The best thing on display in a Shimizu S-Pulse shirt yesterday at pretty Nihondaira Stadium was the pre-match entertainment dancers. Listen to the sounds of the Shimizu fans On the pitch, Shimizu were poor again and lost 2-0 to an improving Nagoya Grampus. The loss of ace marksman Korean Cho Jae-jin seems to be key to the Shizuoka Prefecture club's poor form this season. The tall Cho Jae-jin, who has returned to the K.League with Jeonbuk Motors after a move to the English Premier League fell through, has been replaced with a 1.65 meter Brazilian, Marcos Aurelio, plucked from his country's third division in a piece of ill-advised transfer activity by a literally short-sighted board. Over 14,000 supportive fans saw the match but crowds are slipping as the team continues to slide in to the bottom three of the J-League. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League S-Pulse Shimizu

J-League transfers Most of the headlines in world football have focused on David Beckham's multi-million dollar transfer from Real Madrid to L.A. Galaxy. The major transfer news in Japan, however, is Yuki Abe's decision to leave JEF United for reigning J-League champions Urawa Reds. Abe was undoubtedly the key player at JEF United and his talismanic performances inspired the club to back-to-back League Cup crowns in 2005 and 2006. His departure will leave a gaping hole in the United squad. With Urawa midfielder Alessandro Santos signing for Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga, Abe could reasonably expect to slot straight into what is arguably the strongest midfield in Japan.