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Aussies In China, Korea And Japan - A Season Review
Asia Editor John Duerden looks at some Aussie imports into Asia...
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Nov 29, 2009 3:35:53 AM
A number of Australian players have been
active overseas this season. For the first time, players have left down under
and into East Asia – namely China, South Korea and Japan.
Goal.com Asia takes a look at how they got on...
You can’t do much better than help your new club to a first league title. Joel started the season very well and scored the goals that suggested that he could be the successor to Branko Jelic. Joel led the line well and his aggression unsettled most defences that Beijing came up against.
The problem was that aggression sometimes went too far. Two lengthy bans cost him 13 games of the season. He still scored a creditable eight goals though without ever really becoming a firm favourite with the Beijing faithful.
Ryan Griffiths (Beijing Guoan)
It didn’t start out this way but out of the two Griffiths brothers that pulled on the green short this season, it is Ryan that had the fans chanting his name at the end and those supporters are keen for him to stay.
It took the player time to make an impact as coach Lee Jang-soo felt that he was too similar to his brother to be useful. Consequently, he was often left out the team or played out of position.
He came to life with the sacking of Lee. Hong Yuanshuo took the helm and restored Ryan to a central position. Hong was repaid with four goals in the last seven games that proved to be crucial in the team’s march to the title.
Mark Milligan (Shanghai Shenhua)
Like his compatriots in Beijing, Milligan’s season was a mixed affair. It started very well and he was very quickly the darling of the Blue Devils that packed behind the goal at the Hongkou.
One match in particular earned him a place in Shanghai folklore. Trailing 1-0 in the opening game at home to newly promoted Jiangsu, Milligan’s secret weapon, a Rory Delap-like long throw, twice caused havoc in the dying minutes and twice produced goals.
The chaotic scenes of celebration that followed seemed to hint at a great campaign ahead. It never quite hit those heights again though it was a very disappointing campaign all round for Shanghai.
Milligan continued to be the only one of the five overseas stars that could have been said to be a success but he faded somewhat in the second half of the campaign.
‘Popeye’ remains popular with the fans but once again, there are set to be changes made at Shanghai and the Chinese media thinks that the player is off to Europe.
Jonas Salley (Shanxi Barong)
The former Adelaide United player impressed in a struggling team. Shanxi are nicknamed ‘The Wolves’ and the local media believe that Salley’s playing style is also suited to the name.
The solid central midfielder played nearly every match in this season for Shanxi and was lauded by the fans for his efforts in helping the club maintain their Super League status after it flirted with relegation.
Shanxi have a new coach for next season and it is unclear whether the 27 year-old will stay. The fans hope he does.
Matt McKay (Changchun Yatai)
The midfielder spent just three months on loan with Changchun but did enough to provoke interest from other Super League clubs should he choose to spend more time in the Middle Kingdom.
Changchun fans loved his willingness to get ‘stuck in’ and he even lost consciousness for a while in one match after a clash of heads. The north-easterners were interested in keeping McKay on but when Wang Dong returned from injury, the midfield became a little crowded and McKay returned home.
Sasa Ognenovski (Seongnam Chunma)
The big defender struggled at first in the K-league. Most forwards were technically better and faster than what he had been used to down under and for a while, it was touch and go whether he would be able to make the grade at Seongnam.
In his defence though, the team as a whole started badly and only started to gel in the second half of the season.
In Seongnam’s defence, ‘Sasa’ as he is known in Korea, started to settle at the back and by the end of the season was looking like he had been playing in the K-league all his life.
His aerial ability proved a real boon in attack and at the back. His goalline clearance against Suwon in the FA Cup final was one of the plays of the year.
He still continued to pick up cards and was sent off in the first round of the play-off matches. He could soon be on his way to the Bundesliga and 1860 Munich.
Jade North (Incheon United)
A nightmare season for the affable defender. He came to Korea as an Australian international and is set to leave it as a reserve player for a mid-table K-League team.
After three starts early in the season, North didn’t seem to have done anything wrong but after an international break and a long trip down under, he returned to Korea and was barely seen again.
Not selecting North wouldn’t be the only strange decision that coach Ilja Petkovic has made this season but North has to leave if he wants to make the World Cup.
At least Incheon have a sense of humour and jokingly told the player that the reason that ‘Jade’ would appear on his shirt instead of ‘North’ was due to the unstable political situation on the peninsula.
Eddy Bosnar (JEF United)
The big defender bust a gut trying to help JEF United stave off relegation but it was all in vain as the Chiba club dropped out of the top flight – a far cry from the glory days of Ivica Osim.
Bosnar, not part of Pim Verbeek’s plans for the World Cup, was at his typical aggressive best and worst – getting involved in everything at the back and posing problems at the opposite ends from set pieces.
He still falls foul of J-League referees on a regular basis however.
All’s well that ends well for the player however as reports in the local press down under state that Bosnar has been snapped up by Shimizu S-Pulse - a rather better positioned J-League team.
John Duerden
Asia Editor
john.duerden@goal.com
Goal.com Asia takes a look at how they got on...
China
Joel Griffiths (Beijing Guoan)
You can’t do much better than help your new club to a first league title. Joel started the season very well and scored the goals that suggested that he could be the successor to Branko Jelic. Joel led the line well and his aggression unsettled most defences that Beijing came up against.
The problem was that aggression sometimes went too far. Two lengthy bans cost him 13 games of the season. He still scored a creditable eight goals though without ever really becoming a firm favourite with the Beijing faithful.
Joel Griffiths
Ryan Griffiths (Beijing Guoan)
It didn’t start out this way but out of the two Griffiths brothers that pulled on the green short this season, it is Ryan that had the fans chanting his name at the end and those supporters are keen for him to stay.
It took the player time to make an impact as coach Lee Jang-soo felt that he was too similar to his brother to be useful. Consequently, he was often left out the team or played out of position.
He came to life with the sacking of Lee. Hong Yuanshuo took the helm and restored Ryan to a central position. Hong was repaid with four goals in the last seven games that proved to be crucial in the team’s march to the title.
Ryan Griffiths
Mark Milligan (Shanghai Shenhua)
Like his compatriots in Beijing, Milligan’s season was a mixed affair. It started very well and he was very quickly the darling of the Blue Devils that packed behind the goal at the Hongkou.
One match in particular earned him a place in Shanghai folklore. Trailing 1-0 in the opening game at home to newly promoted Jiangsu, Milligan’s secret weapon, a Rory Delap-like long throw, twice caused havoc in the dying minutes and twice produced goals.
The chaotic scenes of celebration that followed seemed to hint at a great campaign ahead. It never quite hit those heights again though it was a very disappointing campaign all round for Shanghai.
Milligan continued to be the only one of the five overseas stars that could have been said to be a success but he faded somewhat in the second half of the campaign.
‘Popeye’ remains popular with the fans but once again, there are set to be changes made at Shanghai and the Chinese media thinks that the player is off to Europe.
Mark 'Popeye' Milligan
Jonas Salley (Shanxi Barong)
The former Adelaide United player impressed in a struggling team. Shanxi are nicknamed ‘The Wolves’ and the local media believe that Salley’s playing style is also suited to the name.
The solid central midfielder played nearly every match in this season for Shanxi and was lauded by the fans for his efforts in helping the club maintain their Super League status after it flirted with relegation.
Shanxi have a new coach for next season and it is unclear whether the 27 year-old will stay. The fans hope he does.
Jonas 'The Wolf' Salley
Matt McKay (Changchun Yatai)
The midfielder spent just three months on loan with Changchun but did enough to provoke interest from other Super League clubs should he choose to spend more time in the Middle Kingdom.
Changchun fans loved his willingness to get ‘stuck in’ and he even lost consciousness for a while in one match after a clash of heads. The north-easterners were interested in keeping McKay on but when Wang Dong returned from injury, the midfield became a little crowded and McKay returned home.
'Mad' Matt McKay
South Korea
Sasa Ognenovski (Seongnam Chunma)
The big defender struggled at first in the K-league. Most forwards were technically better and faster than what he had been used to down under and for a while, it was touch and go whether he would be able to make the grade at Seongnam.
In his defence though, the team as a whole started badly and only started to gel in the second half of the season.
In Seongnam’s defence, ‘Sasa’ as he is known in Korea, started to settle at the back and by the end of the season was looking like he had been playing in the K-league all his life.
His aerial ability proved a real boon in attack and at the back. His goalline clearance against Suwon in the FA Cup final was one of the plays of the year.
He still continued to pick up cards and was sent off in the first round of the play-off matches. He could soon be on his way to the Bundesliga and 1860 Munich.
Sasa Ognenovski
Jade North (Incheon United)
A nightmare season for the affable defender. He came to Korea as an Australian international and is set to leave it as a reserve player for a mid-table K-League team.
After three starts early in the season, North didn’t seem to have done anything wrong but after an international break and a long trip down under, he returned to Korea and was barely seen again.
Not selecting North wouldn’t be the only strange decision that coach Ilja Petkovic has made this season but North has to leave if he wants to make the World Cup.
At least Incheon have a sense of humour and jokingly told the player that the reason that ‘Jade’ would appear on his shirt instead of ‘North’ was due to the unstable political situation on the peninsula.
A Rare Sight - North In An Incheon Shirt
Japan
Eddy Bosnar (JEF United)
The big defender bust a gut trying to help JEF United stave off relegation but it was all in vain as the Chiba club dropped out of the top flight – a far cry from the glory days of Ivica Osim.
Bosnar, not part of Pim Verbeek’s plans for the World Cup, was at his typical aggressive best and worst – getting involved in everything at the back and posing problems at the opposite ends from set pieces.
He still falls foul of J-League referees on a regular basis however.
All’s well that ends well for the player however as reports in the local press down under state that Bosnar has been snapped up by Shimizu S-Pulse - a rather better positioned J-League team.
John Duerden
Asia Editor
john.duerden@goal.com
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|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
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