Big Game ahead

Today is a huge game in modern Verdy history.A win will most likely propel the team into promotion status. A loss breathes life into not only Vegalta Sendai, but Kyoto and hard charging Cerezo as well. The good news for Verdy is that they face an opponent they have absolutely owned in Vegalta Sendai. Sendai goes into the game without Talismanic midfielder Lopez, who is out with a leg problem.

The key matchup will be between Hulk and new Vegalta CB Kazunari Okayama, a refugee from Kashiwa Reysol.

Rui Ramos was quoted in the Nikkan press as saying he was like Ochiai, the manager of Nippon Series winning Chunichi Dragons,because he is not afraid to make risky decisions in order to win. Well, his risky decision today is starting Kaz Iio over Silva. UMMMMMMMM.......

I will not be in attendance because I'm sick.

BABY BIRDS DROP ONE TO JEF IN SAHARA CUP

Verdy youth find themselves sitting behind Consadole in group play after dropping a 3-2 decision. The boys get on with it today against group leader Consadole at Verdy grounds.

OFF TOPIC :GOAL 2-The sappiness continues

Just saw Goal 2-Soccer Boogaloo on DVD and it was entirely predictable but still fun. GOAL chronicles the travels of Mexican undocumented worker and soccer prodigy Santiago Muniz, who gets discovered by a Newcastle scout and is whisked off to Europe.......damn the visa issues. Part two takes place with wonderboy getting an offer to play for Real Madrid to play with a bunch of guys who either retired or left for Los Angeles. Temptation, Jealousy, Rage........it's like an R Kelly video with soccer too. It's good for a laugh or three.......what the hell, I'll recommend it. More believable than Elijah Wood in "GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS".

Gamba enters the Arms race?

Nikkan Sports and friend of SG-Gora no Ura are reporting a rumor that Kyoto might lose super striker Paulinho to Nabisco Cup Champions Gamba Osaka if the purple people fail to gain promotion. Paulinho would presumably fill the gap being left by Magno Alves.

On top of that, Nikkan is reporting that the pursuit of FC Tokyo man and national teamer Yasuyuki Konno is in full pursuit.

Rumor Clearinghouse

First off a super big duper Congratulations to Gamba Osaka who claimed a 1-0 victory over Kawasaki Frontale in the super gynormous Nabisco Cup. Other prestigious winners include JEF Chiba (2 times), FC Tokyo, and Kashiwa Reysol. IMPRESSIVE!

Speaking of the blue turds of Ajinomoto........rumor out of Nikkan Sports is that they will change their strips to mirror Barcelona......great...the term makeup on a pig comes to mind but if it sells more gas shirts, so be it.

YOKOHAMA FC WATCH- The headlopping will begin next month as Yokohama FC trims alot of the dead weight off their roster. 1 in 3 of the current members will be handed their walking papers after a dismal 2007 campaign. The first one that should go but won't (unless he gets a stupid offer from Verdy) is Kazu Miura. However reports say that the team wants him and Atsuhiro Miura to come back to the squad next campaign. Another move should be the job of Julio Leal.....seriously, teams almost accidentally get better after a coaching change but this distinguished gentleman has led his squad to 9 straight losses and a goal tally of 1 in 9 games. He seems to recycle the old boys consistently without giving some of the younger players a chance. 4 games left to avoid being the worst J League team ever............maybe.

SOILENT GREENS VERDY WATCH- More rumors out of Kawasaki have J2's leading goal hawk HULK heading back to Kawasaki after this term. In some sort of weird servitude contract, Kawasaki still retain the rights to the mercurial striker. http://www.sanspo.com/soccer/top/st200711/st2007110404.html
You have to wonder why Verdy isn't putting their hat in the Washington derby during the offseason. Although the man is a consumate crybaby, his strength and scoring acumne in J League games is beyond reproach. And it seems to me that he still has some friends in Tokyo, the fans like him, and he still has some gas in the tank. Team him up with Diego and you have a very physical front two.

Baby birds fly- Tokyo Verdy Junior is participating in the Sahara Cup and are off to a pretty decent 2-1-0 start to sit second. The squad gears up against JEF Junior after they had a match postponed last week because of the typhoonish conditions.

Training Day- Verdy took on Something or other Valente in a run out and won 3-0. Goals were scored by Hiroyama, Hulk, and Funakoshi (Who still is on the team I guess....he got a pass from Saito......where are these guys anyway?)

Finally- The Emperor's cup 4th round kicks off in a mere two hours......my selection to win it all.
KASHIMA ANTLERS......they are in good form and haven't been to ACL in awhile...it's their turn to represent with presumably Urawa so I'm picking them to prevail over Shimizu, Jubilo, and Vissel...........Ehime will be the story of 2007's Cup.

We take a moment from SOCCER to let you know..

That my beloved Chunichi Dragons won the Nippon Series today 4 games to 1 to claim the title of Japan's best team. Even more dramatic was the way in which it was done with surprise starter Daisuke Yamai and ace reliever Hitoki Iwase combine to pitch a perfect game to clinch the series and give Chunichi a crown for the first time in 53 years.

Yaaaaaaaaaa-F@#$ing-Taaaaaaaaa Byatches! That's one for Soilent Green!

More baseless speculation

Weekly Soccer Digest jumps into the fray with a comprehensive list of baseless rumors

For your viewing pleasure

Hulk-going to Kawasaki Frontale
FC Tokyo midfielder Yasuyuki Konno going to Gamba
Jubilo Iwata Netminder Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi to Gamba
Gamba forward Magno Alves headed to FC Tokyo (Sports Hochi has him headed to Shimizu)
Oita defender Yohei Fukumoto to Gamba
JEF MF Koki Mizuno off to Urawa or FC Tokyo
Yokohama FC MF Oh Beom Suk, Sanfrecce MF/DF Yuichiro Komano, and Vegalta MF Lopez to Yokohama F Marinos
Albirex FW Edmilson to Urawa

I think we'll know more when Relegation shakes out....Takanori Sugeno has to be getting some notice and if the Yokohama-Verdy pipeline is still flowing, maybe we will see the young keeper in green (actually light blue...as the keeper). Sanfrecce is waiting to break open like a purple pinata.

Don't count your victories before they're hatched

Hulk showed up and put in two......but so did Thespa, including one in the final moments to snatch a point away from Verdy.

Two games in a row, the defense has failed to stop a charging squad.....this time they got burned, possibly losing the J2 Championship with this game

3 games to go.......it's not over yet.

Kobe gets in on the bidding war

That picture has nothing to do with the headline......I'll get to that later

First- Sports Hochi Yomiuri is reporting that Vissel Kobe is making it priority one to sign Vegalta Sendai man and main Urawa target Lopes to strengthen their back line. Good fit as a distributor and would help feed Okubo and Leandro. Somehow though, the cash splashing by Rakuten doesn't sit too well with me. I think they have more problems with their leadership structure. A team with that much firepower shouldn't be struggling as much as they do. FC Tokyo of the South.

Second-The picture above took place yesterday in Mitsuzawa as J2 debutante Yokoham FC crashed to their 9th loss in a row and 25th in 30 games. The team hasn't scored since the 69th minute of a 2-1 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on the first game of September.......561 minutes and over 6 games ago. Their current coach, Julio Leal has not won in his 8 games as head man.

I was in attendance yesterday as a team laden with misfit Verdy players from yesteryear took to battle against a squad with less misfit Verdy players from yesteryear. The game was decided on a goal from......yes.....a Verdy player from yesteryear against a product of the Verdy youth system.....1-0 Verdy misfit players from yesteryear over even more Verdy misfit players from yesteryear.

The game was played in front of 4,114......2800 came pissed off....were pissed off during the game...and went home pissed off. At the start of the match, The Yokohama Oen were dead silent when the 11 came out for warmups. The game was started with a SAKAMOTO YAMEROO chant (Sakamoto out). 90 minutes of hurricane weather and slick ball later and Yokohama was finished. The end of the game started like the beginning with another out chant. Finally, the man of the moment skulked out to face the angry pale blue mob. I give him credit, there was a lot of anger.

Third-JESSE FINK RETURNS

Friend of SG Jesse Fink is back starting tomorrow with his sometimes scathing, always entertaining takes on Australian Soccer. Fox is out, THE WORLD GAME is in.....here is the link, which does not seem to work at the moment http://www.theworldgame.com.au/ Anyhow, glad to see Jesse is off his backside and writing again......on his backside, I guess.

Finally- A reasonably similar starting 11 takes the field in an hour against the Spa boys of Thespa in a battle of teams I blogged about. Verdy has a real chance to solidify their promotion aspirations today with a win and stay in reach of a championship.

With Vegalta and Consadole winning and Kyoto crashing out, the race for promotion is starting to take shape. A win would knock Shonan Bellmare out of contention for automatic promotion and put some distance between Verdy and third place Vegalta Sendai before their big clash on November 10th.

P.S. The tWo is getting pounded today 4-0 against Kawasaki Frontale at the half..........I'm hoping for double digits. Down with FCT!

A trophy you really don't want

Yokohama FC just completed the fastest burnout in J league history with a 3-0 loss today to fellow promotion partner from 2006, Vissel Kobe. The truly stunning thing about the fall of Verdy Blue is the thouroughly pathetic results they have put out in 29 games.

The major highlights in this season were wins to crosstown rival Yokohama F Marinos and a tie to Gamba Osaka. Under current manager Julio Real, the baby blues have lost 7 straight, getting outscored 14-1 in the Brazilians short and cloudy tenure as gaffer.

Yokohama FC follows the lead of 2005 J2 Champ Kyoto Sanga in crashing out after 1 year at the top.

Another squad to take a plunge after 1 year in the big time saw their chance for promotion slowly fade into oblivion. Avispa Fukuoka dropped a 1-0 decision to the frontrunner for next years bottom dweller (if the championship curse holds true) Consadole Sapporo after playing a man up for over an hour but not cracking the Sapporo defense.

3 big games take place tomorrow with Verdy taking on a dangerous Montedio side in Yamagata. Kyoto goes to Tokushima to play a struggling Vortis squad. Finally the game of the day belongs to 3rd place Vegalta Sendai against a surging Cerezo Osaka squad who is looking to steal a spot in the top 3.

Finally, J1 squads who are on the cusp of falling off the cliff took to battle today in 2 seperate games. Omiya finally broke through against a truly dismal Sanfrecce side, 1-0. Sanfrecce reminded me of last year's collection of has beens and malcontents in Osaka's pink sector with their lacsadaisacal play. Now I'm not saying Omiya deserves to stay up this year but if Sanfrecce is still around after their collection of talent has put out consistently bad performances and low effort then there is something wrong.

Oita on the other hand suffer from youthful mental lapses. The young Trinitans pulled off a respectable 2-1 victory against a surprising Kashiwa side. Kashiwa didn't attempt a shot in the first half.

Finally, congratulations go out to Nagoya's own Chunichi Dragons who swept both Hanshin and Yomiuri to earn the right to get their taints handed to them again by the Sapporo Nippon Ham Fighters......always second except for in my heart.....somewhere Tom Selleck is gently weeping tears of joy.

How would Hulk look in Red?

According to WEEKLY SOCCER MAGAZINE SHA, Urawa is targeting a bevy of J League stars in attempts to bolster their sad, sad lineup that only managed to lose 2 games and advance to the Semi-Finals of the ACL. Included in Urawa's alleged shopping list is FW Hulk, Vegalta super midfielder Lopes, JEF Chiba midfielder Koki Mizuno, and former Urawa Red and current RedBull Salzberg MF Alessandro Santos. Arguably Urawa got the pick of the amateur class in FW Hiroyuki Takasaki as well.

Other rumored moves include Washington to Nagoya Grampus Eight.

Shonan stumble in a J2 rumble

4 million spectators went through Verdy turnstiles.....not too shabby

I gotta say that the team I saw today looks nothing like the one at the start of the season. For 70 minutes, Verdy played the best ball I have ever seen them play, controlling the midfield, shutting off all danger, and creating chances at will. Hulk was the first to notch a goal with a free kick that was earned after getting taken down a few yards outside the box. An in shape Diego tormented the Bellmare defense with fluid runs down the middle, dishing off a textbook pass to a streaking Silva for score number 2. Finally, Tsuchiya put in a header off a nice cross from Hattori. It seems like the squad took their foot off the gas near the end of the game and only a determined Takagi kept the clean sheet for the squad. Hell, even Kaz Iio looked like a player today.

One thing that might help Verdy on their road back to J1 is the shakeup down in Kyoto. Former Verdy man Hisashi Kato.....one of the first Yomiuri/Verdy players to don the blue shirt of Japan....has taken over for Naohiko Minobe. Shonan has pretty much been eliminated.

Finally, we have to say a sad farewell to Jesse Fink and Half time Orange. Jesse, as you might know, is a friend of Soilent Green and wrote a fabulous book called 15 Days in June about the Socceroos march in the 2006 World Cup and the history of Australian Soccer. If you get the chance, pick it up. The photo is courtesy of Jesse via former Yomiuri FC goalkeeper Dennis Boland. I didn't completely get permission so it might come down really quick. Just my little way to honor a good soccer writer! Good Luck Jesse and come back soon!

True Confessions

I have seen a few people have written posts asking where I am and why I haven't posted.

The short, terse answer is I haven't really cared. It's funny...the team is playing great now, they fought back into second and I can't be bothered for some odd reason. Maybe it's because Ramos is making the right decisions and I can't handle it. Maybe it's because he's winning with guys I really don't like as players. Maybe it's because the team did the entirely opposite thing instead of conventional wisdom and are succeeding.

I dunno.......I just remember sitting in Ajinomoto stadium on a beautiful day when Verdy played Ehime and absolutely not caring about whether or not the team won.

I feel like a fraud.

You guys deserve a blog written by someone who actually cares about the team. I'm not that guy. I'm an Omiya fan. I know that because I've gone to every home game and a couple road games and they sucked (for the most part).......and I have no intention of stopping going to those games.

My dream is that someone out there gets pissed off enough to think......hell, I could a better job than Soilent Green and they write a blog about Verdy.

I will be going to see Verdy play Shonan......maybe my last one for the season.

I'll try to write more.......but no promises.

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT?

Verdy Blog and Pride of Green as well as other numerous sites are reporting on a story released by Nikkan Gendai

Before I tell the sordid details, let me say 2 things

1. Nikkan Gendai is a tabloid variety publication and has some credibility issues
2. No other publication has picked up the story

Anyhow the story states that CyberAgent and Yomiuri publications/NTV are looking to pull out all of their capital in Tokyo Verdy due to lackluster ticket sales and a loss of money. The story states that Yokohama FC would buy the name "VERDY" and become Yokohama Verdy FC next year.

WHY IT'S BELIEVABLE

Verdy has lost a ton of money due to overspending, bad personnel decisions, and a declining fan base. Old stars such as Nanami and Hattori failed to give the team a boost in the gates that CyberAgent had hoped for. Verdy has alot of money invested in land as well as renting out a huge facility in Ajinimoto while only averaging 10 percent of capacity.

WHY IT'S NOT BELIEVABLE

I think that if Yokohama FC rebranded to Verdy, the supporters who went through the whole Flugel tragedy and spent their early J League fandom hating prefectural rival Kawasaki Verdy would probably go on a killing spree the likes of which hasn't been seen since Atilla was still kickin. Even with the Verdy reunion tour going on right now at relegation ground zero, I don't think Yokohama FC woud do that. The goodwill that they are getting from reaching J1 would be destroyed.......relegation, they'll survive.......rebranding and you'll see two teams die.

I'll keep an eye on this story

A Blast from the past?

Pride of Green went to practice and found a familiar face among the regulars

Here are some hints.......He's young

He's Brazilian

He played for Yokohama FC

Give up?

http://ameblo.jp/verdy-yoshikazu/entry-10045529066.html

Good pickup if it goes through

Hulk teaming up with Silva.......that's a ton of speed at the top

Ze Luis has left the building

The team announced today that defensive Midfielder Ze Luis has left the team and is joining San Paulo FC. Ze notched 4 goals in 36 games over the 2006 and 2007 campaign. The move theoretically opens up a space for what I assume will be a more offensive import to team up top with Hulk. Good luck to Ze.....not quite the impact player that I thought he would be but not bad either.

The Rise and Fall of the Baby Blue Buzzards

Asahi Shimbun is reporting that last year's miracle maker, Takuya Takagi is being shown the door after a disaster of a J1 Campaign.

While some of the blame lies on the head mans shoulders, it must be said that the main failing lies in a team made up of retreads and castoffs from teams as lowly as J2 bottomfeeders Tokushima Vortis.

Leading the parade of misfit soccer players is a veritable collection of Who's Who in Verdy lore, starting with Takuya Yamada.......the Angel of Death
Verdy preseason hero Kazuki Hiramoto has failed to impress, only notching 3 goals in a role that wildly fluctuates from starter to bench to trainee
The patron saint of FC, Kazu Miura has hardly been seen this year.....the last time he was seen in a game was in June.

Shingo Nejime has been a bright spot in a dismal season. Jun Tamano has barely been seen. Atsuhiro Miura has yet to don pale blue. Gimar was released.

Dismal............

LOST IN AMERICA-Soilent Green #2

Ohhhhhh, I'm enjoying watching the Beckham non-show parade around the US of A. I'm starting to wonder if he will actually play or if they will just wheel him out for personal appearances. I also got a chance to watch some second division sides play to varying degrees of success. Pretty sure even Kaz Iio could score on the California Victory but I digress.

Anyhow Verdy played a couple of games down south when they went head to head with Avispa Fukuoka (loss) and Ehime FC (tie). Both games took place without the services of Hulk who is still serving a suspension for card accumulation. One notable player was Verdy youth MF Hiroki Kawano, who slipped in for 5 minutes. Ryutsu Keisai DF Masaki Iida was also on the bench for the club, but saw no time in the game.

J1 Shenanigans

Last post, I mentioned the disaster that is JEF Chiba and how I wished for their demise. Well, it seems the geniuses at Omiya misunderstood and decided that THEY would be the team to make the drop. After scathing criticism by Robert Verbeek in the press.....wait a minute...after Robert Verbeek stated the obvious and the girlish and thin skinned mouth breather Satoru Sakuma got his feelings hurt after reading that the team needed help at the forward position and in the back, Messrs Verbeek was summarily dismissed from his position as head man and replaced by......wait for it.......Satoru Sakuma.

If you are not familiar with Satoru Sakuma, he was the man who took Daigo Kobayashi, Yoshiyuki Kobayashi, and Yukio Tsuchiya from relegated teams and made them into a 12th place squad......THAT WAS HIS HIGH POINT

Sakuma was the genius who released Bare and Leandro from Omiya for a head case named Christian and a flop by the name of Saul "Speedy" Martinez. Sakuma was the mastermind who brought in Naoya Saeki and rented him to Avispa during a relegation fight WITH AVISPA. Sakuma was the man who decided that the pairing of Takuro Nishimura and Yasuhiro Hato were even remotely adequate enough to play first division soccer. Sakuma was the man that brought you the two headed forward ghidra known as Morita-Salles. One word....ENILTON.
Sakuma allowed former coach Toshiya Miura to take GK Takahiro Takagi and let him become the best goalkeeper in J2.......leaving the squad with a frail Aratani and an inept Ezumi.

Satoru Sakuma....you sir make Ramos Rui look like a coaching genius.

Soilent Green American Style!

Still haven't seen David Beckham play yet but I have been watching some good footy

MLS-FMF Superliga has been everything the A3 championships aren't....good hard fought matches providing entertainment and controversy. Shockingly, CONCACAF club champion and COPA somethin or other champs Pachuca find themselves at the bottom of their group after two disappointing results to MLS squads Galaxy and FC Dallas......meanwhile The Urawa Reds of Mexico, CD Chivas Guadalajara and their merry band of urine throwers find themselves on top of their group after a controversial hand ball goal and dives aplenty.

Meanwhile, Tokyo Verdy had an up and down week, beating the snot outta Cerezo Osaka 4-0. Last night, Verdy went back to the scene of the early season collapse which nearly cost them their season. Like the fateful game in Fukuoka, Rui Ramos chose to start my least favorite player and constant rally killer Kaz Iio, like in that match Iio failed to generate any offense, and like that match Verdy lost 2-1. No Hulk, so Iio probably wasn't first selection but Taira Inoue couldn't do the job?

Another note....check out the Verdy Blog linked on the site and scroll down a bit..........looks like old Verdy forward and resident Urawa crybaby Wahhhhhhshington turned up at Nishigaoka to see his old team crush Cerezo

Speaking of Cerezo, Satoshi Tsunami got hired to assist to the Japan U-16 National Squad....Good Luck to the big man.

Finally Ivica Osim needs to look for a new job after that Abortion of a coaching job he pulled in the Asian Cup.......Seriously, is everything JEF Chiba affiliated with crap right now? Maybe JEF reserves are allright but the rest of it is sinking fast. Hurry up and die already, do the right thing and let yourself get relegated.

Hulk in Samurai Blue?

　東京Ｖのブラジル人ＦＷフッキが２０日、日本への帰化と日本代表への思いを口にした。日本語はまったく話せないが「日本代表？　それも選択肢の一つ。日本代表のユニホームを着てプレーしたい」。フッキは前節１４日の山形戦（西が丘）では終了間際に同点ゴールを決めるなど１８得点でＪ２得点王。

Sankei Sports is reporting that Hulk would like to obtain Japanese Citizenship even though he doesn't speak the greatest Japanese. While the outcome doesn't look likely and probably would take a looooooong time if it ever happened, it would solve some problems up top for the Japanese National Team.

TSUNAMI COMES HOME

Tokyo Verdy brought back Verdy legend Satoshi Tsunami as a special advisor. Good move and classy. Here's hoping he helps.

ALEMAO CORRECTION

I mistakenly reported that Alemao was at Vasco De Gama at the time of his death.....He was actually a member of Palmieras.....one of the readers pointed that out to me, Thank You and Mea Culpa.

VACATION

I'm headed back to the Land of Dog Fights and Steroids tomorrow so I will be erratic in my posting.......just like now so no real difference. Have a good summer and stay safe!

Hulk saves the day

Last minute, Torrential rain and big Hulk scores one at the end to steal a point away from Montedio.....good result considring the back 5 were a bit patchwork at best

Didn't see the game

VENDO'S BRUSH WITH GREATNESS......Alright Vendo's brush with Rui

Our friend Vendo from Mito Hollyhock News and Report ran into a bunch of the guys after the Mito match.....here is his account

Mito outplayed Tokyo Verdy in all ways but the one that counts. Since soccer isn't scored on judging, it's another loss and another three points in the divide between Mito and the rest of the field.Unfortunately I couldn't see most of the game live because there was a massive crowd that filled Hitachinaka's stadium to beyond capacity. Since I was working the gate, I was going hard trying to keep nearly 4,000 fans in order going in and out of a single gate. There was too much to do until the final 10 minutes or so, unlike Kasamatsu which usually can allow watching from whistle to whistle. I had to see the recording at home late night after finishing stadium work.Speaking of that crowd, the final number reached over 5,500 in a stadium that seats 5,000. (Well, "seats" are only in the higher priced section...) It marks the first time in 2007 that Mito's fan count was higher than another J. League game, and was in fact more than twice the size of Ehime's home game against Tokushima.After the game, in the locker room area, I talked with a few Japanese players from both teams and tried to do the same with Hulk, but there was a language barrier there. As I headed back into the main hall from the locker room area, Tokyo coach Rui Ramos came out of the press room and walked just beside me. He seemed kind of shocked to see a white guy working in the back for Mito and after a brief exchange of greetings and the equivalent of "good game" on both sides, I wished him luck for the future. He honestly came off as very nice and personable, but then again he had just won a hard game against a team that had embarrassed him in the last meeting. He seemed in a hurry to leave so I resisted the urge to ask for a picture. I also resisted the urge to ask why he pitched a tantrum on the sidelines after his keeper refused to hold the ball at the end of the game. It was probably for the best.He walked out of the front door to the waiting Tokyo fans who waited for player pictures and autographs. They were rabid and happy just to see them in person. On one hand, I was jealous that Tokyo had a fan base so rabid as to wait more than an hour just to see the players get on the bus. On the other, I felt bad for that fan base that the players seemed so inaccessable and untouchable, as if on a pedestal. I realized that different fan bases enjoy different teams in different ways. Mito's fans feel that they are closer to the team and know the players personally, supporting them one-on-one in addition to as a group. The downside is that if the team loses, the supporters don't just feel bad... The fans feel like losers, too.After my roles were finished and I waited for the rest, those of us who were waiting grabbed a ball and headed out to the field, still pockmarked from the steps and slides of the match, and played around for a bit. A couple of others stood where the Tokyo front line had been less than two hours earlier, while I took goalkeeper Takeda's spot. Although I wasn't up against the top scorer in the division, I wish that Takeda had been as successful as I was for those few minutes.Around three hours after the final whistle, I finally was able to head back to my car to make the drive home. As I put the key into the ignition, the lights on the field went out, and the first half of the season went dark. While no team can be mathematically eliminated from promotion at this point and thus hope must remain, it is clear that Mito is likely is headed to one of its worst season records ever despite playing some of its best quality games. I pondered that for a moment and came to the realization that it didn't matter. I feel so lucky to have this team and plan to do all I can to help it as much as possible.I just kind of wish the wins would come along a little more often.

Nice work Vendo

Weekly wrap

Getting close to Vacation time for Soilent Green (3 weeks in Beckham Valley) So here you go.....

ALEMAO AND MARCUS

I was in attendance last year as two Brazilian players went down from J1 to J2. Tokyo Verdy had just acquired the services of longtime veteran midfielder Marcus from high flying Kawasaki Frontale. Yokohama FC picked up the services of a young mercurial striker by the name of Alemao from soon to be relegated Kyoto Sanga. On a rain soaked summer night in Yokohama, neither did a damn thing as both teams wallowed in a 0-0 slog.

Marcus would struggle through the rest of the year, hovering between injury, erratic play, and aging legs. Alemao meanwhile, would tear the league apart, scoring about a goal a game and putting the offense of the little blue squad from Yokohama on his narrow shoulders. Irritating to watch at times, theatrical and annoying, there was no doubt about the young man's talent. He wasn't my favorite player but he was impressive.

The close of the season would find both men leaving their squads......Alemao to Vasco De Gama, and Marcus to Yokohama. Last week saw the two intertwined again. Marcus would see the end of his J league career after a disappointing end. Alemao saw the end of his life. While driving in a suburb of Rio De Janiero, Alemao crashed his car and died. He was 23 years old, far too young to be in the grave.

Our friend Cesare wrote a moving piece about the young striker on his Kyoto blog

http://sangananbanjin.blogspot.com/2007/07/alemao.html

Here's hoping you and your family find peace, Alemao.

GET USED TO TAKAGI

Shinya Yoshihara is out for 6 weeks after getting banged up in the game against Cerezo. That's why you bring in a couple good keepers.

VERDY VAULTS TO 4th AFTER A VICTORY OVER VEGALTA

Hulkamania ran wild in Sendai as the green machine thumped Vegalta on the road 4-1. One of the few bright spots in the Rui era has been the domination of the Sendai side. Verdy now holds a 5-1-1 record against the hawks. Call it Tsunami's revenge......(Speaking of which, 2-0-0 against Cerezo as well)

MONTEDIO AT NISHIGAOKA

Hagimura is out......back three of Ichiyanagi, Togawa, and Tomisawa with Ono and Sugayama in the middle and Takagi in net, Hattori and Kaimoto on the wings

Could be a shootout.

Half Finished

The season hit the halfway mark yesterday with Verdy finding themselves in 5th place, 6 points behind 2nd place Kyoto Purple Sanga.

Here is Verdy half wrap

BIGGEST WIN: At Kyoto 4-1.......Verdy found themselves in a 7 game morass before taking it to the purple gang of Kyoto. A loss here would have ended all chances of recovering and Verdy behind the two Brazilians came through big.

WORST LOSS: Ehime 1-0......some will say the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Mito was the worst loss and it's hard to argue against them. I will contend however that outshooting and out powering little Ehime while not finding the net was a killer. Ehime robbed points from Verdy. It was the game that caused me to stop writng for a month.

MVP: Hulk 13 goals 8 assists, constant threats, powerful runs in the box.

Surprise of the year: Shigenori Hagimura, the guy has done the most with his chances after a dreadful season in 2006.

No surprise: Kaz Iio, THE STRIKER THAT DOESN'T SHOOT

What about Rui? I still say he is overmatched as a coach and he does things that I disagree with. I would have fired him......that being said, he did institute the switch to 3-5-2 that jumpstarted the 2007 campaign and put the squad back in contention for promotion...that he deserves credit for.

Changes? Tsuchiya will be back so Togawa probably loses his spot. Funakoshi is back as a starter, although I'm not quite sure why. Possibly the adddition of another big name from the past and maybe a replacement for Ze Luis, who has disappeared completely.

Mystery?????? What happened to Masaki Saito? Did he die? Where is the guy?

Forecast for the second half- If everything breaks right, 3rd place and a chance to play against JEF Chiba for the last spot in J1.

J2's upcoming crisis

Next year will see the inclusion of up to 3 more teams into the ranks of J2. While the number of squads has made for a tidy if bit long 48 game schedule, the addition of 2 more teams could throw a huge monkey wrench into the works. 15 teams would mean the loss of 18 games on the schedule, down to a paltry 28 games. Lacking a cup situation would mean loss of revenue and less chances for players to see meaningful playing time.

Therefore Soilent Green proposes something completely different and possibly really stupid......the two tiered season.

Unlike the two stage mess that was in the J league, this two tiered system would have a purpose........

STEP 1- The 28 game preliminaries
STEP 2- The final rounds
Each team would get a home and home series against every opponent in J2. At the end of the 28 game season teams would be classified into two groups......the promotion group and the cup group. The promotion group (top 8) would play another 14 game home and home set against the other 7 top finishers. The cup group (bottom 7) would play a 12 game set against the other also rans in their group. Instead of promotion, the cup group would play for a monetary prize and a cup, so even the smallest fish could have dreams of winning something.

Scheduling would be a difficulty, arranging travel plans and putting out advertisements would be done on an unfortunate truncated schedule. However, every team has a competition to play in so venues could be reserved at the start of the the season.

The second problem with this is the age old question of cheapening the season versus making every game count. Don't know where I stand when it comes to this. I don't mind playoffs, especially since the Colaship and other various leagues have a playoff system in place in relation to promotion. The one problem I do see with this is the devaluing of performance in the earlier stages. Kashiwa had a monster start last year and a bit of a dropoff in form near the end. In my scenario, a loss in form could doom a team who consistently performed well during a majority of the season.

Just a thought.....all I know is Thespa vs Tokushima is Booooooooring right now!

Lucky 7

To start this week's edition of Soilent Green, we start with the long awaited arrival of FOSG Jesse Fink's book on the socceroos and former Yomiuri FC goalkeeper Dennis Boland. Titled 15 days in June, it details the rise of a new power in Asian football. I've gotten through the first three chapters and it is a fast and interesting read. Not sure where you can buy it in Japan or Europe..(probably Amazon or E-Bay). Anyhow, congratulations on the new book Jesseand here's hoping you come to Japan and write 1 and a half long damn years in Tokyo.....How Rui messed up a sure thing!
Today, Verdy ventures to Ibaraki prefecture to take on Vendo's own Mito Hollyhock. Yahoo.co.jp posted this as the potential lineup, and it seems that there is an Albirex tinge to the lineup. The key to the game will be effective counter-attacking, Mito love to push the ball lately and a hawk like Hulk could put his stamp on the game.

Three Brazilians, Hulk and Diego for Verdy and new signing Biju for Mito did not appear in the last contest. Another thing in Verdy's favor is the fact that last year the teams split the season series two apiece with road teams winning all the games.

Reversal of fortune? Possibly.

MIURA IN LIMBO

Well, as of today there is still no movement on the transfer of Atsuhiro Miura. Spots Hochi has thrown Yokohama FC back into the mix in regards to making a move on the longtime pro. Makes sense, considering he was one of the best players in Flugel history and has connections up the ying yang to the Yokohama squad.

Like Bad Breath........

I'm back.

Couple of interesting tidbits to pass along as I try to get back into the swing of things

1. Yukio Tsuchiya is out for 6 weeks. He came up injured in the game against Flaming Pink on Wednesday.

2. Atsuhiro Miura is allegedly a target for Ramos and friends. The 32 year old former captain of Vissel Kobe was told to hit the road after criticizing Vissels manager for his player selection and tactics. The team said that he had to apologize, he didn't and he was let go.

Over the past couple of weeks, Ramos has made overtures to his former teammate from Verdy days of yore in an attempt to lure him back as a wing.

It was easy to dismiss the overtures as another attempt by Rui to get his name in the papers and make him look like he was trying to do something to save the SS Green Titanic. Another mercurial former foreign legend from the days of J league infancy, Pierre Littbarski, also has made advances towards the gritty professional.

One had to be wondering why Miura would take a step back into J2 when some of the lower rung J1 squads were begging for his services and leadership. It seems to me the clock was ticking on his J1 career and road trips to Tosu couldn't be too palatable for the former National teamer.

The first sign that maybe Verdy's overtures were more credible came in the form of a response by Yokohama FC that they would not be pursuing the services of Miura because of money and desire. Now, when a team with a massive Verdy fetish like Yokohama FC turns down the chance to get one of its former legends, you know that something is cooking....by last count they had Silva, Kazu, Yamada, Sugeno, Nejime, Tamano, Takagi, Hiramoto and new signing Hayashi all claiming ties to the Green.

A few days ago, Vissel added to the speculation that Miura would take the field in green by issuing a statement saying that they would only transfer Miura to a J2 squad......J1 was out of the question. Reasonable enough, Vissel kind of is mediocre bordering on suck and they don't want a pissed off former player going at them directly or indirectly for a rival.

Like everything Verdy does, this move could be good or bad..........

What will Miura do when he sees that Ramos (or Littbarski) are both mediocre as managers and have the same aggravating style of indecision and constant player moves?

What will adding another "crony" do to the likes of a Fukuda who hasn't seen the pitch in a long time?

Why is a team who is mid table second division trying to get older?

What does this do to the leadership structure of the squad.........Is Ono still the captain? Hattori? Does Miura get the band after walking in?

Is he a forward or defender?

Any other manager, I'd say bring him in........but Rui? He'll mess up for sure.

Game on!

GONE FISHIN!

I have decided to take a break from blogging for the month of June.......I will be back on July 1st, hopefully relaxed and refreshed.

Kinda came to this conclusion during the game when I was doing everything but paying attention to what was on the field yesterday.

OH YEAH......I blame Kaz Iio for th loss yesterday.....I don't know why Rui insists on playing the guy after win streaks but he is the biggest jinx I've ever seen.

So look for me on July 1st to blog again.......much apologies, feel free to keep the discussions going though here.

It's been awhile

Sorry...bad back and a nasty cold put me out of action for over a week

Tsuyoshi Yoshitake got injured in the inagural sattelite game against Venforet Kofu and is out for 6 months. The good news is Kaz Iio scored so I'm sure he has pole vaulted back up to 3rd striker......UGGGH

Takuya Yamada is on trial at Yokohama FC...if he signs, it will be the third team that he helps go down to relegation in three years.

3-5-2= 3-0-0 Who would've thought that the system that caused so much disaster in 2005 would resuscitate the ambitions of this year's squad. It takes a brave man to rejigger his whole system in the middle of the season. Kudos to Rui Ramos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbpegYoQL8c
Highlight vs Tokushima

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruN5WXDED3Y
Highlight vs Avispa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRthkG8Xx9s
Highlight vs Shonan

BLOG IN 60 SECONDS: Avispa vs Verdy

Tomorrow is another fabulous midweek rumble, which drives down attendance and seems to bring out the worst in Verdy. Anyhow, the squad plays against Avispa Fukuoka, the team that started the 7 game shame spiral which dented the credibility of Rui Ramos and sent Kazuki Hiramoto on a one way ticket out of Tokyo.

The roles have seemed to reverse however as Fukuoka finds itself in a mini-slump, suffering a bad loss to lower rung Sagan Tosu and collapsing to Kyoto after staking a 2 goal lead at home.

Avispa will be without the services of Kiyokazu Kudo, who is serving a one game suspension and Australian import Alvin Ceccoli, who is banged up.

My guess for tomorrow

GK----------------------------------Yoshihara---------------------------------

DF------Tsuchiya-------------------Hagimura---------------Tomisawa----------

MF---------------------Sugawara---------------Sato----------------------------

MF-Hattori-------------------------------------------------------Hiroyama-----

MF-----------------------------------Diego--------------------------------------

FW-------------------Hulk--------------------------Yoshitake-------------------

Anybody catching the game, please send in a report!

Always outnumbered, Always outgunned: Verdy vs Shonan

When I first saw the name of this man in Verdy's starting 11, a sense of fear and dread overcame me. I was almost ready to leave the stadium. My views on Shigenori Hagimura have been well documented. When I later saw that the new formation would be 3-5-2 with Fukuda and Hattori playing a midfield role and Hagimura as the lone man in the middle, I thought, finally.....Verdy will lose 12-0 and the embarassment will be so great, Ramos will be on his way out........I'll stay for this, some cute girls are around me, it's a beautiful day as always at historic Kokuritsu and I got nothing else to do.

Well dear readers, the end of world is upon us.....Hell has truly frozen over and pigs are circling my roof in majestic flight................

I thought Shigenori Hagimura was the best player on the field.

Oh, I realize that Shinya Yoshihara stood on his head on a couple of beautiful saves and Hulk was the most dangerous player on the field, practically spoon feeding Tsuyoshi Yoshitake his first goal in a Verdy uniform. For my money, Hagimura performed the most consistent performance, consistently shutting down the runs by Adiel and the rest of the dangerous Shonan mids. Seriously, the only dangerous chances by Bellmare were handed to them by the inept officiating who ran Kensuke Fukuda on a foul second yellow call. 52 minutes of man down footy and for the lions share Verdy looked like the more dangerous squad.

And Hagimura was the anchor. Part of me died just saying that.

Surprisingly, the team looked far more effective with the lumbering Diego up top and Hiroyama dropped back into his more natural role of midfielder after Fukuda left.

I won't judge the squad by this performance harshly considering the ref wanted to decide it and failed......I will just applaud Ramos and the squad for a gutsy performance that was light years away from the disgrace of early May.

I still worry about a 3-5-2 with an erratic keeper and a central defender who is putrid but for today I will give the permed devil his due......his gameplan worked to near perfection. Next game is against Fukuoka on Wednesday......I won't be there.

Off Topic: Yokohama FC

I got a chance to see the debut of Kazuki Hiramoto for Yokohama FC yesterday. He looked strong, the decision making wasn't quite there but the runs were decent. A couple of other notable former Verdy men were in attendance. Shingo Nejime made a late appearance for the squad and did nothing. Jun Tamano didn't play. Kazu had a couple of nice dives for free kicks. Omiya man Yoshiyuki Kobayashi had a reasonable game with two shots and quality decision making throughout the game. Daigo and Naoto Sakurai were both out for Omiya. Yokohama FC goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno was competent in goal, unfortunately getting left out to dry on a header off a set piece.

2 shots total for team Kazu.

Today I will see another Kanagawa squad take on Verdy when Shonan hits the pitch. Rumors are circulating that Verdy has been heavily toying with a 3-5-2 formation.

Maybe this?

GK------------------------------------Yoshihara--------------------------------

DF------------Fukuda-----------------Tsuchiya--------------Hattori------------

MF----------------------Tomisawa--------------Sugawara-----------------------

MF--Ze Luis---------------------------------------------------------Kanazawa---

MF------------------------------------Diego--------------------------------------

FW----------------Hiroyama---------------------------------Hulk----------------

Killoran has left the building

For the second day in a row, Verdy has shed itself of a member of the 2007 dream team. Eugene Killoran, a 19 year old defender was released after appearing in no games in his year tenure. Killoran hasn't appeared in any practice games for the past month so the move was not completely shocking. It looks from his comments on Verdy's main site that he is currently focusing on school. Good luck Eugene and hopefully you can resume your career after college

Happy Birthday J League!

14 years ago today Kawasaki Verdy and Yokohama Marinos took the field to kick off what would become a new national phenomenon. Included in that opening lineup was current Verdy manager Rui Ramos, former Cerezo head man Satoshi Tsunami (who notched the first yellow card in J League history, Head Coash Tetsuji Hashiratani, and current Verdy sub Hideki Nagai.

19 minutes in, Brazilian import Mayer would notch the first goal in Verdy and J League history. Unfortunately, the squad would fall 2-1.

http://www.jsgoal.jp/special/2007anniversary/game_01.html

Happy Birthday to the J League and the birth of the New Yomiuri club

Hiramoto to Yokohama FC

Moments ago, the team announced that lifelong Verdy man Kazuki Hiramoto is being sent up to the big time on a 7 month loan. Hiramoto will join King Kazu, Shingo Nejime, and Jun Tamano in possibly the ugliest uniforms ever as he joins up with Yokohama FC. Hiramoto passed up offers to sign with JEF Chiba in order to help Verdy regain promotion. While having flashes of brilliance in J2 under the helm of Ramos, it never seemed the forward was comfortable with the permed one, fading in and out at various times during the 2006 campaign.

Injuries at the start of this year slowed Hiramoto and he never had much of a chance to feature in the revamped lineup. With the drop of Takagi from the squads first 16, you have to wonder if CyberAgent is trying to purge the last vestiges of the 2005 squad.

Footage from the Montedio game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnhvap9jnJ8 Didn't see the game.......Verdy tied, what do you want from me?

Speaking of the 2005 squad......

Is Omiya hoping to recreate the magic? Reports are that Takashi Hirano and Angel of Death Takuya Yamada have come in for trials with the Saitama squad. Seriously, if they both are gonna trade players back and forth, just merge the friggin squads.......it would save me a ton of money!

Pull up a chair and enjoy the show!

THE LINEUPS

GK ----------------------------------Yoshihara-----------------------------------

DF Fukuda----------Tsuchiya---------------------Tomisawa--------------Hattori

MF----------------------------------Sugawara-------------------------------------

MF ----Kanazawa----------------------------------------------------Ze Luis-------

MF---------------------------------Diego-------------------------------------------

FW -----------------Hulk-------------------------Hiroyama-------------------------

BENCH: Shibasaki-----Hagimuuuuuuuuuura-----Nagai-------Ono-------Funakoshi--

Actually, I think Lil Kim is more of a Reds fan myself

On with the show!

A Different Streak Approaching?

I'm showing you pictures of three of Montedio's most important players. Leandro is their captain, the man that anchors a tough defense. Yohei Toyoda is the team's leading socrer and main threat up top. Masaru Akiba is an anchor in the middle for the squad. All three have been ruled out for the upcoming game between a Verdy team still in the middle of a tumultuos (and still unresolved) period which threatened the reign of Rui the Fro and a Montedio side who finds themselves atop the division. The April 1st contest surely was a game for fools because not even the most partizan Yamagata supporter could have imagined that it would be Montedio in 1st and Verdy hovering near the drain.

The key matchup in this contest will be the new Verdy power trio of Hulk, Diego, and Nozomi Hiroyama against the pairing of Shogo Kobara and whoever coach Yasuhiro Higuchi decides to slot in for Leonardo.

The number one candidate for the job is rookie Takuya Sonoda, who has made two appearances this season.

Potential Verdy Lineup

GK Yoshihara

DF Fukuda---Tsuchiya---Tomisawa---Hattori

MF Sugawara

MF Kanazawa Ze Luis

MF Diego

FW Hulk Hiroyama

SO HOW DO YOU BEAT MONTEDIO?

On paper, it's simple. Control the ball, punish the new guy in center defense, and limit the mistakes.

Somehow Montedio has managed to come up with heart and effort far beyond the sum of their parts to inch into first place. The first key will be for Ze Luis and Kanazawa to take out the branch defenders who control the ball and start the offense.

The second thing is quick movements and decisions to keep Montedio back on their heels and not bodying up on the key offensive players. Montedio wants a slow, physical game where they can wear down the middle and get off a chance or two to steal the game. It's mundane and hard to watch, but it's effective. If Verdy can get an early goal, it will force Montedio to take chances and then the floodgates can open up.

Finally, Fukuda and Hattori have got to clean up the defensive slop they've been collectively throwing out for almost a month and a half. There is a good chance that the squad can build on the nice result they got in Kyoto. I don't think anyone has been blown out by the last place squad at home and beat a first place squad on the road in the same month, but I could be wrong.

A Tale of Two Managers

One of the former legends of Tokyo Verdy 1969 got the axe today, the other got a repreive. 1 point seperates Cerezo Osaka and Tokyo Verdy in the standings but the clubs are light years apart in terms of how they do things. Satoshi Tsunami got 13 games to turn around a franchise filled with very young talent and old retreads and nothing much in between. By game 3, pressure was mounting to make things happen.

Around game 10 (my speculation) Cerezo was fishing for new coaches. Game 12, they had a guy picked out and game 13 was the perfect time to cast aside a man who has found himself in hard luck situations. Seriously, what a joke Cerezo is......13 games to turn around a franchise who completely showed no heart in getting dumped to J2 and then saw their talent flee to other venues.

Meanwhile, the other legend, Rui Ramos, sitting on an embarrassment of talent riches gets a reprieve from the "braintrust" at CyberAgent. 7 losses in a row brought to a close by a 1 man show. Seriously, do they think that the 1 game is the true Verdy and the month long slump is a mirage?

Granted it was impressive how Hulk dismantled Kyoto, but it seems like the game was a perfume to cover up the smell of the giant green turd Ramos and company have served up during the 2007 campaign.

There's a lesson here somewhere and I imagine it involves cameras and goats but I'm not quite seeing it right now.

But hey Kyoto, thanks for rolling over and completely #@$%ing up the season! Douchebags!

UHHHHHH..............

Seriously, I'm speechless. Verdy came out after a putrid effort against Mito Hollyhock and took it to Kyoto Sanga. The fact that Sanga came out a little flat after a huge win against Vegalta Sendai wasn't a shock. They've done it before. The shock was that a team who has been dead in the water could come out and post 4 goals against a fairly decent defensive side.

Could it be a swan song for a lame duck coach? Or a desperate attempt to save the job of a guy who hand picked every one of these players.

The lineup

GK-Yoshihara (Brought in this year)
DF-Fukuda (signed this year)
DF-Tsuchiya (former teammate signed this year)
DF-Tomisawa (brought in last year from Sendai....came back after a disastrous year)
DF-Hattori (brought in this year)
MF-Ze Luis (brought in last year)
MF-Sugawara (brought in last year and resigned after a lackluster year)
MF-Kanazawa (brought in last year and talked into reupping for another loan)
MF-Diego (brought in this year)
MF-Hiroyama (lured back to the team last year)
FW- Hulk (brought in this year)

This was Rui's squad and he was gonna go down swinging with them.

It looked bad at the start, Kyoto FW Andre outmuscled and turned around Hattori for a header to put the Sanga up 1-0. Then the Hulk erupted. Showing the early season flair he lacked during the slump, Hulk struck to even the score. He would add two more and put a shot near goal that Diego would clean up for the eventual 4.

I still can't see the squad continuing with Ramos at the helm. After game comments were limited to game related questions only........so we wait.

It's been awhile since I've been able to say anything nice about a Verdy performance.

No negativity......Good job today.

Here are the highlights courtesy of Tasui 105
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VttgnIzDskE

WELL......IT'S DIFFERENT

The Lineup

GK Yoshihara

DF Fukuda--Tsuchiya--Tomisawa--Hattori

MF Kanazawa--Sugawara--Ze Luis-- Diego

FW Hulk--Hiroyama


BENCH: Shibasaki--HAGIFRIGGINMURA--Ono--Nagai--Funakoshi

Why should Verdy care about this man?

Who is this man, first of all? Let me answer that.....his name is Levir Culpi and he currently coaches Atletico Minero. Sports Hochi is all over the story that Culpi has met with the club in Osaka and will become manager after the Brazil State Championships finish at the end of the month. Culpi managed Cerezo 10 years ago and led the squad to a less than inspiring 11th place finish (11th Suntory, 8th Nicos for an overall 11th place finish)

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/soccer/jleague/news/20070506-OHT1T00079.htm

Two questions come to mind. One, why are you firing a coach after only 12 games? After the initial 3 game stumble, the team has turned it around to grab a respectable 15 points in 9 games. Considering the team is built around very young talent and old retreads, I'm not sure what Cerezo was actually expecting. They were a mid-table level team with mid-table talent and SURPRISE, they are mid-table.

Two, How could this affect Verdy? Well, if Satoshi Tsunami is fired, there is a possibility that he and not Hashiratani takes over as the man in charge. His resume and experience is more extensive than Hashiratani so he seemingly would be a more reasonable choice for a team in turmoil. Was there some cooperation between the Cerezo front office and Verdy in orchestrating a coach swap? Probably not, but it makes you wonder about the timing of Cerezo changing coaches this early in a guys tenure.

At the very least, I expect Tsunami will rejoin the squad in some sort of role if he is actually relieved of duties at Cerezo.

Ramos last stand?

This photo was taken by Daily Sports online of Ramos seemingly yelling at a chair. Like a hobo. Who drinks too much. Seriously.
http://www.daily.co.jp/soccer/2007/05/05/0000324571.shtml

I guess he threw a mini fit during the game against Kokushikan University, so forgive me if I have no idea what he's going to do in his potential swan song.

I do know it would take a miraculous performance bordering on herculean......goals would have to rain from the heavens, Kyoto would have to be decimated for a full 90 minutes. It would have to be swift, strong, and impressive in all facets of the game and honestly, I don't think the team has it in them.

Practice was cancelled today. Not a sign that things are going well.

Will he do something completely drastic, like changing to a 3-5-2? The team hasn't really practiced it. Will he go with a completely revamped back 4?

Who knows?

Gora has a preview of what Kyoto might look like here
http://sangananbanjin.blogspot.com/2007/05/game-preview-14th-vs-tokyo.html

My feeling is, the team will fight for about 35 to 40 minutes, let up a goal and fall apart....losing by a 3-1 mark. But they could show some heart. Who knows.

I don't think the players want to go through this again
http://vision.ameba.jp/watch.do?movie=223539

First Quarter Grades

Yesterday's bloodbath marked the end of the first quarter for campaign 2007

Now is as good a time as any to give the players grades for the first quarter

Hulk- The mercurial forward has been one of the few bright spots on an increasingly dismal campaign. Consistently driving forward and taking shots when the rest of the squad watches. The only one who can create his own shot. Sometimes you have to wonder if it's a good or bad thing that he is so creative because the rest of the team tends to get complacent waiting for him to score.

GRADE B+ Stop picking up stupid yellows

Funakoshi- The early season momentum he brought was stifled by an ill advised benching against Avispa. It seems like the team thrives when he's able to put a goal in or get an assist. Who knows where he fits in the new scheme

GRADE B He's done more than was expected early but has faded in recent games.

Hiramoto- Not very impressive in the few appearances he's made this year. Still looks hurt though so I'll hold my comments for now. The two yellows in a blowout shows his head is still not completely right.

GRADE INCOMPLETE

Iio- 3 games, no shots. The slump started when he appeared and the has struggled ever since. Coincidence? Of course it is....I can't stand him as a player but even I won't go thaaaaaaaat far. Still.............

GRADE F I don't know how he scored 4 in J1 last year...........maybe he just needs the right coach

Yoshitake- He's played hard in the two games he appeared in but looks overmatched. At forward he hustled against a stout Shonan defense but didn't come up with much. Mito made him look really bad.

GRADE C- I think he would be better served as a bench player, coming in late for energy bursts

Inoue- I love watching the kid play, he has a constant motor and great pace. Unfortunately, he has yet to convert it into points. His shot is a little weak and off target. He does create havoc in his role though.

GRADE C Great effort and heart of a champ but it's not translating into anything tangible.

Ono- The captain has really been one of the biggest busts this season. I'm not completely sure it's his fault because he looks woefully out of position in the wing spot and he doesn't seem healed from last year's Hernia. However his tentative play on offense and questionable decision making has been depressing

GRADE D+ You have to play better if you wear the band. 2 years of disappointment.

DIEGO- The single BIGGEST disappointment has been DIEGO who showed up woefully out of shape and has been a shell of his former self. He has demonstrated neither the intellectual acumen nor the sweet touch that helped propel Kashiwa Reysol to the big time last campaign. I was shocked to see that he was available. Now I understand why.

GRADE F Maybe the new formation will allow him to show the same form from last year. If not, he goes down as a worse signing than Dedimar.

Nanami- Not a great campaign for a legendary player. Even before the injury, he was slowing down the offense with errant passes and lack of pace. His defense has been pretty solid however, without him, the team has really broken down.

GRADE C+ I've been a little harsh on him but I've seen Togawa without him and I gotta say I might be rating him a bit low.

Ze Luis- Playing very well before the minor injury. Lately though, he's been disappointing. Looked like last year with the tentative performance against Mito.

GRADE B He's been much better this year than last. When he plays confident he's a great player.

Kanazawa- ERRATIC......follows up a good game with a mediocre one. To be fair he's been probably one of the three best players during the malaise.

GRADE B Why he was playing D mid instead of wing was beyond me. 3 goals in 4 games is a pretty good rate.

Sato- Great start but a poor finish to the first quarter. He needs to play in the D mid role more. It seems like he is also better suited as a sub and a change of pace guy like
Yoshitake.

GRADE C+ Maybe he'll refind his form and touch.

Nagai- Surprise of the season for me. He has been superb in the 30 minute role off the bench. There's been a couple of games where he has jump started the offense with a good run and timely pass.

GRADE B+ Good to see him effective and in shape this year.

Tomisawa- DISASTER. Between the bad play, bad cards, and bad decisions, he has been one of the teams worst players. Looked good in preseason, but he doesn't seem to have it.

GRADE F

Sugawara- Has not offered much in the time he has got. Mediocre, just like last year

GRADE D

Tsuchiya- The best signing of the year for the squad. Can you honestly imagine how bad the defense would be without the bald man in the middle. His constant hustle and coverage has saved Verdy on a few occasions.

GRADE A

Togawa- It's a shame that a guy with all the tools to be a great defender has a bad head. How times did he get burned yesterday? Awful. How about the two cards against Shonan to turn a 0-0 tie into a farce. His decision making is atrocious. And with Nanami out, teams seem to focus on him.

GRADE D Big dissapointment this year.

Hattori- God he looked old against Mito. For a guy who's supposed to be a leader and show character, he has made some really bad blunders. Might have single-handedly ended Ramos career.

GRADE D Is he contemplating retirement?

Takagi- Looked excellent early but against Tokushima he was woefully out of position. His confidence looks shot.

GRADE C After about 10 shots, he starts to lose his focus. He's cracking.

Yoshihara- Wow, I was having Mizuhara flashbacks with his lack of movement in the box. Granted, the defense didn't help

GRADE D Is there a plan C?

Hiroyama- I save him for last because I have been his biggest booster this season. Yesterday was his big chance to get back into the fold for verdy and he disappointed, greatly. The team needed a guy to step up.......I thought it would be him, but he was constantly out-muscled and out-hustled.

GRADE D

THE NEW MAN?

Various newspapers are reporting the Verdy head coach Tetsuji Hashiratani will be the new manager of Tokyo Verdy 1969 after the team returns from Kyoto. Hashiritani was a legendary defender and midfielder for the predecessor to Yokohama F Marinos (Nissan Club) in the JSL before moving on to Yomiuri Club/Kawasaki Verdy in 1992. Hashiritani previously held stints as a position coach with the Urawa Reds and a short stint as interim manager of Consadole Sapporo. His record was a less than stellar 1 win 6 losses witht the then struggling Consadole side.

The Verdy 196.9 site already shows the team starting to change formation. In a friendly loss against Kokushikan University, the squad went with a 3-5-2 strategy

http://ameblo.jp/revoverdy/

If I were to guess what type of lineup would be set out with a new 3-5-2, it would be like this


Hulk Hiramoto


Diego

Hattori Kanazawa

Ze Luis Ono


Togawa Tsuchiya Fukuda

Takagi

I fear for the defense in this formation but the offense would get going again, making for alot of fun, high scoring contests. A big unknown is who Hashiratani rates as starters and who will be satellie fodder. There are some huge unknowns going on with this club......it's like the old curse, "May you live in interesting times!"

MITO "HIGHLIGHTS" HERE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5KWGCIo8sE

If you can stomach it, here is a collection of the very WORST of Tokyo Verdy 1969....VERSION 2007. Mito looked good however so if you want to appreciate a hard working squad, take a look.

Finally, Verdy will go for a club record 8 losses in a row when they take on the rising Kyoto Sanga FC in Kyoto. One thing they have going for them is Kyoto has been disappointing after big wins. The Sanga managed to upend Vegalta in Sendai to drop them into 4th and give them their first loss of the year. Actually, Freaky Thursday saw the rise of Avispa Fukuoka and Montedio Yamagata into the two safe positions for promotion.

ROCK BOTTOM RAMOS

If today's game against Mito was intended to be some sort of statement it came across loud and clear. Today, Tokyo Verdy 1969 hit the lowest point for a once proud franchise. THE TEAM HAS SPOKEN.....they don't want Rui as manager. Coming in, Mito Hollyhock had scored 3 goals in 11 contests. 2 of their starting defenders have been declared out for up to 6 months.

Everything was set up for this to be a glorious return to form for Verdy, a weakened opponent, a new lineup with a credentialed back line, a return to the National where they put up 5 goals on a now rejuvenated Thespa Kusatsu. It should have been easy.

9 minutes in, it looked like Mito was gonna give the game to Verdy when Mito keeper Koji Homma deflected the ball into his own net from a Hiramoto kick nowhere close to going in. It was all downhill from there. The trio of MF Hiromasa Kanazawa, FW Kohei Nishino, and FW Yuya Iwadate combined to cut through a feeble Verdy defense and control play in the middle. Iwadate was especially effective in making former National Team player Toshihiro Hattori look old and feeble with his constant motor and hustle.

The team lost their composure early and late, started to panic after the first goal and finally quit after the second. Late in the game a sequence ensued where Hattori made an ill-advised play in the box to give up a penalty shot, Hiramoto made a rough tackle to get his second yellow and Tsuchiya picked up a yellow arguing the play.

It seemed like the Verdy staff expected it to happen because at halftime, extra security guards moved into position in front of the supporters section. 15 minutes to the close extra security moved in around the pitch. Finally after 90 minutes of the most gutless, brainless, and tactless performances in Verdy history, the whistle was blown and the players headed over to the supporters.........who booed and heckled the team on a worthless performance. A few angry supporters threw beverages and other things down on the humiliated squad, who bowed in a symbol of shame.

For his part, Ramos sat slumped on his bench with his legs crossed, sensing the end of a disappointing career as the head of the team he made famous. He walked past the throngs of media hungry for a comment on his future as manager, left the press conference in the hands of the Verdy brass and possibly for the first time in his life didn't speak. He didn't need to.....the message was loud and clear.......it's over.

In all honesty, I kind of liked the lineup he fielded when I first saw it. I might have tweaked it a bit but I thought they would do a much better job then they did. The side featuring Hattori and Togawa was putrid today. Actually nobody showed up for Verdy. It was the first time the team functioned as a unit.........everybody worked together to thouroughly embarass themselves, their coach, their fans, and Verdy. And Mito for their part played like a hungry, scrappy group of players who would bite, scratch, and claw their way to victory. They were a joy to watch......11 guys playing loose and balls out to get a victory, enjoying every moment.

At the end of the game, I (and Furtho from the G!G!O!A! site ) got a chance to meet Vendo from the Mito blog. The guy was happier than any person I have ever seen before, and justifiably so. The Mito fans were wearing team shirts from different squads for some odd reason. They were all overjoyed at the performance and amazing result on the field.

The Verdy supporters were very quiet when I passed them, like someone had died. The hopes of a preseason filled with acquisitions equal to none and the promise of top division football lay crushed on the historic National Stadium ground. After a mere 12 games, the season has spun out of control.

This is what the view is like from the bottom of the barrel.

2 Games

Daily Sports is reporting that Rui Ramos has 2 games to turn it around or he's out

http://www.daily.co.jp/soccer/2007/05/03/0000322014.shtml

Hope you guys don't miss the "Thespa" reporting too much!

TORN

So you tell me how to root tomorrow. I have no clue. What I do know is this, without Rui Ramos, there would be no Tokyo Verdy. Like it or not, Ramos was the man that bridged the gap from Yomiuri Club to the champions in the early years of the J League. Without Rui Ramos, there would possibly have not been a Wagner Lopes, an Alessandro Santos, a Marcus Tulio Tanaka, a Robert Cullen, or a Mike Haavenar. An argument can be made that Rui Ramos was the single most important foreign born player ever to appear in the J League. So how do I root tomorrow? A legend takes the field tomorrow in what could be the beginning of the end of his service for Verdy. No matter what he's said in today's tabloids (He's backtracked, saying that he'd see how they play against Kyoto as well before making his decision on quitting) tomorrow is the game.

There is no way he could survive after losing to the leagues worst squad. He can't fall back on the excuse that two of his Brazilians are out. He can't fall back on the excuse that he's had injuries. There are no more excuses. He made the statement that this was the game.

It's no secret that I haven't been a fan of Rui Ramos from the start. I've questioned his reliance on players who were his contemporaries. I've questioned his continued selection of players who look out of their element. I've questioned his choice of player positions, seemingly sticking square pegs in round holes time and time again.

I have a confession to make, part of me wants Ramos to pick a team of his cronies and golden boys and have Mito come out and run the score up in an embarassing fashion. Deep down, I'd rather be right. The other part of me wants to see him turn it around and make a comeback and prove me wrong. Because it would be a great story. Honestly, the worst thing could be a 1-0 win where the team plays lackluster and wins on a fortuitous bounce and convinces themselves that everything is O.K.

So I don't know what to root for. My gut says a loss would start a chain reaction that can't be predicted. I'm sure Hashiratani would take over for a little while until some high priced guy from god-knows-where comes in and.......who knows? The season for intensive purposes would be shot, the new guy could be just as inept, choosing lineups filled with the likes of Hagimura, Iio, and Ono, playing slow non-productive football.

I don't think Rui can handle the job. I think the statements of resignation illustrate that part of him has already quit, and some of the performances have shown that a few of the "character" guys have failed him as well.

Tomorrow will be tough to watch.

The Heat Index

Consadole Sapporo gets the nod again as the team of the month. How they are doing it is simple.....DEFENSE. 7 clean sheets in 11 contests. The one time the defense broke down, 4 goals were scored by a less than explosive defense. Even with the two titles, they can't make the top of the heat index. That designation belongs to.........

1. VEGALTA SENDAI- (Last month 2)11 game unbeaten streak to start the season, tying the record with 2003 Champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima and 2005 Crown Winner Kyoto (Purple) Sanga. Game 12 will be tough, with Kyoto hoping to preserve their record.

2. CONSADOLE SAPPORO- (Last month 3) Toshiya Miura always seems to get his squads to start fast out of the gate. He has continued true to form with a first place start to the season. Beware the swoon in August........as an Omiya fan, I've seen it up close.

3. AVISPA FUKUOKA-(Last month 5) Good month for the hornets, going 4-2-1 and picking up points against Consadole in Tokyo. Something bugs me about their performances and Alvin Ceccoli looks like a bust but they have got the results. Alex and Lincoln are forming a potent one-two punch.

4. MONTEDIO YAMAGATA- (Last Month 7) A good month was capped by a 4-0 drubbing of an in form Shonan Bellmare squad. Even with the 4 goal outburst, the scoring has been lackluster. Don't get comfortable.

5. SHONAN BELLMARE-(Last month 4) Hard to drop them a spot after 4 big wins but losing like that to Montedio at home left a bad taste in my mouth. Bellmare is vulnerable in the middle without Jean so the next couple of weeks will be a test.

6. CEREZO OSAKA-(Last month 12) Coach Tsunami has the team playing decent football. Still not great but they are slowly creeping into contention. Ze Carlos will be the key.

7. KYOTO SANGA FC-(Last month 8) It seems like the team still has a depression hangover from the disaster of 2006. The referees haven't helped much. Really, Kyoto has disappointed.

8. THESPA KUSATSU-(Last month 6) The team is still scraping along and fighting for mid table respectability. There's really not much talent on this team but they play hard and fight. Koji Maatsura has scored some timely goals, too...........the horror!

9. TOKUSHIMA VORTIS-(Last month 10) They stink against teams they should compete against but managed to tie Vegalta Sendai and humble Verdy on the road. Possible giant killers and playing with much more pride than last year.

10. SAGAN TOSU-(Last month 9) Who knows what team is going to show up? They have the potential to play with any team in J2. They also have the potential to get blown out. Sad group.

11. TOKYO VERDY 1969-(Last month 1) Great talent, Awful team.......nuff said

12. EHIME FC- (Last month 11) Is it me or does this team seem to lack the urgency and fight of last year's squad. Guess the thrill of promotion is gone. They remind me alot of the Vortis squad last year.

13. MITO HOLLYHOCK-(Last month 13) OK........Home record 0-0-6 2 GF 14 GA -12 GD.......Road 0-3-2 1 GF 7 GA -6 GD. Could this team be as bad as the 2003 Sagan Tosu squad that only won 3 games? They might have the consolation prize of ending Rui Ramos coaching career.

High Riser CEREZO OSAKA

Big Loser TOKYO VERDY 1969