6 Jan 2005(Thu)

January 4--The loyal and faithful Verdy fans have finally got their reward.

Thanks to Verdy's victory over Jubilo Iwata in the Emperor's Cup final on Saturday, the long-suffering supporters of the once mighty Greens can hold their heads high.

It's not easy being a Verdy fan.

A few years ago they were everywhere, as Tokyo's National Stadium was packed with fans of Verdy Kawasaki, whose players received pop-star adulation.

But, after a couple of J.League championships in 1993 and 1994, the wheels began to fall off, billions of yen was spent in a desperate attempt to revive the glory days, and the club went into decline.

The fans disappeared as Marinos, Antlers and Jubilo took over the championship.

It's easy to support a winning team, of course, because this happens all over the world.

But it's not so easy supporting a losing one.

Verdy have struggled in mid-table or below for several seasons, and the days of the big transfers are over.

So Ossie Ardiles has done a magnificent job to claim the Emperor's Cup.

The fans deserver credit, too, for sticking with the team, and hopefully more will support them in the J.League next season.

ends