Happy New Season! Our first pod of the 2021 J1 season was intended to be a brief(ish) catch-up episode, but it's ended up stretching to just over an hour and a half - so we're in midseason form already!

In Part 1 Sam and Ben chat about some teams that have done some solid offseason business and looked primed for good years, then a couple of others that haven't moved the needle much at all in the winter break, with some of the more intriguing transfers in the close season also discussed (to 31:25).

Then in Part 2 Alan Gibson guests to talk about Issue 30 of JSoccer Magazine, including the terrific back story behind his interview with Daigo Nishi, and also how the three Kansai clubs are shaping up for the new campaign (to 1:03:32).

Finally in Part 3 Chris Hough joins Ben to discuss the two latest videos on his excellent Lost in Football Japan YouTube channel, and his fascinating football-going experiences in 2020.