J2 History: 2005

In our report on the 2004 J2 season, we noted a J.League trend that was beginning to emerge, which may have parallels in other countries but which seems to be especially pronounced in Japan. The lower divisions in just about any country or league will have a mix of different "types" of second-tier teams. Some are fated to perrennial mediocrity, due to their size, lack of financial backing, or various other structural reasons. They may form time to time put together a run of success, and climb into the top-flight, but eventually they will return to more mediocre surroundings. But there will also be a few teams which seem destined for more impressive accomplishments, but which for one reason or another stumble to a lower level of competition, for a year or more. This may be due to bad management, excessive and unreasonable spending, poor relations with the local fans, a loss of confidence among the players, an aging or injury-ridden roster, or good old-fashioned corruption. These woes are certainly not unique to the J.League.
But in recent years the J2 has seen an unusually large number of teams that seem to have everything going for them, yet which still manage to stumble into the J2. And more than a few have managed to stay there fore extended periods of time. Former J1 teams like Shonan Bellmare, Avispa Fukuoka, Vegalta Sendai and Consadole Sapporo have spend several years stuck in the J2, due as much to poor financial planning and a lack of strategic vision at the head office than to any problems in the performance of players on the pitch. Vegalta and Consadole are particularly distressing examples, because both boast strong fan support, and SHOULD be in relatively good financial condition. Indeed, both teams managed to acquire a large number of quality players in mid-season which helped them make a late run. But both teams fell short of promotion once again.
This situation is both disturbing, and encouraging in some respects. It is sad to see the fans of these teams suffer in second division obscurity when their support and patronage is easily superior to that of many J1 clubs. However, it is clear that the failure of these teams to win promotion is is related to poor money management, poor personnel decisions, a lack of coaching competence, and other reasons for which they can only blame themselves. The encouraging thing about this recent trend is that if teams want to advance to the J1, they need to put their houses in order, and make decisions that, at least in the long term, are good for the fans, the players, and the team as a whole. The best way to see how this principle operates is to compare the policies and results achieved by various teams. In 2005, two former J1 teams -- Avispa Fukuoka and Kyoto Purple Sanga -- managed to return to the top-flight despite comparatively limited finances and weaker fan support than that at Sapporo or Sendai.
The difference seems to have been a more careful, strategic selection of personnel, coupled with inspirational coaching and solid management. One could easily argue that in 2005, Kyoto Purple Sanga was weaker, in terms of personnel, than it was in 2004. Two players with national team experience, Daisuke Matsui and Teruaki Kurobe, left the squad along with former Korean international Choi Yong-Soo. There replacements were by no means as famous, or talented. The difference was that each player had a clear understanding of what the team expected of them, the coaching staff under Koichi Hashiratani provided a fairly simple yet aggressive game plan, and the head office provided firm support to both coach and players. The result was that Kyoto cruiese easily to the J2 title in 2005, after falling woefully short a year earlier.
By comparison, Vegalta had more money and better attendances, but the head office was constantly vacillating, making a host of personnel changes over the course of the season. They may have brought in more talented personnel in midseason, but the effect on morale could not have been good. After the dreadful failure of coach Zdenko Verdenik, last year, the team brought in the untested Satoshi Tsunami, a former Verdy goalkeeper, who seemed to have some good ideas, but who was forced to try to implement them with players who were chosen FOR him, by the head office, and in many cases did not suit the style of football he was trying to promote.
Although the discussion above may be a bit long-winded, we think that the issues mentioned will be very important in determining which teams succeed and which fail, over the longer term as well. At the end of 2005, all three of the teams relegated from the J1 (Tokyo Verdy, Vissel Kobe and Kashiwa Reysol) fall into the same category as Consadole, Bellmare and Vegalta -- clubs which have seen their fortunes fade in recent years due to poor management, lack of player morale and misguided coaching. Perhaps these teams will recover more quickly, and not face the prolonged sojourn in the J2 that the other clubs have suffered. But if they hope to do so, they need to focus less on the fame and price tag of the personnel they sign, and more on issues such as team morale, consistency, and a strategic plan which is geared to the 48-match marathon competition that typifies the J2. As teams like Vegalta and Consadole have demonstrated, no matter how "big" or "famous" or "rich" a club might be, if they fail to address these issues they may find themselves stuck in the second division for a prolonged stay.
Although we have devoted considerable time to discussing the continued struggles of former giants, and the successful revival of teams like Kyoto and Fukuoka, the biggest story of the year in 2005 was the successful campaign of tiny Ventforet Kofu. The team which spent the first three years of its J.League existence mired in last place, in 2005 provided an uplifting story of "CInderella" success, while also offering small teams around the country a good model for achieving success. Ventforet has always been strapped for money, since it has no major corporate sponsor, and only moderate fan support. Perhaps that latter comment is unfair, since the local supporters ARE very enthusiastic. But Kofu is a tiny city -- half the size of any other municipality that supports a J.League franchise, and consequently ticket receipts are rather limited. Under coach Takeshi Oki, Ventforet built a team that had only a limited number of top-notch players, but which used its resources very cleverly. The club relied on hard running and an old-fashioned "work ethic" from the supporting cast, and a few stars at skill positions who were able to feed of the hard work of their teammates and score goals. This strategy allowed Ventforet to finish in third place, claiming a spot in the promotion-relegation series, which they won in two inspired matches against Kashiwa Reysol. Thus, for the first time in J.League history, three clubs won promotion from the J2 at the end of the season, and three clubs were relegated for 2006.
Another important story in 2005 was the addition of two new clubs from the JFL -- Tokushima Vortis and Thespa Kusatsu. These were the first additions to the J.League since 2001, and their success was a sign that the J.League is beginning to grow once again, following a few tight years of sagging attendances and stagnation. Thespa struggled badly, causing some sportswriters to question whether it might have been a mistake to approve their entry. However, teams have done worse, in the past. Indeed, Thespa's record of failure was nowhere near as depressing as that of Ventforet Kofu in 1999 and 2000, and look at where Ventforet is now. meanwhile, Tokushima Vortis put on a solid showing as a J2 debutante, and this helped convince the League to approve another team's promotion at the end of the year. Ehime FC won promotion to the J.League after winning the 2005 JFL championship, and thus the J2 will expand to 13 teams next year.

. Team Pts GP W D L GF GA G.Dif
1 Kyoto Sanga 97 44 30 7 7 89 40 +49

2 Avispa Fukuoka 78 44 21 15 8 72 43 +29

3 Ventforet Kofu 69 44 19 12 13 78 64 +14

4 Vegalta Sendai 68 44 19 11 14 66 47 +19

5 Montedio Yamagata 64 44 16 16 12 54 45 +9

6 Consadole Sapporo 63 44 17 12 15 54 57 -3

7 Shonan Bellmare 54 44 13 15 16 46 59 -13

8 Sagan Tosu 52 44 14 10 20 58 58 +0

9 Tokushima Vortis 52 44 12 16 16 60 76 -16

10 Mito Hollyhock 52 44 13 13 18 41 57 -16

11 Yokohama FC 45 44 10 15 19 48 64 -16

12 Thespa Kusatsu 23 44 5 8 31 26 82 -56

PROMOTED:
Kyoto Purple Sanga
Avispa Fukuoka
Ventforet Kofu

RELEGATED:
Vissel Kobe
Tokyo Verdy
Kashiwa Reysol

Joined from JFL:
Ehime FC