Japan's recent 3-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in their absorbing Asian Cup semi-final in Hanoi smacked of a team that had no Plan B. Plan A, of course, had been to beat Australia and avenge what had been a humiliating loss to The Socceroos at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Once that mission had been accomplished, Japan looked a team bereft of inspiration.

Saudi Arabia threw everything but the kitchen sink at the two-time defending champions and in the end goals from Yasser Al Qahtani and a double to Malek Maaz were enough to see off the Japanese, who equalised twice through defenders Yuji Nakazawa and Yuki Abe.

The latter celebrated his goal as though it was some kind of catharsis. Well may it have been, since it was Abe who looked the weakest link in Japan's back line. His hesitant defending caused constant panic in the Japan defence, and against Saudi Arabia the finger of blame could surely be pointed at Abe for at least one of the goals. Yet the finger of blame will surely be pointed at coach Ivica Osim instead, who insisted on playing his former protege at JEF United out of position, while leaving Urawa Reds' experienced central defender Keisuke Tsuboi on the bench.

The issue of JEF United players in the Japan squad will no doubt rear its ugly head again, and although substitute Naotake Hanyu smacked the crossbar with a thunderous strike late in the match, the performances of Hanyu, Maki, Mizuno and Yamagishi in this tournament will surely draw further scrutiny in the post-mortem to this defeat.  

So Japan trudge home failing to claim the third straight Asian Cup crown that they claimed they desired. Like Australia before them, they now experience the sting of unfulfilled ambition, but one can't help but wonder if it wasn't that quarter-final victory over Australia that took the wind out of Japan's sails and ultimately saw them blown off course by a proud Saudi outfit.

The performance of Sydney FC defender Mark Milligan, and to a lesser extent team-mate David Carney in Australia's 4-0 win over Thailand at the Asian Cup, has presented Australia coach Graham Arnold with somewhat of a quandry ahead of Australia's Asian Cup quarter-final clash with Japan.

West Ham defender Lucas Neill - who has endured a miserable tournament so far, returns from suspension, posing the question of who will partner Neill in defence - Milligan, or 1.FC Nürnberg stopper Michael Beauchamp.

Beauchamp has usurped Leicester City man Patrick Kisnorbo in the central defensive pecking order for Australia, although Beauchamp has at times looked shaky in an Australia jersey. He memorably came off the bench in the last minute of a friendly against Paraguay in Brisbane, and then promptly scored an equalising own goal, to send the crowd of 50,000 home in dismay.

Nevertheless Beauchamp turned in a solid performance against Thailand, even opening the scoring with his first ever goal for the national team - at the right end of the pitch, at any rate. Yet it was the performance of the small and agile Milligan that dominated the headlines.

Sydney FC coach Branko Culina has urged Milligan and Carney to consider their options in Australia, before rashly signing for one of Europe's lesser lights. Who could blame him? Culina obviously wants to keep his star players at the club, but in highlighting the fact that Milligan and Carney are both good enough to play for the national team, he has a valid argument.

Michael Beauchamp is a case in point. At Central Coast Mariners he was regarded as a defender with undoubted potential, but it took a move to the German Bundesliga for him to receive a serious look-in with the national team.

That no longer needs to be the case. Milligan and Carney's performance proves that if you are good enough, you should be in the team, regardless of where you play your club football. 

Of course one match is unlikely to be the basis of a monumental shift in attitude, but it has certainly given Australia coach Graham Arnold food for thought.

The 14th Asian Cup has kicked off amidst a blaze of spectacular football and upset results. Vietnam recorded their first ever Asian Cup finals victory, beating the United Arab Emirates in front of 40,000 fanatical fans at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi. Indonesia scored a stunning 2-1 win over a powerful Bahrain, whilst Thailand chipped in with their first ever win at the finals, beating Oman 2-0 with a clinical display of precision counter-attacking football. The so-called giants have all struggled - Japan were held to a 1-1 draw by Qatar, Australia came within a whisker of losing to Oman before a late Tim Cahill equaliser, and it was then the turn of the Qatari's to conjure a late equaliser, to snatch a 1-1 draw with a rampaging Vietnam. The football has been pulsating, the goals have been glorious, the stars are on show. So why has the world's media turned their backs on the competition?

Undoubtedly the fact that both the Copa America and the FIFA under-20 World Cup have been taking place at the same time that the Asian Cup kicked off, has not helped. Yet to read some European newspapers you would think that the only competition going on in world football is between English Premier League clubs trying to outdo each other with their next over-the-odds purchase of another mediocre B-grade star. It's not as if European football is not represented at the Asian Cup - several Iran stars ply their trade in the German Bundesliga, Celtic's Player Of The Year Shunsuke Nakamura is the star man in the Japan midfield, Oman goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi is on the books at Bolton whilst virtually the entire Australian team is cobbled together from players who ply their trade in England, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands or Turkey.

Co-hosting the event in four nations - Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia has diluted support somewhat, particularly with Thai and Malay fans having offered only lukewarm support of the tournament so far. Yet with Thailand set to clash with Australia in a match of monumental significance in the final game of Group A, Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium could be rocking to the tune of 60,000 hitherto indifferent Thai's. Likewise crowds at Indonesia's Gelara Bung Karno Stadium will only get bigger - and there were some 60,000 in attendance when Indonesia beat Bahrain, whilst Japan have the most uncomfortable-looking final matchday encounter of all, at a zealously sold-out My Dinh Stadium where they will face an exuberant Vietnam.

That high quality of football on offer makes the relative lack of interest from the European media in particular, somewhat of a shame. While European clubs fall over themselves to "exploit" Asian fans with off-season junkets to the Far East that are little more than an exercise in selling shirts, it's a pity that the cross-cultural exchange of football is not yet a two-way street.

Sitting here in a lonely Bangkok Hotel, not far from Rajamangala Stadium where two nights ago I saw my national team Australia turn in arguably the worst performance I've seen in fifteen years of following their fortunes, I've been quietly pondering the content of my latest piece.

There were of course League Cup quarter-finals taking place in Japan last weekend - where Holger Osieck predictably fielded an ultra-conservative starting eleven, and then watched as Urawa gave up a one goal lead to draw 1-1 at home with Gamba Osaka. A couple of other teams recorded impressive victories - particularly Ventforet Kofu over Kawasaki Frontale, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima over Kashima Antlers, while FC Tokyo were the only team to win away from home, in front of a full house at Mitsuzawa against Yokohama F. Marinos.

Yet it was the announcement from a close friend of mine in Prague last week that ultimately fuelled my inspiration; FC Bohemians are back, and if Hollywood has lead me to believe anything, they're out for revenge.

When I was eighteen I suffered several traumas. I experienced my first true love, and then watched it slip away to the tyranny of distance. Much as I love German football, it was my German femme fatale who taught me several lessons. One was to cherish the things you love, because in an instant they could be gone. Tell that to the fans of SC Fortuna Köln - of which I was one, on the day they smashed local rivals 1.FC Köln 4-1 in the Müngersdorferstadion in March of 2000. There were 42,000 fans in the crumbling Müngersdorfer to witness that highly charged 2.Bundesliga clash - and only 1,000 were supporting the unfashionable club from the south side of Cologne.

These days SC Fortuna Köln exist in name only. They went bankrupt in 2005 - mainly thanks to the fact that the pockets of benefactor Jean Löring had finally run dry - but not until he had personally overseen the club's twenty-six year stay in the Second Division - the longest of any current German club. Löring died shortly after the team had been declared insolvent.

Not even Löring had been able to stave off the drop out of professional football anyway. I was in the Südstadion the day that Borussia Mönchengladbach's Michael Frontzeck thumped home a header that consigned Fortuna to the Third Division, and I doubt I'll ever forget the bitterness as I walked the streets of Zollstock on that cold afternoon.

That's why when my friend from Prague recently told me that Bohemians were back in the big time, I couldn't help but crack a wry smile. In fact, I was originally stunned. Like many, I had assumed that when the Traditionsverein dropped out of the Czech top flight in 2003, that would be the end of them. Indeed it was the end of them. FC Bohemians Praha, one of the most famous clubs in Czech football, went bankrupt.

But something happened in Vršovice. The fans got angry. They got so angry that their beloved team was about to disappear because of the workings of shady businessmen - the club at one stage had five dubious owners in just one year, that they raised the funds to keep Bohemians afloat. Not only were the club forced to tread water in the Second Division, they had to legally change their name just to do so.

And in 2007, on the back of an incredible eighteen match unbeaten streak, FC Bohemians achieved the unthinkable. They hauled themselves back from the brink. They booked a return to the big time. For the 2007-08 season, one of Czech football's most famous clubs will once again ply their trade in the Gambrinus Liga.

Of course no return from obscurity would be complete without some meddling from league officials. Bohemians have been informed that their beloved Ďolíček Stadion does not meet top flight requirements. No longer are fans allowed to stand behind the goals - apparently this causes a safety concern, although fans could travel a short distance across the border to German club Energie Cottbus and stand to their heart's content. Now Bohemians face costly ground renovations which will not only severely reduce the stadium's capacity, but which will no doubt take something away from the spirit of the ground.

But nothing can take away from the spirit of Bohemians fans. They saved this club. And in doing so, they should have struck fear into the hearts of all the Roman Abramovich's and Thaksin Shinawatra's in the world. Football is something that can not be bought and sold. It may be big business these days, but at the heart of the game remain the fans. And if the game continues to be supported by fans as loyal as Bohemians', then nothing can destroy it.

http://www.fc-bohemians.cz/default_en.asp

So the mid-season break has arrived in the J-League, leaving most teams to dream of what once was and possibly what could be in the second half of the season.

Gamba Osaka are in the dream position at the top of the table. They are five points clear of defending champions Urawa Reds - although Urawa have a game in hand, to be played on a Wednesday night on August 1 against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. If Urawa drop points in that match, and it ends up costing them the title, fans will again be questioning the wisdom of participating in the A3 Champions Cup in China earlier this season.

Albirex Niigata are the surprise package of the season (having usurped that mantle from Kashiwa Reysol). Niigata have always had the fan base to rely upon, but to the surprise of many they've also looked the goods on the pitch this season. One catalyst for their upturn in fortunes has been the form of ex-Sao Caetano midfielder Marcio Richardes. Signed just before the season kicked off, Richardes has excelled with his vision and passing range, not to mention his six league goals chipped in from midfield. Just don't mention that missed penalty that cost Niigata a place in the League Cup quarter-finals!

Kashima Antlers are another club that has experienced an upsurge of form. Their demanding fans were up in arms after it took weeks for Kashima to record the first home victory of the season, however Kashima then launched an unlikely nine match unbeaten streak to rocket themselves up the table. They undid their good work somewhat, losing 2-1 to FC Tokyo at home in the last match before the break, which means that Kashima will spend the summer in fourth. Nevertheless coach Oswaldo de Oliveira will be relatively satisfied with that result, if for no other reason than it gives him some breathing space over the summer.

Kawasaki Frontale, Shimizu S-Pulse, Jubilo Iwata and Yokohama F. Marinos fill the next positions, with all four clubs harbouring aspirations of finishing higher in the table come the end of the season. The two Shizuoka clubs - Shimizu and Jubilo arguably have the best chance of doing so, with Kawasaki appearing to be fatigued by their exertions in the AFC Champions League, whilst Yokohama haven't quite clicked under unpopular coach Hiroshi Hayano.

Kashiwa Reysol were flying high in the top three for most of the season, but a recent barren run - including a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of an under-strength Shimizu S-Pulse last weekend, has seen them drop down to ninth.

Mid-table contains the usual suspects, with sleeping giants Nagoya Grampus Eight slumbering on as ever, along with Vissel Kobe, FC Tokyo, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and JEF United. Perhaps with the exception of Vissel Kobe, the rest of those clubs all have the potential to propel themselves up the table - with FC Tokyo arguably the most inconsistent team in the J-League this year. The biggest surprise amongst that list is JEF United, who have been so poor this season it's a wonder that they have managed to haul themselves into fourteenth place.

Ventforet Kofu are treading water just above the bottom three, and Kofu fans may be plagued by some mid-summer season nightmares over the coming six weeks, given the vendetta that the J-League seemingly has with the Mountain Men from Yamanashi-ken. Although a series of diabolical refereeing decisions have gone against them, coach Takeshi Oki will also know that unless his club can sign a decent striker from somewhere - and they seemingly already have about ten strikers on their books, then his team could make the drop, regardless of whether Kofu get a break from the men in black come August.

Omiya Ardija, Oita Trinita and Yokohama FC will spend the summer mired in the bottom three. Of those three clubs Oita are clearly the biggest surprise, and coach Pericles may spend an uncomfortable summer updating his Curriculum Vitae. Omiya have been somewhat unlucky - particuarly through injury, with Daigo Kobayashi, Kota Yoshihara and now goalkeeper Hiroki Aratani all missing key games through injury. They'll need an ounce of luck to avoid the drop - especially if JEF United are hovering around the relegation zone come the end of the season, with the J-League unlikely to be impressed by the thought of the Chiba outfit plying their trade in J2 next season.

Many - including yours truly, thought that the euphoria of their first ever season in the top flight might propel Yokohama FC to a few more wins that they've picked up (just three - the same amount as Omiya Ardija have picked up under conservative new coach Robert Verbeek). An injury that has kept ex-Japan international Tatsuhiko Kubo out for virtually the entire season has crushed Yokohama FC's hopes, however, and it'll take a dramatic twist of Shakespearean proportions to save them from the drop.

After the Ilian Stoyanov saga at JEF United, Vissel Kobe's sacking of Atsuhiro Miura and the incredible seven match suspension handed down to Ventforet Kofu striker Takehito Shigehara - the lastest soap-opera style drama revolves around the sacking of ex-Jubilo Iwata midfielder Naoya Kikuchi. The 2004 Athens Olympian is likely to be prosecuted for having sex with a minor, after he admitted to having consensual sex with a fifteen year old school-girl in the back seat of his car. Unfortunately for the young midfielder - whose judgement was already questionable, he attempted to hand the girl some money after the deed was done - and promptly left his wallet in the basket of the girl's bike. She handed it in to police, who were immediately suspicious as to how she obtained Kikuchi's wallet, and when questioned she admitted that the two had had sex. This is a crime in Shizuoka-ken - where the deed took place, and so now Naoya Kikuchi is scouring the unemployment pages following his roll on the back seat of his car. Not all is lost for Kikuchi, however - at least he has the mid-season break to try and find himself a new club.