Ehime FC -- Preseason Summary
In 2006, as J2 newcomers, Ehime FC turned in the strongest performance of any newly promoted team this century, finishing in ninth place and drawing a relatively solid average attendance of 4100. The adrenaline and euphoria of their rise from nowhere to J.League success in just seven seasons clearly carried the team to greater exertions than what you might expect from a collection of amateurs -- which is really what Ehime were back in 2006.
Last season, the euphoria had passed, and the Terrible Tangerines seemed to lose some of their flavour. Attendances dipped to a 3300 avearge and the team slipped a notch to 10th place. At first glance this might cause viewers to worry about the team's longer-term viability. But if you look closer, the picture is quite a bit more encouraging. If we examine the performances of recently promoted team over the past several years, you see a fairly clear pattern emerging. In the first season after their promotion, the club rewards the hard-working but nevertheless "amateur" players who helped carry the club to professional status by letting them play out one season in the J.League. Since these players have typically been together for several years, have a strong team spirit and considerable veteran experience, they tend to perform slightly better as a team than one might suspect based merely on an analysis of the individuals.
However, it quickly becomes apparent that many of the "veterans" of the team's promotion campaign are already playing at the highest level they ever will be able to achieve. And indeed, they may even be playing above their heads, using adrenaline and hard work to mke up for mediocre skills. If the team is ever to move on, and start aiming for a higher spot in the J2 league table . . . and perhaps one day a climb into the top division . . . it needs to cut loose the players that brought them to the J.League and start acquiring a new "core" of younger, more talented players who have the underlying skill to achieve greater success.
But teams face a difficult dilemma as they make this transformation; by changing the guard, they lose the merits of experience, team cohesion and morale which often were a key factor in success. In their second or third season after promotion these teams probably must accept that performances will drop off, at least temporarily, until a new foundation for the team has been established. A close look at the players who left Ehime both last season and at the start of this year confirms that the club is making just such a transition. The question is not "why did they slip downtable in 2007", but rather "how long must we wait before the Tangerines begin to climb upward once more.
Well, nobody can say for certain, but we would not be surprised to see a substantial improvement this year. Ehime has done an extremely good job, on a very limited budget, of attracting youngsters who show good promise. The core of the team is now in its early to mid-20s, and several are former J1 squad players who accepted a move to Ehime in order to get regular playing time. Though they still have a long way to go before they can be considered one of the more competitive J2 team, we would not be surprised to see Ehime climb to midtable this season. For the time being, we have tipped them to improve just marginally from last season's tenth place. But this is a team that should improve as they get more experience as a unit, so if Ehime manage to make a strong start, dont be too surprised if they move into the second tier of J2 competitors, just behind the promotion candidates.
2007 Finish: 10th Place
2008 Forecast: 8th-10th Place
Roster Changes
IN |
| Pos. | Name | Former Team | Status |
|---|
| FW | Manabu Wakabayashi | Omiya Ardija | One-yr rental |
| FW | Ryota Miki | Gamba Osaka | Rental extended |
| FW | Takuya Yokoyama | Montedio ->Reds -> | Full transfer |
| FW | Yuji Miyahara | Sagan Tosu | Rental->full transfer |
| MF | Kim Dae-Yong | Vissel Kobe | One-yr rental |
| MF | Shigeru Yokotani | Gamba Osaka | One-yr rental |
| MF | Yoshihiro Uchimura | Oita Trinita | Rental extended |
| DF | Takuya Mikami | Kyoto Sanga | Full transfer |
| DF | Takuma Tsuda | Ventforet Kofu | Full transfer |
| DF | Akio Fukami | Ritsumeikan U. | New signing |
| GK | Akishige Kaneda | Sanfrecce Youth | New signing |
| GK | Daisuke Tada | Cerezo Osaka | Full transfer |
| GK | Seiji Kawahara | Oita Trinita | One-yr rental |
| DF | Hirotada Ito | Gamba Osaka | One-yr rental |
OUT |
| Pos. | Name | New Team | Status |
|---|
| FW | Josimar | Ventforet Kofu | Rental ends |
| FW | Takashi Fujii | --- | Released |
| MF | Shota Arai | --- | Released |
| MF | Go Nakamura | --- | Released |
| MF | Shunsuke Oyama | ->Reds ->Bellmare | Rental ends |
| MF | Ryota Moriwaki | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Rental ends |
| DF | Tetsushi Kondo | Urawa Reds | Rental ends |
| GK | Keisuke Hada | --- | Retired |
| GK | Akihiro Sato | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Rental ends |
| GK | Kazuki Abe | --- | Released |
