John Duerden




Beyond The Pitch show

Summary: Anto is joined by Asia football correspondent John Duerden to have a look at the constantly evolving world of football in that part of the world from his perch in Seoul, South Korea which has just passed an important 10 year anniversary since hosting the World Cup in 2002. We begin with an All-Star match with the K-League players and former coach Guus Hiddink to review the event and this celebration is the launching pad for a world of football where managers are king and world recognized players have begun to land in recent transfer windows. This included the Chinese Super League where most of the big name signings continue and look to extend even more as foreign player restrictions have been approved against a massive landscape where real economic power and ambition have landed Didier Drogba, Frederic Kanoute, Gio Moreno and Yakubu in recent weeks. We examine the situation in China both in terms of size and scope and how Chinese teams are acquiring players, often without a vision to enhance the overall reputation of the league, but that does appear to be changing very quickly as huge cities with huge populations learn to become football cities. Then we turn to the matter of each of the major Far East Leagues in China, Japan and Korea - each with its own challenges - with the champions of a year ago now emerging once again in the names of Guangzhou Evergrande, Kashiwa Reysol and Jeonbuk Motors, all of whom are powers in the respective leagues for different reasons. This includes the continued dominance of Guangzhou who has opened a seven point lead, Kashiwa which has begun to rope in Sendai and Hiroshima and Jeonbuk Motors who went on an eight match winning streak to launch itself forward to a season like no other as the KFA introduces promotion and relegation. Then we turn to a new and important endeavor in KickOffAsia, which brings together a serious voice for Asian Football with John Duerden as its editor. We detail the features, the technology and where it seems headed in the marketplace. We also take a look at the Harry Kewell withdrawal from the A League in his home country of Australia to examine where he might land next - perhaps replacing Yakubu himself at Blackburn Rovers.