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Avispa Fukuoka -- Preseason Summary
From the time they joined the J.League, in 1996, until 2001, when they were finally relegated, Avispa Fukuoka lived in the basement of the league, struggling in just about every area you can name. The team was remarkable only in the category of goalkeeping, and in the number of yellow and red cards received. Avispa repeatedly led the league by a wide margin in disciplinary infractions, and were well known for their rough, physical tactics. However, this was not enough to offset the lack of actual soccer-playing ability. Finally, after narrowly escaping demotion for several years running, Avispa dropped into the J2 in 2001, and abart from one breif return in 2006, have remained there ever since.
Last season, Avispa resumed the long slog towards respectability, hiring former Yokohama FC and Sydney FC coach Pierre Littbarsky to begin putting together a team that can regain the J1 and stay there. Although we think that Avispa are a healthier club in organizational terms from the one that struggled throughout the late 1990s, we think they will have a tough time making it back to the top-flight this season. It isnt that the team is so bad; its just that the competition appears to be just a shade better.
The highlights of the YellowJackets' offseason effort to build the roster are the Australian pair of Mark Rudan and Ufuk Talay, and Yokohama Marinos beanpole Mike Havenaar, acquired on loan. These three acquisitions certainly make Avispa a much "bigger" team, but it remains to be seen whether it will make team any better. Rudan and Talay were not exactly "superstars" in the A-League, and though Australian football has its strengths, technique isnt one of them. Perhaps Coach Litty is betting that the two can use their physical gifts against smaller Japanese opponents to offset any weaknesses in technical skill. THis idea isnt completely misguided, but it has to be viewed, at best, as a bit of a gamble.
Havenaar represents a gamble of a slightly different nature. There is no denying that the 194-cm striker has some legitimate strengths as a center forward, and not merely due to his height. Havenaar also shows some very impressive ball skills when playing on the deck. The problem is that he is still a very raw and unpolished player, and that is exactly why the Marinos sent him to the J2 for as year. Aftert two seasons as a late substitute, Havenaar still has not found the net as pro, and despite flashes of talent, he looked quite out of place in the J1. If Litty wants to get a solid contribution from the kid, he needs to give hiim a lot of first-team action and be patient as he develops in both ability and confidence. With the right guidance, Havenaar could mature into a top-quality striker by the end of the year. But the question Avispa fans must ask themselves is -- will that happen soon enough to get the team into contention for a promotion spot.
While we cant write off the Yellowjackets as a potential promotion candidate (certainly not until we see the three "big men" in action), we think that the core of the team is still just bit less talented and less polished than the leading opponents -- Sanfrecce, Vegalta and Cerezo. Consequently, we have to assume that they will still be in the J2 next season
2007 Finish: 7th Place
2008 Forecast: 4th-6th Place
Roster Changes
IN |
| FW | Kyohei Oyama | Avispa U-18 | New signing |
| FW | Joel Griffith | Newcastle Jets | Full transfer |
| FW | Teruaki Kurobe | JEF United | Full transfer |
| FW | Tetsuya Okubo | Kashiwa Reysol | One-yr rental |
| FW | Mike Havenaar | Yokohama Marinos | One-yr rental |
| MF | Jun Suzuki | Avispa U-18 | New signing |
| MF | Daisuke Nakaharai | Kyoto Sanga | Full transfer |
| DF | Takanori Nakajima | Yokohama FC | Full transfer |
| DF | Mark Rudan | Sydney FC | Full transfer |
| DF | Ufuk Talay | Sydney FC | Full transfer |
| GK | Motohiro Yoshida | Cerezo Osaka | Full Transfer |
OUT |
| Pos. | Name | New Team | Status |
|---|
| FW | Rafael | ----- | Released |
| FW | Lincoln Martins | Shonan Bellmare | Full transfer |
| FW | Hiroyuki Hasyashi | Tokushima Vortis | Full transfer |
| FW | Yuji Unozawa | Japan Soccer College | Full transfer |
| FW | Yu Hasegawa | ->Reysol->Montedio | Rental ends |
| DF | Ceccoli | ----- | Released |
| DF | Ales de Melo Santos | Kashiwa Reysol | Full transfer |
| MF | Seiji Koga | Vissel Kobe | Rental->full transfer |
| MF | Kohei Miyazaki | Montedio Yamagata | Full transfer |
| MF | Tatsunori Yamagata | V.Varen Nagasaki | Full transfer |
| MF | Kazuyuki Otsuka | V.Varen Nagasaki | Full transfer |
| MF | Kengo Takushima | ----- | Released |
| DF | Masaya Kawashima | Gifu FC | Full transfer |
| DF | Tadaomi Yasuda | ----- | Released |
| GK | Erikson Pinto | --- | Released |
| GK | Tomoyasu Naito | Montedio Yamagata | Full transfer |
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