Agent Orange Reports: Relieved Of Command

I knew that it was coming in the back of my head but I am still shocked to hear that Omiya captain and consumate professional Yoshiyuki Kobayashi is leaving Ardija for Noda-sen rival Kashiwa Reysol.

When the announcement was made that Jang Wae Ryong would be the new head man at Omiya, I checked the stats of Yoshiyuki's time at Verdy under the same gaffer and found that he managed his least successful season in terms of numbers and games played. It did not seem like a good fit. When I saw pictures of Jang and Yoshiyuki, there was a clearly uncomfortable body language between the two. When I heard rumblings of players wanting to leave, I thought first of Yoshiyuki and Klemen Lavric. I don't have any inside knowledge, just a hunch.

Still, I'm shocked. I wonder if the team found out about the move before the Sanfrecce game. It would explain the shell-shock and complete blowout of a team that has never been run over like that before. And I think letting him go to Kashiwa is a very dangerous proposition. Say what you will about his lack of speed or limited flexibility positionally, he is a talented player. More importantly, he is a very intelligent player.

When Yoshiyuki first came to the squad, I was not impressed with him. 2007 changed my mind when he took over leadership from Chikara Fujimoto and stabilized a team in freefall. 2008 showed he was the heart of the squad. An injury sent the team into a six-game losing streak and nearly cost the Squirrels their J1 status.

I do appreciate the fact that the team didn't drag this out like in the Atsuhiro Miura or the Illyan Stoyanov scenarios two years ago, where Vissel Kobe and JEF United unnecessarily extended bad situations. It's a classy move for a classy player and well deserved. I don't begrudge him for wanting to go.

All the best to you Captain, the first scorer in the revamped NACK and the bomber of Kawasaki Frontale. Who would have thought that goalkeeper Nobuhisa Kobayashi would be the last Kobayashi standing? And what is the next move?

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