J2 History: 2006

In 2005, we noted that the J2 has seen an unusually large number of teams, in recent years 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 spent 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. In 2006, several new additions were made to this group, the most dramatic of which was the collapse of Tokyo Verdy, who at one time were viewed as the Colossus which might dominate the J.League for all time.
Fortunately, the J.League has recognised from the very start that the key to building a vibrant and well supported football league in Japan lay in encouraging the local character of each team, and doing what they could to discourage the creation of "nationwide dynasties" such as the Yomiuri Giants enjoy in baseball. It is not merely irony that Verdy rose from the same Yomiuri roots as the Giants. From the start, Verdy wanted to be a team for the entire country, plucking all the top stars from other teams just as they reach their prime, amd using nationwide revenues to support this sort of continuing dominance.
But the Verdy business model proved to be a very brittle one indeed, especially as the J.League put one barricade after another in the way of the Yomiuri group's efforts to run Verdy as a "corporate subsidiary". When Yomiuri itself bailed out on the club, and Verdy moved from Kawasaki to Tokyo to reorganize under new management, they might have learned their lesson and successfully changed their business model and inflated expectations. But a continued failure to establish strong roots in the local community, coupled with arrogance and an inexplicable attachment to the old boys who dominated the team back in its "Glory Days" as Verdy Yomiuri, caused an even more dramatic implosion which sent Verdy tumbling into the J2 at the end of the 2005 season.
Nor was Verdy the only cautionary story. They were joined in the relegation ranks by two other teams that had been members of the J1 since the league's early days -- Kashiwa Reysol and Vissel Kobe. The latter team never really did the fundamental restructring work that was required after their financial meltdown in 2003, and though the money brought to the club by Hiroshi Mikitani ensured that it would no longer suffer the threat of bankruptcy, it was not sufficient to repair a very rotten and poorly supported organization.
Reysol had similar problems, though ones that were not as deeply rooted. The team had a strong youth programme and reasonably healthy support from the grassroots level. Despite the fact that the jumbled semi-urban flatlands east of Tokyo -- of which Kashiwa is a part -- lack the sort of "local identity" that many clubs use to attract a strong following, Kashiwa did have a very passionate core of fans. The so-called "Yellow Monkeys" of Kashiwa could match even the Saitama Red Army in unblinking loyalty (albeit not in numbers), and one would have thought that the team had a solid enough base to remain in the top flight. Unfortunately, they did not match their organizational strength with intelligent personnel decisions. The club relied far too much on aging veterans, and failed to develop their talented youngsters soon enough to keep the team afloat in 2005, so they were banished to the second division.
For both Reysol and Vissel, the drop into the J2 was a blessing in disguise. While business mogul Hiroshi Mikitani may have demonstrated his complete lack of football common sense by signing Mansiz Ilhan of Turkey, in 2005, nobody would question his business acumen. Once his (and the team"s) problems were laid bare, Mr. Mikitani restructured the organization as any good business leader would, assigning more competent personnel to steer the club and handle player acquisitions. The result was an immediate recovery in Vissel's competitiveness and a quick return to the J1, via a two-leg victory over Avispa Fukuoka in the promotion-relegation series. Reysol, meanwhile, responded to relegation by shipping out just about everyone over the age of 27, regardless of past performance, and focusing single-mindedly on rebuilding the club on a younger and more carefully-planned base. This effort was successful as well, and Reysol bounced back to the J1 with a second place finish.
For Verdy, however, there was too much damage to repair in just one season, and they remained mired in the J2 for another season. The J2 championship was captured by a different team, though one which resembles Verdy in more ways than just the presence of Kazu Miura. Yokohama stumbled upon a recepie for promotion which proved so successful that many clubs have tried to replicate it in subsequent seasons. This involved trolling the J.League for aging veterans with extensive experience at the top level, even if they no longer have the fitness and sharpness that served them in their youth. Yokohama signed a veritable hall of fame roster including former national team players like Kazu, Shoji Jo, Motohiro Yamaguchi, Ichiei Muroi and Norio Omura. The vast experience that this bought to the team was enough to overcome younger and more energetic opponents, and carry FC to the 2006 J2 title. Those who are tempted to imitate this strategy will take caution from the team's fate the following year, when the aging veterans collapsed into their wheelchairs and were carted off back to the J2 in record time. However, at least in 2006 it provided fans of the resurrected Yokohama Flugels with something to cheer about.
At the opposite end of the league table, recently promoted Ehime FC made a decent debut, finishing in 9th place, but last year's additions Tokushima Vortis and Thespa Kusatsu struggled. This led many observers to wonder if the J.League is trying to expand too rapidly, and bringing in clubs that were not fully prepared to compete at the professional level. Adding to this concern was the fact that no teams managed to earn promotion from the JFL at the end of the 2006 season. Nevertheless, financially speaking it appears that the J2 is finding its feet. Some struggling teams still have a tough time making ends meet, but there are no stories of dire financial conditions or impending doom, as there were at the end of recent seasons. In general, the J2 is just as healthy and troublesome as one would expect from the average seven-year-old. The teething pains of childhood have been overcome, and now it is just a question of steering the league towards healthy growth and gradually increasing maturity.

. Team Pts GP W D L GF GA G.Dif
1 Yokohama FC 93 48 26 15 7 61 32 29

2 Kashiwa Reysol 88 48 27 7 14 84 60 24

3 Vissel Kobe 86 48 25 11 12 78 53 25

4 Sagan Tosu 79 48 22 13 13 64 49 15

5 Vegalta Sendai 77 48 21 14 13 75 43 32

6 Consadole Sapporo 72 48 20 12 16 77 67 10

7 Tokyo Verdy 71 48 21 8 19 69 75 -6

8 Montedio Yamagata 65 48 17 14 17 68 57 11

9 Ehime FC 53 48 14 11 23 51 63 -12

10 Mito Hollyhock 51 48 14 9 25 48 69 -21

11 Shonan Bellmare 49 48 13 10 25 61 87 -26

12 Thespa Kusatsu 42 48 9 15 24 54 86 -32

13 Tokushima Vortis 35 48 8 11 29 43 92 -49

PROMOTED:
Yokohama FC
Kashiwa Reysol
Vissel Kobe

RELEGATED:
Kyoto Purple Sanga
Cerezo Osaka
Avispa Fukuoka