25 Oct 2007(Thu)

October 23, 2007: No matter how inevitable relegation may be, it still hurts when the time finally comes.

That time came early for Yokohama FC, a 3-0 defeat at Kobe on Saturday condemning them to a swift return to J2 with five J1 matches still remaining.

Statistics don't lie, and they show that last season's J2 champions have been completely out of their depth in the top flight, winning only three times in 29 outings, scoring only 17 goals to date, and being stuck on a meagre 11 points since August 18.

Reysol, who came up behind them in second place last season, and Vissel, who won a play-off against Avispa to clinch promotion, have both fared much better than Yokohama FC, thanks to bigger budgets, a stronger balance of Japanese players and better foreign imports.

In J2, an ageing, wily Yokohama FC made few mistakes and played with control and consistency to cross the finish line first in the marathon season. But teams need a bit more than that in J1, and Yokohama simply did not have the pace or the depth in quality to make an impact. In short, they had come as far as possible, and there was nowhere else to go except down.

Not even a change of manager, Julio Leal for Takuya Takagi, could turn things round, or give them fresh impetus for a while, and relegation was confirmed as early as October 20.

At the start of the season it looked so promising for Yokohama FC, didn't it?

New recruit Kubo scored an early candidate for goal of the season with his blockbuster in a 2-1 defeat at Saitama Stadium on the opening day, and then came that incredible match at Mitsuzawa Stadium when the minnows beat the Marinos 1-0. There was a real derby feel to that game, and the contrast in the mood of the two sets of fans snaking their way down the hill from the ground to Yokohama station after the game was a true football moment.

That seems like a different year now, though, and it will be interesting to see how Yokohama FC react to the reality of relegation in their next match -- a massive one for the visitors to Mitsuzawa on Saturday, Omiya Ardija.

ends