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Omiya Ardija -- Preseason Summary
Four years in the J1, and Omiya Ardija fans still approach the new season with dentally trimmed fingernails, as they wonder whether the Mighty Squirrels will be able to survive for another season. Given the high level of competition in the J.League these days, as well as the modest fan base of a team that has to share their city with the Urawa Reds, perhaps that is not too surprising. However, one still gets the sense that Omiya could have done a bit more in the off-season to improve their prospects of staying up.
The best news is probably the fact that former Montedio boss Yasuhiro Higuchi is taking over as head coach this year. Higuchi is not exactly a coaching legend, but his results with Montedio over the past two seasons suggest that he knows how to steer a small team with a limited budget through the difficult challenges of a J.League season.
Another plus this season will be the fact that Omiya finally has its own permanent home ground, now that renovation work to Omiya Park Stadium has been completed. In a desperate effort to squeeze every last yen out of their corporate sponsors, Ardija have sold the naming rights to Omiya Stadium, which means that visiting fans can snicker derisively as they file into "NACK Five Stadium". Dont worry though; the Rising Sun News sees no reason to rub it in. We will be referring to the venue by its historical name -- Omiya Park Stadium . After all, any venue where Maradona played as a young, drug-free superstar deserves to be shown a bit more historical respect; and"NACK Five" just doesnt do the trick.
The Squirrels didnt lose any significant players over the winter break. The biggest loss was probably the move of strikre Manabu Wakabayashi to Ehime, and though newcomer Pedro Junior may not be a household name in Brazil, anyone who got regular playing time at Gremio and Cruzeiro cant be any worse than the strikers Omiya put out last season. On the other hand, Pedro will probably turn out to be the most important player that the team signed in the off-season... and that isnt really saying much. Former Yokohama FC stalward Tomoya Uchida might see some first-tema action, and former Gamba youngster Daiki Niwa might manage to break into an otherwise undistinguised defensive line. At the end of the day, this Ardija squad isnt much different from last season, and that cant be good news.
If coach Higuchi can find ways to get the most out of a highly experienced but mediocre lineup, we think the Squirrels may manage to hoard enough points away to see them through another winter. However, this is a very shallow team, which is being carried along by just two or three key players. The loss of either Leandro or Daigo Kobayashi for any length of time could be enough to send this team back to the second division.
2006 Finish: 15th Place
2007 Forecast: 15th-17th Place
Roster Changes
IN |
| Pos. | Name | Former Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Yasuhiro Tsuboguchi | --- | New coach |
| FW | Masahiko Ichikawa | Hosei U. | New signing |
| FW | Daisuke Watanabe | Omiya Youth | New signing |
| MF | Takuya Aoki | Maebashi Ikuei HS | New signing |
| MF | Tomoya Uchida | Yokohama FC | One-yr rental |
| DF | Yusuke Murayama | Shonan Bellmare | Rental->full transfer |
| DF | Shin Kanazawa | Tokyo Verdy | Rental ends |
| DF | Yasushi Tsukamoto | Komazawa U. | New signing |
| DF | Tatsuya Kawahara | Toyo U. | New signing |
| DF | Daiki Niwa | Gamba Osaka | One-yr rental |
| GK | Keiki Shimizu | Ryutsu Keizai U. | New signing |
OUT |
| Pos. | Name | New Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Satoru Sakuma | --- | Resigned |
| FW | Manabu Wakabayashi | Ehime FC | One-yr rental |
| MF | Takashi Hirano | --- | Released |
| MF | Yusuke Shimada | Thespa Kusatsu | One-yr rental |
| DF | Seiichiro Okuno | --- | Retired |
| DF | Yasunari Hiraoka | --- | Released |
| DF | Haruki Nishimura | Arte Takasaki | One-yr rental |
| DF | Akira Ishigame | Thespa Kusatsu | One-yr rental |
| GK | Kunihiro Shibasaki | Tochigi SC | Full Transfer |
| GK | Takahiro Takagi | Consadole Sapporo | One-yr rental |
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