Ian Smith

Left Back - Avispa Fukuoka
14 Nov 2027
Sunday
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65 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad25 Oct 2027

The manager makes an example of Kazuki Fujimoto

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad25 Oct 2027

Ten Miyagi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Avispa Fukuoka, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market25 Oct 2027

Avispa Fukuoka put Kenny Nielsen up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Kenny Nielsen may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

Back issues
63 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market11 Oct 2027

Kenny Nielsen hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Avispa Fukuoka can pretend not to have heard.

Squad11 Oct 2027

The manager makes an example of Ian Smith

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match9 Oct 2027

Honours even between Avispa Fukuoka and Shonan Bellmare

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

54 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market9 Aug 2027

Kenny Nielsen asks to leave Avispa Fukuoka

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad9 Aug 2027

Kazuki Fujita keeps Avispa Fukuoka in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad9 Aug 2027

Ian Smith says Avispa Fukuoka went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market9 Aug 2027

Soki Tamura is a Avispa Fukuoka player

The fee is $650.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Shonan Bellmare drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad9 Aug 2027

Kohei Okuno gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad9 Aug 2027

Nassim Ben Khalifa stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Nassim Ben Khalifa and Avispa Fukuoka agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

51 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad19 Jul 2027

A one-man rearguard from Yuma Obata

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad19 Jul 2027

Eros García says Avispa Fukuoka went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market19 Jul 2027

Ian Smith hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Avispa Fukuoka can pretend not to have heard.

Match17 Jul 2027

4 matches without a win for Avispa Fukuoka

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Avispa Fukuoka are no longer polite ones.

Squad19 Jul 2027

Kazuki Fujita gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market19 Jul 2027

Hapoel Acre expected to open talks for Eros García

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Avispa Fukuoka will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

46 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market14 Jun 2027

Tomoki Kondo asks to leave Avispa Fukuoka

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad14 Jun 2027

The manager makes an example of Kazuki Fujita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match12 Jun 2027

Shonan Bellmare take the points off Avispa Fukuoka

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Market14 Jun 2027

Adelaide United expected to open talks for Yutaka Michiwaki

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Avispa Fukuoka will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad14 Jun 2027

Kazuki Fujita has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Kazuki Fujita keeps the shirt for now, at Avispa Fukuoka's convenience rather than his own.

Squad14 Jun 2027

Ian Smith asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

40 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match1 May 2027

7 matches without a win for Avispa Fukuoka

The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Avispa Fukuoka are no longer polite ones.

Market3 May 2027

Kazuaki Suganuma hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Avispa Fukuoka can pretend not to have heard.

Squad3 May 2027

Tatsuki Nara: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Avispa Fukuoka have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match1 May 2027

Sanfrecce Hiroshima take the points off Avispa Fukuoka

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad3 May 2027

Ten Miyagi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market3 May 2027

Talks stall between Avispa Fukuoka and Ten Miyagi

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

39 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market26 Apr 2027

Kenny Nielsen hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Avispa Fukuoka can pretend not to have heard.

Match24 Apr 2027

No end in sight to Avispa Fukuoka's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Avispa Fukuoka has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad26 Apr 2027

The manager makes an example of Kazuki Fujimoto

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

34 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad22 Mar 2027

Kanji Okunuki says Avispa Fukuoka went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad22 Mar 2027

A one-man rearguard from Kazuki Fujita

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match20 Mar 2027

Still nobody has beaten Avispa Fukuoka

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad22 Mar 2027

Shahab Zahedi out for 16 days

The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Shahab Zahedi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch22 Mar 2027

Hanan Sani Brown has seen enough of Shonan Bellmare

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Avispa Fukuoka, and 2 appearances in 6 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad22 Mar 2027

The manager makes an example of Ian Smith

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

32 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market8 Mar 2027

Kazuaki Suganuma asks to leave Avispa Fukuoka

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad8 Mar 2027

Marco Granados says Avispa Fukuoka went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad8 Mar 2027

Shintaro Nago signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Shintaro Nago commits to Avispa Fukuoka for another 3 years.

Match6 Mar 2027

Still nobody has beaten Avispa Fukuoka

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad8 Mar 2027

The manager makes an example of Kazuki Fujimoto

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match6 Mar 2027

Avispa Fukuoka share the spoils with Sagan Tosu

A 1-1 draw with Sagan Tosu leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

24 Edition

The Avispa Fukuoka Herald

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad11 Jan 2027

Kohei Okuno out for 19 days

The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Kohei Okuno, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market11 Jan 2027

Yuji Kitajima is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Avispa Fukuoka has been clear about where Yuji Kitajima stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad11 Jan 2027

Takumi Kamijima knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Avispa Fukuoka, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad11 Jan 2027

Masaya Tashiro has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Masaya Tashiro keeps the shirt for now, at Avispa Fukuoka's convenience rather than his own.

Market11 Jan 2027

Avispa Fukuoka put Masato Shigemi up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Masato Shigemi may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Market11 Jan 2027

Avispa Fukuoka pick up Kenny Nielsen for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Kenny Nielsen arrives at Avispa Fukuoka with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief