The week before the transfer window closes is always a busy one. This year it slammed shut on the evening of September 1. Clubs had to buy players before then or they are doomed to wait until January before they can add to their rosters. It can be frantic. That wasn’t the case for South Korean players until last week – it had been quiet, too quiet. Sure enough, that changed in dramatic fashion. It started with reports that Park Chu-young, one of the biggest stars in Korean football, was on his way to England’s Premier League with Wigan Athletic and ended with him jetting off to the Mediterranean on Sunday morning to join seven-time French champion AS Monaco. In the meantime, Lee Young-pyo left Tottenham for Borussia Dortmund. Park Chu-young’s move was more of a saga than Lee’s smooth transfer across the North Sea. The 2004 Young Asian Player of the Year looked set to stay with FC Seoul until next season at least. That became less likely when on August 24 after watching his Wigan team lose to Chelsea in the Premier League, coach, and former Manchester United captain, Steve Bruce confirmed that he was interested in the 23 year-old. “Yes, we are looking at him, but there is no deal yet,” Bruce said. “My general manager is out there at the moment, having a look. He played yesterday …It is a possibility and there might be something happening.” Wigan wanted a loan and possible sponsorship deals, Seoul wasn’t interested. Just as that move became dead in the water, another one emerged deep from the depths. It turned out that Park’s people had been talking to AS Monaca since April. The French club’s Brazilian coach Ricardo knew of Park from when the player spent a year in the South American country. Unlike Wigan, Monaco, runner-up in the 2004 UEFA Champions League, was prepared to pay around $3 million in order to sign the player on a four-year contract. But even on Saturday evening, Park was playing for club FC Seoul in a 3-1 win over Gwangju Sangmu. Just 12 hours after the end of the match however, the taciturn striker was boarding an Air France jet bound for Paris. “It has happened so fast so it is a little hard to take in at the moment,” Park told reporters at Incheon International Airport.” I don’t want to say too much but I am looking forward to it.” “I think it is a good team and I think it is good first team in Europe for me. Monaco chairman Jerome de Bontin was happy with the capture: "We had been in contact with his club for several months and we are very happy he has joined us." The club’s Brazilian coach Ricardo knew of Park as the striker spent a year in South America as a teenager. "He is a centre forward, very comfortable right in front of goal. He will need a little time to adapt to our league but I hope he will manage that quickly." Monaco lifted the last of its seven championships in 2000. In recent seasons, the club has been languishing in the middle reaches of the league. The club hopes that Park, who has scored nine goals in 27 games, can help shoot the team back to the top. “I have to do my best and it will be great if it goes well.” That is now up to the player but for South Korea and the media, it is another player in a big European league. There will be lots of curious eyes on Park in the principality to see just how good he really is. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

The build-up for South Korea’s summer series of qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup started the minute Park Ji-sung arrived at Incheon International Airport last Saturday, dressed in the words of some reports, "like a model" in a white jacket and pink shirt. All attention had been centred on Park’s non-appearance in the UEFA Champions League final on May 21 when Manchester United defeated Chelsea. That is all in the past now as Park told reporters at the arrival gate: “Qualification for the World Cup is now my biggest goal.” South Korea continues its journey along the road to the 2010 World Cup on Saturday with a home match against Jordan at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday. The Taeguk Warriors sit in top spot in Group Three with four points from the first two games. The top two from the four nations progress to the final round of qualification. It is a busy time as in the three weeks following the Seoul match, coach Huh Jung-moo will take his team to Jordan for a return match and then on to Turkmenistan before returning to Seoul to face North Korea on June 22. With failing to progress to the next round unthinkable, Huh has decided to trust in some familiar faces. The selection of Korea’s English Premier League players was no surprise but the recall of Ahn Jung-hwan for the first time in almost two years was a big story. Ahn was a hero of the 2002, and to a lesser extent, the 2006 World Cup. Since that time he has been back in the K-league but only scored his first goal in the competition last week for Busan I’Park. And that didn’t really count. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma had taken the lead at Busan by breaking one of soccer’s unwritten rules which states that if a player kicks the ball out of play because of an injured team-mate, the resultant throw-in is thrown back to that team. Seongnam didn’t seem to think this was necessary, won possession from the throw-in and scored the opening goal. Seongnam coach Kim Hak-beom was none too impressed with his players and told them that they had to allow Busan to score. It came to pass that the Seongnam players stood around as Ahn dribbled up the pitch to put the ball into the net. The 32 year-old may not have scored many but he has been playing well for Busan, the team at the bottom of the league. “Although being overshadowed by his team's poor record, Ahn's play on the pitch proves that his stamina and skills are at a high level," Huh told reporters. “Ahn is in good form, and I think his veteran presence and wealth of experience in big tournaments will provide valuable leadership to the team." We could even see a frontline made up of 2002 stars including Park and Seol Ki-hyeon. Huh’s selections are conservative but given that failure to finish in the top two would cost him his job and reputation, it is perhaps not surprising that some of the K-League’s young prospects have not been considered. Suwon pair Seo Dong-hyun and Shin Young-rok are in better form than any of the strikers that Huh chose as are the Daegu duo of Jang Nam-seok and Lee Keun-ho. Jordan, who lost 2-0 in a warm-up game in China last weekend, should not be underestimated but should not pose too tough a threat in Seoul. The team has belied its reputation as strong at home but weak away so far in the qualification campaign. An opening day defeat in Amman at the hands of the North Koreans was followed by a win at the home of Turkmenistan. Avoiding defeat in Seoul would be a huge result for the team led by well-traveled Portuguese coach Nelo Vingada. It would also make huge trouble for Huh Jung-moo but the old boys should be able to ensure that South Korea take another step closer to South Africa. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

In terms of European football, Kiki Musampa may not have seen all that there is to see, but the dreadlocked Dutchman has treaded the boards in many of the continent’s big leagues. Starting out at Amsterdam icons Ajax, just as that team lifted the Champions League trophy in 1995, the attacking midfielder then moved to Bordeaux in 1997, not long before that the club became French champions. He was then on his way to Spain with Malaga and then with Atletico Madrid. A two-season spell in the Premier League followed with Manchester City. After short spells in Turkey with Trabzonspor and back in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar, Musampa finds himself in the K-League with FC Seoul. It has been quite a story but a new chapter is about to begin and it is safe to say that it will not read like anything else that has gone before in the 30 year-old’s career. How old were you when you joined Ajax? I started when I was 12. Before that I was playing amateur football for a couple of years. I was lucky to be scouted by Ajax and then I joined the youth academy. Some would say that you had the perfect football education… Yes. I must say that it has been an education that I have used all the way through my career. There are so many things that I have always kept with me and used in different countries and different football cultures. I am very grateful to Ajax. Is there any special thing that you remember from your time with Ajax? The special thing is that football is first of all a team sport. Every player is part of a team; we were never allowed to forget this. It is the most important thing because sometimes you go somewhere and you see that some players have forgotten it. But it was precisely that which made Ajax a successful team. We had no real star players, we knew what we had to do and we knew that we always had to play for the team. That’s how we all became, in a sense, stars. You were at the club when they won the 1995 Champions League. What do you remember of that time? I was joining the first team, just 17 years old and without a contract but I was in the squad and training every day with the guys and for me at the time, it was like a dream coming true. Back in those days Ajax was a huge team and everybody wanted to play for Ajax, as a young kid that was all you dreamed about. So one day to be training with all these people was great. Who was the best or your favourite player at the time? They were all so good and all had different qualities. The best thing was the older players would help the younger ones, not leave them on their own but try to teach them. Danny Blind and Frank De Boer were especially good. The Bosman Ruling destroyed that team, it was sad… Yeah, in some ways. It’s sad for the team but on the other side, it was better for the players so it depends on how you look at it. There were a lot of players that benefited a lot though it was complicated for the teams. Some in Holland say you left Ajax too early. Would you agree? I was young when I left, that’s true but in view of the situation, it was the best thing to do. It was the time that Louis Van Gaal was leaving Ajax and the new coach Martin Olsen arrived with 11 new players. You have to be realistic, you’re a young player with two years experience, there is a new coach who I didn’t think was waiting for young players to come through – he had 11 new players. It’s a big squad. You know you’re chances will be less and that you be spending a lot of time in the second team. So then you have to make a choice. Do you want to take two steps back or are you prepared to go and play elsewhere? I chose the latter and I am happy I made that choice because when I look at the guys who stepped back, it was very hard for them and they never really came out of it. Then you went to Bordeaux. They had a good team… I went at a good time. A year later we were even champions of France, it was a good choice. Then Spain. You spent a long time there, relatively. Do you think that was your happiest time as a player? Yes, especially at Malaga at the beginning. I had to settle down and find my way in a new culture, a new language. I was quite young at the time so didn’t know what to expect. But I was enjoying the game more and more and had some good years at Malaga. Spanish football suited you? Yes, it was good for me definitely. I had a free role from the coach and he really knew how to get the best from the players. Why did you then leave for Atletico? Well, I think Atletico is a huge club. When you are playing at Malaga, it is a club that you can’t say no to. It is the third biggest club in Spain and I had no choice. I had been at Malaga for four years and it was a good time to move. But for you, your time at Atletico wasn’t as successful? No, definitely not. It’s quite a complicated club with many things going on behind the scenes, a lot of politics. And then you went to England and Manchester City? How was playing in Manchester? Playing in Manchester was great. I had always wanted to experience playing in England so when I got the chance to go to City, I just had to go. It is a good club and I really enjoyed my time there. It was frustrating because we wanted to play in Europe. On the last day we could have done it in a dramatic game against Middlesbrough. The fans were great, they really respected the players and were supportive to me. It has all changed there now, would it be a good time to be there again? I’m the kind of player who likes to experience something and then move on. City are building something new and it has all changed. As you say, you have lots of different experiences in different countries, do you feel that you have a responsibility to help Korean football and the players? Yes, especially on the pitch –trying to guide the players, putting them in the right place and trying to help the young kids, There are a lot of talented players and sometimes they just miss this little tactical thing and this little tactical position. That’s where I can jump in and put them right. So why did you choose Korea? After Turkey, I went back to Holland to AZ with my old coach Van Gaal. I’m from Holland but things have changed there and I didn’t want to stay too long. I wanted to leave for a new challenge, I am still ambitious. You went to Toronto? I went to America. They were interested and I wanted to go and see. I’ve seen it and experienced it and it was not quite what I thought it would be. In what way? In all ways actually. Football is still not at the level that they want it to be or it is still not at the level that they are saying it is. Technically, tactically it is at quite a low level. It is a level that you can still play when you are 35. I had too much ambition to play there. So you came to Korea. Yes, Coach Gunes was interested. He is a name and a type of coach that is famous as he did a good job with Turkey at the 2002 World Cup. I had an idea that he was a good coach and has an idea of what he wants. He wanted to put something down, and he knew the way I worked so I thought ‘why not’? Seongnam were also interested. Why did you choose Seoul? Well, Seongnam was interested but I was actually waiting for people to make a move so I could see what is going on. I must say that maybe FC Seoul has a little more prestige and this is the capital. But you never know what will happen in the future (laughs). Some may say think that you are now 30 and have come to Korea just for a payday. What would you say to that? I came here because it is a new challenge for me. I want people to remember me in a good way. I am still 30 and still ambitious and came to do what I do all the time and make a difference. You saw the big Seoul-Suwon match. You have played in many big games in Europe. How did the atmosphere and occasion compare? The atmosphere was definitely one of a big game and the fans were loud and there was a lot going on, on and off the pitch. It was similar to other countries. So when you watched that game, did you think ‘I can make a difference to this team’? Yes, definitely. When I saw them play I know can try to help and give everything and then you never know how things will work out. So basically playing football is the same job everywhere you go... Yes, it is all the same principle. Nothing happens by itself, you have to go out there and make things happen and work hard. It is a job you have to do, it doesn’t matter where you play. It is the same job, the same dirty job and you have to work hard wherever you go. How about communication? It is more difficult on the pitch. There are a couple of guys who speak good English that explain things to me. Do you feel the Korean players talk a lot on the pitch? No, I must say they don’t talk at all. It is little details than can make a big difference. There is little communication and that is something that you can bring into the situation and give them messages when you pass the ball. You said after your first match, you were impressed with the tempo and the skill levels. But in comparison to where? In comparison to Spain and the Netherlands. One thing is obvious. The Korean players are faster because they are more agile. They move a lot and they run faster, this is something that we can’t deny. The tempo was quite high. But by the end of the game, in the last 20-25 minutes, you can see that they slow down and then you get the space to play more. I know it’s tough after just one game but can you say which country’s football Korean football is most similar to? It is tough to say but teams seem to like to play the ball around like Holland, it’s all about the ball. Some teams seem to drop back and play the counter and long ball. Copyright: John Duerden and Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

“This is like deja vu all over again”, said baseball legend Yogi Berra once upon a time. A quick glance at the top of the current K-league table certainly brings a host of memories flooding back for football fans around the nation. Suwon Samsung Bluewings are in first place after winning four and drawing one of the five games so far. That single blemish came when Suwon faced old rivals Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma earlier in the season. Seongnam are now in second. The two Gyeonggi Province teams spent all of 2007 fighting at the top and are once again out on their own. Last weekend certainly brought back some bad memories for FC Seoul. Watched by more than 44,000 fans in the capital, the club once again saw an early-season good start ended by Suwon. Last April, the 1-0 defeat inflicted by the Bluewings stopped the Seoul season dead in its tracks. It remains to be seen how the 2-0 defeat on Sunday affects Senol Gunes and his players. Those players were unlucky as they controlled much of the match against Suwon. Especially in the first half, a number of chances came Seoul’s way and they all went begging. Dejan Damjanovic, Jung Jo-gook, Park Chu-young and Lee Chung-yong all could have done better. While Seoul’s superiority was real, it was also fragile. As poor as Suwon looked in the first half, the team, roared on by thousands of travelling fans, still carried an air of sleepy menace and a constant threat that Seoul would be made to pay for its profligacy. That is exactly what happened six minutes into the second half. Young striker Shin Young-rok let fly from 25 meters more in hope than expectation and somehow Seoul goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun let the ball soar over him to send the massed ranks of Suwon supporters behind the net into raptures. Those fantastic fans were celebrating once again 11 minutes later as young Shin fired a low shot into the net from the edge of the area and it was as good as game over. “This is a game that we really should have won, but the result was a defeat. We just didn’t take our chances” said Seoul coach Senol Gunes after the match. “It sounds like an excuse but I can’t blame my players as it was a good performance.” His opposite number Cha Bum-keun couldn’t stop smiling. “The first half was really tough for us but we recovered well. Our defence held firm so we there were opportunities for us in the second half.” Not too far to the west, Incheon United was suffering the same fate as Seoul – a 2-0 home loss ending an unbeaten start to the season. Seongnam’s Brazilian duo of Mota and Dudu did the damage for the seven-time champions who are now on the coat-tails of the Bluewings. Now Suwon and Seongnam have positioned themselves at the front of the pack, it remains to be seen if they break away in much the same fashion as 2007. It certainly is possible as the two teams look to be a level above their competitors. Before the season started, it was expected that those competitors would include Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors but the 2006 Asian champions have had a shocking start. The signing of international striker Cho Jae-jin was supposed to push the Jeonju team into the upper echelons of the table but the team is in last with four defeats in five matches. The latest was a 3-0 home setback at the hands of a stylish Daegu FC. Champions Pohang Steelers are also struggling with just one win so far this season. Perhaps it is at the bottom of the table where we will see some surprises in 2008 because at the top, it is the same old story. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Sunday sees the biggest regular fixture of the season – the meeting between FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung Bluewings – and if any extra spice was needed then the fact that the two teams occupy the top two spots in the K-League is more than enough. The corresponding 2007 match at Seoul World Cup Stadium, almost exactly a year ago, saw the K-league record attendance smashed as 55,000 people saw the Bluewings win 1-0 – a new record could be set this Sunday. Winning is a big deal for both teams and supporters but losing can have consequences too. The result one year ago stopped a promising Seoul season in its tracks. At the time of the meeting, Seoul was sitting pretty at the top of the table but after the Suwon defeat, the capital club failed to win any of its following eight matches and slid down the table. For many fans, it is the first game that they look for when the K-league release the fixture list at the start of the season. Sure, the media hypes the game to the nth degree but nobody minds too much as fans and journalists are just happy to have a genuine big match to talk about and attend. When LG, or GS as it now seems to be called, moved Anyang Cheetahs to the capital in 2004 and renamed it FC Seoul, they broke up the fiercest rivalry in the K-League. Anyang and Suwon had been going at it for years. The move to the capital was greeted by dismay by the vast majority of football fans, including those of Suwon, and it is safe to say that FC Seoul is the most unpopular club in the Land of the Morning Calm. Suwon is owned by LG rivals Samsung but electronic goods will be far from minds when the game kicks off. The two teams have met already this season in the Hauzen Cup - last Wednesday, at the same stadium in fact. Suwon won 2-0 with two late goals. Seoul had chances of its own and frustration boiled over in the very final seconds of the game. A late tackle by Seoul’s Lee Sang-yeob on Song Chong-guk didn’t please the Suwon skipper as soon players and members of coaching staff from both teams were pushing and shoving as if their lives depended on it. That was pretty much how the game ended and there will certainly be no need for pre-match motivational talks on Sunday. Both teams have started the season well and have collected ten points from four games. Suwon enjoys a better goal difference and the team has looked solid and smooth. Only seven-time champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma has taken points from the Bluewings. Bearded Brazilian striker Edu has scored four and the defence has been as tight and expertly marshalled by Croatian Mato Neretljak. Last weekend’s 2-0 win at the home of a spirited Busan I’Park was a clinical lesson in how to win away from home. Seoul hasn’t been as slick but has picked up points. Last week’s 1-0 victory in Gwangju wasn’t pretty but it was a battling performance notable for a free-kick special from Park Chu-young. The young striker is returning to fitness and form and along with big pre-season signing Dejan Damjanovic, Seoul could soon start to possess a goal threat that they have lacked for some time. It should be a good day. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (last season 2) Solid Suwon will be there or thereabouts. The defence is not getting any younger but still contains Lee Woon-jae in goal and the inspirational Mato Neretjlak at centre-back. The midfield boasts Lee Kwan-woo and Baek Ji-hoon but no longer South Korea captain Kim Nam-il. The combative Kim has headed to Japan and Vissel Kobe and it will be interesting to see how North Korean international An Yong-hak does in his place. Ahn Jung-hwan has left but after scoring no league goals last season, the Lord of the Rings will not be missed. Suwon’s one weakness could be a lack of firepower in front of goal. Key Player: Lee Kwan-woo Coach: Cha Bum-keun 2. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (1) The seven-time champions lost the title in the play-offs last season but have been strangely quiet in the close-season. Star midfielder Kim Do-heon has joined West Bromich Albion and fellow international and goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae has cropped his Beatles mop-top and started his two-year stint at military team Gwangju Sangmu. Kim has been replaced by Jung Sung-ryeong. The Olympic goalkeeper aside, incomings haven’t been inspiring and it remains to be seen if the club can stay at the top. Key Player: Kim Sang-sik Coach: Kim Hak-beom 3. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (8) It was another disappointing domestic season for the 2006 Asian Champions but there are positive signs for the coming year. That is mainly because Cho Jae-jin has signed on the dotted line in Jeonju. The striker’s three years near the top of the scoring charts in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse are not quite enough to erase memories of not many goals during his time in Korea and also were not quite enough to earn a big-money move to England. He has something to prove and if he finds his shooting boots then Jeonbuk will have a very interesting forward line of Macedonian marksman Stevica Ristic and Ze Carlo of Brazil. For the first time since 1996, Jeonbuk will start the season without defender Choi Jin-cheul who has retired after over 300 appearances for the club. Key Player: Kim Hyung-beom Coach: Choi Kang-hee 4. Pohang Steelers (5) The champions actually finished with a negative goal difference in 2007 and only made the play-offs on the last day. The team caught fire in the championship series however, disposing of Gyeongnam, Ulsan, Suwon and finally Seongnam, all away from home. Popular playmaker Taveres has left for Brazilian club Internacional but Daejeon’s deadly Denilson should be an adequate replacement. The striker found the target 14 times last season. Since the title triumph, young stars such as Park Won-jae, Hwang Ji-soo and Hwang Jae-won have seen international action. It promises to be a good season. Key Player: Denilson Coach: Sergio Farias 5. FC Seoul (7) 2007 was a real roller-coaster ride for the club. New boss Senol Gunes seemed to have a magic touch when he arrived and led the club to top of the league after the first month. Then it all went wrong as the strikers couldn’t score and the players couldn’t stay fit. The big-money move of the winter was the capture of Serbian striker Dejan Damjanovic from Incheon United. If he can forge a good partnership with the inury-prone Park Chu-young then a play-off place beckons for the capital outfit. Key Player: Ki Sung-yong Coach: Senol Gunes 6. Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I (3) Ulsan are never far away from the summit of the league but the team just doesn’t have the same look of quality in-depth that it had when back in the championship year of 2005. All three Brazilians have left with Almir the one that will be missed the most. The capture of Luisinho, prolific in Daegu last year, should help fans cope with that loss. There is a little staleness about the team and the Tigers need to sharpen their claws if they are to make it a second title in four seasons. Key Player: Luisinho Coach: Kim Jung-nam 7. Chunnam Dragons (10) Despite lifting two FA Cups in the last two seasons, the South Jeolla club has struggled in the league. Defeating Pohang Steelers in the cup final in December was the last act of coach Huh Jung-moo before he left to take the reins of the national team. Since then, Huh has been calling up a number of Dragons to the national side which begs the question that if there were so many good players at the club then why did they finish in tenth last season? The capture of coach Park Hang-seo should be a positive one as is the signing of Brazilian striker Schuba. Chunnam should finish higher than last season. Key Player: Kwak Tae-hwi Coach: Park Hang-seo 8. Daejeon Citizen (6) Deajeon have seen all three foreigners leaves in the last few months. The afore-mentioned Denilson is the biggest loss but Chunnam-bound Schuba looked very good in the second half of last season. That was when 1994 World Cup boss Kim Ho took over. The wily old fox somehow steered the club into the play-offs but that was as good as it got. Kim has brought in some new faces this season. Much depends on how they settle but a top six finish could be beyond the central club in 2008. Key Player: Kim Hyung-il Coach: Kim Ho 9. Incheon United (9) Last season was ultimately disappointing for the bad boys of Korean football. For so long, the team was within touching distance of a play-off place only to fall away on the final day. The loss of Damjanovic is a big blow. Coach Jang Woe-ryeong, who has returned from a year’s sabbatical in England, has yet to spend the money from that sale. Key Player: Dragan Mladenovic Coach: Jang Woe-ryeong 10. Jeju United (11) Jeju are another team that have suddenly enjoyed a much-increased representation on the national team. The signs are that the island club could have a reasonable 2008 after two turgid terms since relocating from Bucheon in 2006. Many eyes will be on new –and fairly unknown – coach Brazilian Arthur Bernardes. He has brought in a couple of compatriots too but how the club’s young Korean prospects fare is of more interest this season. A mid-table finish will be satisfactory for the club. Key Player: Ka Ju-cheol Coach: Arthur Bernardes 11. Gyeongnam FC (4) Losing a coach is unfortunate. Losing a coach, playmaker and top scorer is downright careless and it will be a miracle if the Changwon club reproduces the fourth place finish of 2007. Boss Park Hang-seo fell foul of the politics at the club and moved to Chunnam. K-league top scorer Cabore shamelessly engineered a big-money move to FC Tokyo while Popo, acting with considerably more honour than his compatriot, will also be in Japan next season with Kashiwa Reysol. Replacement coach Jo Kwang-rae is not one to get hearts racing near the south coast and it could be a long hard season for the club. Key Player: Kim Jin-yong Coach: Jo Kwang-rae 12. Busan I’Park (13) The south coast has a new coach and the return of an old hero for the new season. The past two seasons have been fairly wretched for Busan but the appointment of 2002 World Cup star and South Korean legend Hwang Sun-hong made lots of headlines. One of the first things that the 39 year-old did was trade midfielder An Yong-hak for 2002 team-mate Ahn Jung-hwan. The Lord of the Ring made his name in Busan in the nineties and the former giant of Korean and Asian football needs some big performances from the aging attacker. Key Player: Ahn Jung-hwan Coach: Hwang Sun-hong 13. Daegu (12) Despite some good goalscoring performances from Luisinho and young Korean star Lee Keun-ho, Daegu struggled last season under new coach Byun Byung-joo. One half of the partnership has gone. The Brazilian was tempted to make the short journey to Ulsan and will be missed. The club have a history of finding reasonably good Brazilian imports and much depends as to the quality of this year’s batch – Alexandro and Joao Silva. Key Player: Lee Keun-ho Coach: Byun Byung-joo 14. Gwangju (14) What is there to say about the military club and perennial basement-dwellers? Any place above 14th is a bonus. That is more of a possibility this time round as South Korean goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae is now enlisted. It is tough for the army boys; half of the playing staff leaves every season and returns to their original club. Key Player: Kim Yong-dae Coach: Lee Kang-jo Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

He came, he saw, he danced and drove his one direct free-kick into the wall. Overall, David Beckham’s trip to Seoul with LA Galaxy was a success though not quite a complete triumph. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is, of course, big news in South Korea. However, not enough to fill more than half of Seoul’s 65,000 capacity World Cup Stadium when the MLS took on FC Seoul in an exhibition match on March 1. Organisers were disappointed with the turnout and put it down to cold weather. It is true that the American team arrived in a city blanketed by snow four days previously but the temperature had risen a few degrees above freezing on Saturday afternoon. Ticket prices were a bigger problem. The cheapest was around $32 – more than three times more than what entry to a K-League match would set you back. The player did his promotional duties as professionally as one would expect and was followed around the city by a host of reporters. He gave most of them the slip last Thursday evening when visiting a Seoul nightclub on Thursday evening. The 32 year-old headed to ‘Circle’ in the trendy Cheongdam district. The following day, 'Seoul Sports' described how “girls competed against each other to dance sexily” in front of him. Refusing to head to the VIP section, he was regaled with shouts of “sexy Beckham” to which, the reports went, he shyly said “thank you". Beckham wasn’t quite so polite on the pitch after being caught late by Lee Chung-yong. The ex-England skipper gave the young winger a mouthful and later exacted revenge by chopping Lee down. The referee went as if to produce a yellow card before realizing that it the day was all about Beckham. Lee, a player with a bright future, mostly outshone the LA Galaxy star on the pitch though Beckham played well. His crosses and set pieces created a number of chances for his team-mates, especially in the first half. All but one were wasted. Alan Gordon managed to smartly chest down and volley home one floated free-kick in the first half but new strike partner Carlos Ruiz was guilty of a missing a couple of sitters. As the game progressed, the visitors looked tired. Beckham looked tired for most of the week. Seoul can be a draining high-energy city especially when there are many media and sponsor events to attend. FC Seoul didn’t impress too much a week before the start of the new season. New big-money signing Dejan Damjanovic somehow missed from two yards as the K-League team enjoyed the better of the second half. But as most FC Seoul games tend to do, the match finished in a draw. The tv broadcasters didn’t even bother to show the subsequent, slightly-pointless, penalty shootout. Beckham wellied his shot high into the net but four of his team-mates saw their shots saved by stand-in goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun, who looked increasingly bemused by his success. Then it was all over. Perhaps it was telling that there were a lot more reporters in the post-match press conference than in the press box during the match. Becks and the boys then headed onto Shanghai where he has to do it all again. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

The system has its critics but the play-offs gave the K-League regular season a final day to remember. Six teams out of 14 doing battle in the championship deciders may be a high percentage but without the games, we would have just been treated to the sight of Seongnam strolling to another title.

Senol Gunes arrived in South Korea to take over FC Seoul at the start of 2007. It wasn't his first time in the Land of the Morning Calm as five years earlier, he guided Turkey to the semi-finals of the World Cup. The talkative 55 year-old from Trabzon found time to chat about his first year in the K-League.

After going for almost 700 minutes of K-League football without scoring, FC Seoul’s coach Senol Gunes would have tried anything to break the drought. It is unknown however if it was the Turk who booked the half-time entertainment for the game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on May 12.