Eddy not so steady as the Chiba Dogs sink in Shimizu
Saturday, 29 November 08, 10:10 PM · Comments(3)
I read an interview with JEF United defender Eddy Bosnar on Australian FourFourTwo the other day in which the Sydney-born defender claimed to have been "treated badly" by Australian officials as he continues to be overlooked for national team duty.
My interest stemmed from the fact that at the time of press United were lying second from bottom in the J. League, having conceded 45 goals - the equal second worst defensive record in the top flight. Surely not the kind of form that would have Australia coach Pim Verbeek frantically reaching for the phone.
Since that interview appeared United have been thrashed 3-0 at home by Yokohama F. Marinos, and yesterday their chances of avoiding relegation took another serious blow when Alex Miller's side were beaten 3-2 by Shimizu S-Pulse in front of a massive crowd of 20,079 at a jam-packed Nihondaira Stadium.
Not surprisingly United fans were out in force at Nihondaira, but things got off to a bad start when Shimizu midfielder Akihiro Hyodo unleashed a textbook left-foot volley after twenty-six minutes to send the home team on their way. United striker Seiichiro Maki then responded with a textbook header of his own as the Japan striker leaned back to power home a Reinaldo cross six minutes later, as the two teams traded expertly taken goals.
If the opening two goals proved just how technically adept Japanese footballers are, Shimizu's second brought into sharp focus one of their genuine deficiencies. There should never have been any danger when an overhit Hyodo corner was headed back across the face of goal, but United keeper Masahiro Okamoto somehow allowed Akinori Nishizawa's header to slip underneath his body, and in the panic that followed United captain Tomi Shimomura blasted the ball into the back of his own net. Okamoto has traded places with fellow United shot-stopper Tomonori Tateishi all season, but with only Consadole Sapporo's comedy duo Takahiro Takagi and Yuya Sato representing an even worse choice in goal than what Alex Miller has on his hands, it's no surprise to see both United and Sapporo stranded in the automatic relegation places.
In the second half S-Pulse killed off United hopes once and for all as exciting young Japan international Shinji Okazaki slalommed through the United defence unchallenged before stroking the ball into the far corner of the goal. The Chiba Dogs managed to pull one goal back through another Maki header, but it proved scant consolation for Alex Miller's side, as they crashed to their sixteenth defeat of the season.
In stoppage time Bosnar failed to enamour himself to the S-Pulse fans when he got himself sent off for a second bookable offence. Bosnar would already have been suspended from United's final game of the season at home to FC Tokyo having picked up his twelfth booking of the campaign, but the Australian hauled himself level with Tokyo Verdy's human foul machine Takashi Fukunishi at the top of the "most booked" charts as he needlessly stood over an injured Akihiro Hyodo, before waving a finger in the face of referee Toshimitsu Yoshida, who predictably responded by brandishing a red card straight back.
Fortunately for Bosnar and JEF United, their two nearest relegation rivals Jubilo Iwata and Tokyo Verdy both lost. I saw a replay of Kashima defender Daiki Iwamasa's stoppage-time goal against Jubilo on a fellow S-Pulse fan's mobile phone in the carpark down the road from Nihondaira, and the joyous reaction from the surrounding S-Pulse fans suggested that none too many were concerned about the prospect of missing out on the Shizuoka derby in 2009.
It would be a shame if JEF United went down - they're one of the most fervently supported teams in the league, and they routinely bring huge support to clubs around the Kantō and Chūbu regions. They're also just one of six clubs to have featured in every season in the Japanese top flight since its inception in 1993. They've played dreadfully this season, however, and they weren't helped by a forgettable performance from Eddy Bosnar here, who will no doubt hope that Pim Verbeek and co. don't take too close a look at a DVD of this one.
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
Thanks for your opinion
Perhaps it shows the danger of picking players based on leagues they are playing (or used to play in) instead of actually watching the player.
Most people who haven't seen him just look at his CV and say that's not bad, perhaps give him a go.
From the reports of the few people in Australia who have seen him the view of him as a player is lot more cautious.
3 Comments · Add yours
Mike
I'm wondering what's your opinion on Eddie Bosnar as a player. He's always been in the media complaining that he was treated badly. First by Frank Farina about how he was dropped over text message and that Franky never talked to him.
Later he's complaining that he was offered to play for Croatia and that he decided that he rather represents Australia. He seems bit miffed that he rejected Croatia for Australia and yet never played for Australia.
I have never seen him play in person and that Australia do need some cover for central defenders. Jade North is in inconsistent form, Craig Moore is aging and lacking in pace and Chris Coyne is struggling to get a game in 3rd division England and look out of his depth against Bahrain.
I'm thinking perhaps Eddie Bosnar should be given a go. He's has good experience in europe including the eredivision. Currently playing regularly in a good league. He is also only 28 and should be at his peak of his career. Although Pim has seen him play before and did select him for friendly against Ghana but the JEF United Chiba refused to release him as it is not a FIFA date. After that he's been out of the radar.
Is Eddie good enough to be given a go? Is he really unlucky not to have been given a cap. Or should he stop complaining and work on improving his performance at club level. What is his strength and weaknesses. I assume that you have seen him more often then most of us in Australia and would appreciate your opinion of his ability.
G'day dasilva,
It's an interesting question.
I really want Eddy Bosnar to do well in the J. League, but to a certain extent the facts speak for themselves.
His team are second from bottom going into the final day and they have the second worst defensive record in the league.
To claim that he's a victim of circumstance (in being overlooked for the national team because he plays in Japan) ignores the fact that he probably wouldn't be in Japan in the first place were it not for Josip Kuze coming in as JEF United coach at the start of the season, and Kuze knew Bosnar from his days at Dinamo Zagreb.
I might be mistaken, but I thought that either Pim Verbeek or one of his staff came over to Chiba to watch JEF United host Vissel Kobe earlier this season.
There wasn't much Eddy could do about Kobe's late equaliser LINK but I vaguely recall that he didn't play particularly well in that game.
At any rate, he's probably good enough to be a squad member for the Socceroos - he's not a bad player in the greater scheme of things - but maybe the fact that he's always talking about himself (instead of talking about "the team") says something about why he's not in the squad.
He strikes me as a bit of an individualist and maybe that's not what Pim Verbeek is after?
As for his strengths and weaknesses...
He's tall, has decent positional sense and has a venomous strike from long-distance, particularly at free-kicks.
But he's made a few costly mistakes at United this season.
If anything I feel that if people had actually seen him in action he probably wouldn't be spoken of as national team material.
Maybe he's just not been on the top of his game this season - coming to a country like Japan requires a pretty big personal adjustment - but I've not really seen anything from him to suggest that he should be walking into the national team.
(Prove me wrong, Eddy... prove me wrong!)