In what maybe bad news for Gamba Osaka fans, Japan duly crashed to a 3-1 defeat to South Korea to finish third in the 4-team East Asian Championship. An entirely predictable result given the uninspired starting lineup Takeshi Okada sent out.
Will the pleasant but ineffective manager be allowed to lead Japan to another ignominious World Cup disaster? Not if the JFA has any sense. After all, this is a manager who quit football management for a career giving lectures on his sport. Something better suited to the affable and well-educated Okada. His return after Osim was struck down by a stroke should have been temporary until the JFA found a permanent and more experienced replacement. Now they are stuck with inept manager out of his depth again. Unfortunately, common sense is not the JFA's forte, so Oka-chan is probably safe until the inevitable disgrace. A loss to Asian minnows Bahrain in March, however, could see even the bumpkins at JFA House realise the futility of the current situation.
Other Views
Japan Times: Okada escapes sack
Asahi Shimbun: East Asian Championship: S. Korea gives Okada's team reality check
Nagoya Grampus blog with news and views about Nagoya Grampus (Eight) and Japanese football. (Archives of previous musings on all things Grampus can be found in the original Grampalog. See the Links section below.)
League Champions: 2010. Emperor's Cup Winners: 1995, 1999.
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