The Omiya Ardija Chronicle
Market21 Feb 2028
Yu Horike 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 Omiya Ardija can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Omiya Ardija
Marcus Vinicius was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom21 Feb 2028
5 academy graduates step up at Omiya Ardija
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Transfer targets21 Feb 2028
Omiya Ardija rebuffed over Sho Hasebe
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. FC Tokyo have kept their man, and Omiya Ardija go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Market21 Feb 2028
Omiya Ardija promote Wataru Soma from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Wataru Soma has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market21 Feb 2028
One of our own: Hotaru Sakai joins the Omiya Ardija first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Hotaru Sakai is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market21 Feb 2028
Omiya Ardija promote Hiroki Maeda from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Hiroki Maeda has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Squad21 Feb 2028
A row about effort at Omiya Ardija
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ken Krolicki was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Registration rules keep Nicolas Ferri out at Omiya Ardija
It has nothing to do with his form and everything to do with how the squad was assembled. He will train all week with a group he is not permitted to play for, which is a strange way to spend a season.
In brief
- Looking ahead Katsunori Ueebisu faces his old club
- The dugout Mark Isozaki asks for a word with the manager
- Looking ahead Omiya Ardija travel to Jubilo Iwata