On a Carousel

While Beijing has began its coaching search for next season, a number of teams are interested in the guy who helped get them their first title. No, not Hong Yuanshuo, the man Guoan really needs to thank, Lee Jangsoo.

It started out with rumblings out of Shanghai that Shenhua was mulling over the idea of bringing in Lee, as of late, two other rivals have gotten into the race, Henan Construction and the hated Tianjin Teda. While Tianjin is denying rumors that Lee's at the top of their list, he appears to be on a short list of 4, one that includes former national team coach Arie Haan.

Lee was also being considered by Changchun Yatai, though right now it appears that another former Guoan head coach, Shen Xiangfu, will be leaving Guangzhou for Changchun next year. Definitely a good move for Changchun as Shen's a fine coach who is sure to help out. At the same time, Lee has also been rumored for the Changsha and Qingdao position, though those sides probably can't meet his salary demands.

I know its not going to be part of Tianjin's considerations, but hiring Lee will certainly ramp up the already tense rivalry between the sides. With 6 months to go before the start of the CSL season, its "gossip" like this that will keep me going through the long, cold winter.

Matchday 7 Review : Shanghai Shenhua

In front of the largest crowds Gongti has seen in many years for a CSL match and the largest crowd at any CSL match this season (42,355), Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua engaged in a classic battle. The crowd was unusually energetic, hyped up by the presence of 75 or so Shanghai Shenhua supporters in the south end. Many fans came waving their 9-1 signs and a banner held up asking "What's a Shanghai Man?" received lots of cheers.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Guoan had to make a number of changes, including the first action all season for Guoan hero, Yang Pu, who played at left back. Sui Dongliang was also used for the first time this season in the midfield. Lee played Du Wenhui alone up top with Tao Wei and Martinez in attacking positions in the midfield, along with Sui and Yan Xiangchuang on the wings.

I am not one who complains about the referee very often, when they are bad, they're typically bad for both teams and while Guoan hasn't always gotten calls this season, the referees have also missed a few (though the Disciplinary Committee usually nails Guoan for it ala Griffiths). However, Chen Honghui,the referee for this match, was horrible. I've talked about how Shanghai has played like a bunch of thugs all year, leading the CSL with 24 yellow cards in 7 matches and this game was no different. Unfortunately, more often than not, the referee missed the first foul, but only got the Guoan player reacting.

Anyways, to the match, and Guoan started out controlling the ball, with a number of solid chances, Yan Xiangchuang made a nice, mazy run into the box and crossed the ball, it looked very much like a handball, but the referee failed to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai went on the attack off a Xu Yunlong defensive error, however the Shanghai shot failed to challenge Yang Zhi. Du Wenhui was given a sudden breakaway opportunity, though he was pushed down, the referee failing to call it. Shortly after, Shanghai committed what looked like another obvious handball in the box that went uncalled.

At the end of the first half, while the game was extremely exciting, the game was scoreless. Both keepers came up with a few good saves on some decent chances, though Guoan controlled the match and had the majority of chances. Shenhua was focused on counter attacking and did a good job of it.

Early in the 2nd half, Yan Xiangchuang got nailed by a Shenhua player, while it should have been an obvious yellow, it went uncalled, though minutes later, Yan started an attack with a "hand of God" play for which he was yellow carded. The referee must have realized the ludicrous nature of that yellow because 10 minutes or so later Yan hammered a Shenhua player, definitely a yellow card, but the ref only granted a foul.

In matches like this, especially between such major rivals, the referee needs to have an even hand and control the match. When he doesn't make all the calls, especially when he just "lets them play" it leads to extremely rough play and potential for injuries. On top of the fouls on Yan (and his lashing out), Martinez was nailed with a blatent elbow that went uncalled, while late in the 2nd Ryan Griffiths nailed a Shenhua player (to loud applause) and rightfully got a yellow.

The ref did catch a blatant foul on Martinez, which was followed up by a beautiful free kick by Tao Wei and an equally pretty save by Shanghai keeper Qiu Shenjiong. Qiu had an excellent game and made a huge save on Griffiths late in the match as well. There was a moment of exctasy for Shanghai fans late in the 2nd when they put the ball into the net, though the play had already been whistled dead for a foul.

So both teams earn a point in this hotly contested China Derby, though Guoan probably deserved the win, they weren't able to challenge Qiu as much as they would have liked. This also means that Guoan has gone 270 minutes (and 3 matches) without scoring a goal, a massive problem. Lee's job is safe for the time being, as the massive crowd's anger was more focused at the referee and the visiting fans.

I've complained a lot about nil-nil CSL matches, but this one was a fairly exciting one, definitely one to remember and there will be some scores to settle when these two teams meet again at Hongkou in September.

Matchday 7 Preview : Shanghai Shenhua

It's finally here, one of the biggest games of the year for a Guoan fan, made all the more important because of our recent form. Shanghai is also struggling as of late so they are sure to be hungry too making this holiday clash all the more exciting. If you only plan on going to one game this season, this is the one you need to attend.

First team news, and something we didn't discuss last week. Joel Griffiths and Zhou Ting were suspended got 5 and 6 games, respectively, by the CSL Disciplinary committe. Griffiths was suspended for the elbow that went unpenalized in the Shandong match. How you can get 5 games for something that went completely unpunished by the referee is beyond me. Zhou was given 6 games for his "cao ni ma" confrontation with the referee (for which he was red carded). Rumor is he swore at the ref in Dalian dialect, unfortunately the ref was from Dalian so he understood it. It also could be debated whose behavior was more dangerous and should be punished more harshly, but this is just one of those highly annoying things CSL fans must deal with. On top of those 2 being out, Tao Wei is a gametime decision and, of course, Huang Bowen's still out for a few months.

Shanghai also has some concerns with Mao Jianqing not traveling with the team to Beijinng due to a high fever and Chen Tao, who suffered a bit of knack, being a gametime decision. Shanghai has played just as many matches as Guoan this year, so fitness should not be a big issue. Also, while there has been some intermittent rain in Beijing so far today, for the time being it's beautiful, so weather probably won't play a big part in this one.

This is a massive rivalry, the China derby, with most these players growing up knowing what this game means to their respective teams and cities. One man in particular who might step up is Martinez, a superstar in Shanghai, but yet to show the same form since joining Guoan. Both managers are sure to have their players up for this one as both are on thin ice right now. The preseason expectations of the media and fans have not been met and both have been underperforming.

I don't know why but I'm feeling very nrvous about this one, perhaps it's because of our recent formbor because wjhat this game means. Then again, it's easy to forget Shanghai fans are just as worried and, even worse, they are on the road. That fact hasn't mattered much as of late as Shanghai won every time they visited Fengtai, but with Guoan back at Gongti, where last time these teams met Guoan won 4-0, hopefully the magic of a home tie at Gongti will make the difference.

No matter what, get ready for a great night of football!

CSL Attendance Statistics

Now that we're 6 games into the season, I decided it was time to take a look at how attendance is going so far this year. The figures in Shaanxi and Beijing are very encouraging, and Jiangsu is very impressive for a newly promoted team. One wonders what is going on in Shanghai, however its mainly due to their weak attendance at their first game. Changsha is a joke and it was always expected to be that way, but hopefully Qingdao will improve after a few more home matches. Here's the list:

Shaanxi Zhongxin : Average = 37,196
Round 1 - 38,000
Round 4 - 35,000
Round 6 - 38,588

Beijing Guoan : Average = 35,000
Round 1 - 40,000
Round 3 - 30,000

Jiangsu Sainty : Average = 22,772
Round 2 - 21,000
Round 4 - 21,000
Round 6 - 26,315

Shandong Luneng : Average = 20,952
Round 1 - 18,000
Round 2 - 20,457
Round 4 - 21,735
Round 5 - 24,523
Round 6 - 20,044

Guangzhou Baiyunshan : Average = 19,000
Round 3 - 20,000
Round 5 - 18,000

Henan Construction : Average = 17,661
Round 1 - 23,000
Round 3 - 13,396
Round 5 - 16,588

Chengdu Blades : Average = 17,333
Round 3 - 18,000
Round 4 - 22,000
Round 6 - 12,000

Tianjin Teda : Average = 15,552
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 3 - 20,030
Round 5 - 11,626

Hangzhou Greentown : Average = 15,297
Round 1 - 15,000
Round 2 - 16,235
Round 4 - 14,656

Shanghai Shenhua : Average = 14,667
Round 1 - 11,000
Round 3 - 17,400
Round 5 - 15,600

Chongqing Lifan : Average = 13,867
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 4 - 14,000
Round 6 - 15,600

Dalian Shide : Average = 13,500
Round 2 - 12,000
Round 5 - 15,000

Shenzhen : Average = 12,750
Round 2 - 16,000
Round 3 - 11,000
Round 4 - 16,500
Round 6 - 7,500

Changchun Yatai : Average = 11,872
Round 3 - 12,000
Round 5 - 11,317
Round 6 - 12,300

Changsha Jinde : Average = 6,892
Round 1 - 8,000
Round 2 - 8,230
Round 3 - 4,200
Round 4 - 6,500
Round 6 - 7,532

Qingdao Zhongneng : Average = 6,500
Round 5 - 6,500

Top 5 Reasons Why Beijing Guoan is Better than Shanghai Shenhua

5. Shanghai's won the league more times since professionalism was implemented in Chinese soccer, but we've won the cup more AND won more throughout history.

4. Fan Zhiyi, Shen Si, Xie Hui, Mao Jianqing vs. Gao Hongbo, Shao Jiayi, Yang Chen, Xu Yunlong, Huang Bowen? Guoan's made a far greater contribution to the national team.

3. Hongkou Stadium vs. Gongti (Worker's Stadium)? Gongti's the winner, plain and simple, Sanlitun nearby, on two subway lines, bigger size, and held far more important events, plus more character.

2. Mao Jianqing can't hold his alcohol and needed 2 other guys to help him beat up 1 guy and 2 girls. Plus, he's a total national team failure.

1. "Flowers of Shanghai" vs. "Green Lions/Imperial Guard"? Again, hands down, Guoan takes it, those "flowers" are a perfect representation of Shanghai's men.

Oh yeah, one bonus reason: 9-1!

Reliving 9-1

The History of a Rivalry : 9-1

It was a hot summer's night in 1997 and a huge crowd showed up at Gongti to watch their beloved Beijing Guoan take on the hated Shanghai Shenhua. You see, Beijinger's don't like Shanghainese and vice versa and back in those days, just like it is today, both teams were made up with mainly local players who knew the rivalry between the cities and the teams that represent those cities.

What those fans didn't know is that they'd be treated to one of the greatest footballing feats in Guoan history. Over the course of two hours, those fans witnessed a total shellacking of a hated rival, as Andres Olivas Rubio and Casiano each scored 3 goals, Campos added 2, and Cao Xiandong finished off the scoring. Shenhua's only response came from Wu Chengying and couldn't serve as consolation for Shanghai fans who watched the match.

While most Beijing fans won't admit it, we are more than a little jealous of Shanghai's titles in 1995 and 2003. We've yet to win the league, though we are the "Kings of the Cup" having won it 4 times in our history. The lore of the 9-1 match is something Guoan fans have held on to tightly over the years. It is still possible to see "9-1" signs show up in the stand in Beijing and sometimes when road fans make the trip to Shanghai as well.

To those fans involved in this rivalry, its like Arsenal-Tottenham or Yankees-Red Sox, it is a true hatred and the only thing that can comfort me when Guoan loses is seeing Shanghai lose as well.

The rivalry has everything to do with the hatred between the two cities and of all the "China Derby" matches that receive that title, this one is truly the one that takes the cake. These two teams and their fans don't like each other and these matches always live up to it. During the CSL years, Beijing has won 3 times, lost 4, and came up with 3 draws. I'm not expecting Friday to be 9-1, but I hope the history of that game is remembered and when the final whistle is blown, Beijing secures 3 points.

Matchday 3 League Preview

This weekend sees 4 days of matches, lots of football action for the fans, including a holiday Monday matchup. Last week I went 3-5, hopefully this week will be a lot better.

4.03 19:30 Tianjin Teda - Chongqing Lifan
Due to the Champions League, we get treated to some Friday evening football, with 3 out of the 4 CL competitors playing at home. Tianjin has a perfect 6 points in CSL competition so far and taking on a whipping boy like Chongqing at home should be another easy 3 points for them. Prediction: Tianjin 3 - 0 Chongqing (though I wouldn't be surprised if Guinee continues his scoring streak)

4.03 19:30 Beijing Guoan - Jiangsu Sainty
Guoan is unbeaten in all competitions, having won twice at home and drawing twice on the road. A Friday night at Gongti is a rare experience and its sure to be a raucous crowd that will watch the Green Lions face off against last year's 1st division champions who've yet to earn a point this year. Should be easy pickings for Guoan. Prediction: Beijing 2 - 0 Jiangsu

4.03 19:30 Shanghai Shenhua - Shandong Luneng
This is the matchup of the weekend, last year's champion, Shandong, travels to Shanghai to take on last year's runners up. This one's hard to call with Shanghai playing at home in Hongkou and trying to recover from last week's debacle. Will be a great one. Prediction: Shanghai 1 - 1 Shandong

4.04 15:30 Shenzhen - Shaanxi Zhongxin
I like Shenzhen and believe in them after their away draw against Shandong, but last week was a tough derby loss. Shaanxi's also coming off a loss and looking to get back in form, in these early days, this is a hard call, but I'm sticking with Shenzhen in Saturday's only match. Prediction: Shenzhen 2 - 1 Shaanxi

4.05 15:30 Changchun Yatai - Chengdu Blades
Changchun opens up their home season tonight against a Chengdu team that has to be excited after their win over Shenhua. The elements in Changchun and the strength of that side should carry them past the Blades in a close one. Prediction: Changchun 1 - 0 Chengdu

4.05 15:30 Changsha Jinde - Qingdao Zhongneng
Two teams toward the bottom of the table go head to head in Hunan. Changsha plays anti-football and is incredibly boring to watch, but its been relatively effective so far earning them 2 points in 2 matchs, I have a feeling we're looking at another draw for them. Prediction: Changsha 1 - 1 Qingdao

4.05 15:30 Henan Jianye - Hangzhou Greentown
A win and a loss for each of these teams so far this season, Hangzhou's going to put up a fight (in its 2 different kits), but Henan and Netto will push past. Prediction: Henan 2 - 1 Hangzhou

4.06 16:00 Guangzhou Baiyunshan - Dalian Shide
The big holiday Monday matchup in Guangzhou as the home side takes on Dalian. Both teams are coming off a win, Guangzhou in their local derby and Dalian over Henan, but I don't think Guangzhou has the guns to get past Dalian. Prediction: Guangzhou 0 - 2 Dalian

Matchday 2 Recap

Matchday 2 offered a lot less scoring than its first incarnation and some more surprises.  While I did pretty crappy on my predictions, as the season moves on and things start to become clear, I should be doing a lot better.

Dalian Shide 1 - 0 Henan Jianye : WRONG

Zhao Mingjian opened up Dalian's home campaign on a positive note by scoring the matches only goal to help them win 1-0.  My 1-1 prediction was a bit off.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 0 Shaanxi Zhongxin : RIGHT

I was a little surprised with how Shaanxi didn't come out to play.  Shandong dominated their home opener and had a number of chances, Lebanese midfielder Antar knocked in the difference maker in the 57th minute toe seal the game.  Original prediction Shandong 2 - 1 Shaanxi.

Chengdu Blades 1 - 0 Shanghai Shenhua : WRONG

I was wrong about this match, but happily so, by far this was my favorite result of the weekend, it almost makes up for Du Wenhui's error.  You see, there's nothing I love more than seeing Shanghai lose as I really, really hate Shanghai.  I also really hate Mao Jianqing, seeing him miss time and again and blow chances made me extremely happy.

Chongqing Lifan 1 - 1 Qingdao Zhongneng : RIGHT

The only game I nailed, Guinee scored his 2nd goal of the CSL campaign to lead the league in scoring off a corner kick in the 11th minute, this guy's going to be pretty unstoppable throughout the season even though his team will be horrible.  Qingdao's equalizer came from Li Taiyong just before halftime.

Jiangsu Sainty 0 - 1 Changchun Yatai : WRONG

Jiangsu is very unlucky not to have a point, they played hard against Shanghai Shenhua and in their home opener they had a lot of chances, but just couldn't put one away.  They even had a penalty kick that was missed, these are opportunities that they'll need to put away if they want to stay up.  Changchun capitalized on Jiangsu's weak attack knocking in a header off a set piece to win the match.  I said 1-nil to Jiangsu, in fact it turned out the other way, if they don't turn things around its going to be a long season as they are now the only team without a point.

Shenzhen 1 - 2 Guangzhou Baiyunshan : WRONG

I got the score right, but had the wrong team winning as Shenzhen failed to repeat their impressive performance in the season's opening game.  Guangzhou's goals came off of 2 headers, 1 late in the first half and the other late in the 2nd sandwiching a 2nd half Shenzhen goal.  Xu Liang scored the winning goal for Guangzhou, securing them the first of the year's Guangdong derbies.

Hangzhou Greentown 0 - 2 Tianjin Teda : RIGHT

Tianjin continued their success with a 2-nil win at Hangzhou with a goal n the 20th minute off a Mao Biao cross into the box and a scramble in which Wang Xinxin finally put the ball in the net, Cao Yang killed the game in the 86th minute off a sweet goal giving Tianjin the win.  A 2-0 scoreline would appear to be a one-sided drubbing, but reality was far different with chance after chance falling to Hangzhou players who simply couldn't put the ball in the net.  Tianjin remains at the top of the league, with a perfect record so far.

Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Beijing Guoan : WRONG

Du Wenhui, must I say more?!?

A pretty miserable first week, getting only 3 out of the 8 matches right.

Matchday 1 League Recap

Yes, it took me a week to complete this.  Yes, I'm extremely lazy.  Yes, it wont take a week next time around.

Here goes:

Henan Jianye 2 - 1 Guangzhou Baiyunshan

The season kicked off in Zhengzhou with an interesting opening ceremony, a huge crowd, and the home team coming out on top.  A goal in the first half by Brazilian, Netto, opened up the scoring, but Guangzhou came back with an early second half goal in the 53rd minute, though less than 5 minutes later Henan once again took the lead and this time held on to it.

Shandong Luneng 1 - 1 Shenzhen

This had to be the shocker of matchday 1 as Shenzhen, a squad that narrowly avoided relegation, was able to earn a point at last year's champions.  Shenzhen took the lead in the 70th minute off of an Yin Xiaolong goal, though the hosts were able to avoid embarrassment when substitute Lu Zheng equalized 10 minutes later.

Shaanxi Zhongxin 2 - 0 Chengdu Blades

Shaanxi had a very workmanlike victory over the Chengdu squad with 2 second half goals.  One even set up by that most hated of Chinese footballers, Li Yi.

Changsha Jinde 0 - 0 Changchun Yatai

A great result for Changsha, a bad start for Changchun, a snorefest for everyone else.

Hangzhou Greentown 2 -1 Qingdao Zhongneng

Hangzhou scored the quickest goal so far when Otto put it in just 2 minutes after kick off, though Qingdao was able to equalize before the end of the first half.  However, just a few minutes into the 2nd half, Hangzhou took the lead.  Hangzhou was able to hold onto the lead, despite some close calls in the 2nd half.

Tianjin Teda 4 - 1 Dalian Shide

In what could truly be a changing of the guard in Chinese football, Tianjin decimated Dalian, scoring 4 times and perhaps symbolizing their ascendance into the top tier of Chinese football while Dalian continues to fade away.  Mao Biao kicked off the scoring for Tianjin and also assisted on a goal by Hao Junmin.

Shanghai Shenhua 2 - 1 Jiangsu Sainty

In what was a very boring game early, the two teams did a lot to make it interesting at the end. Newly promoted Jiangsu went ahead in the 76th minute off of a header by Carlos, making it look like we might see a great upset, though Shanghai (unfortunately) was able to equalize in the 87th and then go ahead in the 91st off of a goal from Shen Longyan to seal a victory.