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    #26
    J-League, Let's Go!

    Wow, 500 percent? That's a lot of percent!

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      #27
      J-League, Let's Go!

      I'm no mathematician, Renart, but I'm pretty sure that is the maximum number of percent scientifically possible.

      In case it's not clear from the small graphic, this is a scarf that the ultras group have had designed and made up. As well as the main 500% slogan, it features the words Shut Up superimposed on Mizunuma's face, together with two pieces of advice: "Mr Mizunuma. Please ask from falling into ditch" and "You should do a director rather than the expected".

      Comment


        #28
        J-League, Let's Go!

        That's amazing. I've never seen so much rage put into a scarf.

        (Anything more than 100 percent always cracks me up. There was a great Soul Jazz Records reggae compilation called 100% Dynamite! After its success, they came out with 200% Dynamite!, 300% Dynamite!, etc. I think the last one I have is 500% Dynamite!, so you're probably right about 500 being the maximum amount of percent possible.)

        Comment


          #29
          J-League, Let's Go!

          It's like the old days, Furtho posting about Japanese football about stuff that we would never get to here. Cheers.

          Comment


            #30
            J-League, Let's Go!

            The J2 2012 season starts on Sunday, with the division increased from 20 to 22 teams via the addition of FC Machida Zelvia and Matsumoto Yamaga. If you ever wondered where Ossie Ardiles is now, he's just taken over as coach at Tokyo-ites Machida.

            As well as the two new clubs, the J2 format has changed slightly so that the top two get automatic promotion and the teams finishing third to sixth will play off for one additional spot. This means that it is even harder to predict who will go up, although most pundits have Kyoto Sanga as title favourites due to their strong showing in the second half of 2011 coupled with the presence in their squad of dynamic teenage striker Yuya Kubo.

            Also pencilled in as possibilities are over-achieving Pocari Sweat-sponsored minnows Tokushima Vortis, and JEF United, who have narrowly missed out on a return to J1 in both of the last two seasons. Outside of those three, it's possible to imagine getting on for half the division being in with a chance of finishing in the promotion places. If forced to choose, I'd say that the teams from Fukuoka prefecture, Giravanz Kitakyushu and relegated Avispa Fukuoka, seem to have as good a chance as any. But quite honestly who knows.

            At the other end of the table there is now also an at least theoretical possibility of relegation to the JFL, which wil be causing the weaker and less financially stable clubs a degree of panic. FC Gifu, Mito Hollyhock and Ehime FC fall into that category, but Matsumoto, Machida, Gainare Tottori, Fagiano Okayama and the veteran-packed Yokohama FC may well all struggle.

            Should you want to follow the J-League during this season, I'll provide regular short updates here. There will also be a J1 preview before the top division starts next weekend.

            Comment


              #31
              J-League, Let's Go!

              Furtho wrote:
              Should you want to follow the J-League during this season, I'll provide regular short updates here. There will also be a J1 preview before the top division starts next weekend.
              What's Japanese for 'fucking ace!!!!!'?

              I've really missed your coverage, Furtho and it's great to see you back. (Doraemon, you too please, buddy).

              Are Cobaltore back in league play this year?

              New Norn Irn boss Michael O'Neill has apparently been in contact with Cullen-san at Venlo. No word on any reply yet. I know the lad's thorough Japanese, but do you think he'd be interested in playing in green & white?

              Weee! 500% Chuffed!

              Comment


                #32
                J-League, Let's Go!

                TheFourMarys wrote:
                New Norn Irn boss Michael O'Neill has apparently been in contact with Cullen-san at Venlo. No word on any reply yet. I know the lad's thorough Japanese, but do you think he'd be interested in playing in green & white?
                The way our strikers are playing at the moment O'Neill could do worse than field a whole team of Karens...

                Comment


                  #33
                  J-League, Let's Go!

                  Furtho: Awesome. (Gamba Osaka took my fancy last season, but that's mainly due to the awesome Gambare! highlight show that plays in the US.)

                  Comment


                    #34
                    J-League, Let's Go!

                    TFM - I'm happy to say that Cobaltore Onagawa are indeed planning to play regular league football this year, yes; it looks like the Tohoku League format for 2012 will be more or less as it should have been in 2011, with Cobaltore in Division 2 (South).

                    One interesting story from that league is that the Sendai-based Division 1 side NEC Tokin recently announced that they have folded in the aftermath of the tsunami. A proportion of the NEC coaching staff and players have moved en masse to Shiogama Wiese - another Tohoku League team, which has in turn said that it will adopt the name of Shiogama NTFC to acknowledge the change. Bearing in mind that this level of football is mostly of the play-for-fun amateur variety, this looks like an extremely harmonious solution: some of the NEC guys can carry on with their football and in so doing strengthen the set-up at Shiogama, who in 2011 often struggled to put out a full team as their players were so busy with post-tsunami recovery work.

                    Karen Robart seems like a bit of an odd fellow and he's certainly had an odd career. He came out of one of the very top footballing high schools in the country, played international football for Japan at U18, U19 and U20 level and appeared to have a good chance of making it big with Jubilo Iwata. But problems with injuries and poor management at Jubilo - basically, over several seasons they hung on to veterans rather than properly blooding a good bunch of youngsters, including yer man Cullen - meant that that early momentum petered out.

                    During 2010 he moved to J2 for a fresh start at Roasso Kumamoto and as you say has now somewhat surprisingly found himself in Holland. No idea if he'll be interested in representing the land of his father, but it surely has to be more likely now than at any other time in his career.

                    Matej - Gamba have a reputation for playing attacking football and scoring a lot of goals - but also for having a consistently crap defence and goalkeeper. At the end of last season they parted company with coach Akira Nishino after ten years, so it will be very interesting to see what sorts of changes will be made by the new guy in charge, Japan newbie Jose Carlos Serrao.

                    Comment


                      #35
                      J-League, Let's Go!

                      J2 scores from Sunday:

                      Ehime 2-0 Machida
                      Fukuoka 2-1 Kumamoto
                      Gifu 2-2 Tottori
                      JEF 2-0 Yamagata
                      Kitakyushu 1-2 Tokushima
                      Kofu 2-1 Tochigi
                      Mito 2-1 Yokohama FC
                      Oita 2-3 Kusatsu
                      Okayama 1-1 Toyama
                      Shonan 2-1 Kyoto
                      Verdy 2-0 Matsumoto

                      Both the new clubs, Matsumoto Yamaga and FC Machida Zelvia, lost their first ever J-League fixtures. Promotion favourites Kyoto Sanga conceded a last-minute goal to lose at Shonan Bellmare. JEF United got a good win over relegated Montedio Yamagata and Tokushima Vortis also started well, beating Giravanz Kitakyushu in a tricky away game. Highlights from Shonan - Kyoto are here and Kitakyushu - Tokushima are here.

                      Comment


                        #36
                        J-League, Let's Go!

                        OK, so, time for a quick preview of the J1 2012 season, which starts tomorrow.

                        2011 was dominated on the pitch by Kashiwa Reysol, who performed the extraordinary feat of winning the title the first season after being promoted from J2. Perhaps not surprisingly the Sun Kings have pretty much the same squad this time around, including key attacking midfielder Leandro Domingues, but there's a question mark over whether they've actually just stood still: their main signing is forward Ricardo Lobo, who was a J2 star for Tochigi in 2010 but didn't keep the same standard last year. It's going to be a very interesting season for Kashiwa.

                        Most pundits in fact have 2010 champions Nagoya Grampus down as favourites this year. A slow start to the 2011 season killed off their chances of retaining the title but Dragan Stojkovic seems to know what he's doing as regards developing the squad year on year, and he definitely knows what's required to win a championship. Goalscoring defender Tulio is still around, as is tall Australian striker Josh Kennedy, so with many other top clubs in periods of transition, the opportunity is right there for Grampus.

                        Talking of clubs in transition, hello Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers. Gamba have changed their coach after Akira Nishino was in charge for a full decade and there's every possibility that the new guy, Jose Carlos Serrao, will need some time to get settled - a point underlined by the fact that just the other evening Gamba lost 3-0 at home in their first Asian Champions League match of the year. Kashima also have a new coach and they released a bunch of quality, experienced players as well, so it seems unlikely that they'll be in a position to challenge just yet.

                        So is there a chance that any of the promoted teams can follow Kashiwa's example and take the top division by storm? Well, if anyone can it's FC Tokyo, who won both J2 and the Emperor's Cup in 2011. The club have brought in starlet Hiroki Kawano from neighbours Tokyo Verdy and it's hard to see that they will actually struggle, but the complication of playing in the ACL as Emperor's Cup holders would seem to rule them out of anything super-amazing.

                        Also up from J2 are yoyoing Consadole Sapporo and J1 first-timers Sagan Tosu - and to be honest, they're both being predicted as relegation candidates. Sapporo seem to have a bit more about them and they do have a well-regarded coach in Nobuhiro Ishizaki, but Kyushu-ites Tosu just don't look like they have enough J1 quality or experience in the squad.

                        I have a sneaking suspicion that Albirex Niigata and Kawasaki Frontale might also be in for a tough 2012. Lots of people share that view of Niigata, whose eye-poppingly poor management ensures that the second best-supported club in Japan is always left selling its best players at the end of every season. This could be the year when all that comes home to roost. Kawasaki, meanwhile, have gone into steady decline since being title challengers just a few years ago and there's no evidence to suggest that Naoki Soma is the coach to turn things around.

                        As for my own team, Omiya Ardija look like they have made a couple of decent signings over the winter - one of them, South Korean winger Cho Young Cheol, was Albirex's best player last year - and Squirrels fans are hoping that 2012 may finally be the year that Ardija roar into contention. By which I mean, finish in the top ten. We don't ask for much. But just something would be nice.

                        Comment


                          #37
                          J-League, Let's Go!

                          J1 scores from Saturday and Sunday:

                          Gamba 2-3 Kobe
                          Hiroshima 1-0 Urawa
                          Kawasaki 1-0 Niigata
                          Kashiwa 3-3 Marinos
                          Nagoya 1-0 S-Pulse
                          Omiya 0-1 FC Tokyo
                          Sapporo 0-0 Jubilo
                          Sendai 1-0 Kashima
                          Tosu 0-0 Cerezo

                          Champions Kashiwa Reysol took part in the most exciting match of the first round, taking the lead three times but eventually only drawing with Yokohama F Marinos. Vissel Kobe have bought a bunch of decent players over the winter and their new-look team beat Gamba Osaka more easily than the 3-2 score would suggest. Of the three promoted teams, Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu both drew at home and FC Tokyo won narrowly at Omiya Ardija.

                          J2 Sunday scores:

                          Kitakyushu 0-0 Okayama
                          Kumamoto 2-1 Tottori
                          Kusatsu 1-3 Shonan
                          Kyoto 2-0 JEF
                          Machida 0-1 Fukuoka
                          Matsumoto 1-2 Yamagata
                          Mito 1-0 Toyama
                          Tochigi 0-3 Oita
                          Tokushima 3-0 Gifu
                          Verdy 1-3 Kofu
                          Yokohama FC 0-0 Ehime

                          The two brand new J-League teams made their home debuts on Sunday but FC Machida Zelvia and Matsumoto Yamaga both lost, although Matsumoto's match with Montedio Yamagata was attended by a very encouraging crowd of more than 13,000 people. Early leaders on goal difference are Tokushima Vortis, easy winners over FC Gifu.

                          Comment


                            #38
                            J-League, Let's Go!

                            There was a full J-League programme of matches played on Saturday. Scores from J1:

                            Cerezo 2-1 Gamba
                            FC Tokyo 3-2 Nagoya
                            Jubilo 2-1 Tosu
                            Kashima 0-1 Kawasaki
                            Kobe 2-1 Sapporo
                            Marinos 0-2 Sendai
                            Niigata 1-2 Omiya
                            S-Pulse 2-1 Hiroshima
                            Urawa 1-0 Kashiwa

                            Four teams have maximum points after two games, Vegalta Sendai going top on goal difference after scrapping out a win at Yokohama F Marinos. Vegalta are just ahead of Vissel Kobe, Kawasaki Frontale and FC Tokyo, who managed perhaps the result of the day by beating title favourites Nagoya Grampus. Cerezo won the Osaka derby against struggling Gamba, who are level on nul points with Albirex Niigata and Kashima Antlers.

                            Scores from J2:

                            Gifu 0-0 Kusatsu
                            JEF 3-0 Yokohama FC
                            Kofu 2-1 Ehime
                            Kyoto 2-0 Kumamoto
                            Matsumoto 1-0 Kitakyushu
                            Okayama 0-3 Mito
                            Shonan 3-1 Fukuoka
                            Tokushima 0-1 Tochigi
                            Tottori 0-3 Machida
                            Toyama 1-4 Verdy
                            Yamagata 3-2 Oita

                            Machida Zelvia and Matsumoto Yamaga both managed their first wins as J-League teams, Kazuki Hiramoto's opener for Machida at Gainare Tottori turning out to be the 10,000th goal ever scored in J2. Three teams have nine points from the three rounds played: relegated Ventforet Kofu, last year's mid-tablers Shonan Bellmare and surprise package Mito Hollyhock, for whom veteran former international striker Takayuki Suzuki scored twice at Fagiano Okayama.

                            Comment


                              #39
                              J-League, Let's Go!

                              Yasuyuki Kishino has become the first coach of the new season to get the boot. His Yokohama FC team, widely derided for their over-reliance on veteran players, have managed only one point from the first three games and are bottom of J2. Takahiro Taguchi from the club's coaching staff takes over until a permanent replacement is appointed.

                              Comment


                                #40
                                J-League, Let's Go!

                                Furtho wrote:
                                Yasuyuki Kishino has become the first coach of the new season to get the boot. His Yokohama FC team, widely derided for their over-reliance on veteran players, have managed only one point from the first three games and are bottom of J2. Takahiro Taguchi from the club's coaching staff takes over until a permanent replacement is appointed.
                                Is the turnover of managers in the J-League quite high Furtho?

                                Comment


                                  #41
                                  J-League, Let's Go!

                                  I wouldn't say so, AE. The pattern is typically that a coach will be appointed for a season in the first instance and if things go okay their deal will be extended for another year: 2012 was going to be Kishino's third season at Yokohama FC. Just like anywhere else, coaches in Japan will therefore leave either at the end of a contract, or they might get sacked (or stand down) mid-season if things are going badly.

                                  This particular situation is very unusual in that it's so early in the year, but Yokohama FC are a peculiar club: they get a lot of sponsorship money off the fact that the legendary Kazu Miura is still, at the age of 45, a registered player and it seems as if this is skewing their overall decision-making.

                                  Comment


                                    #42
                                    J-League, Let's Go!

                                    Holiday Tuesday scores from round 4 of the J2 season:

                                    Ehime 3-0 Matsumoto
                                    Fukuoka 0-0 JEF
                                    Kitakyushu 1-0 Mito
                                    Kusatsu 0-0 Tokushima
                                    Machida 1-0 Kumamoto
                                    Oita 1-0 Okayama
                                    Shonan 2-1 Gifu
                                    Tochigi 0-0 Toyama
                                    Tottori 2-1 Kyoto
                                    Yamagata 2-1 Kofu
                                    Yokohama FC 0-0 Verdy

                                    Shonan Bellmare stay top with 12 points, the only team in the division still to have a 100% record. Three points behind them are Mito Hollyhock and the relegated pair of Ventforet Kofu and Montedio Yamagata. Bad news for the be-scarved Fagiano Okayama fans mentioned upthread is that their team has now sunk to the bottom of the league. The Pheasants have only scored a single goal in the four games but at least they're level on 2 points with Yokohama FC, Kataller Toyama and FC Gifu.

                                    Comment


                                      #43
                                      J-League, Let's Go!

                                      The weekend's J1 scores:

                                      Gamba 1-2 Jubilo
                                      Hiroshima 2-0 Kashima
                                      Kashiwa 2-1 S-Pulse
                                      Kawasaki 0-1 Cerezo
                                      Kobe 0-2 FC Tokyo
                                      Nagoya 2-1 Niigata
                                      Sapporo 1-2 Urawa
                                      Sendai 4-1 Omiya
                                      Tosu 1-0 Marinos

                                      After three games of the new season Vegalta Sendai and promoted FC Tokyo are the only teams with a 100% record. Sendai are top on goal difference after scoring four in the second half to whup Omiya Ardija and FC Tokyo won at Vissel Kobe. Jubilo Iwata go third after beating Gamba Osaka, whose record for the year including ACL matches now reads Played 5 Lost 5. Ex-Gamba coach Akira Nishino must be pissing himself laughing somewhere. Also still with zero points are Albirex Niigata and Kashima Antlers, for whom the current "rebuilding process" can surely be allowed to go on for only so long.

                                      And the weekend's results in J2:

                                      Ehime 1-1 Tochigi
                                      Fukuoka 4-0 Tottori
                                      Gifu 0-2 Oita
                                      JEF 3-0 Tokushima
                                      Kumamoto 3-3 Shonan
                                      Kyoto 2-1 Machida
                                      Mito 0-0 Matsumoto
                                      Okayama 2-1 Yamagata
                                      Toyama 2-3 Kitakyushu
                                      Verdy 2-0 Kusatsu
                                      Yokohama FC 0-2 Kofu

                                      Shonan Bellmare dropped their first points of the season in an exciting draw at Roasso Kumamoto, but they remain a point ahead of Ventforet Kofu in the two automatic promotion places. Goal difference separates the four teams occupying the play-off positions: JEF United, Tokyo Verdy, Avispa Fukuoka and Mito Hollyhock. Relegated Fukuoka looked especially impressive in their 4-0 defeat of Gainare Tottori. Yokohama FC remain bottom after being completely outplayed by Kofu, in what was the first match in charge for new coach and ex-player Motohiro Yamaguchi.

                                      Comment


                                        #44
                                        J-League, Let's Go!

                                        Should anyone actually be reading this, there's some shock-but-not-shock news: Gamba Osaka have sacked Brazilian coaching pair Serrao and Wagner Lopes. What's more of a surprise is that the hapless twosome have been replaced by Masanobu Matsunami, an ex-Gamba player who's been doing various bits and pieces on the club's coaching staff since retiring in 2005, but who at the age of 37 has never been the big boss man anywhere. One to keep an eye on, shall we say.

                                        Comment


                                          #45
                                          J-League, Let's Go!

                                          I'm reading Furtho. Though it is a bit odd reading your updates, and then waiting until the end of the week to actually see the highlights. (Gambare! is on Fridays, for some reason I don't understand.)

                                          Comment


                                            #46
                                            J-League, Let's Go!

                                            I hope I'm not spoiling the surprise for you, Matej.

                                            There was a full round of J1 games on Saturday, scores as follows:

                                            Cerezo 1-2 Sendai
                                            FC Tokyo 0-1 Hiroshima
                                            Jubilo 1-0 Kashiwa
                                            Marinos 0-0 Kashima
                                            Niigata 1-1 Gamba
                                            Omiya 1-1 Nagoya
                                            S-Pulse 1-0 Sapporo
                                            Tosu 3-0 Kobe
                                            Urawa 1-1 Kawasaki

                                            Leaders Vegalta Sendai scrapped out a victory at Cerezo Osaka and have 12 points out of 12, two ahead of Jubilo Iwata who narrowly beat Kashiwa Reysol. A further point back are FC Tokyo and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who met in the capital in what turned out to be a deserved win for Sanfrecce. Kashima Antlers, Gamba Osaka and Albirex Niigata all won their first points of the season, although bottom side Kashima have yet to score a goal in four full games.

                                            Comment


                                              #47
                                              J-League, Let's Go!

                                              J2 Sunday scores:

                                              Kofu 1-2 Kitakyushu
                                              Kumamoto 3-0 Gifu
                                              Kusatsu 1-1 Yokohama FC
                                              Kyoto 3-2 Fukuoka
                                              Machida 1-2 Verdy
                                              Matsumoto 0-3 Toyama
                                              Oita 1-0 Ehime
                                              Tochigi 2-1 JEF
                                              Tokushima 1-2 Okayama
                                              Tottori 1-2 Shonan
                                              Yamagata 0-0 Mito

                                              D'you know what, J2 is shaping up to be a really interesting division this year. In a typical J-League stylee there are a large number of clubs at a basically similar level and with the introduction of the play-off system (the teams finishing third to sixth will play off for the final promotion spot), there's likely to be more to play for for more teams for a longer time. After six rounds Shonan Bellmare are top with 16 points but it's now Tokyo Verdy second with 13 after they won the first-ever derby with Machida Zelvia. Oita Trinita go third following their defeat of Ehime FC while fancied JEF United and Ventforet Kofu both suffered shock losses to drop down the table.

                                              The bottom three are FC Gifu with 2 points, Yokohama FC with 3 and now Matsumoto Yamaga with 4 points. J-League newcomers Matsumoto might have a far higher media profile than fellow noobs Machida, but they're finding the realities of J2 football that much tougher, as exemplified by their 3-0 home biffing by the some-distance-from-ace Kataller Toyama.

                                              Comment


                                                #48
                                                J-League, Let's Go!

                                                I'll be your correspondent on the spot next week, furtho. Live from Nack5! (I'm insanely excited).

                                                Comment


                                                  #49
                                                  J-League, Let's Go!

                                                  Well, you're only human, AG. After all, you're just a few days away from attending the theatre of dreams, so that's bound to get you worked up a little.

                                                  To give you an idea of what NACK5 is like, there's a homemade clip here of bits and pieces from Saturday's game against Nagoya, filmed from among the Omiya fans opposite the main stand (so, the Ardija hardcore are behind the goal to the right).

                                                  Comment


                                                    #50
                                                    J-League, Let's Go!

                                                    Cool - your "omiya" tune in the first few seconds is what we use to fete Danny Dichio every game.

                                                    That's a brutal miss at 3:20.

                                                    Anyways, I won't have video, but I will post pictures.

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