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.