We caught up with Avispa Fukuoka manager – and three time world cup finalist – Pierre Littbarski ahead of a crucial J league game to get his thoughts on the 2008-2009 season. The German is starting his second season in charge of the second division side and is focusing on improving on last season’s results with a a push for promotion to the elite league of Japanese football.
Litti, as he is affectionately known, was in confident mood despite what had been a difficult start to the campaign. Two of his Australian signings had been unavailable for pre-season training, and the team had taken a little longer than expected to reach their peak in terms of form and fitness. But it is those Australian signings, Mark Rudan, Ufuk Talay and Joel Griffiths, who the manager is hoping will bring added competitiveness and professionalism to his otherwise entirely Japanese side. The close-season departures of Avispas Brazilian contingent – including top goalscorer Alex – meant that new faces were needed, and Littbarski turned to Australia, where both he and his assistant Ian Crook have managerial experience, to bolster the ranks. Littbarski says that whilst attracting players from Europe is nigh on impossible, citing money as the primary reason, Aussies are far happier to spend a portion of their career within the Japanese game, which is more mature than their domestic A League. They bring with them knowledge of the international game, Griffiths in particular being a proven goalscorer who has experience of European football and a pedigree which has led him to be included in the Australian national team.
Avispa are looking upwards this season, and are very much planning for success in the current campaign. You need look no further for evidence than the capture of Japanese Under-20 player Mike Havenaar, who comes initially on-loan from J1 side Yokohama F. Marinos. The six foot, five inch striker is expected to become a full Japanese international, and his arrival at the Level 5 Stadium is symbolic of the ambition of the club and its manager to deliver J1 football to an enthusiastic home crowd.
Attendance figures for J League 2 teams indicate that Avispa are one of the best supported sides in the division, but Littbarski is keen to see more new faces this season. He cites the atmosphere and the spectacle produced by the ever-enthusiastic Ultras and an exciting brand of attacking football as reasons for football veterans and novices alike to take in a game this season. That support will be especially important in the games against fellow Kyushu teams, Sagan Tosu and Rosso Kumamoto. These games take on added significance for supporters, who want passionately to get one over on their local rivals. The games against Tosu last season – when Avispa were beaten three times – will be soon forgotten if they are overturned this time around, and Litti is well aware of the importance of these Kyushu derbies, games which he says are as important to him and the players as they are to the fans. Good results in these games will go a long way to helping the side scale the heights of the division.
Further developments on the playing side will lead to the inclusion of some promising young players this season, with the afore mentioned Havenaar and the impressive Suzuki Jun widely expected to have big roles in the first team. Litti believes that the squad this season is more balanced than it was previously, and a good blend of youth, senior and foreign players offers the coach competition for places all over the field, something which he felt was lacking in the 2007 season, when the team was typically selected from a much smaller pool of first-team ready players.
Speaking more generally about world football, Littbarski is aware of the problems Japanese football faces in competing on the world stage. Lackluster results from the national team highlight a want of world-class talent, which he says lacks opportunity to develop because Japanese players are hesitant to leave Japan and the Japanese way of life for markedly different surroundings in the European footballing powerhouses of Spain, Italy and England. A few high-profile examples have bucked this trend (Junichi Inamoto of Eintrackt Frankfurt and Celic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura to name just two), but there will need to be a greater exchange between Japan and Europe should the national team begin to include players of world-class standard.
All in all, it promises to be exciting season at the Level 5 Stadium, and players and coaches alike are keen to welcome more fans into the Avispa family. Football is the most supported sport in the world, and bums on seats can only be beneficial in helping Avispa strive for success and promotion to J1.
Mark Rudan
Giant central defender Rudan arrived at Avispa with an interesting history of clubs to his name. After time in his native Australia, and in Germany with Aachen, he has plied his trade in China and Malaysia. His experience in such varied playing environments, and within Asia in particular, will be a real asset to Avispa. In his opening appearances and training ground demeanour, it is clear that in Rudan, Litti has found a real leader. Expect Rudan to be an important player this term, and to see him pop up with a few goals from set pieces too.
Ufuk Talay
Another player with experience of European football, having spent time in Turkey and France, Talay joins Avispa from Sydney FC, where he was a teammate of Mark Rudan. He is involved with the Australian national team, and that sort of pedigree is visible in his performances as a combative midfielder for Avispa. He plays in a central position from where he is able to break up opposition attacks and often provide the impetus for attacking moves.
Joel Griffiths
Although only here on-loan, Joel Griffiths is perhaps the most impressive of these three summer signings. He is one of Australia’s most exciting football talents, and despite a disappointing time in England with Leeds United, he has provided goals wherever he has played – culminating last season in finishing as the A League top goal-scorer with an impressive twelve goals. He is expected to provide crucial goals in the first half of the J league season before returning to his Australian club.
The Level 5 Stadium
Renamed this season as part of a long-term sponsorship deal with gaming company ‘Level 5,’ what used to be called the ‘Hakata no Mori Stadium’ is located a few minutes from the Fukuoka Airport subway station. The stadium holds 22,563 fans, and is a fantastic arena for football. On match days buses run every couple of minutes from the subway to the stadium. The location might seem a little inconvenient, but it’s surprisingly easy to get to, and if you’ve ever walked to the Yahoo! dome from the nearest subway station, the walk to the Level 5 is a similar distance. Once you’ve arrived at the arena, you’ll be greeted by a raft of food outlets behind the main stand, where the food is good and the prices cheap.
ULTRA OBRI Uber Fans
The Avispa Ultras are the long standing fan club, who actually existed before the team were even based in Fukuoka. It was their desire for a team to call their own which prompted Avispa to move from their previous home in Shizuoka. You’ll be amazed by the spectacle these hardcore fans provide on a match day. They sing, wave flags, bounce around and generally enjoy themselves for the full 90 minutes of the game. Led by some burly chaps with megaphones, they have a good repertoire of songs to spur on their boys in blue.
