Tokyo Verdy -- Preseason Summary
Of the three teams that were promoted to the top flight division at the end of 2007, one looks like it should be able to hold its position (Consadole) and one looks like a very strong candidate for relegation (Sanga). Tokyo Verdy is somewhere in the middle, and it is truly a thankless task trying to forecast their prospects in 2008, not only due to the large amount of turnover that took place in the off-season, but also because it is so hard to tell whether individual players will be valuable assets or millstones around the Green Vulture's neck
If we had to sum up Tokyo Verdy in one word, there is no question what that word would be: Old!
OK, they may not be Yokohama FC old, but that hasnt stopped the Yunker vendors and ArtNature Hair Check salesmen from setting up shop outside the gates of Ajinomoto Stadium. Just take a look at the logo on the front of their monochrome Kappa-brand uniforms. "Ameba", it says. "Ameba?" The dictionary offers the following explanation:
Ameba: n. [ModLat < Gr amoibe] 1. A shapeless, one-celled microscopic organism found in soil and water, reproducing mainly by fission. 2. Something indefinite in shape or perpetually changing. A shapeless mass of protoplasm with rapidly changing shape and indistinct form.
Yup. Webster's nailed it.
Not to be overly facetious, but a few years ago we criticized Verdy for trying to relive the past, and turn itself into the Verdy of 1993. Well, not it appears that they are trying to turn themselves into the Jubilo of 1999. Hey, is Carlos Dunga still available? Oh right, hes coaching Brazil these days. Still, it might be worth a phone call....
Probably the best thing that could happen to Verdy would be for them to get knocked right back into the J2. Until the team makes some REAL changes, they will be living on borrowed time. However, we do think that they are more competitive this season than they were in 2005, when they fell to relegation. Players like Takashi Fukunishi and Toshihiro Hattori may be a bit long in the tooth, but as a whole, the team is nowhere near as geriatric as Yokohama FC were, last season. With just a bit of luck they should be able to preserve their spot in the J1 for another year. But the team will need to start rebuilding right away, or their prospects will only be that much dimmer in 2009.
2007 Finish: 3rd Place (J2)
2008 Forecast: 14th-16th Place
Roster Changes
IN |
| Pos. | Name | Former Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Tetsuji Hashiratani | --- | New coach |
| FW | Takayuki Suzuki | Yokohama Marinos | Full transfer |
| FW | Kazuki Hiramoto | Yokohama FC | Rental ends |
| FW | Hiroki Kawano | Verdy Youth | New signing |
| FW | Leandro | Sao Paulo FC | Full transfer |
| MF | Takashi Fukunishi | FC Tokyo | Full transfer |
| MF | Takumi Wada | Shimizu S-Pulse | One-yr rental |
| DF | Masaki Iida | Ryutsu Keizai U. | New signing |
| DF | Sho Asuke | Kokushikan U. | New signing |
| DF | Daisuke Nasu | Yokohama Marinos | Full transfer |
| GK | Tomoyuki Suzuki | Kokushikan U. | New signing |
| GK | Yoichi Doi | FC Tokyo | Full transfer |
OUT |
| Pos. | Name | New Team | Status |
|---|
| Mgr. | Ruy Ramos | --- | Kicked upstairs |
| FW | Givanildo "Hulk" de Souza | Kawasaki Frontale | Rental ends |
| FW | Masaki Saito | ---- | Released |
| FW | Masahiro Ohashi | Kawasaki Frontale | Rental->full transfer |
| MF | Hiroshi Nanami | Jubilo Iwata | Rental ends |
| MF | Shin Kanazawa | Omiya Ardija | Rental ends |
| MF | Yusuke Sato | Full transfer |
| MF | Kenta Tsurumaki | Mito Hollyhock | One-yr rental |
| DF | Kenta Togawa | Yokohama FC | One-yr rental |
| DF | Taisei Fujita | Tokushima Vortis | Full transfer |
| DF | Naoki Mihara | Fagiano Okayama | Full transfer |
| DF | Takaki Shigemitsu | Fagiano Okayama | Full transfer |
| DF | Yugo Ichiyanagi | Vegalta Sendai | One-yr rental |
| DF | Seiji Sonoda | V.Varen Nagasaki | One-yr rental |
| GK | Shinya Yoshihara | Kawasaki Frontale | Rental ends |
| GK | Takuya Muro | ---- | Released |
