9 Nov 2009(Mon)

November 7, 2009: News that Yokohama F Marinos would not be keeping Kokichi Kimura as manager next season could hardly be described as a surprise.

Although he has done reasonably well in difficult circumstances - with no money to spend and the Shunsuke Nakamura saga proving a huge distraction - Marinos were only ever marking time under Kimura, who always looked like a stop-gap appointment.

The management clearly felt it was time to take the next step and move on, and I thought their target would be Jun Suzuki from Albirex Niigata. There had been rumours of this switch a couple of years ago -- at the same time Albirex striker Edmilson was being linked with a move to Urawa Reds -- and it seemed to make sense this time.

But then Marinos announced that Kazushi Kimura would be the new manager, a former star player being given a big job with little experience behind him.

Kimura will leave a squad with a solid base but desperately lacking some flair and creativity.

It is overloaded with central defenders/defensive midfielders (Nakazawa, Kurihara, Matsuda, Kawai, Ogura), but needs some punch up front, despite the encouraging goals return of Watanabe. The fact that they have been linked with Takahara of Reds makes sense, although the player would have to take a hefty pay cut to join Marinos.

And could the Shunsuke deal be revived in the January transfer window, if Nakamura feels he is making no headway at Espanyol and wants to come home to prepare for the World Cup? That would be the dream scenario for Marinos, of course, as it would stir the public into action and give the team some personality, profile and star quality, which is sadly lacking.

It has been a grim time for Marinos fans in recent seasons as they try and lift the team and create some atmosphere in the cavernous Nissan/International Stadium Yokohama, but hope always springs eternal with a new manager in the pipeline.

ends