J-League, Let's Go!

[Anton Gramscescu]

J-League, Let's Go!

Furtho wrote: AG - lots of changes at Omiya since you were there. Your favourite Rafael Marques was sold

Whoa whoa whoa. For money? Someone paid for him?

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Rafael went to Botafogo, whose coach was at Kashima Antlers for some years and was rumoured to be keeping an eye on him then. Cantagalo said Rafael quickly earned himself a place in a League's Worst XI compiled by one of the Brazilian papers, although that was a while ago.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Incredible J1 games today, many of them played in heavy rain that made things very dangerous for the players. Hiroshima lost at Urawa and are now only a point clear at the top ahead of Sendai, who twice let slip a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Kashima. The fight for the third ACL spot is also intense between Urawa, Nagoya, last year's champions Kashiwa and even promoted Tosu, who have done amazingly well as a small club in their first-ever season in J1.

At the bottom Niigata suffered a disastrous home loss to Kawasaki and now look doomed to joining Sapporo in J2. But the other main relegation candidates all won away -- Gamba at S-Pulse, Omiya at Cerezo* and even Kobe in the middle of what looked like a lake at FC Tokyo. It's therefore perfectly possible that someone will get relegated with as many as 43 points, an extraordinary total in a 34-game division.

J1 top 6 (2 games remaining):

1. Hiroshima 58
2. Sendai 57
3. Urawa 52
4. Nagoya 52
5. Tosu 50
6. Kashiwa 49

J1 bottom 8 (2 games remaining):

11. Jubilo 43
12. Cerezo 41
13. Kashima 40
14. Omiya 40
15. Kobe 39
--------
16. Gamba 37
17, Niigata 34
18. Sapporo 14

Meanwhile the first leg of the J2 promotion playoff games are tomorrow, Sunday. It's also been confirmed that Ossie Ardiles has left Machida.

*AG - Omiya were utterly unrecognisable today from the team you witnessed.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

The J2 promotion play-offs on Sunday were both won in emphatic fashion by the away team - Oita Trinita beat Kyoto Sanga 4-0, all the goals coming from striker Yasuhito Morishima, and JEF United triumphed at Yokohama FC by the same score. Oita meet JEF in the play-off final on Friday to decide which of them will go up to J1 for 2013 alongside Ventforet Kofu and Shonan Bellmare.

Getting to within a single game of promotion is an especially impressive achievement by Trinita, whose recent history is extremely turbulent. The club overspent wildly in an attempt to build on a surprise 4th-placed J1 finish in 2008 and ended up getting relegated just a year later. The J-League bailed them out with a substantial loan and they have been operating in J2 on a shoestring, but earlier this year the debt to the league was repaid, making Oita eligible for a place in J1 again.

Highlights of Kyoto - Oita are here and Yokohama FC - JEF are here. Note, in the traditional Japanese style there's absolutely no discussion by the commentators of the obvious handball leading to JEF's first goal.

[Anton Gramscescu]

J-League, Let's Go!

Furtho wrote: Note, in the traditional Japanese style there's absolutely no discussion by the commentators of the obvious handball leading to JEF's first goal.

Bad form to criticize the ref? Do they get treated as sensei or something?

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

TV tends not to show replays or discussion of anything contentious.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Forgive the bias but I can't stop watching this clip from a handheld camera of Omiya's second goal against Cerezo at the weekend. There's something ecstatic about football like this. It's a peach of a counter-attack and the kind of goal that, up until a month or two ago, I could never have imagined that such a bleakly incompetent team as Omiya were capable of scoring. And to top it all off you get the sight of Cerezo's South Korean goalkeeper bellowing at their Brazilian midfielder for failing to track back the guy who actually scores. It's just beautiful.

[matt j]

J-League, Let's Go!

Great clip. Totally deserved chewing out too.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Oita beat JEF 1-0 in the Division 2 Promotion Play-off at the national stadium on Friday, meaning that they go up to J1 2013 alongside Kofu and Shonan. Highlights here.

[Doraemon]

J-League, Let's Go!

Disappointed that JEF failed to make it again as I have a bit of a soft spot for them. One interesting variation to these new (for Japan) play-offs was that in the event of a draw the team higher placed in the league would be declared the winner. I don't know if that affected the outcome in that JEF thought they just needed to defend the draw, while Oita knew they had to go for the winner.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

With one round of matches still to play Sanfrecce Hiroshima have won the J-League title for the first time. They beat Cerezo Osaka 4-1 today while the only team that could catch them, Vegalta Sendai, put on a very disappointing performance to lose 1-0 at home to Albirex Niigata. Sagan Tosu, who were playing in J2 a year ago, moved in to the third Asian Champions League spot by beating Urawa Reds 3-1. Brief highlights of the Hiroshima - Cerezo game are here.

At the bottom of the table Kashima Antlers and Omiya Ardija both won to confirm their places in J1 for next season. The remaining relegation spots will be occupied by two from Albirex, Cerezo, Gamba Osaka and Vissel Kobe. Gamba's draw at home to FC Tokyo was followed by a tannoy announcement of the nominees for club Player of the Year and the inclusion on the list of keeper Yosuke Fujigaya -- a man for whom the word hapless was invented -- was met with astonished derision by supporters.

It's been apparent to anyone taking even the slightest interest in the J-League that Gamba were hamstrung by a weak defence and goalkeeper and the club are now seeing the consequences of their own extraordinary blind spot: the team have scored more goals than anyone else in J1, but are third from bottom of the table. And while we're on the subject of curious stats, Albirex Niigata have conceded the equal fewest number of goals, but are second bottom. Balance, lads, balance.

[Anton Gramscescu]

J-League, Let's Go!

Gramski Jnr. was just looking at the table and remaking on how small the gap was between top spot and the relegation zone. Is this normal? How does this level of parity come about? Are there salary caps, that kind of thing?

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

It is pretty normal, although this year for some reason we are seeing a more extreme version. At the top no one team has been in dominant form throughout the year and so Hiroshima's championship-winning points total will average out at less than 2 points per game, while at the bottom it's quite possible that one or even two teams may get relegated with 40+ points, which in a 34-game league is extraordinary.

I don't know a huge amount about the financial side of the J-League but I gather that a degree of parity is maintained by such measures as a sharing between member clubs of money raised through the selling of merchandise, and the standardisation of certain types of player contract, meaning good younger players will not benefit financially from signing to a big club -- and indeed are likely to pick up more playing time if they take a deal with a small team.

A fair proportion of J-League member clubs are not in the best financial shape, but this seems to be due more to the weakness of the Japanese economy than anything else. Certainly the League are extremely keen to avoid a repeat of Oita Trinita's overstretching themselves, as mentioned upthread, and by way of example pressure was put on FC Gifu to change their president to someone with experience of local politics in order to improve ties between the football club, city/prefectural government and local business.

This three-way relationship is regarded as being of critical importance to many J-League clubs, especially smaller teams in more out-of-the-way areas, and this also applies in the context of the League's ongoing plans for expansion. After all there is not much point in aiming to increase the number of members on the one hand if on the other existing clubs are going bust. Indications are that within the next few seasons the J-League will set up a new division (currently being nicknamed the Challenge League) below J2, which will function outside of the league proper as a sort of halfway house for ambitious J-League-focused clubs in the JFL and nine Regional Leagues. A significant majority of such teams are located in prefectures that do not at the moment have a J-League club.

[matt j]

J-League, Let's Go!

Thanks again for keeping this thread going Furtho.

Having only followed this season through the 30-minute highlights package they show in the US, and your posts of course, I'm oddly pleased by Hiroshima's title run. Hiroshima's captain (who I know next to nothing about) has to be player of the season (surely?) and its been fun watching him this year. The team had... for lack of a better word... personality.

Gamba's problems are really interesting, particularly as you called it way back at the beginning of the season.

The J-league is always good value for entertainment purposes, I have to say. At least for the limited way I can follow it.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

I'm not seeing anyone galled at the thought of Hiroshima winning the title, Mat. They play good football and certainly are easier on the eye than Sendai. The Player of the Year will be announced next Monday and as you say it would be surprising if it wasn't won by Sanfrecce's captain, Hisato Sato -- also the top scorer in J1 this year with 22 goals. I like Sato a lot, partly because he's a really good player and a tremendous close-range finisher, and partly because he comes from a town close by my missus and when he's back home takes his parents to a backstreet mom 'n' pop sushi restaurant that we also go to.

Obviously I'm biased but, yeah, I think the J-League is one of the world's great leagues in terms of the balance of quality and competitiveness. The standard is high and each year a ridiculously high proportion of teams have a genuine chance of winning something -- as was the case in 2011, when Kashiwa won the title straight after being promoted back to the top division, and a J2 club, FC Tokyo, won the Emperor's Cup. It's just great.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

The 2012 J1 season came to a conclusion on Saturday. The title and second place were already decided, but Urawa Reds moved in to the third Asian Champions League spot by beating Nagoya Grampus 2-0. Promoted side Sagan Tosu slipped out of the top three as a result of their loss to Yokohama F Marinos, who themselves finished a surprising fourth.

Filling the relegation places alongside this year's absolutely craptastic team, Consadole Sapporo, are Vissel Kobe and Gamba Osaka. Vissel couldn't reverse their recent calamitous slump, losing 1-0 at home to champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but while Kobe have some experience of the second division Gamba will spend the winter preparing for a first-ever J2 season.

They may even ponder the defensive frailties that brought about their demise -- Gamba actually go down with a +2 goal difference -- which were again evident in their 2-1 defeat at Jubilo Iwata. After the final whistle at that game a section of the visiting fans reportedly refused to leave the stadium, in protest at the Gamba management. Mention must also be made of Albirex Niigata, who completed a surprising escape from the drop as a result of a 4-1 defeat of Sapporo, which saw the Mighty Swans overtake both Vissel and Gamba. Here's the final table:

1. Hiroshima 64pts
2. Sendai 57
3. Urawa 55
- - - - - - -
4. Marinos 53
5. Tosu 53
6. Kashiwa 52
7. Nagoya 52
8. Kawasaki 50
9. S-Pulse 49
10. FC Tokyo 48
11. Kashima 46
12. Jubilo 46
13. Omiya 44
14. Cerezo 42
15. Niigata 40
--------
16. Kobe 39
17. Gamba 38
18. Sapporo 14

That might be the end of the league seasons but the Emperor's Cup starts again with the last 16 in a couple of weeks' time, while the Club World Cup will be staged in Japan starting on Thursday, when Sanfrecce play Auckland City.

On the non-league scene there's been some much-needed good news for the Tohoku region of Japan. The increasingly popular Fukushima United club have gained promotion from the Tohoku League up to the third-tier JFL, a key step along the road to a hoped-for J-League place.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Hisato Sato did indeed win Player of the Year at the J-League Awards event today.

[Anton Gramscescu]

J-League, Let's Go!

Where is the CWC being played, Furtho? At the Olympic Stadium, like it was back in the old days? Or have they shifted it to one of the WC venues?

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

It's split between the excellent Toyota Stadium in, er, Toyota, which is sometimes used by Nagoya Grampus, and the Yokohama International Stadium -- more commonly referred to as the Nissan Stadium, and home to Yokohama F Marinos. The latter wss used in the World Cup.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Lots of goals and excitement in today's Emperor's Cup 4th Round ties, although none too many shocks - the participants in the quarter finals next weekend all come from J1 apart from JEF United, who beat the last remaining Regional League side, Fukushima United, 5-0. Nagoya Grampus won 5-2 against Roasso Kumamoto and Cerezo Osaka also recorded a big victory, 4-0 over Shimizu S-Pulse.

Gamba Osaka have as expected appointed ex-S-Pulse coach Kenta Hasegawa with a target of an immediate return to J1 following their stunning relegation, but Gamba struggled to eliminate Machida Zelvia -- J2's bottom team and the first ever to be relegated out of the J-League. Gamba were twice behind but eventually came back to win 3-2. Omiya Ardija pulled off the comeback of the day, though, as the in-form Squirrels beat Kawasaki Frontale 4-3 after trailing 3-0 at half time.

Sunday's quarter final draw is:

Cerezo - Gamba
JEF - Kashima
Nagoya - Marinos
Omiya - Kashiwa

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

There's a nice compilation clip of the best goals scored in J2 2012 here.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

In the Emperor's Cup quarter final ties played today Gamba Osaka beat local rivals Cerezo 2-1 after extra time to set up a semi final against Kashima Antlers, 1-0 winners over JEF United. Given that the Cup winners qualify for the Asian Champions League, this means that Gamba might next year be playing in the ACL as well as trying to win promotion back to J1.

The other semi will be between 2011 J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol and Yokohama F Marinos. Reysol came from 2-0 down at half time to beat Omiya Ardija with a 94th-minute winner, and Marinos got past Nagoya Grampus on penalties following a 0-0 draw. Both the semis are to be staged on Saturday with the final, as tradition dictates, on New Year's Day.

[Anton Gramscescu]

J-League, Let's Go!

Boo! I was hoping for an Orange Happy Semi Final.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

Anton Gramski wrote: Boo! I was hoping for an Orange Happy Semi Final.

Well, yeah. Still, the Squirrels finished the season with a 14-game unbeaten run and at times playing the best football I've ever seen from an Omiya team, so it would be churlish to express too much disappointment. We'll have to see how the squad is looking for the start of 2013, though, to see if it was actually a significant step forward for the club or more of a kind of lengthy flash in the pan -- for one thing it looks like Hiroyuki Komoto, the defender loaned from Vissel Kobe in mid-season and largely responsible for the astounding improvement in Ardija's back four, will not accept the offer of a permanent deal with Omiya and will instead go back to Kobe... who weren't playing him as a first teamer... and who ended up getting relegated. The lure of the home town is strong indeed in Japan.

[Furtho]

J-League, Let's Go!

In the semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup on Saturday, Gamba Osaka beat Kashima Antlers 1-0 and Kashiwa Reysol eliminated Yokohama F Marinos by the same scoreline. Gamba's goal came from midfield legend Yasuhito Endo, who floated a short corner over the defence, the goalkeeper and indeed all his own team-mates to drop in at the far post, i.e. it looked a bit of fluke. The Antlers came close to equalising a few times, especially in the second half, but Gamba held on to reach their first Emperor's Cup final since 2009.

The Reysol - Marinos semi was decided mid-way through the first half, when young Kashiwa striker Masato Kudo had an easy job to head the ball in after Yuji Nakazawa had cleared off the line. This means that the final on New Year's Day will be a repeat of 2008 -- the last time Reysol got to the final, when Gamba beat them 1-0.