It has been a strange K-League season. The constant stopping and starting has robbed the competition of any momentum. A series of World Cup qualifiers in May and June necessitated a break of a month and by the time play started again in July, the Olympic torch was lit in Beijing and tools were downed once more. Beijing 2008 will receive barely a footnote in the annals of South Korean football history. The draw, defeat and win may have been a better record than any other Asian nation managed in China, including the hosts, but it still meant that the team returned home at the end of the first round. Coach Park Sung-hwa is escaping to study in England. The one-time Busan boss is a man with many friends in the upper echelons of the Seoul media but couldn’t escape a good deal of criticism. What made it worse, for football fans at least, was the fact that the baseball team returned across the Yellow Sea with gold and met with a heroes welcome. The 2002 World Cup gave the world the understandable, but misleading, impression that South Korea was a football mad country. It is not. Baseball is more popular. Even before the gold, television ratings are usually around 60% higher for the average baseball match and attendances tend to be higher. Those Olympic events, coupled with the plodding performances of the senior national team, have led certain sections of the media to say that football is in crisis. Again, it is not but the K-League has some work to do to work its way to somewhere near the hearts and minds of the locals. Not in Suwon though – the city is still a strong football bedrock in the Land of the Morning Calm. The Bluewings regularly play in front of 30,000 or more and 2008 has been a season to remember for those followers. They watched their team put together a record-breaking 11 match winning streak that sent them nine points clear at the top. If it wasn’t for the play-off system and the fact that there aren’t really bookies in Korea in the English sense, the bookies would have considered paying out. To say it has all gone wrong is an overstatement. With three-quarters of the regular season over, Suwon are level on points at the top with Seongnam Ilwha Chunma but the aura of invincibility disappeared in July along with the monsoon weather. A 1-0 defeat at the hands of the struggling Daejeon Citizen was a surprise rather than a shock - Daejeon have a good record against the three-time champions - but what followed was a defeat at home by the same scoreline to rivals Seongnam. Suddenly the goals from star strikers Edu, Shin Young-rok and Seo Dong-hyun dried up. Only a last-minute strike against bottom club Busan avoided a shock defeat and while Suwon are still guaranteed a play-off spot, form must improve if a fourth title is on the cards. The news that star summer signing Lee Chun-soo is injured doesn't help. In five games, Suwon have collected just four points. Every team has a blip and as it comes after a run of 33 from 33, it is not a disaster but in the meantime, Seongnam have been on fire. The seven-time champions have won six out of their last seven. Despite the broken rib of star striker Mota, Seongnam have barely broken their stride. Youngster Han Dong-won has chipped in with three goals in the last two games. Seongnam are looking fresh and confident while Suwon are spluttering. Worse for Suwon is the fact that bitter rivals FC Seoul are in good form and not that far behind in third. If that doesn’t get the Bluewings fired up for this weekend’s clash on the southern island of Jeju, nothing will. 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

K-League action with Gyeongnam FC's Cabore to the fore. The Brazilian striker is now in Japan with FC Tokyo after topping the K-League scoring charts with 18 goals in the 2007 season. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags J-League K-League

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

As the K-League reaches the halfway stage, there is one team that looks like 100% champions, one that is setting the bar higher every week. It is a statistic that improves by the week but has become so familiar that it almost ceases to impress. Suwon Samsung Bluewings have won the last eleven league matches. It is a new record and at the moment, it is hard to see when it is going to end. “The Blue winning machine’” it has been called by some writers who find that match reports when watching Suwon almost write themselves. March 16 was the last and only time in 2008 when the Bluewings didn’t taste victory - a 2-2 draw at perennial title rivals Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. Seongnam is still in second but lagging a massive nine points behind. FC Seoul is in third. But at the moment, it is all about the boys from the Big Bird Stadium just to the south of Seoul. Suwon is unstoppable. The latest win was a 2-0 triumph at home to Incheon United. “It was a tough match for us,” said coach Cha Bum-keun. “With the injuries we have, some players were playing out of position and I am proud that they came through and we won.” “This was a game in which we really needed Mato,” added the boss. Mato is Mato Neretjlak, currently the best central defender in the K-League and one of the best in Asia. If he was Korean then the final stage of qualification for the 2010 World Cup would look much easier but the 29 year-old is a former Croatian international and the man responsible for organizing the Suwon backline along with Korea’s 2002 and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae. ‘We have a good team and are playing well,” Neretljak told me after the match. “I am enjoying my football here and it is a good place to play.” Understandable sentiments. As well as a solid defence, there is an embarrassment of riches in midfield and attack. Lining up in the center are the likes of Cho Won-hee, Baek Ji-hoon and Lee Kwan-woo. Even North Korean midfield lynchpin An Yong-hak barely gets a game. It is in attack though where the team looks more dangerous than last season when it finished second. Seo Dong-hyun and Shin Young-rok are young strikers who have been terrorizing defenses up and down the Land of the Morning Calm. The two haven’t yet managed to break into the national team but with the lack of firepower at international level recently, it should only be a matter of time. Usually, it would also only be a matter of time before the championship trophy was leaving Pohang and heading northwest to Suwon but in the present system, the top six teams will enter the championship play-off series. Finishing first gives an automatic place in the final but as Seongnam found out last year, it guarantees nothing. With the league at the halfway stage, the top three seem to be pulling away from the chasing pack and if the trend continues then much attention will be on the teams fighting to fill positions four to six. Daejeon Citizen made a late and dramatic run to squeeze in at the last minute last season and there are a number of teams that could do the same in 2008. Usual suspects Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I and Pohang Steelers won’t be far away and less regular play-off participants Incheon United, Daegu FC and Gyeongnam are all hovering around the cut-off point. All it needs it a purple patch to push them into the top six spot and a tilt at the title. The contenders all know however that, like the ultimate boss in a computer combat game, Suwon will be waiting and ready to provide the toughest of tests. 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

For as long as anyone can remember, Gangwon Province has been a great place to visit. Millions of cars head east from Seoul every summer for the beaches and the mountains; millions more do the same in the winter for the skiing. Autumn isn’t bad either when Seorak Mountain comes into its own in a kaleidoscope of color. Throw in Chuncheon’s famous chicken dish and a strong shout of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics and you have a region with a good deal going for it. The one thing that has been missing is football. Since the K-League was established in 1983, the competition has spread to include all the regions and the major cities of South Korea; even Jeju Island has a team. Gangwon has been left behind but that is all set to change. From 2009, the northeastern province, the only one split into two at the end of the Korean War in 1953, will provide the home of the K-League’s 15th team. “Gangwon Province has traditionally been a province that loves football very much and we are establishing the club for the pride of Gangwon,” Kim Jin-son, the Governor of Gangwon Province told me at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul. “We have produced many good national team players who were very famous at the 2002 World Cup, for example Seol Ki-hyeon, Lee Young-pyo and Lee Eul-young and we take great pride in them and our football. Football can energise and promote our province.” The new Gangwon team will be the fifth civic-owned club in the league and, in the words, of Governor Kim, intends to follow the model set by Incheon United which formed in 2004. Presumably he wasn’t talking about the example set by Incheon when the club sank to bottom of the league with weeks and then saw coach and star player leave. Kim was referring to the fact that Incheon is a well-run club. It is the only one in the league to make a profit, is preparing to build its own soccer-only stadium and even intends to float on the stock market sometime in the next couple of years. That is a long way in the future for Gangwon. It hasn’t been the easiest of journeys to get this far. “The most difficult part has, of course, been money,” nodded Kim. “The big question was how to finance and operate the team. Encouraging people to become stakeholders and sponsors was not easy but it is a challenge that we have overcome and now we are looking forward to the future.” For potential fans there is much to get excited about – the matter of the name, the colors and, perhaps, most importantly, which players will they be cheering on next season. “There is money. We are considering the possibility of signing famous World Cup stars such as Lee Eul-yong. With the draft that we have in place, we will be able to get at least five players. Also if we have to, we will consider signing foreign players.” There is one aspect that will differ from Incheon and all the other teams in the league. It is planned that the club will play its matches in the three main cities of the region –Chuncheon, Wonju and Gangneung and perhaps more besides. The most recent addition to the K-League Gyeongnam FC sometimes plays games outside its main base of Changwon but that usually is because the city-owned stadium is needed for other attractions. Gangwon’s plan is a unique one; an attempt to take the team to the people of the province. “The cities are not big cities and it would be hard to have a citizen team in each city,” said Kim who also explained that he expects 10-20,000 people to attend each game. “Gangwon Province wants every city and every local government to participate. Home games will be held in the three cities because they are the biggest cities in the province and they have their own stadiums.” It promises to be an exciting adventure. 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

And so it came to pass that South Korean team Chunnam Dragons were playing Melbourne Victory of Australia to preserve their faint hopes of reaching the last eight of the Asian Champions League. Melbourne had been even worse than the Dragons in the competition but the A-League outfit at least had the excuse that it was their first time. Chunnam's centred on injuries to their best players. As excuses go, it was reasonable. The club was without three or four of its best players for every match. It doesn't however, explain why with all but one of those stars recovered, coach Park Hang-seo chose to leave out four first-team regulars. They watched the action from the stands accompanied by dried squid and ricecakes - snacks that keep mouths busy for hours. There was some football to keep eyes occupied but neither team seemed especially interested playing in front of a tiny crowd in the unusual setting of Gwangyang stadium. In the crowded country that is South Korea,few places are really remote but Gwangyang, located around the middle of the south coast, is a trek to get to -though a very pleasant one at that. The place itself is small. Basically Gwangyang is a huge steel works and container port with a small town attached. The stadium is on the edge of POSCO's steelworks. With the huge complex to the right behind the stadium and lush mountains to the left, the compact arena makes for a great place to watch football. It wasn't so great last Wednesday but it was entertaining enough. Perhaps coach Park was right to field a weak team. Runaway leaders Gamba Osaka later won in Thailand to confirm their place as Group G's representative in the quarter-finals. 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 2008 season so far has been all about Suwon Samsung Bluewings. The Gyeonggi giants started well and haven’t looked back. If they were to take a peek over their shoulders after eight games, they would see a chasing pack that was getting ever smaller. Seven wins and one draw from eight games tell its own story. Only usual title rivals Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma have taken any points from the blue machine. Suwon are still to show they can play sustained high quality football and really dominate teams but they have amply demonstrated that they have the players capable of conjuring goals from nothing. Starting from the rock of defence and set piece menace Mato Neretljak and spreading throughout midfield and attack, there is a real goal threat in the Suwon team, one that has yet to score less than two goals in 2008. It is the forwards who have really impressed however. Seo Dong-hyun and Shin Young-rok have finally emerged from the shadows to show that they can score at the top level. Suwon’s latest win came courtesy of a last-minute goal at the home of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in front of over 33,000 fans at Jeonju World Cup Stadium. It was a bitter blow for the hosts who are having a dreadful season. While few may be surprised at the Bluewings position at the top of the perch, nobody expected to see Jeonbuk at the bottom. The 2006 Asian Champions have never really performed well in the league in the past but 2008 was supposed to be different. Macedonian marksman Stevica Ristic scored for fun in 2007 and with the addition of national team star Cho Jae-jin, supported by the talented Chung Kyung-ho and Kim Hyeung-beom, goals were expected to flow. Cho, who spent three prolific seasons in Japan with Shimizu S-Pulse, has managed to find the net on a few occasions but only one win has followed. Even with the top six teams progressing to the play-offs, that dotted line is advancing ever more into the distance. Northern teams make up the top four with Seongnam, Seoul and Incheon following Suwon. Seoul look to be much more dangerous in attack but weaker at the back this season. Last weekend’s clash at Chunnam Dragons would never usually be one to get the pulses racing and it was goalless at half-time. The second half was thrilling with six goals and a whole host of chances missed. Seoul host Incheon in round nine. After a slow start, champions Pohang Steelers are in fifth and looked impressive in round eight when condemning Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma to their first defeat of the season. Wing-backs Choi Hyo-jin and Park Won-jae were in especially good form. Both players could find themselves selected in the national team squad for May and June’s World Cup qualifiers. Deagu is a city famous for apples and pretty girls but is fast becoming a place to see goals. While Incheon United striker Dzenan Radoncic helped himself to a hat-trick, the first player in the club’s history to do so, in the team's recent 4-2 win, there have been a good number of very good strikes from the home team, especially from Jang Nam–seok and Lee Keun-ho. Such attacking prowess has seen the team climb into the top half of the table, along with the less exciting Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I. At the bottom, it is a familiar old story – almost. Perennial cellar-dwellars Gwangju Sangmu are enjoying the dizzy heights of mid-table, helped by the excellent form of Kim Myung-joong, and the military outfit is looking down with interest at the Busan I’Park, Jeju United and Daejeon Citizen –teams all struggling alone with Jeonbuk at the foot of the table. 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

South Korean football fans have been following the progress of Manchester United and Park Ji-sung to the UEFA Champions League final with great interest. On May 21, the English champions will meet Chelsea in Moscow in the biggest club match on the planet and if Park features, and as he played every minute of the quarter and semifinals there is no reason to suggest he won’t, he will become the first Asian to play in Europe’s showpiece. Excitement is growing with dozens of daily articles but in the Asian Champions league, Korean interest will not last all the way to the final game. It has ended with the first round barely half over. The League’s two representatives in the competition Chunnam Dragons and Pohang Steelers are all but out of the running even though two of the six first round matches remain. It is a sorry and unusual state of affairs for Korea, the country that enjoys easily the best record in the competition with seven titles since it started back in 1967. Chunnam’s exit may not yet be officially confirmed but it is only a matter of time. Group leaders Gamba Osaka will have to lose both its remaining games and Chunnam will have to do the opposite. Even that may not be enough. The Dragons’ demise is no surprise. The club finished tenth last season in the league, only qualifying for the competition by winning the FA Cup. Injuries to its best players made a tough task even more daunting. A loss in the opening game at Melbourne Victory was a poor start but Chunnam looked like bouncing back in game two against group favorites Gamba. The Gwangyang team took a two-goal lead. The defence then fell to pieces and the visitors fought back to win 4-3 and take three points back to Kansai. No points from the first two games usually spell disaster in a first round where only the top team from each group survives. A last-minute home win against Thailand’s Chonburi FC in game three gave a little hope and that glimmer intensified in the return match in Bangkok but once again, Chunnam let a two-goal lead slip and drew 2-2. Pohang’s failure has been more disappointing. Unlike Chunnam, the stronger Steelers were expected in Korea to make it out of a group containing Australia’s Adelaide United, Changchun Yatai of China and Vietnam’s Binh Duong. Those expectations lasted exactly three minutes as Adelaide took the lead in the Steelyard and won the first game 2-0. It wasn’t all doom and gloom as Pohang had enough chances and possession for a much better result. A victory in Vietnam on matchday two was followed by a tricky trip to northeast China. Pohang dominated but was unable to take its chances and lost 1-0 to Changchun. The same happened in the return match two weeks ago. Pohang controlled the game from start to finish but could only manage a 2-2 draw. “I have never seen a team be so much on top but then fall behind,” Pohang’s Brazilian boss Sergio Farias said at the time. “We will do our best in the remaining games we have.” That is the way it should be but it will be barely noticed. Even without the distraction of Park Ji-sung, Korean fans and media are not big followers of the Asian Champions League. In the early stages, only the hardcore turn out for games against teams made up of players unknown in the Land of the Morning Calm. Scenes such as an almost completely empty stadium when Chunnam hosted Chonburi – albeit in bad weather – are unfortunate as the tournament has potential So if Chunnam manage to defeat Melbourne Victory in Gwangyang tonight and Pohang gain some revenge over Adelaide in South Australia, you will be able to read about it, but you may have to look hard to find stories of what in Korea is very much the other champions league. 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

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