Korean football fans have a two-tier season. Not only does the K-League run from the end of February to the beginning of December, the European season and the overseas Taeguk Warriors, just recovered from the World Cup, are just getting started. The best-known of these is, of course, Park Ji-sung. When he signed for Manchester United back in July 2005, few would have expected that he would be embarking on a sixth season at one of the world’s biggest clubs. This campaign promises to be one of the most open seasons in the English Premier League for years with the usual suspects such as United, Chelsea and Arsenal battling for the top prize with big spenders Manchester City adding an interesting extra element. Park enjoyed a very good World Cup in South Africa and can expect to enjoy a fair amount of playing time over the next few months. The 29 year-old played a big part in the second half of the season last time round as United finished second behind Chelsea but struggled in the first half due to injuries sustained while in action for the national team. So the sight last Wednesday of Park sitting on the bench in the second half of South Korea’s friendly match against Nigeria with ice strapped around his knee would have been a worry for fans of the Red Devils but Park is fit and raring to go, though he sat out the team's 3-0 opening match win over Newcastle United on Monday night. Interest is always high in Park’s exploits with the 18-time English champions, now looking for a record 19th title, but many eyes will also be fixed just a few miles north of Manchester to see how Lee Chung-yong performs with Bolton Wanderers. The winger joined the club in the summer of 2009 and immediately impressed. He was one of Bolton’s best players and contributed with five goals and a number of assists. What was more impressive is that Lee, still just 22, arrived at the start of the English season after over six months of football in Korea. The recent rest he had after the 2010 World Cup was his first break since the end of 2008. And after a good performance in South Africa, he is ready for another good season. I had the chance recently to have to talk to Park Ji-sung at the National Football Center in Paju and he was fulsome in praise for his young national team colleague. “He showed last season unbelievably well in the Premier League with Bolton,” said Park. “And then with the national team as well. He is a player who is getting bigger in the national team as well. So, hopefully, he will get more experience and he can take my place. “He is very talented. He has good skills, a good mentality and is good physically, he may not be physically strong yet but he can learn all that. He is smart and, hopefully, can continue growing in this way to become the best player in our country.” The Seoul media is also a fan of Lee but is concerned that he may fall victim to second season syndrome as he is no longer an unknown quantity. That remains to be seen though Lee himself recently admitted that he was taken aback at just how well his first season in England went. “At first I was worried because it was my first time playing in a European league. But I was so surprised that everyone was welcoming, my team-mates and the fans," said Lee. "My ambition was to play as many games as I could. Now I have done that, I am proud of what I have achieved. The pressure was not on me as there was no expectation as I was unknown here. I like a quiet life so living in England suits me as player." North of the border, two World Cup stars play for Scottish giants Celtic. Ki Sung-yong arrived in Glasgow in January. The 21 year-old didn’t get much playing time but that looks likely to change this time around as he has been active in midfield in the club’s pre-season. He has been joined at Parkhead by right-back Cha Du-ri. The remaining veteran of South Africa playing in Europe is Park Chu-young. The striker, just turned 25, impressed at the World Cup after two good seasons in France with AS Monaco. He could be on the move before the August 31 deadline. Moves to England are still rumoured but not with the same intensity of a month ago. Still, in football, you never quite know what will happen and that is the beauty of the game as will be demonstrated once more over the coming months –both in Europe and Korea. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters World Cup football

In between football seasons comes the silly season - a time when clubs are looking for new players and vice-versa. The internet bulges with stories of interest, denials, refusals, offers, medical tests, breakdowns and then, sometimes, a picture of a beaming player wearing a new club shirt. The World Cup comes around every four years to add extra impetus. The global stage acts as a month-long advertisement for players. In Korea’s case it lasted almost three weeks but it was enough to set a few wheels in motion. Potentially the biggest transfer of a South Korean player this summer is that of Park Chu-young. The striker, who turned 25 last week, already plies his trade in Europe and has been with AS Monaco since August 2008. His solid performances in France were noticed in bigger leagues and then his impressive displays in South Africa, have, according to reports, persuaded English Premier League clubs to check their bank balances to find the $10 million or so that would be necessary to buy him. Monaco doesn’t want to sell but that doesn’t always matter in the modern transfer market. The Ligue One team played an exhibition against Incheon United on July 11 after which coach Guy Lacombe was quizzed by local journalists about the future of the former FC Seoul star. The boss said the usual stuff about that ‘Park is a Monaco player’ but admitted that ‘never’ was not a common word in the lexicon of football. The English media took notice of such remarks and so did, according to reports, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham. It is an impressive list and while such reports should often be served with a pinch of salt, there is a gathering of momentum that suggests that Park will be on his way north before the end of the summer. It will be a move welcomed by a Korean media that likes to see its stars in England, the most popular league in the world. Those journalists would probably choose Liverpool, 18-time English and five-time European champions, as the preferred destination. With Park Ji-sung at Manchester United, another Park at United’s great rival just up the road would add an interesting extra sub-plot ahead of the new season. New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, who hardly selected Seol Ki-hyeon in his time at Fulham, has asked the club’s loyal fans that if they have to read transfer reports, not to read too much into them."We are looking to add to and improve the squad, but I prefer not to talk or say what we are doing until we have something concrete to announce,” he told the club’s website. "We are being linked with players left, right and centre and it amuses me that we are sometimes linked with players we haven't even heard of.” The well-travelled Hodgson has certainly heard of Park as it has been claimed in England and Korea that he tried to buy the star for former club Fulham in April 2009 only for the player to choose to stay by the Mediterranean rather than move to the London club with a stadium on the banks of the River Thames. Liverpool, as one of the biggest clubs in Europe, would be a different proposition despite the fact the club is in debt and seeking new owners. Before the World Cup not many had heard of Cho Yong-hyung but the Jeju United defender played in all four games in South Africa and could be about to move direct from the K-League to the Premier League, something just two players, Lee’s Chung-young and Dong-gook, have done before. The agent of the softly-spoken star has been happy to publicly declare interest. "Aston Villa and a few other European clubs have shown interest," said Yoon Ki-yeon. "I can confirm that he is on their transfer list and I expect the official deal will be made after the World Cup." Some moves had been completed already. Cha Du-ri lined up in South Africa along with Ki Sung-yong and now the son of Korean legend Cha Bum-keun will be joining Ki in Glasgow at the home of Celtic. The fun is only just beginning and will only intensify as mid-August and the start of the European season approaches. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters World Cup football

Back in September 2008 when South Korea struggled to a 1-1 draw with North Korea in the opening match of the final round of qualification for 2010 World Cup, few would have thought that the departure of coach Huh Jung-moo would be a cause for sadness and concern. Almost two years ago, the issue was all about whether a lacklustre looking eleven would reach South Africa at all -last week Huh admitted that he considered resigning after the Shanghai stalemate. In the end, there was little need to worry as the Taeguk Warriors marched into the last 16 of an overseas World Cup for the first time ever and can even regard themselves a little unlucky to go down 2-1 to Uruguay in Port Elizabeth. The players left the Rainbow Nation with their heads held high and Huh leaves his post in similarly upright fashion. The 2-0 win over Greece started the campaign in style and the incisive football and the pleasing technical ability of the players were hailed around the world. The 4-1 defeat against Argentina came against a team at the top of its game and the 2-2 tie with Nigeria that sent Korea into the Promised Land may not have been a perfect display but it was thrilling entertainment – not least for the 500,000 or so fans who took to the streets at 3.30 in the morning. If there are any regrets it comes in the form of the knockout match against a solid Uruguay team. Trailing to an early goal, Korea pushed the South American semi-finalists evermore on to the backfoot. Lee Chung-yong grabbed an equalizer and the Asian team had chances to score again both before and after Luis Suarez’s late strike that eventually won the game. It was expected that Huh would step down after the tournament but the success of the team prompted hopes and then reports that he may stay on at least for long enough to lead the team to the Asian Cup in January. The theory was that with the same coach and a similar set of players then Korea has a genuine chance of winning the continental competition for the first time since 1960. Last Friday however, Huh finally confirmed that he was vacating the hotseat. "I'm out of competition for the job," he told reporters in Seoul. "I've reached this early decision so the KFA won't have much burden in choosing the next national team coach." "It's not exactly resignation because my contract expired at the end of the Korean World Cup campaign," he said. "I'm content with what the national team has achieved this time. Now I would like some time to recharge with my family." It was not easy for the braver of his relatives who read some of the criticism that came Huh’s way during the early stages of qualification and then a shock 3-0 loss against China in February –the first time ever that Korea had lost to its giant neighbor. Overall though, Huh will be remembered well. After the slow start, the team picked up and qualified smoothly for the World Cup despite being placed in a tough group. Then the World Cup itself was a success with Korean players such as Park Chu-young, Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong winning plaudits in the international media. Huh also demonstrated that going local can pay dividends. There may have been concern within the KFA a couple of years ago at the way things were going but the body stuck with its coach and was rewarded with a place in the second round. Financially the World Cup is very important to the KFA and doing well just increases those benefits. The same can be said of the fact that this success wasn’t achieved by a big-name highly-paid foreign coach but by the man who was taken from K-League club Chunnam Dragons. Huh’s success is going to make it more likely the next man is Korean. The KFA’s international committee deals with such matters and meets on Wednesday for initial discussions. As usual in these matters, the media has got there first. Hong Myong-bo, the captain of the 2002 team that reached the semifinals would be a popular choice but the ‘eternal libero’ is in charge of the 2012 London Olympics challenge, has never coached a club team and has already said ‘thanks but no thanks.’ There are few other options that spring to mind. Kim Hak-bom enjoyed success with Seongnam Ilhwa before stepping down in December 2008 and he is available and has experience of winning the K-League. Huh’s assistant Jung Hae-sung is also in the frame. Others, both domestic and foreign will be added over the coming days and weeks. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters World Cup football

You got the impression that the South Korean players enjoyed scoring against their goalkeeper in training a little too much. The novelty of having coach Huh Jung-moo in between the sticks outweighed the verbal volleys that came the way of the ten men on the outfield.

You may not think that a match in Seoul against Paraguay on Wednesday marks the start of the road to the 2010 World Cup for South Korea but it does. It is the first of what will amount to close to 20 preparation games for the Taeguk Warriors as they set their sights on South Africa. Everything is now geared towards next June. Unlike most Asian nations, the Koreans don’t even have to worry about qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup - that spot was clinched automatically after third place at the 2007 version. Coach Huh Jung-moo just has to think globally. The game against Paraguay marks the first non-Asian opposition for the team since January 2008 – the first game of Huh’s reign. That match against the headline-writer’s dream that is Chile, was also the first and, to date, only loss that the team has suffered under the grizzled tactician.

It really is a magnificent seven. Asia’s most successful team has booked a place at the World Cup yet again. South Korea defeated UAE 2-0 in the early hours of Sunday morning Seoul time to seal a place in South Africa. First, the details. It was a comfortable win against the bottom team of the group. Park Chu-young finished well after eight minutes to put the Taeguk Warriors on their way. Eight minutes before half-time, Ki Sung-yung took advantage of a goalkeeping mistake to make it 2-0. The host, with one point from a previous six matches, was never likely to recover and thanks to the fact that Iran and North Korea tied 0-0 earlier in the day, it was enough.

It is an interesting and, one can almost say, exciting squad. It is customary to bash the national team coach of South Korea after he announces every important roster but ahead of the 2010 World Cup qualifier in the United Arab Emirates on June 6, Huh Jung-moo looks to have done a good job. Of course, naming the roster is only the first step towards completing the main job of taking the Taeguk Warriors to Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai and getting the three points that will put the 2002 semi-finalists on the brink of a place in South Africa in 12 months’ time. In his 18 months as coach, Huh has demonstrated repeatedly that he is happy to give young players a chance if they are playing well in the K-League and he has done that once again. Three new faces have been called in the 25-man squad, some of which will gather in the National Football Center in Paju on May 28 before jetting off to the Gulf two days later where they will be joined by European-based stars such as Park Ji-sung, Cho Won-hee and Lee Young-pyo.

It wasn’t the prettiest and it wasn’t without controversy but South Korea’s 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in qualification for the 2010 World Cup in Riyadh was one of the team’s best results in years and a seventh successive appearance at the World Cup looks a good deal closer. It had been 19 long years since the Taeguk Warriors last defeated the Sons of the Desert in a competitive match but late goals from Lee Keun-ho, his fifth in three games for the national team, and Park Chu-young in the early hours of Thursday morning Korean Time, gave the visitors the three points. That haul puts Korea two points clear at the top of Group Two after three matches. Iran has five, two less than the leaders, while Saudi Arabia and North Korea each have four. UAE sits in last place with a solitary point. The win at the home of one of Korea’s biggest rivals in the battle to reach the World Cup is a big step in the direction of South Africa. It also means that if Korea can avoid defeat in Tehran in the next match in February, it will be in first place at the halfway stage with three of the four remaining games to be played at home. The top two in the group automatically qualify. That is far in the future however and for the next few days at least, coach Huh Jung-moo can bask in the victory. It wasn’t an easy one but few expected it to be. Saudi Arabia had a great chance to score in the opening minutes but twice Lee Young-pyo, playing his 100th game in the red shirt, blocked on the goal-line. Korea came back into the match and enjoyed lots of possession without doing too much with it. The match was finely-poised but the turning point came just before the hour. Saudi striker Naif Hazizi burst into the Korean penalty area. Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae came out feet-first and suddenly Hazizi was sprawling on the floor. As the Singaporean referee ran forward, Korean hearts were in mouths but instead of pointing to the penalty spot, he gave the attacker a second yellow card for diving and ejected him from proceedings. It took a while for Korea to take advantage of their advantage but 13 minutes from the end, good work from captain Park Ji-sung gave Lee keun-ho the opportunity to break the deadlock. There was still work to do and some nervous moments at the end largely due to the introduction of skilful striker Malek Maaz but with just seconds left on the clock, Korean substitute Park Chu-young curled a shot into the net from outside the area to seal the win. It was a happy Huh Jung-moo who talked to reporters after the game. “We didn’t look too good in the first half but we improved as the game progressed. We overcame a few crises early in the game and started to impose our will on the game,” he said. “To be honest, I was a little worried about how the K-League players would perform on a big international stage like this but it is through these tough matches that they grow in confidence. It is through these matches that we become stronger as a team.” Huh admitted that his opposite number, Nasser Al Johar, was not too happy with the referee. “The Saudi coach expressed his dissatisfaction with the red card and penalty decision but we have to respect the referee’s decision,” said Huh. Al Johar found that hard to do. “I really regret the referee’s decision,” he said after the match. “That decision was the reason we lost the game.” 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

Autumn has been more fruitful than the summer. As the last European season came to an end in May, the fate of South Korea’s overseas stars really hung in the balance. Some were fit, few were playing and none were scoring. Lee Dong-guk and Lee Chun-soo were soon heading back east after unsuccessful spells in England and the Netherlands respectively. Neither managed a league goal and, it is safe though cruel to say, neither will be missed by the fans left behind. But there are always more willing to wander westwards in search of fame and fortune. Kim Do-heon has impressed for Premier League new boys West Bromich Albion. The ex-Seongnam star almost scored the best goal of the English season so far but his rocket shot from 30 metres bounced off the crossbar. His performances led the BBC to label him a ‘tenacious, technical and tidy player’. Now he is injured after a freak accident in last week’s match at Middlesbrough. After just 20 seconds, Kim caught his cleats in the turf and twisted his knee. He was carried off in obvious pain. Korean TV network MBC was also distressed. Following the Korean practice of starting the broadcast a minute or two after kick-off, Kim had already left the field by the time viewers joined the action, leaving commentators unsure of how to explain the events. Also unsure of how to deal with Kim’s absence is national team coach Huh Jung-moo. The player will be back in action some time in November and will miss South Korea’s crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier against UAE on October 15. Another overseas absentee for that Seoul match next week is Park Chu-young. The striker joined Monaco on the last day of August and scored on his first day of action for the seven-time French champions. It is coach Huh’s opinion that Park needs to spend more time adjusting to his new club instead of flying back east. That doesn’t apply to Park Ji-sung’s of course. The Manchester United star scored in his first Premier League start of the season against Chelsea in September as he returned to fitness and then the team after a knee injury. That problem kept him out of South Korea’s opening World Cup qualification match against North Korea last month. After that 1-1 tie and the criticism that followed it, coach Huh was never going to leave leave Park in England. He arrived at Incheon airport on Monday. “It is right to say that Korean football is in crisis,” said Park, following the tradition of Korean overseas players returning home in strange headgear –a white bandage-style hat. Still, it was better than Seol Ki-hyeon's summer rice farmer look. “However, this is a good chance to move forward. I aim to help the national team get a good result. If we win against UAE, we can prepare for the other games more comfortably. We have to collect three points.” Crisis talk is premature but the game against UAE is not only must-win for the team; the coach’s future depends on it. A defeat will probably signal the end of Huh, who took the reins just before Christmas. A draw would cause problems and would put Korea on two points after two games – not a good start especially when one considers that the next tests are the toughest – trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia. These are not places where the Taeguk Warriors usually excel. Before all that however is a warm-up match against Uzbekistan on Saturday in Suwon. The Central Asians are en route to a crucial World Cup qualifier of their own in Japan. After two defeats in their opening two games, the Uzbeks need a good result in Saitama. That poor start cost coach Rauf Inilieev his job. That fact won’t be lost on Huh Jung-moo when the two teams take the pitch this weekend. 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 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