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Last night’s AFC Champions League draw could have been much worse for A-League representatives Newcastle Jets and the Central Coast Mariners.
Both clubs managed to avoid some of the genuine big guns of East Asian football, with Newcastle the only domestic champion drawn in either of the two groups.
The likes of Korean super-club Suwon Bluewings, Chinese giants Shandong Luneng and reigning Asian champions Gamba Osaka have all been avoided, as have back-to-back J. League winners Kashima Antlers.
Newcastle will instead face off against Ulsan Hyundai of the K-League, Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus and Chinese side Beijing Guoan – who all finished third in their respective domestic leagues.
It’s a relatively weak looking group, but that’s not to say that Newcastle will go into it as favourites.
The Jets’ recent fall from grace is well documented, but they should have little to fear from an Ulsan Hyundai side that could potentially draw crowds of less than 5,000 for their midweek ACL fixtures.
A bigger concern should be Beijing Guoan, who are one of the more passionately supported clubs in Chinese football.
Much will be made of the deep pockets of Nagoya Grampus – bankrolled as they are by Toyota – but the Aichi-based side have a reputation for choking under pressure.
Their last trophy came as far back as 1999 when they lifted the Emperor’s Cup, and despite playing some effective football under Serbian coach Dragan Stojković – who is often regarded as Nagoya’s greatest ever player – Grampus stumbled badly in the race for the 2008 J. League title.
They’ve just signed livewire Brazilian striker Davi from relegated Consadole Sapporo, but the undoubted jewel in the crown is compatriot Magnum.
The tricky playmaker featured for Kawasaki Frontale in the 2007 Champions League, and along with youngster Yoshizumi Ogawa – who recently picked up the J. League’s Rookie Of The Year award – Nagoya possess a potent midfield.
Should Nagoya opt to play Champions League games out of their downtown Mizuho Athletics Stadium – instead of the high-tech Toyota Stadium – then Newcastle fans will be treated to the sight of one of Asia’s most dilapidated football venues.
I’ve been to Mizuho several times, but if there’s an even more mediocre venue in Japanese football, it’s surely Kawasaki Frontale’s antiquated Todoroki Stadium.
Last time I ventured out to Todoroki for a midweek fixture I missed the kick-off due the traffic gridlock outside the ground.
It’s so unloved that the citizens of Kawasaki recently started a petition to have it knocked down and rebuilt, but on the pitch Frontale have no such concerns.
In my opinion they should be one of the favourites to lift the Asian crown.
Last year Kawasaki scored a whopping 65 goals in the J-League – one goal less than the season before!
They possess an astonishing array of attacking talent, with rampaging North Korean striker Chong Tese about as formidable an opponent as you can get.
Lead by talismanic midfielder Kengo Nakamura, Kawasaki could have won the J. League at a canter last season were it not for a dreadful start that saw troublesome striker Hulk shipped off to Tokyo Verdy after just three games (he’s now at FC Porto), before coach Takashi Sekizuka stepped down due to health problems.
Sekizuka is back in charge for the 2009 campaign, and having qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League two seasons ago, the Kanagawa side are certainly one to watch.
The Mariners will at least be pleased to have drawn Korean FA Cup winners Pohang Steelers in their group, after Pohang finished fifth in the K-League last season.
Chinese outfit Tianjin Teda round out the group, and they are familiar with Australian opposition, having played Melbourne Victory in a friendly in 2007.
Nevertheless the Mariners have every right to feel confident of booking a place in the Round of 16, with the group winners and runners-up both progressing to the knock-out stage.
It won’t be easy, but the draw has been kind to both Newcastle and the Central Coast.
They’ll be determined to make the most of it, as they look to follow in the footsteps of Adelaide United in a quest for continental glory.
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January 8th 2009 @ 6:03pm
Sam said | January 8th 2009 @ 6:03pm | Report comment
KB
I agree with your sentiments. That kind of thing would also work in the community oriented areas of Newcastle and Central Coast. It would also want to make young kids from the area put on a Mariners or a Jets jersey.
Saying that I think that kind of thing should be being done in the a-league in general.
January 8th 2009 @ 10:09pm
aussie_sly said | January 8th 2009 @ 10:09pm | Report comment
go you beautiful mariners, cant wait for those late midweek nights to watch the boys slug it out for asias premier prize and hopefully a dream date with chelsea (after they win the UCL) at the CWC. Also i think the FFA should really be pushing to host the CWC and the ACL final aswell as the asian cup. Just a question, what happens if wellington win the a-league or runners up, what do they get?
January 9th 2009 @ 7:55am
Koala Bear said | January 9th 2009 @ 7:55am | Report comment
Towser and Sam,
I am please you agree with my post .. Let’s hope the Jets and CCM don’t drop the ball in the promotion stakes .. The region may have to wait a long time again to see all the stars and planets align in the cosmos..
aussie_sly,
Yes let’s hope..
“Chelsea (after they win the UCL)”
~~~~~~~~
KB
January 9th 2009 @ 8:13am
Kazama said | January 9th 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment
aussie_sly: ” Just a question, what happens if wellington win the a-league or runners up, what do they get?”
They get nada. Their spot is given to the next highest ranked team.
aussie_sly: “…chelsea (after they win the UCL)…”
Yes, KB, let’s hope so.
January 9th 2009 @ 8:33am
aussie_sly said | January 9th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
so what incentive do they have to win other than the glory it brings, i thought they were an australian club based in wellington, so why aren’t they treated as such with a place in asia, also what would happen if clive palmer decided to set up in singapore instead of hold coast but took all aussie players and staff, would they get entry to acl? Or even same story but going to new zealand???
January 9th 2009 @ 12:16pm
Kazama said | January 9th 2009 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
aussie_sly, Wellington are seen by MbH as an OFC team in an AFC league, so he won’t admit them to the ACL. Why are they bothering with the A-League then? Because NZ doesn’t have a professional league. The Phoenix are NZ’s, and Oceania’s, only professional outfit, so I guess they’d rather have a professional team that can’t qualify for continental competition than none at all.
aussie_sly: “…what would happen if clive palmer decided to set up in singapore instead of hold coast but took all aussie players and staff, would they get entry to acl? Or even same story but going to new zealand???”
If that happened, then judging from MbH’s comments to SBS, I’m guessing but I’d say they’d be allowed to compete in the ACL because they’d officially be Australian team simply playing their home games off-shore. Actually, they’d be allowed to have four locals playing for them as the visa players – this probably will be increased to five (the maximum # of visa players for a starting XI under FIFA’s 6+5 rule) in the near future of the A-League, so then you could have teams fielding 6 Aussies and 5 Kiwis in their starting XI and be considered Australian by MbH and thus be eligible for the ACL.
The Phoenix have the option of giving in to MbH’s demands and becoming an Aussie club playing in NZ, and thus making all of their local players into visa players; this would allow them access to the ACL and CWC. I see that as being counter-productive though. I think the goal for the Phoenix should be to have a starting XI made up almost entirely of Kiwis, even at the expense of playing in the ACL. NZ football would benefit more in the long run.
January 9th 2009 @ 12:27pm
Mike Tuckerman said | January 9th 2009 @ 12:27pm | Report comment
If Cardiff City had beaten Portsmouth in last season’s FA Cup final, the Welsh outfit would have received special dispensation to play in the UEFA Cup the following season.
Mohammed Bin Hammam is obviously a powerful man, but it’s difficult to argue that it’s okay to have one rule for one confederation and a totally contradictary rule for another.
January 9th 2009 @ 12:44pm
Kazama said | January 9th 2009 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
Another contradiction from Bin Hammam is the fact that the ACL winners don’t automatically qualify for the next edition. It would have been a travesty if Gamba missed out.