2 hours til kickoff
Doi
Fukuda
Tsuchiya
Nasu
Hattori
Fukunishi
Sugawara
Shibasaki
Diego
Iio
Hiramoto
Takagi
Leandro
Yoshitake
Hiroyama
Hagimura
Oguro
Donkey
Reports from Sports Hochi are that Kuwait are attempting to raid the J league of their Brazilian goleadors. The first real firm offer is from Al Saad for Davi
http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jleague/news/20080928-OHT1T00159.htm
Up to 10 are targeted by the oil rich Middle Eastern Kingdom including Edmilson from Urawa, Marquinhos from Kashima, Juninho from Kawasaki, Allesandro from Albirex, and Cabore from FC Tokyo.
Unfortunately Leandro was not on the list
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The home stretch
The final start in earnest on Sunday.......
Here is the vital stats on the opponents
ガンバ大阪 Gamba Osaka
13 games
5 Wins
3 ties
5 losses
16 GF
19 GA
Who thought a trip to Syria would shake a lethargic giant out of their slumber. Looked good on paper until lately. Gamba did manage to beat Urawa at Saista but Verdy is decent at home.
名古屋グランパス
13 g
7 w
2 t
4 l
20 gf
15 ga
Taking out the Omiya win leaves them with a less than impressive +1 in gd and we might have seen signs of cracking with a loss to Chiba. No Magnum makes this winnable for sure.
大宮アルディージャ
13 g
4 w
3 t
6 l
15 gf
20 ga
The good news for Verdy.......no Denis Marques who made them look sad. The bad news, A giant Slovenian who can actually play. You can get in a shootout with Omiya and win, but if you let them score early and a couple, you will lose. Winnable but tricky the first 6 pointer on the schedule
京都サンガF.C.
13 g
7 w
2 t
4 l
15 gf
14 ga
Economical and tough at home. Kyoto won't blow you out so much as frazzle your nerves with close calls and pressure.
ヴィッセル神戸
13 g
2 w
7 t
4 l
12 gf
16 ga
A team that has the potential to score in bunches but usually doesn't. Plays for the tie on the road. This game has the potential to make or break Verdy fortunes in J1
コンサドーレ札幌
13 g
3 w
1 t
9 l
16 gf
26 ga
The good news is that Sapporo should be officially planning for J2 by the time this game comes around. The bad news is that it doesn't seem to matter because they are feisty little bastards. Must win.
横浜Ｆ・マリノス
13 g
6 w
4 t
3 l
16 gf
9 ga
Marinos is tough at home, letting up the 2nd least amount of goals at home.......not great for a team like Verdy who is a -12 on the road. Keep it close and hope to steal one............it's the mother of all classicos.
川崎フロンターレ
13 g
6 w
3 t
4 l
21 gf
18 ga
Somewhere the people of Kawasaki are smiling. Don't go into this one needing a win.
Here is the vital stats on the opponents
ガンバ大阪 Gamba Osaka
13 games
5 Wins
3 ties
5 losses
16 GF
19 GA
Who thought a trip to Syria would shake a lethargic giant out of their slumber. Looked good on paper until lately. Gamba did manage to beat Urawa at Saista but Verdy is decent at home.
名古屋グランパス
13 g
7 w
2 t
4 l
20 gf
15 ga
Taking out the Omiya win leaves them with a less than impressive +1 in gd and we might have seen signs of cracking with a loss to Chiba. No Magnum makes this winnable for sure.
大宮アルディージャ
13 g
4 w
3 t
6 l
15 gf
20 ga
The good news for Verdy.......no Denis Marques who made them look sad. The bad news, A giant Slovenian who can actually play. You can get in a shootout with Omiya and win, but if you let them score early and a couple, you will lose. Winnable but tricky the first 6 pointer on the schedule
京都サンガF.C.
13 g
7 w
2 t
4 l
15 gf
14 ga
Economical and tough at home. Kyoto won't blow you out so much as frazzle your nerves with close calls and pressure.
ヴィッセル神戸
13 g
2 w
7 t
4 l
12 gf
16 ga
A team that has the potential to score in bunches but usually doesn't. Plays for the tie on the road. This game has the potential to make or break Verdy fortunes in J1
コンサドーレ札幌
13 g
3 w
1 t
9 l
16 gf
26 ga
The good news is that Sapporo should be officially planning for J2 by the time this game comes around. The bad news is that it doesn't seem to matter because they are feisty little bastards. Must win.
横浜Ｆ・マリノス
13 g
6 w
4 t
3 l
16 gf
9 ga
Marinos is tough at home, letting up the 2nd least amount of goals at home.......not great for a team like Verdy who is a -12 on the road. Keep it close and hope to steal one............it's the mother of all classicos.
川崎フロンターレ
13 g
6 w
3 t
4 l
21 gf
18 ga
Somewhere the people of Kawasaki are smiling. Don't go into this one needing a win.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Off topic-Consadole Sapporo
One of the great stories in last years J2 campaign was the rise of Consadole Sapporo. Unlike some other squads Sapporo really relied on homegrown character guys instead of loading up with big names, reminiscent of Omiya circa 2004. Unfortunately for Miura and company Sapporo could not recreate the magic in J1. While there is an outside chance for Sapporo to squeak out ........no scratch that......there is abosolutely no way Sapporo is going to pick up 10 points in 8 games to get into the pro/rel spot.
What's next for the 2007 champs?
Guys out the door.....
I'm not sure but the offensive play of Davi and Claiton leads me to believe that someone will make an offer. Davi looks exactly like the type of player a team like Sanfrecce Hiroshima or Gamba Osaka will swoop on to shore up the offense. Claiton might be a tougher fit considering he's old and he doesn't play defense but if a team like Shonan happens to pop up to J1,I definetely see him getting a job. Takahiro Takagi lost his job to baby keeper Yuya Sato. Takagi showed himself to be formidable for both Thespa and Consadole in his time at J2 but has been a disaster this campaign, posting only 2 clean sheets in 19 games. A backup role at Omiya might be a good thing considering the admirable job GK coach Shirai has done with Aratani last year and Ezumi this year.
Guys coming in
It will probably be a combo of guys on their last legs and prospects like Yokohama FC. It won't look like Sanfrecce. If Miura stays, I do see him grabbing a couple more of his old favorites from Saitama like Naoto Sakurai or Aratani or even Hiroshi Morita, guys who can't consistently do it in J1 but could be good in J2. The name I think he could go after is MF Hayato Hashimoto who has virtually vanished from the radar. If Miura is canned.......which I don't think will happen...Verdy head coach Takuya Takagi has to be mentioned in any discussion. He even has some roots with Sapporo, having a cup of coffee with the squad in 2000. If he gets the nod, a ton of young satellite guys could be headed north.
Sapporo was actually the first place I encountered J League football (the gift shop to be precise) so I feel bad to see them drop. It might be awhile before I post one of these again unless Jubilo hits rock bottom
What's next for the 2007 champs?
Guys out the door.....
I'm not sure but the offensive play of Davi and Claiton leads me to believe that someone will make an offer. Davi looks exactly like the type of player a team like Sanfrecce Hiroshima or Gamba Osaka will swoop on to shore up the offense. Claiton might be a tougher fit considering he's old and he doesn't play defense but if a team like Shonan happens to pop up to J1,I definetely see him getting a job. Takahiro Takagi lost his job to baby keeper Yuya Sato. Takagi showed himself to be formidable for both Thespa and Consadole in his time at J2 but has been a disaster this campaign, posting only 2 clean sheets in 19 games. A backup role at Omiya might be a good thing considering the admirable job GK coach Shirai has done with Aratani last year and Ezumi this year.
Guys coming in
It will probably be a combo of guys on their last legs and prospects like Yokohama FC. It won't look like Sanfrecce. If Miura stays, I do see him grabbing a couple more of his old favorites from Saitama like Naoto Sakurai or Aratani or even Hiroshi Morita, guys who can't consistently do it in J1 but could be good in J2. The name I think he could go after is MF Hayato Hashimoto who has virtually vanished from the radar. If Miura is canned.......which I don't think will happen...Verdy head coach Takuya Takagi has to be mentioned in any discussion. He even has some roots with Sapporo, having a cup of coffee with the squad in 2000. If he gets the nod, a ton of young satellite guys could be headed north.
Sapporo was actually the first place I encountered J League football (the gift shop to be precise) so I feel bad to see them drop. It might be awhile before I post one of these again unless Jubilo hits rock bottom
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What we learned so far
Well Verdy finds itself in 15th with games coming up against a suddenly resurgent Gamba squad and a date with front running Nagoya Grampus. The good news is that Verdy was far worse when they beat Grampus the last time they squared off and they won.
Another worry is the resurgence of JEF Chiba and their increasing brand of Ultradefensive Chibapool style. After turning over the roster with castoffs from other squads, the yellowdogs have managed to get a little push to respectability.
A bit of good news is that Jubilo Iwata is downright putrid. A 5-1 thrashing by the putrid part of Tokyo has them at 26 points with 8 games remaining. Looking at past relegation victims.......
2005 Tokyo Verdy drops after winning Emperors Cup/Xerox Cup and Real Madrid friendly. the mixture of old names and young guns fail to mesh
2006 Cerezo Osaka bottoms out after being moments away from victory. A mixture of young talent and old names fail to mesh
2007 Sanfrecce Hiroshima drops to J2 after their cast of players who have caps for the national team at all ages fails to win for a very long time.
And now we have a team with Komano and Kawaguchi struggling to stay afloat. The good news is that their next two games are against a Niigata squad that is downright offensive on the road and a Consadole squad who has to be reeling from yet another last second loss. If Jubilo fails to get at least 4 points out of these two you will see teams getting their shopping lists ready for the gutting. Considering Ruis fetish for retro Jubilo members and you could see one or two next year..........no matter what happens.
6 pointers
10/18 vs Omiya
11/9 vs Vissel
11/29 vs Yokohama
And one must win versus Consadole.
Another worry is the resurgence of JEF Chiba and their increasing brand of Ultradefensive Chibapool style. After turning over the roster with castoffs from other squads, the yellowdogs have managed to get a little push to respectability.
A bit of good news is that Jubilo Iwata is downright putrid. A 5-1 thrashing by the putrid part of Tokyo has them at 26 points with 8 games remaining. Looking at past relegation victims.......
2005 Tokyo Verdy drops after winning Emperors Cup/Xerox Cup and Real Madrid friendly. the mixture of old names and young guns fail to mesh
2006 Cerezo Osaka bottoms out after being moments away from victory. A mixture of young talent and old names fail to mesh
2007 Sanfrecce Hiroshima drops to J2 after their cast of players who have caps for the national team at all ages fails to win for a very long time.
And now we have a team with Komano and Kawaguchi struggling to stay afloat. The good news is that their next two games are against a Niigata squad that is downright offensive on the road and a Consadole squad who has to be reeling from yet another last second loss. If Jubilo fails to get at least 4 points out of these two you will see teams getting their shopping lists ready for the gutting. Considering Ruis fetish for retro Jubilo members and you could see one or two next year..........no matter what happens.
6 pointers
10/18 vs Omiya
11/9 vs Vissel
11/29 vs Yokohama
And one must win versus Consadole.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Ecclectic to say the least
Doi
Fukuda
Hagimura iOi
Tsuchiya
Hattori
Hiroyama
Fukunishi
Shibasaki
Diego
Oguro
DONKEY
Takagi
Yoshitake
Iida
Shinmura
Kawano
Iio
Hiramoto
My first thought is WOW...........2 post offense with the one returner arguably the least effective
Diego better have a great game
Fukuda
Hagimura iOi
Tsuchiya
Hattori
Hiroyama
Fukunishi
Shibasaki
Diego
Oguro
DONKEY
Takagi
Yoshitake
Iida
Shinmura
Kawano
Iio
Hiramoto
My first thought is WOW...........2 post offense with the one returner arguably the least effective
Diego better have a great game
Friday, September 19, 2008
Agggggggh!
4 shots today
Nasu gets the red
Oita wins 2-0
And Verdy drops to 14th
even 80 year old Brazilian Ueslei gets a goal
Anyhow here is something I like
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/billy-bragg-the-boy-done-good/2136999375/?icid=VIDURVMUS04
My favorite football song ever!
meanwhile Chibapool needs a pk and 2 red cards against bottom rung Consadole to win 3-2. I would cry conspiracy but I have no clue why the league would want a team who sells off all their assets and plays a really negative defensive style to stay up. Maybe it's the glorious kits.
Nasu gets the red
Oita wins 2-0
And Verdy drops to 14th
even 80 year old Brazilian Ueslei gets a goal
Anyhow here is something I like
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/billy-bragg-the-boy-done-good/2136999375/?icid=VIDURVMUS04
My favorite football song ever!
meanwhile Chibapool needs a pk and 2 red cards against bottom rung Consadole to win 3-2. I would cry conspiracy but I have no clue why the league would want a team who sells off all their assets and plays a really negative defensive style to stay up. Maybe it's the glorious kits.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Awww God!!!!!!
2-0 loss to Chibapool
Hagimura gets run in a game of Albirex rejects
Bunkerball wins out.......should be a good warmup for the mother of all that is boring
Oitards are a coming!
Nice to see Toda can still get a job somewhere.......not really.
Hagimura gets run in a game of Albirex rejects
Bunkerball wins out.......should be a good warmup for the mother of all that is boring
Oitards are a coming!
Nice to see Toda can still get a job somewhere.......not really.
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