to his true love Jeonbuk Motors. The former international defender was appointed under duress in December 2011 and always planned to return to Jeonju at the end of qualification. That was achieved on June 18 by the narrowest of goal difference margins. Fans were not sorry to see Choi leave and the KFA made no effort to persuade him otherwise. The football had not been great and the results were just enough. In the end, both sides were relieved to part ways.
He returned to a Jeonbuk team struggling. The team’s previous two games had seen a remarkable 4-1 defeat suffered at home to the low-scoring Busan I’Park and then came a wild 5-4 loss at rivals Suwon. Choi had planned a week’s holiday after the end of his national team contract but decided he was needed as soon as possible. Fans and players were happy to see him and the team responded with a thumping 4-0 win over Gyeongnam.
Tight at the top
At the end of June, six points separate the top six teams in the K-League Classic. Pohang Steelers had threatened to pull away but have dropped eight points from the last 15 – nothing to worry about too much but a source of frustration for the three-time continental champions. Ulsan Horang-I are second and looking good. The Tigers are in good form and welcoming players back from injury such as Brazilian goalgetter Rafinha. With Kim Shin-wook finding the net of a regular basis and the defence usually - apart from a recent 5-3 loss to lowly Daegu - is pretty solid.
Incheon United have been the surprise package of the season and currently sit in third. Young stars such as Lee Seok-hoon have impressed. Lee scored both goals in the recent win over Pohang Steelers, the winner a spectacular 25 yarder that flew past the goalkeeper. Lee 2002 midfielder Kim Nam-il has been a steady presence with another veteran Lee Chun-soo coming back to Korean football and performing solidly. If Lee can recreate his form circa 2005 to 2007 then Incheon really will fancy their chances of a top three finish. Especially as FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings are more inconsistent that the runny tofu so beloved in Korea. Seoul recovered, of a sort, from a very poor start but all is not well. The team is predictable and with star striker Dejan Damjanovic, was lacking of ideas in a recent defeat against Ulsan.
Suwon have won just one of the last six and have a number of injuries and there are rumours that overseas players could be on their way with Stevica Ristic set to head to pastures new, probably in China. There are uncertain times.
Battle at the Bottom
Daejeon Citizen and Daegu FC are rooted to the bottom. Daejeon look to be in serious trouble with no wins in eleven and the club looking lost. New coach Kim In-wan has not got any kind of grip on the job and fans are understandably growing restless. Daegu are in slightly better shape and at least seem to be playing a little better from earlier in the season. The club have some decent attacking talent.
Gangwon FC are doing their utmost to pull away. Kim Hak-beom’s men have been playing well at various times all season but have not often got the points deserved in return. That all changed at the end of June with a vital 2-1 win over Suwon. It could be a turning point.
Tags
World Soccer football
After 135 caps, and spells in charge of the Under-20 and Under-23 national teams, Hong Myong-bo is now the head coach of the South Korean senior side. The charismatic captain of the 2002 semi-final reaching squad, the ex-defender was always going to become the main man, it was just a question of when.
It is now. He has a lot of work to do. With less than a year to the World Cup he has to take a team that struggled and stumbled along the road to Brazil and turn it into a Taeguk Warriors machine that can get past the group stage in South America. Fans believe and the KFA hopes that he can do it. After all, he led the Under-20s to the last eight at the 2009 World Cup and more famously, brought home the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Choi goes home
After 18 months of mild torture, some for the fans but mostly for the man himself, Choi Kang-hee has returned to his true love Jeonbuk Motors. The former international defender was appointed under duress in December 2011 and always planned to return to Jeonju at the end of qualification. That was achieved on June 18 by the narrowest of goal difference margins. Fans were not sorry to see Choi leave and the KFA made no effort to persuade him otherwise. The football had not been great and the results were just enough. In the end, both sides were relieved to part ways.
He returned to a Jeonbuk team struggling. The team’s previous two games had seen a remarkable 4-1 defeat suffered at home to the low-scoring Busan I’Park and then came a wild 5-4 loss at rivals Suwon. Choi had planned a week’s holiday after the end of his national team contract but decided he was needed as soon as possible. Fans and players were happy to see him and the team responded with a thumping 4-0 win over Gyeongnam.
Tight at the top
At the end of June, six points separate the top six teams in the K-League Classic. Pohang Steelers had threatened to pull away but have dropped eight points from the last 15 – nothing to worry about too much but a source of frustration for the three-time continental champions. Ulsan Horang-I are second and looking good. The Tigers are in good form and welcoming players back from injury such as Brazilian goalgetter Rafinha. With Kim Shin-wook finding the net of a regular basis and the defence usually - apart from a recent 5-3 loss to lowly Daegu - is pretty solid.
Incheon United have been the surprise package of the season and currently sit in third. Young stars such as Lee Seok-hoon have impressed. Lee scored both goals in the recent win over Pohang Steelers, the winner a spectacular 25 yarder that flew past the goalkeeper. Lee 2002 midfielder Kim Nam-il has been a steady presence with another veteran Lee Chun-soo coming back to Korean football and performing solidly. If Lee can recreate his form circa 2005 to 2007 then Incheon really will fancy their chances of a top three finish. Especially as FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings are more inconsistent that the runny tofu so beloved in Korea. Seoul recovered, of a sort, from a very poor start but all is not well. The team is predictable and with star striker Dejan Damjanovic, was lacking of ideas in a recent defeat against Ulsan.
Suwon have won just one of the last six and have a number of injuries and there are rumours that overseas players could be on their way with Stevica Ristic set to head to pastures new, probably in China. There are uncertain times.
Battle at the Bottom
Daejeon Citizen and Daegu FC are rooted to the bottom. Daejeon look to be in serious trouble with no wins in eleven and the club looking lost. New coach Kim In-wan has not got any kind of grip on the job and fans are understandably growing restless. Daegu are in slightly better shape and at least seem to be playing a little better from earlier in the season. The club have some decent attacking talent.
Gangwon FC are doing their utmost to pull away. Kim Hak-beom’s men have been playing well at various times all season but have not often got the points deserved in return. That all changed at the end of June with a vital 2-1 win over Suwon. It could be a turning point.
Tags
World Soccer football
Minggu, 05 Mei 2013
Struggles of the Seoul in Korea
The K League Classic season is now fully into its stride. Races for the title and to avoid the drop are now emerging. Fans can settle down and watch all the action unfold.
The story of the season is still FC Seoul. The defending champions went seven games without a win, then grabbed two successive victories, qualified for the second round of the Asian Champions League at a canter and then lost to ten-man Jeonbuk Motors.
It is more bad than good. The success in Asia came in a group that was underwhelming. The two victories came against Daegu and Gangwon at home -these are two teams that occupy the bottom spots of the league and have yet to win a game between them. Seoul have collected just one point on the road this season. The title is still not out of the question but there is now no room for error.
So what’s changed since last season? Well, nothing really and that’s the problem. The team, is pretty much the same, the coach is the same and the tactics are the same. What has changed has been the form of goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae, who has made some real clangers, and the defence which has struggled against anything mildly physical. And when you have the rest of league knowing that if you can stop the ‘Demolition Duo’, Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina, then you can get a good result.
Pohang Steelers are going well at the top despite a small squad and no foreign players to have a touch of flair to the line-up. Despite a lack of prolific strikers, the Steelers are three points clear at the top as they are well-organised and have a classy midfield with the likes of rising star Lee Myung-joo and the two Hwangs – Ji-soo and Jin-sung.
Jeju United are going solidly, not pulling up trees but slowly keeping the points total ticking over. Hamstrung by a number of injuries at the start of the season, the islanders are slowly building a decent squad. Their starting eleven does not yet have the quality of some of their rivals but nobody relishes a trip to the picturesque Jeju World Cup Stadium.
After a poor start to the season, Seongnam recovered in dramatic fashion by picking up successive wins against champions FC Seoul, Asian Champions Ulsan and 2012 runners-up Jeonbuk. Kim Dong-seob produced some mesmerising football in attack to score four goals and give fans of the Yellows hope for the season.
At The Bottom
It is common to see Daegu near the bottom although last season was an exception. That was under the stewardship of Moacir Pereria whose first season ended with a tenth place finish. Deagu may regret letting the Brazilian go, saying that he and coaching staff were too expensive. After eight games without a win, Baek Jong-chul replaced Dang Seong-jeung. Daegu have collected just a single point in the two games since but have at least stemmed the flood of goals that were leaking out of defence.
Seoul are only five points above the drop zone while Gyeongnam are only four. The Changwon team have lost just twice but have won only once. Lacking ruthlessness in front of goal, Gyeongnam need to start picking up points or a surprise relegation fight is on the cards.
Mixed bag in Asia
As mentioned above, Seoul strolled through their group to finish first and book a second round clash with Beijing Gouan. Jeonbuk Motors were not quite as smooth but collected a point at Guangzhou Evergrande to finish second behind the Chinese champions and will face Kashiwa Reysol of Japan.
Pohang missed out and were left to regret their decision to send a full reserve team to Bunyodkor in the second match though the Steelers don’t really have the squad to compete at home and abroad. But Suwon were truly poor.
The Bluewings failed to win a single game and only scored in two. The nadir was a 6-2 defeat at home to Kashiwa. Suwon were awarded no less than four penalties and proceeded to miss three of them. Interestingly, or painfully if you are a fan, within seconds of all four spot kicks being taken, the Japanese team went down the other end and scored. A master-class of attacking or defending, it was not.
The story of the season is still FC Seoul. The defending champions went seven games without a win, then grabbed two successive victories, qualified for the second round of the Asian Champions League at a canter and then lost to ten-man Jeonbuk Motors.
It is more bad than good. The success in Asia came in a group that was underwhelming. The two victories came against Daegu and Gangwon at home -these are two teams that occupy the bottom spots of the league and have yet to win a game between them. Seoul have collected just one point on the road this season. The title is still not out of the question but there is now no room for error.
So what’s changed since last season? Well, nothing really and that’s the problem. The team, is pretty much the same, the coach is the same and the tactics are the same. What has changed has been the form of goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae, who has made some real clangers, and the defence which has struggled against anything mildly physical. And when you have the rest of league knowing that if you can stop the ‘Demolition Duo’, Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina, then you can get a good result.
Pohang Steelers are going well at the top despite a small squad and no foreign players to have a touch of flair to the line-up. Despite a lack of prolific strikers, the Steelers are three points clear at the top as they are well-organised and have a classy midfield with the likes of rising star Lee Myung-joo and the two Hwangs – Ji-soo and Jin-sung.
Jeju United are going solidly, not pulling up trees but slowly keeping the points total ticking over. Hamstrung by a number of injuries at the start of the season, the islanders are slowly building a decent squad. Their starting eleven does not yet have the quality of some of their rivals but nobody relishes a trip to the picturesque Jeju World Cup Stadium.
After a poor start to the season, Seongnam recovered in dramatic fashion by picking up successive wins against champions FC Seoul, Asian Champions Ulsan and 2012 runners-up Jeonbuk. Kim Dong-seob produced some mesmerising football in attack to score four goals and give fans of the Yellows hope for the season.
At The Bottom
It is common to see Daegu near the bottom although last season was an exception. That was under the stewardship of Moacir Pereria whose first season ended with a tenth place finish. Deagu may regret letting the Brazilian go, saying that he and coaching staff were too expensive. After eight games without a win, Baek Jong-chul replaced Dang Seong-jeung. Daegu have collected just a single point in the two games since but have at least stemmed the flood of goals that were leaking out of defence.
Seoul are only five points above the drop zone while Gyeongnam are only four. The Changwon team have lost just twice but have won only once. Lacking ruthlessness in front of goal, Gyeongnam need to start picking up points or a surprise relegation fight is on the cards.
Mixed bag in Asia
As mentioned above, Seoul strolled through their group to finish first and book a second round clash with Beijing Gouan. Jeonbuk Motors were not quite as smooth but collected a point at Guangzhou Evergrande to finish second behind the Chinese champions and will face Kashiwa Reysol of Japan.
Pohang missed out and were left to regret their decision to send a full reserve team to Bunyodkor in the second match though the Steelers don’t really have the squad to compete at home and abroad. But Suwon were truly poor.
The Bluewings failed to win a single game and only scored in two. The nadir was a 6-2 defeat at home to Kashiwa. Suwon were awarded no less than four penalties and proceeded to miss three of them. Interestingly, or painfully if you are a fan, within seconds of all four spot kicks being taken, the Japanese team went down the other end and scored. A master-class of attacking or defending, it was not.
Rabu, 20 Maret 2013
Reversals of fortune in Korea
Early days
Three games down and the big story in the K League Classic is that champions FC Seoul are having problems. One point out of a possible nine was not the start that was expected. An opening day draw at home against Pohang Steelers was not a terrible start but then a first home defeat in nine years against Incheon United followed and then came a depressing 1-0 loss at Busan I’Park.
Fans are saying that the tactics and team selections are predictable and there is an over-reliance on offensive stars such as Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina and if they are not in form, which they are not, then coach Choi Yong-soo does not seem to have a plan B. If you add an out-of-form goalkeeper into the mix and have a defence looking vulnerable to counter-attacks.
The season ahead is still long as is the road back to the top and Seoul have much to work out if they are going to get there. It wasn’t necessary in 2012, the Demolition Duo was unstoppable and that may prove to be the case in 2013, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Incheon finished last season very strongly and have been the story of the new season so far with two excellent wins in Seoul and Seongnam. Coach Kim Bong-kil has the team well-organised with wide men Nam Jun-jae and Han Gyo-won looking sharp and rookie Lee Seok-hyun looking talented just behind the main striker.
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma is another struggler but the seven-time champions went through something similar in 2012. Like a number of teams, there is a new coach and like almost every other team there are a lot of new players. Seongnam’s new signing Server Djeparov made his debut in the home defeat at the hands of Incheon United, scoring a late consolation goal. The Uzbekistan captain will need time to settle back in the life in Korea but when he does, he can help lift the team back closer to where it used to be.
K League Challenge
The new second division is already on its second name as it came to be felt that using the old K League name was confusing. K League Challenge won out against K League Basic, and rightly so.
The big game of the opening weekend was the game between Anyang and Goyang (pictured left, courtesy of the K League).
Four thousand fans turned out to watch the first professional game in the city since 2004 when Anyang Cheetahs, champions of Korea in 2000 and finalists of the Asian Club Championship a year later, were moved by conglomerate owners LG, to the capital to use the vacant Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Anyang scored inside the first minute to send the fans wild but that was the only goal of the game. It was an entertaining affair the fans went home happy and with promotion a possibility this season, there is much to play for.
Road to Brazil approaching a crossroads
Things are not going exactly smoothly in Korea’s quest to qualify for an eighth successive World Cup. One point from the last two games has people nervous. Usually, the visit of Qatar would not be cause for concern but this is a game that Korea now see as a must-win.
Three points here and three points in Beirut in June and the last two games, both at home, against Iran and Uzbekistan will be much easier to handle. The big news was the exclusion of Park Chu-young from the squad. The former Arsenal striker has been in and out of action with Celta Vigo in Spain and while he has three goals to his name, coach Choi Kang-hee feels that it is not enough.
The other European-based stars have all been called up. Son Heung-min is still in good form in Germany with Hamburg and Koo Ja-cheol has been starring for FC Augusburg. And with Ki Sung-yeung coming off a solid first season in the English Premier League with Swansea, there should be enough talent to see off the Qataris.
Three games down and the big story in the K League Classic is that champions FC Seoul are having problems. One point out of a possible nine was not the start that was expected. An opening day draw at home against Pohang Steelers was not a terrible start but then a first home defeat in nine years against Incheon United followed and then came a depressing 1-0 loss at Busan I’Park.
Fans are saying that the tactics and team selections are predictable and there is an over-reliance on offensive stars such as Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina and if they are not in form, which they are not, then coach Choi Yong-soo does not seem to have a plan B. If you add an out-of-form goalkeeper into the mix and have a defence looking vulnerable to counter-attacks.
The season ahead is still long as is the road back to the top and Seoul have much to work out if they are going to get there. It wasn’t necessary in 2012, the Demolition Duo was unstoppable and that may prove to be the case in 2013, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Incheon finished last season very strongly and have been the story of the new season so far with two excellent wins in Seoul and Seongnam. Coach Kim Bong-kil has the team well-organised with wide men Nam Jun-jae and Han Gyo-won looking sharp and rookie Lee Seok-hyun looking talented just behind the main striker.
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma is another struggler but the seven-time champions went through something similar in 2012. Like a number of teams, there is a new coach and like almost every other team there are a lot of new players. Seongnam’s new signing Server Djeparov made his debut in the home defeat at the hands of Incheon United, scoring a late consolation goal. The Uzbekistan captain will need time to settle back in the life in Korea but when he does, he can help lift the team back closer to where it used to be.
K League Challenge
The new second division is already on its second name as it came to be felt that using the old K League name was confusing. K League Challenge won out against K League Basic, and rightly so.The big game of the opening weekend was the game between Anyang and Goyang (pictured left, courtesy of the K League).
Four thousand fans turned out to watch the first professional game in the city since 2004 when Anyang Cheetahs, champions of Korea in 2000 and finalists of the Asian Club Championship a year later, were moved by conglomerate owners LG, to the capital to use the vacant Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Anyang scored inside the first minute to send the fans wild but that was the only goal of the game. It was an entertaining affair the fans went home happy and with promotion a possibility this season, there is much to play for.
Road to Brazil approaching a crossroads
Things are not going exactly smoothly in Korea’s quest to qualify for an eighth successive World Cup. One point from the last two games has people nervous. Usually, the visit of Qatar would not be cause for concern but this is a game that Korea now see as a must-win.
Three points here and three points in Beirut in June and the last two games, both at home, against Iran and Uzbekistan will be much easier to handle. The big news was the exclusion of Park Chu-young from the squad. The former Arsenal striker has been in and out of action with Celta Vigo in Spain and while he has three goals to his name, coach Choi Kang-hee feels that it is not enough.
The other European-based stars have all been called up. Son Heung-min is still in good form in Germany with Hamburg and Koo Ja-cheol has been starring for FC Augusburg. And with Ki Sung-yeung coming off a solid first season in the English Premier League with Swansea, there should be enough talent to see off the Qataris.
Selasa, 23 Oktober 2012
Seoul set for K-League success
Who can stop the Demolition Duo? Nobody so far this season and time is running out. Dejan Damjanovic and Mauricio Molina have spearheaded FC Seoul’s frontline to devastating effect in 2012 and with eight games remaining; the club is seven points clear of Jeonbuk in second. With the two meeting at Jeonju World Cup Stadium this weekend, the feeling is that if the Motors don’t take maximum points, then the title race is going to grind to a halt.
Damjanovic was at it again last weekend as Seoul picked up three points as the always tricky away trip to jeju United. The Montenegrin got both goals in that 2-1 victory, numbers 26 and 27 of the season. He has already broken the total goalscoring record for a foreigner that stood at 116. Molina, has contributed 17 himself, and his all-round play has created plenty for others.
Coach Choi Yong-soo has been criticized in some quarters for relying too much of the pair but when they are in such blistering form, he is not about to change now. 12 wins from the last 15 games shows that the team are on track for a second title.
Jeonbuk have managed to keep pace, kind of, in second partly thanks to some generous refereeing. Of late, the Motors have often had the luxury of playing against teams that lose a man or more thanks to a red card. In the team’s last three wins, the opposition have seen red no less than five times. And then a trip to Ulsan, a team without its national team players and in the middle of vital Asian Champions League knockout matches, came at exactly the right time. Those three points kept Jeonbuk in the race but they can’t afford any more slip-ups.
The rest are nowhere as far as the title goes. Third place and a 2013 Asian Champions League slot is what it is now all about and it is looking good for Suwon, three points clear. Ulsan are still in with a shout but have fallen behind due to continental and international commitments and Pohang have already qualified for next year’s ACL thanks to last weekend’s FA Cup win.
At the bottom, Sangju Sangmu are already down leaving Gangwon, Gwangju and Chunnam Dragons fighting to avoid the second spot. Chunnam probably have a little too much quality but for the other two, anything could happen. Both have started to improve lately. The K-League;s first ever relegation struggle could be one to remember.
Third FA Cup for Pohang Steelers
It was cruel for Gyeongnam FC. The Cup final on October 20 was the biggest match in the club’s history. A chance for a first trophy and also a place in the 2013 Asian Champions League - glory awaited at the Steelyard. Gyeongnam had their chances in a poor game with Brazilian striker Caique going the closest as he rounded the goalkeeper only to shoot into the side-netting.
It was a costly miss. In the 120th minute and a penalty shootout looming, Park Sang-ho rose to head a free-kick into the top corner of the Gyeongnam goal. Cue wild celebrations from the Pohang fans, players and bench. The match was barely allowed to restart before the referee blew for full-time and a third triumph for the Steelers.
Kim Byung-ji makes 600
The Limahl-style hairstyle is not what it was but the 42 year-old goalkeeper is still going strong and recently passed the 600 appearance mark in the K-League. He is not about to stop now and wants 700. “ My goal is to To be the oldest K-League player. Shin Ui-Son has it now but I'll overtake him in two years. In that time I could reach 700 appearances," said Kim.
World Cup Woe
It was always going to be the toughest match of the qualification campaign to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Korea arrived in Iran top of Group A and left in the same position. That was perhaps the only positive. A 1-0 defeat did not go down well in Seoul.
In front of 105,000 fans at the Azadi Stadium, the Taeguk Warriors had chances to win. Twice in the first half, they hit the bar from close range but in truth, it was a plodding performance. Going forward, Korea were predictable, aiming long balls at tall striker Kim Shin-wook and hoping to feed off the knockdowns that never came.
And then in defence, the team’s persistent inability to defend set pieces cost them again when Javad Nekounam was left unmarked in the area to fire home a low shot.
Damjanovic was at it again last weekend as Seoul picked up three points as the always tricky away trip to jeju United. The Montenegrin got both goals in that 2-1 victory, numbers 26 and 27 of the season. He has already broken the total goalscoring record for a foreigner that stood at 116. Molina, has contributed 17 himself, and his all-round play has created plenty for others.
Coach Choi Yong-soo has been criticized in some quarters for relying too much of the pair but when they are in such blistering form, he is not about to change now. 12 wins from the last 15 games shows that the team are on track for a second title.
Jeonbuk have managed to keep pace, kind of, in second partly thanks to some generous refereeing. Of late, the Motors have often had the luxury of playing against teams that lose a man or more thanks to a red card. In the team’s last three wins, the opposition have seen red no less than five times. And then a trip to Ulsan, a team without its national team players and in the middle of vital Asian Champions League knockout matches, came at exactly the right time. Those three points kept Jeonbuk in the race but they can’t afford any more slip-ups.
The rest are nowhere as far as the title goes. Third place and a 2013 Asian Champions League slot is what it is now all about and it is looking good for Suwon, three points clear. Ulsan are still in with a shout but have fallen behind due to continental and international commitments and Pohang have already qualified for next year’s ACL thanks to last weekend’s FA Cup win.
At the bottom, Sangju Sangmu are already down leaving Gangwon, Gwangju and Chunnam Dragons fighting to avoid the second spot. Chunnam probably have a little too much quality but for the other two, anything could happen. Both have started to improve lately. The K-League;s first ever relegation struggle could be one to remember.
Third FA Cup for Pohang Steelers
It was cruel for Gyeongnam FC. The Cup final on October 20 was the biggest match in the club’s history. A chance for a first trophy and also a place in the 2013 Asian Champions League - glory awaited at the Steelyard. Gyeongnam had their chances in a poor game with Brazilian striker Caique going the closest as he rounded the goalkeeper only to shoot into the side-netting.
It was a costly miss. In the 120th minute and a penalty shootout looming, Park Sang-ho rose to head a free-kick into the top corner of the Gyeongnam goal. Cue wild celebrations from the Pohang fans, players and bench. The match was barely allowed to restart before the referee blew for full-time and a third triumph for the Steelers.
Kim Byung-ji makes 600
The Limahl-style hairstyle is not what it was but the 42 year-old goalkeeper is still going strong and recently passed the 600 appearance mark in the K-League. He is not about to stop now and wants 700. “ My goal is to To be the oldest K-League player. Shin Ui-Son has it now but I'll overtake him in two years. In that time I could reach 700 appearances," said Kim.
World Cup Woe
It was always going to be the toughest match of the qualification campaign to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Korea arrived in Iran top of Group A and left in the same position. That was perhaps the only positive. A 1-0 defeat did not go down well in Seoul.
In front of 105,000 fans at the Azadi Stadium, the Taeguk Warriors had chances to win. Twice in the first half, they hit the bar from close range but in truth, it was a plodding performance. Going forward, Korea were predictable, aiming long balls at tall striker Kim Shin-wook and hoping to feed off the knockdowns that never came.
And then in defence, the team’s persistent inability to defend set pieces cost them again when Javad Nekounam was left unmarked in the area to fire home a low shot.
Selasa, 26 Juni 2012
A Nostalgic Korean Summer
The K-League All Stars game is a regular part of the Korean football calendar and a much-loved fixture at that. The format changes as in the past, northern teams have played southern teams, the K-League team has played J-League counterparts and two years ago, even Barcelona provided the opposition.
This time though, the team lining up against the All-Stars on July 5, made up of players who won the most votes in a nationwide poll, are special. It is the 2002 World Cup team. As this month marks the tenth anniversary of that glorious run to the semi-final, the authorities have seen fit to mark the occasion with what should be a sell-out exhibition at Seoul World Cup Stadium, where the run came to an end at the hands of Germany.
It is being organized by the star of the show Ahn Jung-hwan. The recently retired striker who headed Italy out of the competition on that unforgettable night in Daejeon, an incredible night in both football terms and what happened in the country in the following hours and days, is heading the marketing campaign. He has already been seen calling captain Hong Myong-bo who then gets hold of Guus Hiddink. Both will be present.
It remains to be seen if Park Ji-sung will make it though it doesn’t look likely and Lee Young-pyo will be busy in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps. Most of the others will be there – Seol Ki-hyeon, Kim Nam-il and Lee Woon-jae are still active in the K-League while the likes of Ahn and Song Chung-guk have just recently retired. Hwang Sun-hong and Yoo Sang-chul, who scored in the opening round 2-0 win over Poland, are now K-League coaches with Pohang Steelers and Daejeon Citizen respectively.
It promises to be quite a night.
FA Cup fighting
There was a good deal of hand-wringing after the fist-flinging at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 20 in the fourth round of the FA Cup between bitter rivals FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings. Once again, Suwon got the better of the capital club with a 2-0 win although the goals will not be remembered long. What will stick in the memory are 42 fouls, one red card (and there really should have been more with some of the wild challenges) and the mass brawl that broke out at the end of the game.
It didn’t stop there as Korean media reported that a Seoul marketing officials was hospitalized by a member of the Suwon staff. After a fifth straight defeat against Suwon, a number of Seoul fans then protested outside the stadium against their own team (sitting top of the league at this point) and lay down in front of the team bus.
Back to the league
Jeonbuk Motors are the form team at the moment with five straight wins which contained 19 goals. Chile recruit Hugo Droguett has found his feet in the league and is starting to shine after a slow start. Lee Dong-gook is never far from the scoresheet and netted a hat-trick in a recent 5-3 win at home to Gyeongnam FC, goals 124, 125 and 126 in the K-League. Nobody has scored more.
There are worries for Seongnam. Three straight defeats in the league and an elimination from the FA Cup, the club’s best hope of a place in the 2013 Asian Champions League (they were eliminated from the 2012 version recently) have put the pressure on Shin Tae-young. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had led the team to the 2010 Asian title, he may be in a little danger. As it is, he can stand by the sidelines looking annoyed.
There have been many changes at the club since that 2010 win and just as the team was starting to settle in the second half of 2011, there was another raft at the end of the season. Too many good players have left for the liking of fans who have demanded a meeting with the club.
Daejeon Citizen seem to going in the opposite direction. A truly dreadful start to the season in which they lost nine out of the first ten games, had everyone tipping the Purple Emperors for the drop. But three wins out of the last four – including a 3-0 victory at Seongnam – have seen Yoo Sang-cheol’s men start to pull away from the basement.
Belgian striker Kevin Oris has started to look very good and if former injury-prone national team midfielder Kim Hyeung-beom can keep fit and scoring the kind of screamer that did for Seongnam, the future may be bright.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
This time though, the team lining up against the All-Stars on July 5, made up of players who won the most votes in a nationwide poll, are special. It is the 2002 World Cup team. As this month marks the tenth anniversary of that glorious run to the semi-final, the authorities have seen fit to mark the occasion with what should be a sell-out exhibition at Seoul World Cup Stadium, where the run came to an end at the hands of Germany.
It is being organized by the star of the show Ahn Jung-hwan. The recently retired striker who headed Italy out of the competition on that unforgettable night in Daejeon, an incredible night in both football terms and what happened in the country in the following hours and days, is heading the marketing campaign. He has already been seen calling captain Hong Myong-bo who then gets hold of Guus Hiddink. Both will be present.
It remains to be seen if Park Ji-sung will make it though it doesn’t look likely and Lee Young-pyo will be busy in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps. Most of the others will be there – Seol Ki-hyeon, Kim Nam-il and Lee Woon-jae are still active in the K-League while the likes of Ahn and Song Chung-guk have just recently retired. Hwang Sun-hong and Yoo Sang-chul, who scored in the opening round 2-0 win over Poland, are now K-League coaches with Pohang Steelers and Daejeon Citizen respectively.
It promises to be quite a night.
FA Cup fighting
There was a good deal of hand-wringing after the fist-flinging at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 20 in the fourth round of the FA Cup between bitter rivals FC Seoul and Suwon Bluewings. Once again, Suwon got the better of the capital club with a 2-0 win although the goals will not be remembered long. What will stick in the memory are 42 fouls, one red card (and there really should have been more with some of the wild challenges) and the mass brawl that broke out at the end of the game.
It didn’t stop there as Korean media reported that a Seoul marketing officials was hospitalized by a member of the Suwon staff. After a fifth straight defeat against Suwon, a number of Seoul fans then protested outside the stadium against their own team (sitting top of the league at this point) and lay down in front of the team bus.
Back to the league
Jeonbuk Motors are the form team at the moment with five straight wins which contained 19 goals. Chile recruit Hugo Droguett has found his feet in the league and is starting to shine after a slow start. Lee Dong-gook is never far from the scoresheet and netted a hat-trick in a recent 5-3 win at home to Gyeongnam FC, goals 124, 125 and 126 in the K-League. Nobody has scored more.
There are worries for Seongnam. Three straight defeats in the league and an elimination from the FA Cup, the club’s best hope of a place in the 2013 Asian Champions League (they were eliminated from the 2012 version recently) have put the pressure on Shin Tae-young. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had led the team to the 2010 Asian title, he may be in a little danger. As it is, he can stand by the sidelines looking annoyed.
There have been many changes at the club since that 2010 win and just as the team was starting to settle in the second half of 2011, there was another raft at the end of the season. Too many good players have left for the liking of fans who have demanded a meeting with the club.
Daejeon Citizen seem to going in the opposite direction. A truly dreadful start to the season in which they lost nine out of the first ten games, had everyone tipping the Purple Emperors for the drop. But three wins out of the last four – including a 3-0 victory at Seongnam – have seen Yoo Sang-cheol’s men start to pull away from the basement.
Belgian striker Kevin Oris has started to look very good and if former injury-prone national team midfielder Kim Hyeung-beom can keep fit and scoring the kind of screamer that did for Seongnam, the future may be bright.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
Senin, 09 April 2012
When Citizens Attack: K-League Season Gathering Pace
Six down, 38 to go, the K-League season may have a long way to go but the first month has been action-packed with shocks, hooliganism, full and empty stadiums and mascots getting attacked.
That happened at Incheon United. It was only the second ever game at the brand spanking new Sungui Arena. The first match was marred by a ticketing fiasco that saw thousands of fans stuck outside in the freezing cold for hours. That problem was fixed by the time Daejeon came to town but there was worse to come.
Most agree that Incheon mascot Durumi started the trouble in the battle of the two bottom teams. The crane, according to witnesses, was making fun of the away fans after Incheon claimed a much-needed 2-1 win. For two visitors, it was all too much and they sprinted onto the pitch and knocked the bird off his little power scooter and then proceeded to knock his block off. Shocked Daejeon players and security staff eventually pulled the assailants off.
That wasn’t the end of it though. A group of Incheon fans made their way to the Daejeon supporters and another fight ensued. The scenes were not pretty and there were reports that after the fighting stopped inside the stadium, it continued outside.
The K-League swiftly and strictly clamped down. Incheon were told to play a future game in a different region, as yet unannounced, while Daejeon have to play twice behind closed doors. Thankfully, Durumi is on the mend.
Two fan-free games is the least of Daejeon’s problems. No points, one goal and six defeats from six games has the pressure on rookie coach Yoo Sang-chul. Nicknamed ‘Yubi’ by his fellow 2002 World Cup squad members for his leadership skills after a famous Chinese general, he really has his work cut out as he gets to grip with his first full season. Already fans are voicing their frustration. With relegation introduced for the first time, these are nervous times.
While it is no big surprise to see Daejeon in the nether regions, Seongnam are not much better off. The seven-time Korean champions are also gunning for a third Asian title but at the moment, neither look likely. With just one win in six games, the team is struggling. Striker Dzenan Radoncic is banging them in for new team Suwon Bluewings, helped by Cho Dong-keun. Sasa Ognenovski is injured while new midfield signing Yoo Bitgaram has yet to fit in with his new team.
Coach Shin Tae-yong rang the changes after a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Busan I’Park and while the performance was better against Pohang Steelers, the result was the same. Well, it was actually worse as the 2010 Asian Champions lost 2-0 to the 2009 winners.
More headlines have been used on Jeonbuk Motors, a team that isn’t actually doing too badly but still have yet to suggest they are accustomed to losing long-term coach Choi Kang-hee. Choi went to the national team job, leaving assistant Lee Heung-sil in charge of the champions. Lee led the team to two disastrous showings in the Asian Champions League with successive 5-1 defeats – quite a shock for fans of the 2006 champions and 2011 runners-up. They bounced back with a 2-0 win at Gyeongnam, another team that is struggling more than expected.
There are familiar names at the top though Jeju United are not usual leaders. After finishing as runners-up in 2010, last season was a real let-down for fans on the island and with the departure of striker Kim Eun-jung to Gangwon in the summer, more of the same was feared. That hasn't been the case so far. New signing Seo Dong-hyun, who moved in the opposite direction to Kim. has already got three goals including a last-minute winner against old club Suwon Bluewings. Young striker Bae Il-hwan has also impressed.
There are three teams sharing 13 points with the leaders. FC Seoul have bounced back from their defeat at rivals Suwon Bluewings. 2011 top scorer Dejan Damjanovic scored twice on Sunday in 2-0 win over Sangju Sangju to dispel fears that he may be sulking after being denied a big money move to China. Suwon’s ‘twin towers’ in attack Dzenan Radoncic and Stevica Ristic are starting to click while Ulsan have slipped a little after a very bright start but are still very much in the mix.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
That happened at Incheon United. It was only the second ever game at the brand spanking new Sungui Arena. The first match was marred by a ticketing fiasco that saw thousands of fans stuck outside in the freezing cold for hours. That problem was fixed by the time Daejeon came to town but there was worse to come.
Most agree that Incheon mascot Durumi started the trouble in the battle of the two bottom teams. The crane, according to witnesses, was making fun of the away fans after Incheon claimed a much-needed 2-1 win. For two visitors, it was all too much and they sprinted onto the pitch and knocked the bird off his little power scooter and then proceeded to knock his block off. Shocked Daejeon players and security staff eventually pulled the assailants off.
That wasn’t the end of it though. A group of Incheon fans made their way to the Daejeon supporters and another fight ensued. The scenes were not pretty and there were reports that after the fighting stopped inside the stadium, it continued outside.
The K-League swiftly and strictly clamped down. Incheon were told to play a future game in a different region, as yet unannounced, while Daejeon have to play twice behind closed doors. Thankfully, Durumi is on the mend.
Two fan-free games is the least of Daejeon’s problems. No points, one goal and six defeats from six games has the pressure on rookie coach Yoo Sang-chul. Nicknamed ‘Yubi’ by his fellow 2002 World Cup squad members for his leadership skills after a famous Chinese general, he really has his work cut out as he gets to grip with his first full season. Already fans are voicing their frustration. With relegation introduced for the first time, these are nervous times.
While it is no big surprise to see Daejeon in the nether regions, Seongnam are not much better off. The seven-time Korean champions are also gunning for a third Asian title but at the moment, neither look likely. With just one win in six games, the team is struggling. Striker Dzenan Radoncic is banging them in for new team Suwon Bluewings, helped by Cho Dong-keun. Sasa Ognenovski is injured while new midfield signing Yoo Bitgaram has yet to fit in with his new team.
Coach Shin Tae-yong rang the changes after a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Busan I’Park and while the performance was better against Pohang Steelers, the result was the same. Well, it was actually worse as the 2010 Asian Champions lost 2-0 to the 2009 winners.
More headlines have been used on Jeonbuk Motors, a team that isn’t actually doing too badly but still have yet to suggest they are accustomed to losing long-term coach Choi Kang-hee. Choi went to the national team job, leaving assistant Lee Heung-sil in charge of the champions. Lee led the team to two disastrous showings in the Asian Champions League with successive 5-1 defeats – quite a shock for fans of the 2006 champions and 2011 runners-up. They bounced back with a 2-0 win at Gyeongnam, another team that is struggling more than expected.
There are familiar names at the top though Jeju United are not usual leaders. After finishing as runners-up in 2010, last season was a real let-down for fans on the island and with the departure of striker Kim Eun-jung to Gangwon in the summer, more of the same was feared. That hasn't been the case so far. New signing Seo Dong-hyun, who moved in the opposite direction to Kim. has already got three goals including a last-minute winner against old club Suwon Bluewings. Young striker Bae Il-hwan has also impressed.
There are three teams sharing 13 points with the leaders. FC Seoul have bounced back from their defeat at rivals Suwon Bluewings. 2011 top scorer Dejan Damjanovic scored twice on Sunday in 2-0 win over Sangju Sangju to dispel fears that he may be sulking after being denied a big money move to China. Suwon’s ‘twin towers’ in attack Dzenan Radoncic and Stevica Ristic are starting to click while Ulsan have slipped a little after a very bright start but are still very much in the mix.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
Senin, 05 Maret 2012
K-League Gets Temperatures Rising Already
The winter was not a fierce one by Korean standards, except for one week in early February that saw Seoul temperatures plummet to minus 20, and the 2012 K-League certainly did not take long to warm up.
The excitement and controversy were getting going even before the big kick-off. 24 hours ahead of the opening game, Daejeon Citizen were in the headlines for letting veteran, and we are talking Dino Zoff style, goalkeeper Choi Eun-sung go.
It wasn’t that fans thought the 40 year-old who had been with the club since it came into existence in 1997 and was the third-choice ‘keeper at the 2002 World Cup, deserves an automatic starting place but the manner in which the club handled it angered almost all. The 40 year-old went on a pre-season tour of Mexico but learned that he wasn’t getting a contract on the week of season start.
Citizen fans planned a silent protest. They would go down to Gyeongnam FC for the opening game of the season but would not make a sound. In the end, it wasn’t that difficult. Amid driving rain and biting winds, the fans had little to shout about anyway as they lost 3-0 to the early table toppers.
The day earlier however, there was a little English Premier League style controversy as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma defender Sasa Ognenovski refused to shake the hand of Jeonbuk Motors’ Brazilian playmaker Eninho before the game.
The two don’t get on. Basically The South American thinks the Australian plays too rough while the feeling coming the other way is that Eninho dives. The Brazilian had the last laugh however as he scored a late winner as the champions kicked off their defence with a 3-2 win.
Lee Dong-gook got the other two and in the process the Lion King, who had scored three goals in two games for the national team in the previous seven days including the opener in a vital 2-0 World Cup qualification win over Kuwait in midweek, set a new K-League goalscoring record with an 117th strike to move ahead of Woo Sung-yong.
Also on Saturday, Ulsan Horangi snatched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Pohang Steelers courtesy of giant striker Kim Shin-wook. If the Tigers can integrate their signings of fine attacking players – Lee Keun-ho and Kim Sung-yung from Gamba Osaka and Akihiro Ienega from Real Mallorca – and keep their usual defensive solidity then they will finish higher in the league than sixth.
If the handshake affair in Jeonju reminded of the Evra-Suarez incident in the English Premier League then in Daegu there was, a more tenuous link it has to be admitted, a kind of Carlos Tevez episode. OK, FC Seoul striker and 2011 top goalscorer Dejan Damjanovic did not refuse to come off the bench but the star striker did, according to coach Choi Yong-soo, refuse to play to his best and was subbed out after 22 minutes as Seoul drew 1-1 at Daegu.
The problem is that Seoul turned down a reported $5 million bid from Guangzhou R&F for the Montenegrin international. As you would expect, there would also be money to double Damjanovic’s salary and as you would expect the player was interested.
“His condition was OK ahead of the match. However, Dejan was not the player I am familiar with at all, so I took him off. Although he has conflicting interests with the club, he promised me (to play hard), but broke his word,” Choi told reporters. “I cannot forgive this. Despite the promise to me, he betrayed my and his teammates’ trust in him. I will not field him in future games if he does not change his attitude,” he said. “If we continue to show a solid performance like today, we will be able to achieve good results in the future despite the absence of Dejan.”
Seoul’s bitter rivals Suwon Bluewings fared better with a 1-0 win over Busan I’Park – a team that had a good season last year but were unable to stop bigger clubs taking their stars. It wasn’t a great performance from either team but Suwon’s new Australian defender Eddy Bosnar impressed as did Brazilian new boy Everton Cardosa Da Silva who scored the game’s only goal.
There are hopes that Incheon United can this season shed their usual mid-table status. 2002 World Cup heroes Kim Nam-il and Seol Ki-hyeon joined in the winter as did Australian international Nathan Burns. He was injured as United, led by Korea’s 2010 World Cup coach Huh Jung-moo, crashed to a 3-1 loss at Jeju United.
There weren’t many goals elsewhere. Last year’s bottom club Gangwon FC were delighted with a goalless draw at Chunnam Dragons while Gwangju FC got off to a good start with a 1-0 win at military club Sangju Sangmu.
This will be Sangju’s last season in the top tier. In the K-League’s 30th season, it has finally adopted relegation. Two teams will go down this season and as a non-professional entity, the army boys will be one of them. That is not all. Affter 30 games this season, the 16 teams will split, Scottish style, into two groups of eight that will play each other twice for the title and for the right to finish bottom.
That is a long way off. There are still 43 games to go.
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Euro 2012 football
The excitement and controversy were getting going even before the big kick-off. 24 hours ahead of the opening game, Daejeon Citizen were in the headlines for letting veteran, and we are talking Dino Zoff style, goalkeeper Choi Eun-sung go.
It wasn’t that fans thought the 40 year-old who had been with the club since it came into existence in 1997 and was the third-choice ‘keeper at the 2002 World Cup, deserves an automatic starting place but the manner in which the club handled it angered almost all. The 40 year-old went on a pre-season tour of Mexico but learned that he wasn’t getting a contract on the week of season start.
Citizen fans planned a silent protest. They would go down to Gyeongnam FC for the opening game of the season but would not make a sound. In the end, it wasn’t that difficult. Amid driving rain and biting winds, the fans had little to shout about anyway as they lost 3-0 to the early table toppers.
The day earlier however, there was a little English Premier League style controversy as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma defender Sasa Ognenovski refused to shake the hand of Jeonbuk Motors’ Brazilian playmaker Eninho before the game.
The two don’t get on. Basically The South American thinks the Australian plays too rough while the feeling coming the other way is that Eninho dives. The Brazilian had the last laugh however as he scored a late winner as the champions kicked off their defence with a 3-2 win.
Lee Dong-gook got the other two and in the process the Lion King, who had scored three goals in two games for the national team in the previous seven days including the opener in a vital 2-0 World Cup qualification win over Kuwait in midweek, set a new K-League goalscoring record with an 117th strike to move ahead of Woo Sung-yong.
Also on Saturday, Ulsan Horangi snatched a hard-fought 1-0 win at Pohang Steelers courtesy of giant striker Kim Shin-wook. If the Tigers can integrate their signings of fine attacking players – Lee Keun-ho and Kim Sung-yung from Gamba Osaka and Akihiro Ienega from Real Mallorca – and keep their usual defensive solidity then they will finish higher in the league than sixth.
If the handshake affair in Jeonju reminded of the Evra-Suarez incident in the English Premier League then in Daegu there was, a more tenuous link it has to be admitted, a kind of Carlos Tevez episode. OK, FC Seoul striker and 2011 top goalscorer Dejan Damjanovic did not refuse to come off the bench but the star striker did, according to coach Choi Yong-soo, refuse to play to his best and was subbed out after 22 minutes as Seoul drew 1-1 at Daegu.
The problem is that Seoul turned down a reported $5 million bid from Guangzhou R&F for the Montenegrin international. As you would expect, there would also be money to double Damjanovic’s salary and as you would expect the player was interested.
“His condition was OK ahead of the match. However, Dejan was not the player I am familiar with at all, so I took him off. Although he has conflicting interests with the club, he promised me (to play hard), but broke his word,” Choi told reporters. “I cannot forgive this. Despite the promise to me, he betrayed my and his teammates’ trust in him. I will not field him in future games if he does not change his attitude,” he said. “If we continue to show a solid performance like today, we will be able to achieve good results in the future despite the absence of Dejan.”
Seoul’s bitter rivals Suwon Bluewings fared better with a 1-0 win over Busan I’Park – a team that had a good season last year but were unable to stop bigger clubs taking their stars. It wasn’t a great performance from either team but Suwon’s new Australian defender Eddy Bosnar impressed as did Brazilian new boy Everton Cardosa Da Silva who scored the game’s only goal.
There are hopes that Incheon United can this season shed their usual mid-table status. 2002 World Cup heroes Kim Nam-il and Seol Ki-hyeon joined in the winter as did Australian international Nathan Burns. He was injured as United, led by Korea’s 2010 World Cup coach Huh Jung-moo, crashed to a 3-1 loss at Jeju United.
There weren’t many goals elsewhere. Last year’s bottom club Gangwon FC were delighted with a goalless draw at Chunnam Dragons while Gwangju FC got off to a good start with a 1-0 win at military club Sangju Sangmu.
This will be Sangju’s last season in the top tier. In the K-League’s 30th season, it has finally adopted relegation. Two teams will go down this season and as a non-professional entity, the army boys will be one of them. That is not all. Affter 30 games this season, the 16 teams will split, Scottish style, into two groups of eight that will play each other twice for the title and for the right to finish bottom.
That is a long way off. There are still 43 games to go.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
Minggu, 08 Januari 2012
Korean Transfer Window Well And Truly Open
The turn of the year has seen the transfer market in the K-League gather momentum. Players and coaches have returned from their end of season vacations and teams are starting their winter training camps.
The first week of 2012 saw two big deals involving midfielders who may not be quite automatic starters for the national team but are never too far from the first eleven. That is certainly the case for Kim Jung-woo. The 29 year-old was a feature of the 2010 World Cup when the Taeguk Warriors made the second round in South Africa and has scored his sixth goal for the national team in Korea’s 6-0 win over Lebanon in qualification for the 2014 World Cup in September.
Kim has spent the last two seasons with Gwangju and then Sangju Sangmu, the league’s military team. He was one of the stars of the 2011 season, scoring 15 goals for a team that usually struggles. His return to Seongnam Ilhwa coincided with the end of his contract. Kim was perhaps the most highly sought after Korean player of the close season and was on the wishlist of a number of clubs but ended up with Jeonbuk Motors.
“I am overjoyed to join Jeonbuk, last year’s K-League winners and one of the most distinguished clubs in Asia” he said. “I will do my best to meet expectations and do my best for the image of Jeonbuk,” said the 29-year-old. “I have experience playing with (Jeonbuk’s) Lee Dong-gook and Kim Sang-sik at Seongnam. I think we will able to play well if we adjust together through communication. I have many good memories with the two at Seongnam.”
Seongnam fans will be consoled by the fact that the club has shelled out not far shy of $2 million to add Yoon Bitgaram to their squad. The midfielder is 21 and has already made 13 appearances for the national team. Glasgow Rangers had bid around $1.3 million for Yoon, who captained Korea’s team at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup and then spent a few weeks with Blackburn Rovers in England, but his club Gyeongnam preferred to sell him to Seongnam for a greater fee.
"We have signed Yoon Bitgaram to be part of our challenge to win the K-League and the 2012 AFC Champions League," Seongnam said in a statement. "Naturally, he will strengthen the team and help us increase our fan base."
Suwon Bluewings go through players at an alarming rate and have also been busy in the past weeks. The club said goodbye (again) to talismanic defender Mato Neretljak and replaced the tall Croatian with the even taller Australian in the shape of Eddy Bosnar. Bosnar has spent the last four plus seasons in Japan with JEF United and Shimizu S-Pulse.
Like Neretljak, he takes a mean free-kick but it remains to be seen if he can become as big a favourite with the fans. If he can’t be the new MAto, he’s hoping he can be the new Sasa Ognenovski who fought his way into the Australian national team after impressing in Korea for Seongnam.
"If the move goes ahead I think it gives me a good chance of getting back in the Socceroos picture," said Bosnar. "The facilities at Suwon are better than anything I have seen in Japan and it would give me a chance to play at a higher level."
Pohang Steelers have also been shopping overseas following the departure of Brazilian star Mota but have been doing business in Eastern Europe. Hwang Sun-hong led the team to second in the K-League in 2011 He has picked up former Romanian international Ianis Zicu and ex-Serbian U-21 defender Zoran Rendulic.
Zicu arrives from CSKA Sofia and has experience in Serie A with Parma while the big defender Rendulic has played in Austria and France.
“Zicu doesn’t just have UEFA Champions League and Romanian national team experience, we expect him to become an important part of our attack,” Hwang said. “Rendulic isn’t just a great defender, he can prove useful in attack too.”
“I wanted a new challenge so I decided to come to Pohang,” said Zicu. “I know that Pohang are Asia’s most prestigious team and I want to help the club challenge in the AFC Champions League again.”
2010 champions FC Seoul have been fairly quiet so far but it likely to change over the coming weeks while Ulsan Horangi, who made the final of the championship play-offs are also in the market for new players after losing out jeonbuk in the race for Kim.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
The first week of 2012 saw two big deals involving midfielders who may not be quite automatic starters for the national team but are never too far from the first eleven. That is certainly the case for Kim Jung-woo. The 29 year-old was a feature of the 2010 World Cup when the Taeguk Warriors made the second round in South Africa and has scored his sixth goal for the national team in Korea’s 6-0 win over Lebanon in qualification for the 2014 World Cup in September.
Kim has spent the last two seasons with Gwangju and then Sangju Sangmu, the league’s military team. He was one of the stars of the 2011 season, scoring 15 goals for a team that usually struggles. His return to Seongnam Ilhwa coincided with the end of his contract. Kim was perhaps the most highly sought after Korean player of the close season and was on the wishlist of a number of clubs but ended up with Jeonbuk Motors.
“I am overjoyed to join Jeonbuk, last year’s K-League winners and one of the most distinguished clubs in Asia” he said. “I will do my best to meet expectations and do my best for the image of Jeonbuk,” said the 29-year-old. “I have experience playing with (Jeonbuk’s) Lee Dong-gook and Kim Sang-sik at Seongnam. I think we will able to play well if we adjust together through communication. I have many good memories with the two at Seongnam.”
Seongnam fans will be consoled by the fact that the club has shelled out not far shy of $2 million to add Yoon Bitgaram to their squad. The midfielder is 21 and has already made 13 appearances for the national team. Glasgow Rangers had bid around $1.3 million for Yoon, who captained Korea’s team at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup and then spent a few weeks with Blackburn Rovers in England, but his club Gyeongnam preferred to sell him to Seongnam for a greater fee.
"We have signed Yoon Bitgaram to be part of our challenge to win the K-League and the 2012 AFC Champions League," Seongnam said in a statement. "Naturally, he will strengthen the team and help us increase our fan base."
Suwon Bluewings go through players at an alarming rate and have also been busy in the past weeks. The club said goodbye (again) to talismanic defender Mato Neretljak and replaced the tall Croatian with the even taller Australian in the shape of Eddy Bosnar. Bosnar has spent the last four plus seasons in Japan with JEF United and Shimizu S-Pulse.
Like Neretljak, he takes a mean free-kick but it remains to be seen if he can become as big a favourite with the fans. If he can’t be the new MAto, he’s hoping he can be the new Sasa Ognenovski who fought his way into the Australian national team after impressing in Korea for Seongnam.
"If the move goes ahead I think it gives me a good chance of getting back in the Socceroos picture," said Bosnar. "The facilities at Suwon are better than anything I have seen in Japan and it would give me a chance to play at a higher level."
Pohang Steelers have also been shopping overseas following the departure of Brazilian star Mota but have been doing business in Eastern Europe. Hwang Sun-hong led the team to second in the K-League in 2011 He has picked up former Romanian international Ianis Zicu and ex-Serbian U-21 defender Zoran Rendulic.
Zicu arrives from CSKA Sofia and has experience in Serie A with Parma while the big defender Rendulic has played in Austria and France.
“Zicu doesn’t just have UEFA Champions League and Romanian national team experience, we expect him to become an important part of our attack,” Hwang said. “Rendulic isn’t just a great defender, he can prove useful in attack too.”
“I wanted a new challenge so I decided to come to Pohang,” said Zicu. “I know that Pohang are Asia’s most prestigious team and I want to help the club challenge in the AFC Champions League again.”
2010 champions FC Seoul have been fairly quiet so far but it likely to change over the coming weeks while Ulsan Horangi, who made the final of the championship play-offs are also in the market for new players after losing out jeonbuk in the race for Kim.
Tags
Euro 2012 football
Selasa, 06 Desember 2011
Jeonbuk Motors Win Deserved Title
It didn’t come as a surprise. Jeonbuk Motors led the K-league from early in the season and were the best team for most of it. Choi Kang-hee’s men should have won the Asian title too but had to make do with the domestic title to add to the 2009 crown.
The inevitable came to pass on December 4 in the second leg of the Championship play-off final against Ulsan Horangi. Jeonbuk won the away leg 2-1 and then, despite falling a goal behind at home, recovered to take the return match by the same scoreline in front of a big crowd, which took the league past the three million mark for the season.
Even stony-faced Choi Kang-hee managed a smile during the celebrations after which he told reporters that he felt now that Jeonbuk had become a big club. He is right. Until their 2006 Asian title, the Jeonju outfit had never been a serious contender but is now one of the best in Korea and the continent at large.
Striker Lee Dong-guk didn’t get on the score sheet and even missed a penalty (Ulsan conceded five in five play-off matches but only two were scored) but had already done enough to be overwhelmingly voted in as the 2011 K-League MVP almost exactly 48 hours after lifting the trophy.
Jeonbuk are not a team full of internationals, Korean squads come and go with barely a name in it from the champions, but coach Choi knows all about winning in the K-League. He rarely smiles but he often wins. Well-organised, tough but with players who can really play, the champions have been formidable.
Ulsan finished sixth in the regular standings after a fairly mediocre campaign. The team saved their best for the play-offs, deservedly beating FC Seoul in the opening game and then squeezing past Suwon Bluewings and Pohang Steelers to get the shot at Jeonbuk and the title.
Pohang finished second in the league but didn’t get too much reward for a solid first season under Hwang Sun-hong. The team was never really in danger of losing second spot but, for a thrilling 3-2 win over Jeonbuk aside, rarely threatened to occupy the summit.
Big boys FC Seoul and Suwon both had disappointing starts to the season. Seoul lost coach Hwangbo Kwan and while caretaker Choi Yong-soo stepped in to steady the ship, he struggled to produce the goods in the games when it mattered. Montenegrin marksman Dejan Damjanovic had another season to remember however, scoring 22 goals, an impressive tally and six more than the next in the charts – Lee Dong-guk.
Suwon’s season took a turn for the better with the summer signing of Stevica Ristic. The muscular Macedonian scored for fun and sent the Bluewings soaring into the play-offs. He never appeared in the loss against Ulsan however as he had to serve a six-game suspension handed out by the AFC. His part in the mass brawl against Al Sadd in the semi-final of the 2011 Asian Champions League was worst than most but the punishment seemed excessive.
It was an unlucky season for Suwon. A controversial goal knocked the team out of the Asian Champions League, the same happened in the final of the FA Cup and they were eliminated from the play-offs after a penalty shootout.
The surprise package of the season were Busan I’Park. Ahn Ik-soo was in his first season as coach and after an indifferent start led the team into fifth helped by talented attackers such as Park Hee-do and Yang Dong-hyun. Park has already left for Seoul and the problem for Busan over the coming months is going to be keeping hold of their best players when the bigger boys come calling.
Seongnam Ilhwa started the season as Asian champs and ended it by winning the FA Cup to book a place in the 2012 version. Not much in between was good as the team without sold stars such as Mauricio Molina and Jung Sung-ryong struggled but coach Shin Tae-yong is hopeful of a return to form both at home and overseas for Korea’s most successful team.
Gyeongnam FC almost made the play-offs but failed at the end. Their season was disrupted by the sale of star striker Lucio to Ulsan in the summer and the sale of star midfielder Yoon Bitgaram to Seongnam as soon as the season ended, despite interest from Glasgow Rangers suggests that the future may not be so bright.
Chunnam Dragons also just missed out and the day after it all finished, coach Jung Hae-sung handed in his notice but was persuaded to stay on by the club. Also in Jeolla Province, Gwangju FC had a reasonable first season and finished in 11th with Lee Sung-ki impressing in midfield, so much so that he was named Rookie of the Year. Last season’s runners-up Jeju United ended in ninth after a disappointing season.
Then there are the strugglers. Daegu FC, Daejeon Citizen and Sangju Sangmu spent the season in the lower reaches of the standings along usual mid-table team Incheon United. . Gangwon FC failed to score for the first four matches, setting the scene for a pretty dire season.
The season was dominated however not by Jeonbuk or anyone else for that matter but match-fixing. Rumours have abounded for some time but the scale of the practice surprised everyone with around 60 players, some still playing others not, prosecuted and all banned from football from various numbers of years and sometimes life.
It was all a bit depressing but some good could come out of it if the K-league sticks to its guns and launches a more professional version of Asia’s oldest professional league. Relegation is coming in 2012 for the first time though it has yet to be confirmed just how many teams will drop through the trapdoor.
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