Thought Jeonbuk deserved a separate thread. Amazing job Jeonbuk. To be honest, I didn't think you guys had what it takes to be on the top. Ulsan had that aura(beating the J-League Champs 6-0, C-League champs 3-0, Saudi League champs 6-0, one would easily think so), but Jeonbuk didn't really care if the opponents were generally regarded as better or not. Whooped it nonetheless. Jeonbuk, the AFC Champions' League 2006 Champions. They put K-League where it deserves.
The irony of it all is that Jeobuk are 2nd from last in the K-League this season. I don't follow the K-League due to the fact I'm here in the states, but is this a case of the quality of our league or certain clubs focusing one over the other?
What's crazy is that if K-League had a promotion/relegation system, then Jeonbuk would've been relegated this year.
it's a fairy tale stuff for Jeonbuk, really. Considering how they were thinking of pulling out from the competition before it even began due to financial reasons, and then to come back from behind to win against Shenzhen and Ulsan and eventually going all the way definitely the quality of the league - Jeonbuk only started concentrating on the ACL after they reached the semi's, and being one of the lesser clubs in the K-league they couldn't afford to focus on the league as well as the comp (and considering how reaching the playoffs was impossible, it was the logical choice). Any other club in the league (other than Gwangju Sangmu) could've entered the comp. and won the whole thing I reckon, as to be serious Jeonbuk aren't that special when you look at their squad or resources etc
And don't forget the fact that they actually have a lot of talented young players. Kim Hyung-bum, Kwon Jip, and Yeom Ki-hoon will be stars in the league for years to come, and they also have a lot of talented defenders in Choi Jin-chul, Choi Chul-soon, and Kim Young-sun. Not to mention their goalie Kwon Sun-tae and defender Lim Yoo-hwan, two guys which I personally have very impressed with. IMO, reason why they have been a sub-par club in the league this year is because of their inconsistency which has a lot to do with majority of their players being inexperienced. But if they can add a consistent scorer which is possible now with the amount of money they'll make after winning the ACL and entering the CWC, then they have a bright future ahead of them (assuming that they keep their key players). I heard their manager Choi Kang-hee has a great relationship with Lee Dong-guk who'll be a freeagent at the end of this year. If they can somehow persuade him to join Jeonbuk before next season kicks off, then watch out.
But chances are, Lee Dong-guk will either re-sign with Pohang, sign with Suwon, or look for another club in Europe. Seongnam don't need him anyways. They're stacked at FW. I heard rumours about Kim Eun-jung being linked with Jeonbuk before this season, and I still think that he'd be a great addition to Jeonbuk because a player like KEJ is exactly what Jeonbuk needs. An experienced FW who can score 10+ goals a season. With reemergence of Jung Jo-guk and this crazy rumour about FC Circus signing Mohamed Kader this winter, enough cash might persuade FC Circus to get rid of KEJ.
LOL. But I want him kkkkkkkkkkkkk Mr. Woo's too old. In reality, Dong Guk should go to Europe. Triple J to Ajax
LDG was at Jeonbuk before? I want LDG to go to Chelsea or Liverpool if he were to go to England. He'd be Starting 11.
LDG was never at Jeonbuk LOL I forgot to congratulate Jeonbuk, Kudos to them. With this tally thanks to them Korea now has a magnificent 7 times crowned champions at this level. The most in Asia. And the first from East asia to be champions after they changed the name to AFC Champions League in 2002.
LDG has been a Gyeongsang-do / Pohang man all his life. He was born and raised in Pohang, went to school there, and he has been a Pohang fan since he was a little kid. It would take something special for LDG to leave Pohang, but anything's possible now that he'll be a FA. I also heard that LDG is interested in signing with Suwon because his friends, Kim Nam-il and Lee Sabik have been persuading him to come play with them. And believe it or not, LDG wants to play for Cha.. Because Cha is the one who gave him the chance to play in the 1998 WC when he was only 18.
I'm really happy for Choi Jin Chul. IIRC he retired from the KNT but he was asked to come out of retirement in order to help the KNT and he did. He ended up scoring that one goal against Lebanon during the WCQs.
Usually because of the dual-league system and the FA Cup that guarantees a spot in the ACL, clubs do have a tendency to focus on either the 1st Stage, 2nd Stage or the FA Cup. But for teams like Jeonbuk, their players are not that bad per se, however, its the depth of players that really guides you through an entire season and I guess this applies to every sport. So to answer your question directly, I suppose the answer is yes to both.