Sunday sees the two tenants of Ajinomoto square off for the 15th time in both clubs history as Verdy and FC Tokyo square off in Nabisco Cup group play.
Some facts
FC Tokyo have dominated not only the Nabisco Cup matchups (3-0-0, including a knockout of Verdy on their way to the Nabisco Cup championship) but the matchup in general (9-2-3 in total)
Satoru Asari and Ryuji Fujiyama are the FC Tokyo players to be with the squad for all the derby matches.
Yoichi Doi has been at all of the games but this will be his second as a Verdy keeper.
Yoshinari Takagi and Kazuki Hiramoto both have been squad members for all of the games for Verdy.
Verdy have all the players who have appeared for both squads in the Tokyo Derby (Doi, Shibasaki, Fukunishi,)
THE LINEUP
Verdy looks to play a full strength squad against an FC Tokyo team missing 3 for the NT callups
Look for the DHL trio up top
A midfield of Ono, Fukunishi, and Sugawara
The defense of Hattori, Nasu, Tsuchiya, and Wada
Doi in the net
A loss would most certainly doom Verdy to elimination in the glorified Satellite cup.
ACL behaving badly
Well, the good news is J League teams all advanced to the quarterfinals of the ACL with the recent 4-0 win for Kashima. The bad news is that all three squads have found themselves on the wrong side of attention grabbing headlines with the arrest of two Antler players for DUI. the players, who shall remain nameless because I'm too damn lazy to look up their names are suspended for the rest of the season after the arrest. Meanwhile, no word on penalties for the girlfight that took place between Gamba and Urawa.
Finally
Dokool, our resident FCT sycophant dared to challenge me on the use of icons by teams around the world. While technically he is correct that most teams use symbols that have nothing to do with their squads for their own personal glory, my point was that using the symbol of populist struggle and revolution for the poor and downtrodden is really weak considering that Urawa is by far the richest and most powerful club in Japan and probably east Asia as well.
So suck it Gasman!!!!!!!!!
(eh, he's probably right)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
SWEET SASSY MOLASSY, IT'S RAINING GOALS
Hulk notches 2, Leandro bags 1, and the glorious gods of self-inflicted wounds decide to bestow their bountiful feasts of misery and angst upon another unsuspecting victim by gifting Verdy their first own goal in reverse (I don't know what this sentence means either but Shimizu scored upon themselves).
BTW, if you are keeping track at home, Verdy is now tied with Omiya for own goals in all competitions with 3. However, Omiya did get one of those in Nabisco Cup play so Verdy is the leader going into the clubhouse.
Wait a minute.......this just in, Verdy indeed scored upon themselves at the end to boost their tally up to 4, so yes Verdy is the undisputed leader of self-immolation (God, I hope I used that word right).
Final score 4-1 Verdy, who find themselves up in the lofty position of 11th and 1 full game out of the relegation seat. In a weird turn of events, only 6 points seperates 16th place Jubilo from 4th place.....ahhh, hell, let's call it Kawasaki.
PANIC ON THE STREETS OF URAAAAWA, PANIC ON THE STREETS OF OSAKA...
I wonder to myself, are there two bigger groups of self important twats than Gamba fans and Urawa supporters? Guess I should be proud that our little league is "growing up" and acting like tools in Europe but I think the whole thing is pretty lame.
Hey, Gamba fans.....stop throwing crap at children, allright. You aren't at a Hanshin game in your lame little tiger pajamas. And BTW, game 13 isn't really the time to act like you just won the Champions League.
Urawa fan........nice charge of the gates and WOW how neat is it that you waited outside in the parking lot like a 13 year old after school because someone dissed your peeps. This whole fake "hard man" act was boring long ago, using F@#$ in your signs while crying about Kashima doing the same thing.......better than you, The display of a Confederate flag and Che Guevara (While ironically standing for everything he would hate) the droning chant and constant whining and booing when things don't go your way. The term douchebag comes to mind. And really, Tulio giving a lecture on FAIR PLAY and sportsmanship. That greasy diva is bent over on the ground more than a Thai ladyboy in a half-off sale. Ref baiting clowns should not be speaking about sporting etiquette, ever.
This is what will happen. Nothing. Ohhhhh, Omiya fans will be frisked when they come in because they might have an errant pet bottle and I'll have to pay 500 yen for a warm cup of Qoo but neither team will feel any repurcussions.
So yeah, when it comes down to it, it's not the J League who is harmed or either team or the fans or even the kid who was maimed by the pet bottle.........it's me. Soilent Green is the real victim in all of this because I can't have a friggin Diet Coke while I watch the game. I wasn't even at the game and I'm the only one that gets punished..............unbelievable.
BTW, if you are keeping track at home, Verdy is now tied with Omiya for own goals in all competitions with 3. However, Omiya did get one of those in Nabisco Cup play so Verdy is the leader going into the clubhouse.
Wait a minute.......this just in, Verdy indeed scored upon themselves at the end to boost their tally up to 4, so yes Verdy is the undisputed leader of self-immolation (God, I hope I used that word right).
Final score 4-1 Verdy, who find themselves up in the lofty position of 11th and 1 full game out of the relegation seat. In a weird turn of events, only 6 points seperates 16th place Jubilo from 4th place.....ahhh, hell, let's call it Kawasaki.
PANIC ON THE STREETS OF URAAAAWA, PANIC ON THE STREETS OF OSAKA...
I wonder to myself, are there two bigger groups of self important twats than Gamba fans and Urawa supporters? Guess I should be proud that our little league is "growing up" and acting like tools in Europe but I think the whole thing is pretty lame.
Hey, Gamba fans.....stop throwing crap at children, allright. You aren't at a Hanshin game in your lame little tiger pajamas. And BTW, game 13 isn't really the time to act like you just won the Champions League.
Urawa fan........nice charge of the gates and WOW how neat is it that you waited outside in the parking lot like a 13 year old after school because someone dissed your peeps. This whole fake "hard man" act was boring long ago, using F@#$ in your signs while crying about Kashima doing the same thing.......better than you, The display of a Confederate flag and Che Guevara (While ironically standing for everything he would hate) the droning chant and constant whining and booing when things don't go your way. The term douchebag comes to mind. And really, Tulio giving a lecture on FAIR PLAY and sportsmanship. That greasy diva is bent over on the ground more than a Thai ladyboy in a half-off sale. Ref baiting clowns should not be speaking about sporting etiquette, ever.
This is what will happen. Nothing. Ohhhhh, Omiya fans will be frisked when they come in because they might have an errant pet bottle and I'll have to pay 500 yen for a warm cup of Qoo but neither team will feel any repurcussions.
So yeah, when it comes down to it, it's not the J League who is harmed or either team or the fans or even the kid who was maimed by the pet bottle.........it's me. Soilent Green is the real victim in all of this because I can't have a friggin Diet Coke while I watch the game. I wasn't even at the game and I'm the only one that gets punished..............unbelievable.
Friday, May 16, 2008
MEDIA WHORE
I'm not really sure who was the bigger media whore in Verdy camp last week as a bunch of old J League legends took on the Verdy reserves in an epic 3-2 battle. Two of the ancient warriors were vying for most annoying ever.
Suspect #1 is the always moody Hide Nakata, who put in a good showing against marginal talent, chipping in 2 assists for the losing side. While Nakata has said he's tired of the limelight, it seems as though he keeps popping up when you least expect it, like the shy girl in the pretty prom dress who keeps asking, "Do I Look fat?" . While his intentions of playing an exhibition with the likes of Motohiro Yamaguchi and Daisuke Oku for charity are admirable, one wonders if he really does just miss the attention. I'd say yes.
Suspect #2 Ruy Ramos- Never one to miss an opportunity for attention, the hairdo has said that he would like to sign Nakata and play him in August. Overlooking the fact that Nakata is a 30 something midfielder who hasn't played in 2 years, adding an ego to a squad filled with them would surely cause a riot of epic proportions.
http://jp.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=697829
Anyhow, here is the goal writeup........I think Nakata will be in a Bellmare uniform by next year, but that's just me.
Suspect #1 is the always moody Hide Nakata, who put in a good showing against marginal talent, chipping in 2 assists for the losing side. While Nakata has said he's tired of the limelight, it seems as though he keeps popping up when you least expect it, like the shy girl in the pretty prom dress who keeps asking, "Do I Look fat?" . While his intentions of playing an exhibition with the likes of Motohiro Yamaguchi and Daisuke Oku for charity are admirable, one wonders if he really does just miss the attention. I'd say yes.
Suspect #2 Ruy Ramos- Never one to miss an opportunity for attention, the hairdo has said that he would like to sign Nakata and play him in August. Overlooking the fact that Nakata is a 30 something midfielder who hasn't played in 2 years, adding an ego to a squad filled with them would surely cause a riot of epic proportions.
http://jp.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=697829
Anyhow, here is the goal writeup........I think Nakata will be in a Bellmare uniform by next year, but that's just me.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Lost Weekend
Well, The DHL era took a bump with the 2-0 loss to the malformed turtles of Oita. I'm not sure what was worse, letting in a goal to the nappily coiffed Edmilson or scoring a goal on your own team. Either way, it was predictible that Verdy would lose after travelling the length of Japan to play a well rested squad.
To make matters worse, Verdy hosted Omiya in a satellite math today and were thouroughly spanked 3-0. The lineup was as follows
GK：高木 Takagi
DF：福田 Fukuda、飯田 Iida、足助 Asuke、和田Wada (youth)（ユース）MF：柴崎（晃）Shibasaki 、新村 Shinmura、廣山Hiroyama、河野 Kawano FW：井上 Inoue、飯尾 Iio SUB：柴崎（貴 Shibasaki、宮坂 Miyasaka、吉武 Yoshitake 、エルサムニー El Samni、平本 Hiramoto＜交代＞62分：井上ＯＵＴ エルサムニーＩＮ82分：飯尾ＯＵＴ 平本ＩＮ
Goals were scored by Taishi Tsukamoto, Hiroshi Morita, and Masahiko Ichikawa in the first Sat matches for both squads.
Next week finds Verdy in a relegation position match with Shimizu S Pulse. the last time the squads faced off, Shimizu came away with 5 goals to bludgeon the green in a Nabisco Cup affair.
To make matters worse, Verdy hosted Omiya in a satellite math today and were thouroughly spanked 3-0. The lineup was as follows
GK：高木 Takagi
DF：福田 Fukuda、飯田 Iida、足助 Asuke、和田Wada (youth)（ユース）MF：柴崎（晃）Shibasaki 、新村 Shinmura、廣山Hiroyama、河野 Kawano FW：井上 Inoue、飯尾 Iio SUB：柴崎（貴 Shibasaki、宮坂 Miyasaka、吉武 Yoshitake 、エルサムニー El Samni、平本 Hiramoto＜交代＞62分：井上ＯＵＴ エルサムニーＩＮ82分：飯尾ＯＵＴ 平本ＩＮ
Goals were scored by Taishi Tsukamoto, Hiroshi Morita, and Masahiko Ichikawa in the first Sat matches for both squads.
Next week finds Verdy in a relegation position match with Shimizu S Pulse. the last time the squads faced off, Shimizu came away with 5 goals to bludgeon the green in a Nabisco Cup affair.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
OFF TOPIC:JEF Chiba-OFF THE RAILS
After 1/3 of the season, JEF Chiba has decided to pull the plug on the Josip Kuse experience, firing the Croatian gaffer after an awful 0-2-9 start. My question though is this.....when are they gonna sack the FO? As far as I know, former Captain of the Green Titanic, Tadashi Karai is still in charge of all the personnel moves for JEF Chiba.
You might remember Karai as the man moving the deck chairs when all the young talent was fleeing Verdy for greener (no pun intended) pastures in.....well....mostly Saitama but you get the picture.
http://brilliantomiya.blogspot.com/2006/12/verdy-gm-moves-to-chiba.html
If you've missed Karai's work with Chiba, here it is.
Kept Osim's dimwitted son
Lost captain Yuki Abe to Urawa in a bidding war.
Got rid of mainstay defender Ilian Stoyanov after he got in a fight with Osim's dimwitted son.
Picked up useless foreign flopper Djorjevic and semi-useless striker Reinaldo on the cheap as well as erratic FW Tatsunori Arai. Erratic and semi-useless are still with the team.
Watched the team finish 13th.
Let Koki Mizuno go to Celtic
Lost in bidding wars for Hiroki Mizumoto (Gamba), Naotake Hanyu (FC Tokyo), Satoru Yamagishi (Frontale), and captain Yuto Sato (Kyoto).
Brought in molasses slow Eddy Bosnar and Drukovic, who possibly could be the worst player in J1 not named Takuro Nishimura.
But JEF reserves looks awesome right now.......actually Kuse wasn't a bad move. When I saw the team play Omiya, it was a group of young players pressing and attacking and clawing their way to an even score. The woeful backline and decrepit keeper were the problems in that game. The one "national teamer" that did stay around, Seichiro Maki, has done absolutely nothing and might be the biggest loser in this whole trainwreck of a season.
Bring in someone new though.....that should get you one whiff of fresh air before you realize your franchise is filled with rot. Bring in another foreign retread who doesn't have much of a clue about the J League. I'm sure Bora Milutnovic is waiting by the phone. Better yet, see if Avispa will swap you coaches. Maybe you can turn Petey Littbarski into your own little yellow Pixy and hope the fans feel natsukashii about the whole thing.
Your trains suck and your fans don't deserve this crap. Knock it off and do the right thing.......resign.
You might remember Karai as the man moving the deck chairs when all the young talent was fleeing Verdy for greener (no pun intended) pastures in.....well....mostly Saitama but you get the picture.
http://brilliantomiya.blogspot.com/2006/12/verdy-gm-moves-to-chiba.html
If you've missed Karai's work with Chiba, here it is.
Kept Osim's dimwitted son
Lost captain Yuki Abe to Urawa in a bidding war.
Got rid of mainstay defender Ilian Stoyanov after he got in a fight with Osim's dimwitted son.
Picked up useless foreign flopper Djorjevic and semi-useless striker Reinaldo on the cheap as well as erratic FW Tatsunori Arai. Erratic and semi-useless are still with the team.
Watched the team finish 13th.
Let Koki Mizuno go to Celtic
Lost in bidding wars for Hiroki Mizumoto (Gamba), Naotake Hanyu (FC Tokyo), Satoru Yamagishi (Frontale), and captain Yuto Sato (Kyoto).
Brought in molasses slow Eddy Bosnar and Drukovic, who possibly could be the worst player in J1 not named Takuro Nishimura.
But JEF reserves looks awesome right now.......actually Kuse wasn't a bad move. When I saw the team play Omiya, it was a group of young players pressing and attacking and clawing their way to an even score. The woeful backline and decrepit keeper were the problems in that game. The one "national teamer" that did stay around, Seichiro Maki, has done absolutely nothing and might be the biggest loser in this whole trainwreck of a season.
Bring in someone new though.....that should get you one whiff of fresh air before you realize your franchise is filled with rot. Bring in another foreign retread who doesn't have much of a clue about the J League. I'm sure Bora Milutnovic is waiting by the phone. Better yet, see if Avispa will swap you coaches. Maybe you can turn Petey Littbarski into your own little yellow Pixy and hope the fans feel natsukashii about the whole thing.
Your trains suck and your fans don't deserve this crap. Knock it off and do the right thing.......resign.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Oitans 11
Oh god.......I've been waiting 3 years to unleash that stupid title and today is the day! Huzzah!
Anyhow, Verdy demolished a quickly sinking Consadole side 3-1. The scoring started early when Leandro finally got his name in the books with a goal. The two Brazilians, Diego and Hulk also chipped in goals to build a big lead before Claiton stole one back.
The mean green outshot their promotion brethren 25-4. Actually this has been a pattern for Consadole with games of 20-6 (versus Urawa in a 4-2 loss) and 20-4 (against Kyoto in a 1-0 defeat). To be fair to the little birds from the north, they have had a schedule which has taken them from Sapporo to Urawa, Urawa down to Kyoto, and back up to Sapporo in the span of 10 days. Compare that with a team like FC Tokyo, whose farthest trip was a two hour train ride down to Shizuoka during the 10 day span and you can see why some teams look much better than others. It also probably has to do with talent and management as well, but the schedule has done Sapporo no favors.
Speaking of favors, Verdy gets to now travel to the lowest depths of J hell when they venture to take on the malformed tortoises of Kyuushu, Oita Trinita. For their part, Oita followed up a home win against Yokohama F Marinos with ummm nothing. They had the holiday off because the team they play (Gamba?) will take part in a death match in the ACL. Oita has been one of the more, shall we say, physical teams in the J league and it's worked for them......especially at home. Look for them to smack a couple people in the pie hole before it's all said and done. MF Muu Kanazaki has been really good for Oita and they seem to play their best in front of the home mongrels so this one is gonna be very tough. Add to that the absence of central defender Daisuke Nasu (due to yellow accumulation) and we could see some big scoring in this one.
Hulk has to get off early and not let the antics of Hobert or Edmilson get him into some stupid cards. That will be the key to the game.
Anyhow, Verdy demolished a quickly sinking Consadole side 3-1. The scoring started early when Leandro finally got his name in the books with a goal. The two Brazilians, Diego and Hulk also chipped in goals to build a big lead before Claiton stole one back.
The mean green outshot their promotion brethren 25-4. Actually this has been a pattern for Consadole with games of 20-6 (versus Urawa in a 4-2 loss) and 20-4 (against Kyoto in a 1-0 defeat). To be fair to the little birds from the north, they have had a schedule which has taken them from Sapporo to Urawa, Urawa down to Kyoto, and back up to Sapporo in the span of 10 days. Compare that with a team like FC Tokyo, whose farthest trip was a two hour train ride down to Shizuoka during the 10 day span and you can see why some teams look much better than others. It also probably has to do with talent and management as well, but the schedule has done Sapporo no favors.
Speaking of favors, Verdy gets to now travel to the lowest depths of J hell when they venture to take on the malformed tortoises of Kyuushu, Oita Trinita. For their part, Oita followed up a home win against Yokohama F Marinos with ummm nothing. They had the holiday off because the team they play (Gamba?) will take part in a death match in the ACL. Oita has been one of the more, shall we say, physical teams in the J league and it's worked for them......especially at home. Look for them to smack a couple people in the pie hole before it's all said and done. MF Muu Kanazaki has been really good for Oita and they seem to play their best in front of the home mongrels so this one is gonna be very tough. Add to that the absence of central defender Daisuke Nasu (due to yellow accumulation) and we could see some big scoring in this one.
Hulk has to get off early and not let the antics of Hobert or Edmilson get him into some stupid cards. That will be the key to the game.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Hell Week
Well, really hell days. The oh so wise schedule makers at J League headquarters decided it would be grand to send Verdy on a little tour of Japan. Tomorrow finds team green headed north to Sapporo to take on fellow 2007 J league risers Consadole Sapporo in a Kappa Derby. Consadole has struggled to find the right mix in J1, finding themselves in 17th.
On Saturday, Verdy heads south to Oita, who due to a scheduling quirk, gets a week long rest to recuperate and wait for Verdy to come in. One concern for Verdy is the accumulating yellows. Currently Hattori, Wada, and Diego all sit on 3 yellows apiece, so a rugged game could see a rather unique lineup in Kyuushu. Expect Oita to rough it up a bit against the older and more tired Verdy squad.
On Saturday, Verdy heads south to Oita, who due to a scheduling quirk, gets a week long rest to recuperate and wait for Verdy to come in. One concern for Verdy is the accumulating yellows. Currently Hattori, Wada, and Diego all sit on 3 yellows apiece, so a rugged game could see a rather unique lineup in Kyuushu. Expect Oita to rough it up a bit against the older and more tired Verdy squad.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
A Classico indeed!!!!!!
In probably the most exciting game so far for fans of the mean green, Verdy notched 3 goals and held on to win against a very talented Yokohama Marinos side. Goals were scored by Hulk, Diego, and Takashi Furuhashi to propel the squad up to 15th with 11 points.
Yoku Dekimashita!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE HEAT INDEX.......Bottom's up in April
We will go in reverse order this month to reserve the surprise until the end.
18th. JEF Chiba- The once proud franchise is in shambles following numerous defections, Osim's son, and the hiring of the idiot that presided over Verdy's relegation campaign. Oh yeah.......your trains suck too.
17th. Consadole Sapporo- It's a bad sign for Toshiya Miura and company that the squad has come out with a very slow start. The M.O. on Miura squads is a strong start followed by a swoon in summer. Claiton has been great, the rest......meh.
16th. Albirex Niigata- I'm sorry but losing 3-1 to Oita seriously does you no favors in the heat index. 2 wins based on dodgy calls from the oh so consistent and noble judges help keep the third orange team from straight danger.
15th. Kashiwa Reysol- I thought Fransa was only a bad hairdo and a free kick now and then but this team needs him badly. Not sure what they are gonna do until the obasan comes back. Popo has been a disaster.
14th. Shimizu S Pulse- Signs of shaking off the rust are showing with wins over Kashiwa on the road and FC Tokyo at home. Still need a scorer though. Hey, didn't Anderson used to be on your team?
13th. Tokyo Verdy- Shook off a big loss to Kashiwa by beating Nagoya and Yokohama at home and tying up Niigata on the road. Hulk makes this a very different team.
12th. Kyoto Sanga- Unfortunately more a victim of bad luck than bad play........oh, there's another red card.
11th. Oita Trinita- Mu Kanazaki is making them forget about Umesaki. What are the odds he'll be sitting on the bench for Gamba next year?
10th. Jubilo Iwata- Gilsinho has helped the squad to their normal level of mediocrity. What has happened to the NT's? Seriously, what's going on in Shizuoka?
9th. Omiya Ardija- Perfect storm of tired legs and an opportunistic opponent caused humiliation. Looks like the boys are gonna have to tighten up the d and scratch some points out in the next couple of weeks.
8th- Yokohama F Marinos- Roni is showing signs of life but Lopes has been disappointing. The effort is there but the results less so.
7th- Nagoya Grampus- As is their MO, they have fallen back to earth. We get to see what kind of coach Pixy truly is........is he Arsene or Ruy?
6th-Gamba Osaka- This rating goes more on the strength of their play in the ACL. Tough loss to Omiya was followed up by a nice win against Nagoya.
5th-Kawasaki Frontale- Shaking off the after effects of their coach quitting and the Hulk debacle to pick up some results. Looks like they are scoring again as well.
4th- Vissel Kobe- Playing some nice football without scorer Leandro. They're also 4th because I forgot about them and don't really want to go back and change it. Maybe 8th.
3rd-Urawa Reds- Better to be lucky than good, although they did wallop Sapporo.
2nd- Kashima Antlers- Well boys, you wanted to go to Asia........now you're feeling the burn.
Marquinhos health also seems to be a concern.
1st- Tokyo Gas FC- Makes me a little sick too but they earned it. The good thing is they don't crown champs in May but they are good. Cabore is a player. Hirayama is a slug.
Yoku Dekimashita!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE HEAT INDEX.......Bottom's up in April
We will go in reverse order this month to reserve the surprise until the end.
18th. JEF Chiba- The once proud franchise is in shambles following numerous defections, Osim's son, and the hiring of the idiot that presided over Verdy's relegation campaign. Oh yeah.......your trains suck too.
17th. Consadole Sapporo- It's a bad sign for Toshiya Miura and company that the squad has come out with a very slow start. The M.O. on Miura squads is a strong start followed by a swoon in summer. Claiton has been great, the rest......meh.
16th. Albirex Niigata- I'm sorry but losing 3-1 to Oita seriously does you no favors in the heat index. 2 wins based on dodgy calls from the oh so consistent and noble judges help keep the third orange team from straight danger.
15th. Kashiwa Reysol- I thought Fransa was only a bad hairdo and a free kick now and then but this team needs him badly. Not sure what they are gonna do until the obasan comes back. Popo has been a disaster.
14th. Shimizu S Pulse- Signs of shaking off the rust are showing with wins over Kashiwa on the road and FC Tokyo at home. Still need a scorer though. Hey, didn't Anderson used to be on your team?
13th. Tokyo Verdy- Shook off a big loss to Kashiwa by beating Nagoya and Yokohama at home and tying up Niigata on the road. Hulk makes this a very different team.
12th. Kyoto Sanga- Unfortunately more a victim of bad luck than bad play........oh, there's another red card.
11th. Oita Trinita- Mu Kanazaki is making them forget about Umesaki. What are the odds he'll be sitting on the bench for Gamba next year?
10th. Jubilo Iwata- Gilsinho has helped the squad to their normal level of mediocrity. What has happened to the NT's? Seriously, what's going on in Shizuoka?
9th. Omiya Ardija- Perfect storm of tired legs and an opportunistic opponent caused humiliation. Looks like the boys are gonna have to tighten up the d and scratch some points out in the next couple of weeks.
8th- Yokohama F Marinos- Roni is showing signs of life but Lopes has been disappointing. The effort is there but the results less so.
7th- Nagoya Grampus- As is their MO, they have fallen back to earth. We get to see what kind of coach Pixy truly is........is he Arsene or Ruy?
6th-Gamba Osaka- This rating goes more on the strength of their play in the ACL. Tough loss to Omiya was followed up by a nice win against Nagoya.
5th-Kawasaki Frontale- Shaking off the after effects of their coach quitting and the Hulk debacle to pick up some results. Looks like they are scoring again as well.
4th- Vissel Kobe- Playing some nice football without scorer Leandro. They're also 4th because I forgot about them and don't really want to go back and change it. Maybe 8th.
3rd-Urawa Reds- Better to be lucky than good, although they did wallop Sapporo.
2nd- Kashima Antlers- Well boys, you wanted to go to Asia........now you're feeling the burn.
Marquinhos health also seems to be a concern.
1st- Tokyo Gas FC- Makes me a little sick too but they earned it. The good thing is they don't crown champs in May but they are good. Cabore is a player. Hirayama is a slug.
Friday, May 02, 2008
CLASSICO!!!!!!
Since the days of JSL, a long standing rivalry has been in effect between the two entities known as Yokohama F Marinos and Tokyo Verdy. It was only fitting that the very first J League game was played between the former Nissan FC and Yomiuri FC. On that first day, Verdy got the first goal but Yokohama got the win. 32 league matches later, Verdy finds itself on the short end of the rivalry and a definite underdog for tomorrow's match.
So after a two year plus hiatus, the Classico is back on. While some of the shine is off the rivalry with the additions of Kawasaki Frontale and FC Tokyo, not to mention the rapid decline of Verdy and the slow fade of Marinos, don't be fooled into thinking that both teams don't care about the win. This is a rivalry.
Currently, 3 players for the Tricolore once donned green, including the superb NT defender Yuji Nakazawa, who left for Yokohama under circumstances that will never be forgiven amongst the old soldiers in the stands. Verdy counters with recent signing, DF Daisuke Nasu, who has been a bright spot amongst a disappointing class of reinforcements.
Both squads play a triangle type of offense with large Brazilian mids serving as the rudder for the offense (Marinos-Lopes, Verdy-Diego). Both have Brazilian forwards who have been disappointing so far. The difference between the two is the quality of the midfield. Yokohama has relied on speed and good ball control to keep the team going. Verdy meanwhile has struggled to ingrain the former FC Tokyo man Takashi Fukunishi into the scheme comfortably. Recently, fans have seen the reemergence of former J2 captain Harutaka Ono into the plans of Hashiratani and company and the results (1 win and 1 tie) have been promising.
Anyhow, the potential lineup (according to El Golazo and Yahoo.Jp) looks a little like this
Hulk Leandro
Diego
Ono Fukunishi
Sugawara
Hattori Nasu Tsuchiya Wada
Doi
TWO OUT FOR THREE
Yuzo Funakoshi and Kojiro Kaimoto are both being shut down for 3 months due to various injuries. Nothin else to say, really.......I'm sure Nick is heartbroken.
Finally, that Takuya Yamada uniform is still up for sale with NO BIDS.........I'm shocked and frankly disappointed that no one here has put up the cash for that little treasure. I'm also mildly contemplating attending the match on the 18th between Verdy and Shimizu.....which has been pushed back to 6pm because somebody tried to blow up Chofu I guess..............I gotta be honest, I'm not really against blowing up Chofu....it's far and I don't like it that much. I'd rather they play in that place that holds 5000 people and has one bathroom.
So after a two year plus hiatus, the Classico is back on. While some of the shine is off the rivalry with the additions of Kawasaki Frontale and FC Tokyo, not to mention the rapid decline of Verdy and the slow fade of Marinos, don't be fooled into thinking that both teams don't care about the win. This is a rivalry.
Currently, 3 players for the Tricolore once donned green, including the superb NT defender Yuji Nakazawa, who left for Yokohama under circumstances that will never be forgiven amongst the old soldiers in the stands. Verdy counters with recent signing, DF Daisuke Nasu, who has been a bright spot amongst a disappointing class of reinforcements.
Both squads play a triangle type of offense with large Brazilian mids serving as the rudder for the offense (Marinos-Lopes, Verdy-Diego). Both have Brazilian forwards who have been disappointing so far. The difference between the two is the quality of the midfield. Yokohama has relied on speed and good ball control to keep the team going. Verdy meanwhile has struggled to ingrain the former FC Tokyo man Takashi Fukunishi into the scheme comfortably. Recently, fans have seen the reemergence of former J2 captain Harutaka Ono into the plans of Hashiratani and company and the results (1 win and 1 tie) have been promising.
Anyhow, the potential lineup (according to El Golazo and Yahoo.Jp) looks a little like this
Hulk Leandro
Diego
Ono Fukunishi
Sugawara
Hattori Nasu Tsuchiya Wada
Doi
TWO OUT FOR THREE
Yuzo Funakoshi and Kojiro Kaimoto are both being shut down for 3 months due to various injuries. Nothin else to say, really.......I'm sure Nick is heartbroken.
Finally, that Takuya Yamada uniform is still up for sale with NO BIDS.........I'm shocked and frankly disappointed that no one here has put up the cash for that little treasure. I'm also mildly contemplating attending the match on the 18th between Verdy and Shimizu.....which has been pushed back to 6pm because somebody tried to blow up Chofu I guess..............I gotta be honest, I'm not really against blowing up Chofu....it's far and I don't like it that much. I'd rather they play in that place that holds 5000 people and has one bathroom.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Well..........ecstasy
Watched the game last night at ohhh 3am and saw what happened.
Verdy looked real chippy, taking Nagoya on at every turn. while in the first half it looked like Nagoya had the better of play, Verdy held their own. One sign that had me worried was a lack of skill on their short passing game. It seemed like the midfield was giving up way too many turnovers with lazy passes.
The second half saw Hattori float one in the box to Diego, who stumbled, causing the Nagoya defender to lose his footing and fall down. Diego recovered and put in a fairly tepid shot which Narazaki reacted far too late to and Verdy scored. Very soft goal. Diego then started crying for some unknown reason which kinda freaked me out.
The second goal was a thing of beauty. Wada boomed one from about the half line and sent it into the box for the pre-pubescent Kawano, who got past his man and headed a rocket past Narazaki. Great goal, excellent effort and nice cross. That kid is a pretty special player.
Oh, yes.......3 points at home for Verdy which puts them in 16th. Also it puts them in first in the Kappa standings with the loss by Consadole.
Next week is a Tuesday match away to Albirex Niigata. Hulk and Tomisawa will be back. Fukunishi will be out with card accumulation. He kinda gets on my nerves with his complaining. Between him and Hulk, Verdy should see alot of cards this year.
Verdy looked real chippy, taking Nagoya on at every turn. while in the first half it looked like Nagoya had the better of play, Verdy held their own. One sign that had me worried was a lack of skill on their short passing game. It seemed like the midfield was giving up way too many turnovers with lazy passes.
The second half saw Hattori float one in the box to Diego, who stumbled, causing the Nagoya defender to lose his footing and fall down. Diego recovered and put in a fairly tepid shot which Narazaki reacted far too late to and Verdy scored. Very soft goal. Diego then started crying for some unknown reason which kinda freaked me out.
The second goal was a thing of beauty. Wada boomed one from about the half line and sent it into the box for the pre-pubescent Kawano, who got past his man and headed a rocket past Narazaki. Great goal, excellent effort and nice cross. That kid is a pretty special player.
Oh, yes.......3 points at home for Verdy which puts them in 16th. Also it puts them in first in the Kappa standings with the loss by Consadole.
Next week is a Tuesday match away to Albirex Niigata. Hulk and Tomisawa will be back. Fukunishi will be out with card accumulation. He kinda gets on my nerves with his complaining. Between him and Hulk, Verdy should see alot of cards this year.
Friday, April 25, 2008
2 hours till agony or ecstasy.
I've looked at the lineup for today's match against Nagoya......I'm gonna go with agony.
Here is the Yahoo prediction.
Iio (goal machine that he is)
Leandro (Maybe Verdy can get Francisimare back?)
Diego (Eventually he will start to score.......what year is unknown)
Ono (Speed kills..........so he's about as dangerous as a kitten)
Sugawara (He's still on the team?)
Fukunishi (This year's Nanami? Has not done much as of yet and he would be the bookend kitten to match Ono)
Wada (Wada.........you doing? I dunno but defense isn't one of the things)
Tsuchiya (has he finally hit the wall? Is he marginal now in J1? )
Nasu (Actually solid in the middle.....remember Hagimura is waiting)
Hattori (Is he this year's......ummm....Hattori?)
Doi (Does anyone else think that maybe it would have been better for someone like Kashiwa to sign him as a good backup and let Sugeno come here...........he's adequate but not really that great. It seems like he would be a good starter for an up and coming J2 team instead of one on the cusp of falling down)
Oh yeah, you are also playing the hottest team in Japan at the moment. Super!
Guests From other teams
Welcome! I actually love having visitors from other teams come in and voice their opinions. 2 things though............1. Try to watch the language a bit. Not real pleased to read F#$$$$ or S### on the comments. I'm not against the blue language but it looks a little unclassy shall we say (And this site is nothing if not classy......LOVEDOLL ahoy!!!!!) 2. Try and keep the (what do the kids call it these days? ) aggro down to a minimum......when did I become "BIG VERDY SOCCER"? The banter and smack talk are fine but please keep the hate down to a respectable level........I guess this goes for everyone. Again Bienvenue and welcome!
Finally......Christmas comes early
Saw this little gem on Yahoo Auctions
http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r41030504
For only 248,000 yen you too can soak up the aura and scent of the AOD himself, Takuya Yamada. Dress up like the Exotic Terminater and pretend you too are going to battle to defend Yomiuri Nippon Verdy Kawasaki Chofu 1969 FC against the likes of Yokohama and ummm, Yokohama.
If anybody buys this you must take a picture of yourself in the full attire and after I'm done laughing, I will post in on the site......and laugh some more!
Here is the Yahoo prediction.
Iio (goal machine that he is)
Leandro (Maybe Verdy can get Francisimare back?)
Diego (Eventually he will start to score.......what year is unknown)
Ono (Speed kills..........so he's about as dangerous as a kitten)
Sugawara (He's still on the team?)
Fukunishi (This year's Nanami? Has not done much as of yet and he would be the bookend kitten to match Ono)
Wada (Wada.........you doing? I dunno but defense isn't one of the things)
Tsuchiya (has he finally hit the wall? Is he marginal now in J1? )
Nasu (Actually solid in the middle.....remember Hagimura is waiting)
Hattori (Is he this year's......ummm....Hattori?)
Doi (Does anyone else think that maybe it would have been better for someone like Kashiwa to sign him as a good backup and let Sugeno come here...........he's adequate but not really that great. It seems like he would be a good starter for an up and coming J2 team instead of one on the cusp of falling down)
Oh yeah, you are also playing the hottest team in Japan at the moment. Super!
Guests From other teams
Welcome! I actually love having visitors from other teams come in and voice their opinions. 2 things though............1. Try to watch the language a bit. Not real pleased to read F#$$$$ or S### on the comments. I'm not against the blue language but it looks a little unclassy shall we say (And this site is nothing if not classy......LOVEDOLL ahoy!!!!!) 2. Try and keep the (what do the kids call it these days? ) aggro down to a minimum......when did I become "BIG VERDY SOCCER"? The banter and smack talk are fine but please keep the hate down to a respectable level........I guess this goes for everyone. Again Bienvenue and welcome!
Finally......Christmas comes early
Saw this little gem on Yahoo Auctions
http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r41030504
For only 248,000 yen you too can soak up the aura and scent of the AOD himself, Takuya Yamada. Dress up like the Exotic Terminater and pretend you too are going to battle to defend Yomiuri Nippon Verdy Kawasaki Chofu 1969 FC against the likes of Yokohama and ummm, Yokohama.
If anybody buys this you must take a picture of yourself in the full attire and after I'm done laughing, I will post in on the site......and laugh some more!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
All over but the pouting
Days like this happen............after coming off a 5-0 pasting at the hands of Shimizu, Verdy ventured to Chiba to meet their nemesis, a lackluster Kashiwa Reysol side. And like in many games of the past, they got their taint force fed to them.
Didn't see the game, but I imagine after playing a defensive 4-5-1, letting in goals means there is a flaw with the team as a whole. Maybe it's a case of meeting a tough matchup on a bad day and getting snowballed by a confluence of bad events. Or maybe the team is built in the mold of squads like Yokohama FC and Vissel Kobe, a collection of old players past their seel by date and young guys not quite ready to turn the corner sprinkled in with marginal talent who really shouldn't be in the league. Or maybe the team just needs a catalyst who can spur them to greater things on any given night.......like Hulk.
Whatever the case may be, Coach Hashiratani and crew need to straighten things out and quick because the gap between J1 squads in 2009 and those that won't be got a touch bigger yesterday and players like Doi, Hattori, Fukunishi, Ono, Tsuchiya, and Hiroyama aren't getting any younger.
And like clockwork, the schedule does no favors for teams that need it the most as a surprisingly resurgent Nagoya Grampus comes into town on Saturday to add insult to injury. Hulk will be serving game 3 of his suspension so I assume the donkey will be front and center for this nasty little affair. Personally, I think the team needs to go 3-5-2 with a Diego/Hiramoto pairing up top or 3-6-1 with Hiramoto as the point of the spear.
My vision
Hiramoto
Leandro Diego
Komano Fukunishi
Ono Hattori
Wada Nasu Tsuchiya
Doi
Against Nagoya, you need to load up the middle so they don't have room to operate......the layered 6 is going to clog things up and have people helping on the break. You also have Leandro and Diego filling the post so you can at least get a semblance of a counterattack. The pieces are slow but there's no helping that.
Tough day ahead next week. at least Albirex is coming up and a chance for some points.
Didn't see the game, but I imagine after playing a defensive 4-5-1, letting in goals means there is a flaw with the team as a whole. Maybe it's a case of meeting a tough matchup on a bad day and getting snowballed by a confluence of bad events. Or maybe the team is built in the mold of squads like Yokohama FC and Vissel Kobe, a collection of old players past their seel by date and young guys not quite ready to turn the corner sprinkled in with marginal talent who really shouldn't be in the league. Or maybe the team just needs a catalyst who can spur them to greater things on any given night.......like Hulk.
Whatever the case may be, Coach Hashiratani and crew need to straighten things out and quick because the gap between J1 squads in 2009 and those that won't be got a touch bigger yesterday and players like Doi, Hattori, Fukunishi, Ono, Tsuchiya, and Hiroyama aren't getting any younger.
And like clockwork, the schedule does no favors for teams that need it the most as a surprisingly resurgent Nagoya Grampus comes into town on Saturday to add insult to injury. Hulk will be serving game 3 of his suspension so I assume the donkey will be front and center for this nasty little affair. Personally, I think the team needs to go 3-5-2 with a Diego/Hiramoto pairing up top or 3-6-1 with Hiramoto as the point of the spear.
My vision
Hiramoto
Leandro Diego
Komano Fukunishi
Ono Hattori
Wada Nasu Tsuchiya
Doi
Against Nagoya, you need to load up the middle so they don't have room to operate......the layered 6 is going to clog things up and have people helping on the break. You also have Leandro and Diego filling the post so you can at least get a semblance of a counterattack. The pieces are slow but there's no helping that.
Tough day ahead next week. at least Albirex is coming up and a chance for some points.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Get the Vaseline
Cause Wednesday night was a major league reaming. To be fair though, it was a B team that trudged out against Shimizu S Pulse in the Nabisco Glorified Satellite Cup in Shizuoka. Seriously, any coach that puts out an A squad in this competition in qualifiers should be fired. I was ecstatic over the results against Yokohama by my Ardija because #1 It means more playing time for the kids in the last 3 games #2 Players like Nishimura, Morita, and Aratani showed themselves to be truly useless in their one big chance to impress and #3 Other squads who do qualify, like say ohhh, Jubilo are much more likely to wear down mentally after getting run out of the quarters.
Verdy should be happy with this result. Here's a quick question.....of Ventforet, Sanfrecce, and Omiya, which team did not qualify for the Nabisco Quarterfinals? Omiya. Which team barely survived relegation? Omiya. Coincidence, maybe......but when you aren't a deep team, every extra game hurts you a bit more and more.
Nabisco Cup gets you a trip to Hawaii.......that's it. Look at who won in the past. Kashiwa, FC Tokyo, JEF Chiba with Amar Osim. Not a real big list of killers there huh.
So great, you won Nabisco Cup. Whadda you want, A Cookie?
Next up is the nefarious yellow beasts from Kashiwa. The last time the teams faced in J1 competition, Verdy got sent to the lower depths. Should be a blast!
Verdy should be happy with this result. Here's a quick question.....of Ventforet, Sanfrecce, and Omiya, which team did not qualify for the Nabisco Quarterfinals? Omiya. Which team barely survived relegation? Omiya. Coincidence, maybe......but when you aren't a deep team, every extra game hurts you a bit more and more.
Nabisco Cup gets you a trip to Hawaii.......that's it. Look at who won in the past. Kashiwa, FC Tokyo, JEF Chiba with Amar Osim. Not a real big list of killers there huh.
So great, you won Nabisco Cup. Whadda you want, A Cookie?
Next up is the nefarious yellow beasts from Kashiwa. The last time the teams faced in J1 competition, Verdy got sent to the lower depths. Should be a blast!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The bull sees red as Verdy gets the gas
Yesterday saw the first official Tokyo Derby since the relegation years and unfortunately Verdy dropped it 2-1 on an own goal from young midfielder Shibasaki. Didn't catch the game but someone who did was our very good friend Nick, who has the report!
well moving on to the Tokyo Derby... the first half an absolute snorefest. Somebody correct me if I am mistaken but neither goalkeeper made a save?? Boring! Boring Boring!! NOTHING doing from either side until Hulk won a free kick on the edge of the FC Tokyo box. Diego teed it up to make the angle and the boy Hulk curled it round the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Cue the crap rocking the baby celebration...dear oh dear, next guy who does it should be shot for sheer unoriginality. In the World Cup 15 years ago for Brazil, OK it was cool, now its just rubbish. Anyhow, on a score basis I was happy at half time and chuckled that I had been pissed off to not be able to make the game because of work. On to the second half, started as before though with increasing regularity, the play was getting further and further towards the Verdy goal, this is not to say that Doi was being tested in any way, just that the crap game was being contested nearer to our goal than theirs. Diego (after being played in brilliantly by Hulk)had a glorious chance to put us 2 up 10 mins or so after the break only to fire at the keeper from just inside the box.This was made 100 times worse when around the 60 minute mark FC Tokyo, lashed in a corker. Quick 1-2 outside the box and Hanyu (I think) hit it first time on the volley, Doi got his fingers to it but it wasn`t enough. An excellent strike and the marker for the last 30 minutes. We were at full stretch for the last third with little going forward. The other team in Tokyo were REALLY pressing but fortunately they struggled with the final ball big time. Their guy Cabore...wow! hope he didn`t cost much on todays performance. Anyhow Verdy wouldn`t be Verdy without messing things up in injury time. To be fair they had battered us for the last 30 minutes since their goal and although its always a sickener to lose in injury time, it WAS on the cards. Own goal again im afraid... Even more annoying and made me want to puke was Hulks sending off!! Now we were very lucky last week with decisions but the opposite today, Hulk got his marching orders for THE most fussy yellows ever. The first a debatable foul ok,Ive seen them given, the second in the 93rd minute for jumping for a header!!If ANYONE can find an offence in Hulks second yellow card today, please write in.Is it an offence to jump within someones "personal space" now?? Sorry sir, yellow card, your armpits smell?? The Tokyo guy didnt go down, didnt feign injury, didn`t do anything, just carried on. Maybe the rocking the baby celebration was too much for the ref...We lost today but gave as good as we got. A draw would have been fair but since when have Verdy made things easy!!?? Its great being Green!!
I too hate the baby rocking.
A couple of other notes, looks like a Gashead has popped up on the Rising Sun News message board and there are unflattering pictures of Verdy up and away. Show your love!
Also, I don't understand why the good folks at the LoveDoll headquarters keep writing but they do. I think it's for prostitutes but I'm not sure. any of you brave souls wanna check it out and let me know, I would love for the LoveDolls to be my first site sponsor. maybe one of them could be Miss Soilent Green 2008. Just a thought!
Next up for team green is a Nabisco Cup match against somebody evil.....ahh yes, Shimizu away. After that is a quick jaunt to the always hated Kashiwa Reysol, where Diego and Yukio Tsuchiya get to meet up with their old friends and Verdy gets a shot at the squad who sent them to second tier hell. Good Times!
well moving on to the Tokyo Derby... the first half an absolute snorefest. Somebody correct me if I am mistaken but neither goalkeeper made a save?? Boring! Boring Boring!! NOTHING doing from either side until Hulk won a free kick on the edge of the FC Tokyo box. Diego teed it up to make the angle and the boy Hulk curled it round the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Cue the crap rocking the baby celebration...dear oh dear, next guy who does it should be shot for sheer unoriginality. In the World Cup 15 years ago for Brazil, OK it was cool, now its just rubbish. Anyhow, on a score basis I was happy at half time and chuckled that I had been pissed off to not be able to make the game because of work. On to the second half, started as before though with increasing regularity, the play was getting further and further towards the Verdy goal, this is not to say that Doi was being tested in any way, just that the crap game was being contested nearer to our goal than theirs. Diego (after being played in brilliantly by Hulk)had a glorious chance to put us 2 up 10 mins or so after the break only to fire at the keeper from just inside the box.This was made 100 times worse when around the 60 minute mark FC Tokyo, lashed in a corker. Quick 1-2 outside the box and Hanyu (I think) hit it first time on the volley, Doi got his fingers to it but it wasn`t enough. An excellent strike and the marker for the last 30 minutes. We were at full stretch for the last third with little going forward. The other team in Tokyo were REALLY pressing but fortunately they struggled with the final ball big time. Their guy Cabore...wow! hope he didn`t cost much on todays performance. Anyhow Verdy wouldn`t be Verdy without messing things up in injury time. To be fair they had battered us for the last 30 minutes since their goal and although its always a sickener to lose in injury time, it WAS on the cards. Own goal again im afraid... Even more annoying and made me want to puke was Hulks sending off!! Now we were very lucky last week with decisions but the opposite today, Hulk got his marching orders for THE most fussy yellows ever. The first a debatable foul ok,Ive seen them given, the second in the 93rd minute for jumping for a header!!If ANYONE can find an offence in Hulks second yellow card today, please write in.Is it an offence to jump within someones "personal space" now?? Sorry sir, yellow card, your armpits smell?? The Tokyo guy didnt go down, didnt feign injury, didn`t do anything, just carried on. Maybe the rocking the baby celebration was too much for the ref...We lost today but gave as good as we got. A draw would have been fair but since when have Verdy made things easy!!?? Its great being Green!!
I too hate the baby rocking.
A couple of other notes, looks like a Gashead has popped up on the Rising Sun News message board and there are unflattering pictures of Verdy up and away. Show your love!
Also, I don't understand why the good folks at the LoveDoll headquarters keep writing but they do. I think it's for prostitutes but I'm not sure. any of you brave souls wanna check it out and let me know, I would love for the LoveDolls to be my first site sponsor. maybe one of them could be Miss Soilent Green 2008. Just a thought!
Next up for team green is a Nabisco Cup match against somebody evil.....ahh yes, Shimizu away. After that is a quick jaunt to the always hated Kashiwa Reysol, where Diego and Yukio Tsuchiya get to meet up with their old friends and Verdy gets a shot at the squad who sent them to second tier hell. Good Times!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Chatroom fun
http://www.chatzy.com/145877716756 Password: ruyramos
Gora from the Sanga blog has graciously set up this chat room for all gametime discussions. If you would like, please pop in and discuss Verdy and Hulk.
Also, Shintaro Kano reveals that another former Hulk club, Consadole Sapporo, was hot on the heels of the bombastic striker.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20080406TDY24303.htm
See ya in a few!
Gora from the Sanga blog has graciously set up this chat room for all gametime discussions. If you would like, please pop in and discuss Verdy and Hulk.
Also, Shintaro Kano reveals that another former Hulk club, Consadole Sapporo, was hot on the heels of the bombastic striker.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20080406TDY24303.htm
See ya in a few!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Vissel Kobe up next after another loss
The rags are all saying that we might see the Hulk system in action tomorrow against Kobe at HomeStadium.
Wednesday's game might have offered a clue as to what the team will look like for the foreseeable future.
Wednesday
Hiramoto
Diego
Leandro Kawano
Tomisawa Fukunishi
Hattori Nasu Tsuchiya Wada
Doi
So Hulk, who managed to put up 13 shots in a reserve match against the kids yesterday in for Hiramoto. I'm actually wondering what will happen to Hiramoto now that Hulk is back. Last year he was finished before it started......would we possibly see another rental or will he be a 10 minute man?
Actually that brings up a good point...........who lost in this little acquisition?
Francisimare-Well, he's done already
Hiramoto- Similar style player and shows he and Hulk don't mesh well together.
Iio- Leandro gets his spot on the wing, fair or not. I'd say fair!
Chiba, Albirex, Consadole, Omiya, and others who were in a position to drop- Adding a big gum in the season hurts the lower level squads immensely. Without Hulk, it was pretty clear to see Verdy would struggle greatly......with him? Maybe still a struggle, but it won't be dull.
Also, if you get a chance, Nick posted another excellent review of the games. Check it out!
Wednesday's game might have offered a clue as to what the team will look like for the foreseeable future.
Wednesday
Hiramoto
Diego
Leandro Kawano
Tomisawa Fukunishi
Hattori Nasu Tsuchiya Wada
Doi
So Hulk, who managed to put up 13 shots in a reserve match against the kids yesterday in for Hiramoto. I'm actually wondering what will happen to Hiramoto now that Hulk is back. Last year he was finished before it started......would we possibly see another rental or will he be a 10 minute man?
Actually that brings up a good point...........who lost in this little acquisition?
Francisimare-Well, he's done already
Hiramoto- Similar style player and shows he and Hulk don't mesh well together.
Iio- Leandro gets his spot on the wing, fair or not. I'd say fair!
Chiba, Albirex, Consadole, Omiya, and others who were in a position to drop- Adding a big gum in the season hurts the lower level squads immensely. Without Hulk, it was pretty clear to see Verdy would struggle greatly......with him? Maybe still a struggle, but it won't be dull.
Also, if you get a chance, Nick posted another excellent review of the games. Check it out!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
HE'S BACK!!!!!
The squad announced today that in hopes of shoring up this campaign and surging ahead they have brought in Dedimar.............Ahhh, April Fools was yesterdayNo, actually Hulk is officially back.
http://www.jsgoal.jp/club/00062000/00062938.html
And Francisimare is no more.
Here are 9 reasons why Hulk will be a better fit in Verdyland
1. He is in his natural position as a spearhead for the offense
2. He will get plenty of chances to touch the ball
3. He is surrounded by complimentary players like Diego and Leandro
4. He's not competing against another primadonna
5. He has a good relationship with Hashiratani and his boss
6. He's a shot machine on ateam that doesn't shoot.
7. He knows the system and it's tailor made for him
8. Strong leaders who have been there before, unlike Frontale
9. He's in Green
Hulk back on the 6th?
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/news/2008/04/01/01.html
Sponichi house of sports and porn (via Gora) is reporting that it is pretty much a done deal between Verdy and Kawasaki for Hulk. the rag is reporting that if all goes well, Hulk might be in the lineup against Vissel Kobe at Kobe. Ironically enough, that was Hulk's last game in the black and blue of Frontale. Look for more info Tomorrow, but for now it looks as if Hulk is coming back.
Sponichi house of sports and porn (via Gora) is reporting that it is pretty much a done deal between Verdy and Kawasaki for Hulk. the rag is reporting that if all goes well, Hulk might be in the lineup against Vissel Kobe at Kobe. Ironically enough, that was Hulk's last game in the black and blue of Frontale. Look for more info Tomorrow, but for now it looks as if Hulk is coming back.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Getting closer
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jleague/news/20080401-OHT1T00111.htm
If you believe Sports Hochi......and I usually don't.....it looks like Verdy might be bringing back the big striker Hulk in the next day or two. Good move if it happens.
WINNING 11-March edition
These are Soilent Green's 11 best for March
FW Leandro Vissel Kobe- The striker has had his hand in many things for the Kansai club and is a main reason why they are in the position they are in. 2 months without him is gonna hurt.
FW Marquinhos-Kashima Antlers- Best striker on the team so far. We'll see if it lasts.
MF Yoshizumi Ogawa Nagoya Grampus- The young mid has helped lighten the burden of losing Honda to europe and deserves credit for the fast Nagoya start.
MF Yasuyuki Konno FC Tokyo- The engine that runs the gasman attack. 7 goals is not too shabby.....maybe focus on defense a bit though?
MF Mu Kanazaki Oita Trinita- Like Ogawa, Kanazawa has filled in nicely for the departed Umezaki and injured Ienaga. The retarded turtles are probably the shock team of 2008.
MF Keisuke Kurihara Vissel Kobe- The old man and former Kawasaki Verdy player is quietly putting together a nice season in midfield for the 2nd place squad.
DF-MF Sidiclei Kyoto Sanga- Although Yanagisawa and Watanabe are grabbing the headlines, Sidiclei has been a rock in the middle of the field for the upstart Sanga squad. Definetely worthy of praise for a man Gamba thought was past it.
DF Takanobu Komiyama Yokohama F Marinos- Great start so far and often overshadowed by his more illustrious teammate in D
DF Yuji Nakazawa Yokohama F Marinos- Lazarus of the back 4. Always in the mix and incredibly hyped. He's played up to it so far.
DF Toru Araiba Kashima Antlers- Best player on the best defense so far. God Kashima is scary.
GK- Koji Ezumi Omiya Ardija- Ezumi has stolen points for Omiya by playing like a demon between the pipes. Unbelievable skill shown by a guy who Soilent Green thought didn't have it in him.
Best player for Verdy IMHO- GK Yoichi Doi. Didn't really like the pickup at first but Doi has kept the squad in position to steal points. Allowing only 2 goals while being placed in a Gamba shooting gallery deserves some praise.
If you believe Sports Hochi......and I usually don't.....it looks like Verdy might be bringing back the big striker Hulk in the next day or two. Good move if it happens.
WINNING 11-March edition
These are Soilent Green's 11 best for March
FW Leandro Vissel Kobe- The striker has had his hand in many things for the Kansai club and is a main reason why they are in the position they are in. 2 months without him is gonna hurt.
FW Marquinhos-Kashima Antlers- Best striker on the team so far. We'll see if it lasts.
MF Yoshizumi Ogawa Nagoya Grampus- The young mid has helped lighten the burden of losing Honda to europe and deserves credit for the fast Nagoya start.
MF Yasuyuki Konno FC Tokyo- The engine that runs the gasman attack. 7 goals is not too shabby.....maybe focus on defense a bit though?
MF Mu Kanazaki Oita Trinita- Like Ogawa, Kanazawa has filled in nicely for the departed Umezaki and injured Ienaga. The retarded turtles are probably the shock team of 2008.
MF Keisuke Kurihara Vissel Kobe- The old man and former Kawasaki Verdy player is quietly putting together a nice season in midfield for the 2nd place squad.
DF-MF Sidiclei Kyoto Sanga- Although Yanagisawa and Watanabe are grabbing the headlines, Sidiclei has been a rock in the middle of the field for the upstart Sanga squad. Definetely worthy of praise for a man Gamba thought was past it.
DF Takanobu Komiyama Yokohama F Marinos- Great start so far and often overshadowed by his more illustrious teammate in D
DF Yuji Nakazawa Yokohama F Marinos- Lazarus of the back 4. Always in the mix and incredibly hyped. He's played up to it so far.
DF Toru Araiba Kashima Antlers- Best player on the best defense so far. God Kashima is scary.
GK- Koji Ezumi Omiya Ardija- Ezumi has stolen points for Omiya by playing like a demon between the pipes. Unbelievable skill shown by a guy who Soilent Green thought didn't have it in him.
Best player for Verdy IMHO- GK Yoichi Doi. Didn't really like the pickup at first but Doi has kept the squad in position to steal points. Allowing only 2 goals while being placed in a Gamba shooting gallery deserves some praise.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
5 shots
5 shots today. 5 little shots. 5 measly shots
22 shots on the season so far........22 shots total.
2 goals....1 on a PK
Today saw Coach Hashiratani run out a lineup without Kaz Iio, instead choosing to line Leandro on the side and pair up Diego with the big donkey. And it worked, sort of. The donkey got his goal but the previously inept Gamba Osaka got 2 on an incredible 19 shots. Lucas AKA Lionel Richie Jr. managed to grab one late to seal the deal for Gamba and send Verdy into relegation territory for the first time this season.
More troubling for the team is that fellow promotion debutants, Kyoto Sanga and Consadole Sapporo both have wins in league play and seem to have their teams in position to at least be competitive. Today's game saw 4 yellow cards for the Verdy side......almost matching the shot total.......which did I mention was a paltry 5 today?
Somebody on the Big Soccer boards asked the question "Are Verdy really that desperate to spend 500000000 yen to get Hulk from Frontale?"
Yes, they are.
The good news is Sports Hochi is reporting that indeed there is interest from the team to sign Hulk. They are currently exploring ways to make this come to fruition. Whether or not Kawasaki wants to deal with Verdy is another matter, but I think the yen is mightier than the possible fan grudge that could happen if Hulk is successful and Juninho still stinks.
Other news from the Hochi is that Rui Ramos is getting a change in title from Executive Director to Managing Director. Why? Who F@#$$$$ Knows?
So if your keeping score at home
Albirex really sucks right now and that makes me sad because I like Albirex and their fans.
Urawa, Gamba, and Kawasaki don't suck as bad as everybody thought.
Chiba is starting to suck like everyone thought they would.
Omiya is not bad but kinda suck at scoring still. Shimizu sucks sometimes. Kashiwa sucks without Fransa. Consadole and Kyoto don't quite suck as much as promoted teams usually do.
Oita sucks even though they don't suck. Nagoya hasn't sucked yet but are due to. FC Tokyo sucks because they are FC Tokyo. Jubilo sucks against everyone except for Gamba and Verdy.
Verdy doesn't have enough offense to not suck. Yokohama F Marinos don't suck very much. Vissel sucks because they are owned by Rakuten and they changed their shirts and they bought their way to respectability and Leandro should come back to Omiya.
Kashima desn't suck at all and if they keep up their pace, the J League will suck this year meaning that in fact Kashima sucks for screwing up the J league.
Kazu Sucks.
22 shots on the season so far........22 shots total.
2 goals....1 on a PK
Today saw Coach Hashiratani run out a lineup without Kaz Iio, instead choosing to line Leandro on the side and pair up Diego with the big donkey. And it worked, sort of. The donkey got his goal but the previously inept Gamba Osaka got 2 on an incredible 19 shots. Lucas AKA Lionel Richie Jr. managed to grab one late to seal the deal for Gamba and send Verdy into relegation territory for the first time this season.
More troubling for the team is that fellow promotion debutants, Kyoto Sanga and Consadole Sapporo both have wins in league play and seem to have their teams in position to at least be competitive. Today's game saw 4 yellow cards for the Verdy side......almost matching the shot total.......which did I mention was a paltry 5 today?
Somebody on the Big Soccer boards asked the question "Are Verdy really that desperate to spend 500000000 yen to get Hulk from Frontale?"
Yes, they are.
The good news is Sports Hochi is reporting that indeed there is interest from the team to sign Hulk. They are currently exploring ways to make this come to fruition. Whether or not Kawasaki wants to deal with Verdy is another matter, but I think the yen is mightier than the possible fan grudge that could happen if Hulk is successful and Juninho still stinks.
Other news from the Hochi is that Rui Ramos is getting a change in title from Executive Director to Managing Director. Why? Who F@#$$$$ Knows?
So if your keeping score at home
Albirex really sucks right now and that makes me sad because I like Albirex and their fans.
Urawa, Gamba, and Kawasaki don't suck as bad as everybody thought.
Chiba is starting to suck like everyone thought they would.
Omiya is not bad but kinda suck at scoring still. Shimizu sucks sometimes. Kashiwa sucks without Fransa. Consadole and Kyoto don't quite suck as much as promoted teams usually do.
Oita sucks even though they don't suck. Nagoya hasn't sucked yet but are due to. FC Tokyo sucks because they are FC Tokyo. Jubilo sucks against everyone except for Gamba and Verdy.
Verdy doesn't have enough offense to not suck. Yokohama F Marinos don't suck very much. Vissel sucks because they are owned by Rakuten and they changed their shirts and they bought their way to respectability and Leandro should come back to Omiya.
Kashima desn't suck at all and if they keep up their pace, the J League will suck this year meaning that in fact Kashima sucks for screwing up the J league.
Kazu Sucks.
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