(FM2010) Ganbatte!!! Preparing to add the J-League to FM2010
 

Yes, we are currently five weeks away from the release of Football Manager 2010. However, I want to try out the league/data creator as soon as it comes out. It looks fairly easy to do, but let's see how much prep work is needed to be done to do it (note: Adding the league and its teams is probably the EASY part, adding the players will be more difficult)

The top two levels are officially known as the J-League, and are self contained (IE, you can go down from J-League 1 to J-League 2, but there's no relegation from J-League 2).

Both J-League 1 and 2 are 18 team leagues, play each other team twice, for a total of 34 games. The bottom three teams from J-League 1 are relegated to J-League 2. The top three teams from J-League 2 are promoted to J-League 1.

The top three teams (Plus the winner of the Knockout Competition, the Emperor's Cup, or the fourth place team if the winner has already qualified), enter the Asian Champions League

Team list and details in the upcoming post

JEF United Ichihara Chiba (Short name: JEF United) (JEF United Ichihara Chiba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Colors:Yellow and Blue
Manager: Atsuhiko Ejiri (Japan) (start of 2009 season: Alex Miller (Scotland)
Home Stadium:Fukuda Denshi Arena (Fukuda Denshi Arena - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Capacity: 19,781 (18,500 seated)
2008 Average Attendance: 14,084
2008 Finish: 15th (out of 18 teams)


Notes: Only Japanese Team to play at the highest level of Japanese soccer (both pre and post J-league formation) consecutively since 1965 without ever being relegated. Won the Asian Champions Cup (the Asian version of the Champions League) in 1987, the first Japanese team to do so.

Now former Manager Alex Miller (fired in July, 2009) played for Glasgow Rangers for 15 years, racking up 306 appearances and 30 goals, and managed Scottish Premier League side Hibernian for a decade.

Yokohama Marinos (Yokohama F. Marinos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Colors: Blue/White
Manager: Kokichi Kimura (Japan)
Stadium: Nissan Stadium Nissan Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Capacity:72,327)
2008 Average Attendance: 23,682
2008 Finish: 9th

Notes: Originally formed in 1975, Yokohama Marinos merged with cross town rivals Yokohama Flügels in 1998. Bitter fans of the other Yokohama side, convinced that their club had been shortchanged in the merger, raised the capital to create a second Yokohama side owned and operated by the fans. This team (Yokohama F.C.) exists in the J-league's second division)

Gamba Osaka (Gamba Osaka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Colors: Blue/Black and White
Manager: Akira Nishino (Japan)
Stadium: Osaka Expo '70 Stadium (Osaka Expo '70 Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) (Capacity:21,000, not fully seated)
2008 Average Attendance: 16,128
2008 Finish: 8th place

Notes: Won the 2008 Asian Champions League, and made it to the Semi-Finals of the 2008 Club World Cup, before losing to Manchester United, 5-3, before defeating Mexico's Pachuca 1-0 in the third placed game. Their manager, Akira Nishino is the first Japanese manager ever to win four seperate competitions. (He won the League in 2005, J-League Cup in 1999 and 2007, the Emperor's Cup in 2008, and the Asian Champions League in 2008)

Final team for right now:

Nagoya Grampus (Nagoya Grampus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Colors: Red and White
Manager: Dragan Stojković (Dragan Stojković - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Stadium: Toyota Stadium (Capacity: 45,000) Toyota Stadium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2008 Average Attendance: 16,555
2008 Finish: 3rd Place (Qualified for Asian Champions League)

Notes: The manager is a legendary figure in the former nation of Yugoslavia. After a lengthy international career, when he retired, he was immediately named president of the Yugoslavian National federation. Arsène Wenger, the current manager of England's Arsenal, was his manager at Nagoya Grampus.

After less then successful stints as the head of the Yugoslav soccer team, as well as a brief time at home club Red Star Belgrade, Stojković was announced as the Nagoya Grampus's new manager.. not a lot was expected, but he managed to get the team to third in the J-League standings, and got them to qualify for the Asian Champions League.

Other interesting note: The retractable roof at Toyota Stadium folds like an accordion.

Does it make the same sound as an accordion?

How well do you know the J-League? I couldn't name a single player in the league. Just wondering how you're going to be able to rate players.

Dont they have some Brazilian who is now a naturalize citizen playing for the national team?

A couple of folks I know from outside the sports sim world are fairly rabid J-League fans. I'll probably get a lot of info from there.. we also get a weekly highlight show.. If worst comes to worst, I'll create the framework, and let someone else fill in the players.

No, not Japan, at least I can't think of one..

and Japan national football team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia this backs me up.

They did at the last world cup, Alessandro dos Santos. Though he did go to high school in Japan, having moved there when he was 16.