Football is non-stop these days. No sooner did the European club season finish then the European championships started for 16 nations. Now just days after Spain lifted the continental trophy most clubs have started pre-season training and talk in the big leagues is who will go where before the new season gets underway. What about South Korea’s overseas contingent? Well, it is a summer of uncertainty for many though that certainly can’t be said for perennial golden boy Park Ji-sung. Slight knee troubles apart, the 27 year-old is set for a good season in Manchester. It is only two months since the attacker collected a second English Premier League medal and less than that since the club lifted the European Champions League trophy. It was a successful season for Park and next season, providing he steers clear of injury could be even better. This time last year he was recovering from major knee surgery and still five months away from a return to action and the fact that United coach Sir Alex Ferguson was more than active in the transfer market didn’t help. This has been a quiet summer so far at Old Trafford though that could change very quickly if Real Madrid gets its way and buys star player Christiano Ronaldo for a world record transfer deal. There are likely to be few records broken elsewhere. Lee Young-pyo, who starred at PSV Eindhoven along Park from 2002-2005 is set to leave Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and return to the Dutch team. After two and a half steady, if unspectacular, seasons in North London, Lee fell out of favor with Spanish boss Juande Ramos around the turn of the year and had to watch much of the second half of the season from the bench. At the age of 31 and with his place in the national team under serious threat, Lee needs to be playing regular football and is keen to head back across the North Sea to PSV and the Netherlands. Probably on his way out of Holland is Lee Chun-soo. The winger signed for Feyenoord for around $3 million last August. It hasn’t been a successful season for ‘The Millenium Kid’ in Rotterdam. He first suffered from homesickness and then an ankle injury. He is now back in Korea recovering from surgery and he could be about to stay in the Land of the Morning Calm permanently -if any Korean club is prepared to offer the asking price. Seol Ki-hyeon is keen to stay where he is. The Sniper is still a Fulham player and later this month will tour South Korea with the London club. When the games in Busan and Ulsan are over, he could also be out of the door at Craven Cottage. The powerful attacker hasn’t featured in a league match since January and with boss Roy Hodgson set to splash the cash ahead of the new season, Seol has to show that he is still worth a spot in the starting eleven. He is ready to do just that as he told reporters at Incheon airport last week (looking like a psychedelic rice farmer). “There has been nothing happening, I have just been resting. The important thing from now is to play as well to stay with the team.” Lee Dong-guk is definitely on the move, the only question is to where? The Lion King’s contract at Premier League club Middlesbrough ended last month with the striker having failed to score a single league goal since arriving in England in January 2007. It was a time to forget for the former Pohang Steelers star who is also banned from the national team until the end of this year. Lee would like to stay in England but anywhere in Europe would be acceptable. Until now however, Japanese clubs are the most interested suitors. There are no such worries for the ‘fifth Premier Leaguer’ - as he is known by the Seoul media – yet.. Kim Do-heon is a relative newcomer and only joined West Brom on a full transfer in May. The midfielder first headed to England in January on a loan deal. He did enough to secure a permanent deal and the Birmingham club did enough to earn promotion to England’s top division. There is still much time left this summer for deals to done and contracts signed and it will be interesting to see where the Korean stars end up when the first ball is kicked at the start of the 2008-09 European season. 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 Rainy Season arrived in Seoul on Wednesday, 24 hours before the North Koreans were due to touch down. Skies above the peninsula were more threatening than a Dutch counter-attack. The ‘Sunshine Policy’ of recent South Korean governments in regards to the communist North Korea had its critics who claimed that all the warmth was flowing one-way only. Last weekend however, the roles were reversed as the North Korean national soccer team did its southern counterpart a big favor during qualification for the 2010 World Cup. Fans in Seoul will get a chance to show their appreciation on Sunday night as north and south do battle at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. DPRK defeated Jordan 2-0 in Pyongyang early last Saturday evening. That result meant that the team was certain of a top two finish in Group Three and a place in the final round of qualification which starts in September. It also ensured that it would be joined by South Korea. It was a pleasant piece of news for the Taeguk Warriors four hours before they took the field against Turkmenistan. The fact that both Koreas are through with one game to spare in Group Three means that Sunday’s match will be lacking a competitive edge that could otherwise have made it very interesting. The two coaches won’t mind that one bit. It is an extra game and a welcome chance to iron out some of the rough spots that had become apparent during the previous four matches. For the south, there was another bonus against Turkmenistan – the three goals from midfielder Kim Do-heon. It was a ray of sunshine at the end of a week that had seen Park Ji-sung experience knee problems. Kim, drafted into the team to replace the Manchester United man, was the star of the show in the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat. The three goals will also have been well-received in England at Kim’s club, Premier League new boys West Bromich Albion. Now the sometimes shaggy-haired midfielder deserves to keep his place in the team for the ‘Korea Derby’ regardless of whether Park recovers. “It’s my wife’s birthday tomorrow and I wanted to give a present to our baby that will be born soon,” Kim told reporters. “It was a nice victory and it is good that now there is no pressure on us for the North Korea match.” Kim returned to Seoul on Sunday, in time to share seaweed soup with his wife and four days before the North Koreans. There were concerns they would never arrive and even now, FIFA and Korean Football Association (KFA) will breathe a sigh of relief when the plane from Beijing touches down in Incheon. The first inter-Korean match that was due to take place in Pyongyang in March 26 was relocated to Shanghai following a row over the playing of national anthems and the flying of flags. The South Koreans have demonstrated in recent years, especially at the 2005 East Asian Championships, that they don’t have a problem with the North Korean flag fluttering in the Land of the Morning Calm. Despite that the north still wasn’t too keen. In April, it was first reported that it wanted FIFA to move the game. Last week, the beef protests in Gwanghwamun provided another opportunity. Officials said they were concerned about the safety of their players, even the vegetarian ones. Once again, it was requested that Saturday’s game be relocated from Seoul to a third country or Jeju Island, famous for its pork. Once again, the KFA, backed by FIFA, refused and Huh Jung-moo was able to start focusing on the game. “North Korea is a very defensive team,” Huh Jung-moo said on Tuesday, pointing out that it had yet to concede a goal in five qualification matches. “We need to break through their defence line but also watch out for their counter-attacks.” Such sorties will likely be led by Jong Tae-se. For most southern fans it is the first chance to take a look at North Korea’s star striker. Jong, dubbed “The People’s Rooney” was born to South Korean parents in Japan and scored against his parents’ homeland in February at the East Asian Cup. “I am ready to show what I can do in Seoul,” he told reporters last week. “We are looking to win.” It doesn’t matter who wins now. It is all about getting ready for the next round. 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

Good performances during difficult World Cup qualification campaigns are like empty seats in the Seoul subway during rush hour. The extra comfort gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling but the important thing is that you get where you want to go to. That seems to be happening for South Korea who bounced back from a disappointing 2-2 draw in their 2010 World Cup qualifier in Seoul on May 31 to win 1-0 in Amman seven days later. It wasn’t a great performance at the King Abdullah Stadium but the three points puts the Taeguk Warriors on the brink of a place in the final round of qualification. With two group games to come, Korea is in first place with eight points, the same as North Korea. Jordan is in third with four points, three ahead of Central Asian no-hopers Turkmenistan. The top two from each group progresses. Korea needs two points from the final two games to do so and will need none if Jordan fails to win both remaining games. Jordan is in action in Pyongyang on Saturday while South Korea travels to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The environment in the reclusive Central Asian nation is not the easiest and it took a Herculean effort for players and officials to get the necessary visas. As Turkmenistan have yet to score in four games so far, the necessary three points should be collected a little easier, meaning that when the two Koreas meet in Seoul on June 22, there will be little to play for. There is still much to do however. The defence held firm against Jordan but that, at times, was due more to luck than anything else. Hasan Abdel-Fattah, who scored both Jordan’s goals in Seoul, will never know how he managed to head the ball against the Korean post before half-time with the goal gaping. The media has been less than impressed and has been quick to point out that Huh has done little to stiffen the backline as well as solve the team’s problems in front of goal. The former should prove to be a little easier than the latter. It would help however if the backline members enjoyed a consistent stretch of games together without being switched around or replaced. “It was a precious three points for us,” Park Ji-sung said after the match, “but personally, I am not satisfied with the way I played. It is always tough to come to the Middle-East, the environment, the culture, the referees etc are different. Most teams find it tough.” “Although we are confident for the Turkmenistan game after beating the team 4-0 in Seoul but we need to be careful and get the three points we need to secure our advancement.” It will have to be done without Park whose water on the knee has rained on Korea’s parade. It is the same knee that underwent major surgery just over a year ago. Both player and doctor stressed that there was no pain –although Korean television showed Park limping – only a strange feeling. Perhaps that is because Korea could be about to line-up without any of its English-based premier league stars. Lee Young-pyo and Seol Ki-hyeon both failed to play much in the second half of the English season for Spurs and Fulham respectively and both failed to impress in the red –if you can call it that- shirts of Korea. Kim Do-heon only just qualifies as a Premier leaguer but these days the talented West Brom man hardly ever makes it on to the pitch for either club or country. Whoever plays, the three points are paramount. In World Cup qualification you don’t want to go into the final game needing something. Too many things can go wrong, so the game against Turkmenistan is a good opportunity. The venue in Central Asia may not be one to Korea’s liking but the opposition has yet to score in qualification and the team is nothing to be too worried about. Coach Huh has many things to consider in his own team but for the moment what matters most is making sure that the South Korea’s is one of ten names that goes into the hat when the draw for the final round of qualification takes place. Ouch! Daejeon Citizen star Koh Jung-soo broke FC Seoul hearts and then something of his own after an over-elaborate celebration of a last-minute equaliser. Please click to enlarge the photo which comes courtesy of Sports Chosun newspaper. 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

“I couldn’t understand it” said South Korean coach Huh Jung-moo last Saturday night. He wasn’t alone. Around 55,000 people in Seoul World Cup Stadium were also scratching their heads and shouting their disapproval after watching the national team somehow allow Jordan to come back and draw 2-2 in a qualification match for the 2010 World Cup. It had looked so good –the situation that is. The performance was nothing special but early in the second half, South Korea was leading 2-0 thanks to a goal from Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung that brought the house down and then a penalty from Park Chu-young that seemed to have brought the curtain down on the fixture with the middle-eastern team ranked 104 in the world by FIFA. Then it all went wrong. Substitute Hasan Abdel-Fattah scored with Jordan’s second attack of the match after 72 minutes. Then the Korean players lost their heads and shape. Seven minutes later, the whole Korean backline may as well have been at the anti-US beef protests in downtown Gwanghwamun for all the good they did in allowing Hasan to stroll through the middle and export something of his own that sent the visitors crazy. It was a hugely disappointing end. A win would have seen Korea take control of the Group Three at the halfway stage. The top two progress to the final round of qualification. Seoul debutant’s Lee Jang-soo and Lee Chung-young did enough to keep their places though the former will be told to keep his place at the back when you are defending a 2-1 lead with ten minutes to go. For the rest, there is much for coach Huh to ponder. Fortunately, he and the players can make amends quickly. The two teams meet again in Jordan on Saturday. A defeat in Amman would put Korean hopes of a seventh successive World Cup appearance in danger. For so long have the Taeguk Warriors appeared on the global stage every four years that it is taken for granted. With players such as Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo, Kim Do-heon and others, perhaps that is to be expected but the last 20 minutes of the Jordan match was a wake-up call that qualification through Asia, is getting tougher all the time. After saying last week that Jordan was nothing to be scared of, coach Huh seems to have changed his tune. “Jordan is strong. There are no nations easy to play against and the away match will be a tough one for us to handle.” It will be. Instead of arriving in Amman four points clear of their rivals, the gap is just a point. Jordan will be even happier after witnessing the way Korea crumbled under pressure in the final 20 minutes. King Abdullah International Stadium is expected to be sold-out with 54,000 people hoping to see stars such as Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan leave empty-handed. Three and a half years ago, South Korea crashed 2-0 in Saudi Arabia in a match that became known as ‘ The Damman Shock’ . An ‘Amman shock’ would be much more serious. copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football 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

The line between success and failure is a fine one, especially in the English Premier League, generally regarded as the world’s top football competition. In the case of South Korean striker Lee Dong-guk, that line was about as wide as a goalpost. The Lion King moved to Middlesbrough in January 2007. His debut came a month later against Reading. Lee was introduced as a substitute with around eight minutes remaining. Seven minutes later, England international winger Stewart Downing fired over a perfect cross from the left side. Lee was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box and let fly with his right foot. He wasn’t the only one in the stadium to put his head in his hands after the ball bounced off the post and rolled agonizingly away. Though he wasn’t to know it at the time, that was the closest Lee was ever going to come to scoring a goal in the world’s richest league and things could have been a lot different. As it stands, the striker is about to be shipped out of England’s northeast. If there was any doubt about that, it was dispelled last week by head coach Gareth Southgate. "… He has not played as well as we might have hoped,” said the former England captain. “For him and for the team I think it's been better to involve other players really.” The softly-spoken Southgate has given the Korean ample opportunities to prove that he has what it takes. Eight starts and 15 substitute appearances may not be as much as the player wanted but in the modern high-pressure world of elite football where coaches can be fired after three or four poor results, it is more than many get. With Lee’s contract finishing in May; it is now time to move to another club though finding one in the Premier League could prove to be as fruitless as his attempts to find the net. The 29 year-old may have to look elsewhere. The player has already indicated that he has no desire to return to the K-League and former club Pohang Steelers. There will be possibilities however, there always are. Lee’s reputation has taken a bit of a battering in recent months but the striker has proven in the past that he can score against top-class international opposition such as Germany, Sweden and Mexico. Lee could be best served by moving to the mainland, perhaps the Netherlands. He may not be the only Korean heading south across the North Sea. Tottenham Hotspur’s Lee Young-pyo has played more Premier League games than any of his compatriots but has recently fallen out of favor at the London club. With time on the bench accumulating, it didn’t take the defender long to start thinking fondly of former club PSV Eindhoven, in the manner of a cheating husband who has realized that the grass on the other side of the fence may be green and glamorous but it quickly forgets those who don’t play on it. “ PSV are my team, I miss them a lot,” he said recently. For its part, the Dutch club is ready to forgive Lee who publicly demanded a transfer out of the southern Netherlands back in the summer of 2005. According to reports, PSV technical director Stan Valckx said recently: "He was a good player for us and will always be welcomed here. His contract does not expire until 2009, so it is still a long way to go. But if he wants to leave before then, then we are very interested." Of the remaining two players in England’s top league, Seol Ki-hyeon is also very likely to be on the move. The mercurial attacker hasn’t played for London club Fulham since January 19. Seol has flattered to deceive in England and his time there looks to be running out. It is not all doom and gloom because there is the small matter of Park Ji-sung at Manchester United. The 27 year-old has featured heavily in recent games for the club which is in touching distance of glory both in England and in Europe. Games don’t come much bigger than a European Champions league semi-final against Barcelona and Park is likely to play at least some part in both legs, the first of which takes place Wednesday evening in Spain. A proud Korean media is hardly daring to contemplate the possibility of the Park playing in the biggest club game in the world in Moscow at the end of May. Such an event would more than make up for the struggles of his three Premier League companions. 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

It’s been a long time coming. After almost nine months on the sidelines, Park Ji-sung is set to return to action for Manchester United this week. His absence has been keenly felt - perhaps more in Seoul than in the English city. With compatriots in other Premier League clubs struggling to make an impact on the pitch, the sight of the busy South Korean sporting the famous red shirt is one that everybody has been waiting for. It was a bright early spring when the 26 year-old sustained a knee injury. At the time, it didn’t seem so serious and his expected absence was short – a good thing as, just prior to the injury, Park had been playing his best football since joining the club from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2005. The scenario was similar that of Lee Dong-guk almost exactly one year previously. Lee had been in perhaps the best form of his career in March and April 2006 in the K-League. He was scoring goals for fun for Pohang Steelers and had established himself as Korea’s number one striker just ahead of the 2006 World Cup. On an early April evening against Incheon United, Lee scored a delightful first-half volley and then was carried off the pitch in the second half. The seriousness of his injury wasn’t immediately apparent. Lee, now at Middlesbrough, missed the World Cup while Park was forced to watch his Manchester United team-mates lift the English Premier League trophy in May and exit the Champions League at the semi-final stage at the hands of AC Milan. After it became apparent that his injury was more serious than first thought, Park went under the knife in the US for an operation that was, according to his father, career-saving. The road to recovery has been a long one and the player’s journey has been accompanied by the expected countless number of headlines. His ability to walk without the aid of crutches was well-reported (unfortunately, a headline like "A Walk In The Park" doesn't work in Korean) as was his return to the gym (neither does "Park Bench Press"). Around two weeks ago he resumed full-training with the first team squad and as coach Sir Alex Ferguson told reporters last week, he is looking good. "He played in the practice game on Sunday and was absolutely outstanding. I hadn't registered him for Europe at the start of the season because we didn't think he would be back until January with his injury.” Park could return against Everton on December 23 and for Korean fans it will be a welcome Christmas present. Saturday nights without Park don’t have the same appeal, for viewers or advertisers, in Seoul. It is not only broadcasters who are happy to see the return of the familiar mop-top. Internet sports sites have all recorded greater traffic levels as excitement grows as the time of Park’s return nears. United haven’t done too badly without the former PSV Eindhoven star. After winning the title, the Red Devils went shopping in the summer and bought stars such as Carlos Tevez, Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, big-money players who have all smoothly settled into the set-up. Fighting for an almost automatic place won’t be the first challenge that Park has faced and it won’t be the first time that he has had the whole Korean nation behind him. 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

As the referee blew his whistle at the end of Saturday’s FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea ended, he also called time on the 2006/07 English season.

It’s all gone wrong for FC Seoul. As world leagues go, the K may be a low-scoring one but no goals in the last 582 minutes is not what the club had in mind when seemingly defensive-minded coach Lee Jang-soo was jettisoned at the end of last season for the supposedly attacking Senol Gunes. In the middle of March however, Gunes was starting to think that the whole East Asia thing was a walk in the park. Not only did he steer Turkey to third place in at the 2002 World Cup, he won his first five games in South Korea without conceding a goal. Three of those games were in the league and not surprisingly, FC Seoul were top of the standings. March 18 seems like a long time ago but that was when the team last scored a K-League goal. Six games later – two defeats and four goalless draws- and only the ineptitude of others keeps the capital outfit in the relatively lofty position of fifth.