18 Oct 2007(Thu)

October 16, 2007: As soon as news broke that Dragan Stojkovic had resigned as president of Red Star Belgrade, his next destination seemed obvious.

Surely it would be Nagoya, due to his strong ties with the club and the fact that he is still regarded as a hero by the long-suffering Grampus fans.

Shortly after, it was out: Grampus had indeed approached "Pixie" about succeeding Dutch manager Sef Vergoossen, who had indicated he would be stepping down at the end of the season.

In football, one and one does not always equal two, but on this occasion the instant reaction to the Pixie story has, in fact, a lot of substance.

Hopefully the deal will be done and Stojkovic will return to Japan, as he is an extremely interesting and entertaining character, respected worldwide.

On the pitch I often thought he got a raw deal from referees, who would over-react to his explosive nature and show him a yellow card for next to nothing. His reputation went before him, and he could not let off a bit of steam without getting into trouble. And then more!

I wonder how he will be on the touchline? Calm and controlled, mature and responsible, or maybe like Buchwald and inclined to throw his suit jacket to the turf in frustration, disgust, anger, or all three?

One thing is for sure: the Grampus fans will adore him and regard him as the saviour, and the players will respect him and be inspired by him. All in all it makes sense for Grampus, who, let's face it, are desperate to be a force in the J.League year in, year out.

On a few occasions Vergoossen looked like he was on the right track, only for the team to take two steps backwards. He has had rotten luck with injuires, of course, especially to his defenders, but the season has fallen away badly after such a bright start.

In fairness to Vergoossen, he always said a top five finish would be good for this team, but they are unlikely to climb that high, while being well away from the danger zone.

Can Pixie turn it round? The club thinks it is a gamble worth taking -- and one guaranteed to boost the profile of the club on and off the pitch.

He would be a welcome return to the J.League, not just to Nagoya.

ends