9 Oct 2003(Thu)

As I watched FC Tokyo thrash Kashima Antlers 5-1 at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday, I wondered if I was witnessing the end of an era.

The end of an Antlers era which has yielded four league championships since 1996, three Nabisco Cups and two Emperor's Cups.

This was not the Antlers of old, although of course it does not help when a team has two players sent off: Narahashi in the first half for bringing down Toda just outside the box, and Ogasawara in the second half for his second yellow card.

Ogasawara had been booked for a foul on Ishikawa in the first half, and was shown the yellow again after a tussle with Moniwa. I must admit I thought both FC Tokyo players made the most of the situation, especially Moniwa, and the second yellow was harsh on Ogasawara.

But all this should not hide the fact that Antlers crumbled in all areas of the pitch.

Even when FC Tokyo were leading 2-0 in the first half, the home fans were greeting each pass with a taunting cry of "Ole!" as they teased the Antlers players like a matador with an old, exhausted bull. Just like in the bull ring, the result was never in doubt, and FC Tokyo put the victim to the sword with three more goals.

According to an Antlers spokesperson, it was Kashima's heaviest league defeat since 1995, when Bellmare Hiratsuka beat them 7-0.

Kashima's defense is ageing, and the young replacements such as Haneda and Kaneko always seem to be injured.

Before the game I spoke with club president Hiroshi Ushijima, and he said the unlucky Koji Nakata might not play again until the second stage of next season after his knee operation.

Antlers miss Koji's guile and craft in midfield, although I have great hopes for Aoki, who could be one of the best players Japan has ever produced.

Up front, Yanagisawa and Suzuki are on loan to clubs in Europe, Hasegawa has retired, Euller was injured, and this left Hirase and rookie Fukai, with teenager Nakashima coming off the bench.

Antlers are clearly struggling for goals, and I think a second-stage challenge is beyond them this season.

Their fans have been fed a constant diet of trophies, but will have to be patient for the time being.

A final word for the FC Tokyo club. Saturday's "Brazil Day" was a lively, colourful spectacle, drawing almost 30,000 to the stadium. The home team rose to the occasion, and the goal announcements, in Portuguese, must have really shaken Antlers manager Toninho Cerezo.

There is a lot of work ahead to turn Antlers into the Mean Machine of recent years.

ends