The J-Talk Podcast

James Taylor and Jon Steele plus special guest are back with another set of J2 teams to preview ahead of the 2024 season:

Start to 07:15 Mito Hollyhock (Jon and James)

07:15 to 13:00 Tochigi SC (Jon and James)

13:00 to 21:10 Yokohama FC (Jon and James)

21:10 to 27:30 Ventforet Kofu (Jon and James)

27:30 to end JEF United (Chris)

Thank you to Chris for contributing, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Stay tuned for part 3!

We wrap up Week 3 of our J1 Season Previews with a tour of Kanagawa: Neil Debnam guests to chat about Kawasaki, and whether they can rebound up the table after last season's disappointing 8th place finish (to 39:40); then Jonny and Ben discuss Shonan, now on their longest run of consecutive seasons in J1, but is this the year their luck runs out (to 1:03:20)?

Then in Part 3 Stuart Woodward hops on board to give his thoughts on Yokohama F.Marinos after a very intriguing offseason of comings and goings at the Nissan Stadium.

Not wanting to miss out on all the preview pod action, Mike Innes is here with the first of two previews for the 2024 J3 season. In this episode, Mike covers teams in the Tohoku, Kanto, and Hokushinetsu regions.

Start to 03:25 Vanruare Hachinohe

03:25 to 05:23 Iwate Grulla Morioka

05:23 to 07:17 Fukushima United

07:17 to 09:28 Omiya Ardija

09:28 to 11:25 YSCC Yokohama

11:25 to 13:27 SC Sagamihara

13:27 to 15:35 Matsumoto Yamaga

15:35 to 17:42 AC Nagano Parceiro

17:42 to 19:35 Kataller Toyama

19:35 to end Zweigen Kanazawa

Thanks for listening, and thank you to everyone who supports the pod on Patreon. Look out for part 2 next week!

We kick off our third week of top flight season previews with a little jaunt down to Kyushu. In Daniel Hawkins' stead Jonny and Ben do their best to put last year's best-ever finish for Fukuoka into perspective, and wonder what Shigetoshi Hasebe's side can manage for an encore (to 32:35), before we move on to the little engine that could - Tosu. Is this the year the pixie dust dries up, or can Kenta Kawai keep their heads above water for another season?

We're back with our next group of teams to wrap up our second week of previews. Ralf Seidl guests in Part 1 to chat about title contenders Urawa (to 37:05), before we shift our focus down the table and look at Kashiwa (to 56:00) and Niigata.

Its week 2 of our J1 season previews, and in this episode Tom Dallyn (on his J-Talk debut!) chats with Jonny and Ben about Sapporo (to 35:30), before we run the rule over Kashima.

Both clubs appear to have lost more than they gained in the transfer market, so Consadole's hopes of a first top half finish in six years look slim, and, while it would be foolish to bet against them, Antlers will be hard-pressed to continue their remarkable run of consecutive top five finishes.

The new J2 season is fast approaching, so James Taylor and Jon Steele, plus special guests, swing back into action to preview five teams:

Start to 05:05 Montedio Yamagata (James and Jon)

05:05 to 08:35 Thespa Gunma (James and Jon)

08:35 to 18:50 Vegalta Sendai (Fin)

18:50 to 51:05 Blaublitz Akita (Martin)

51:05 to end Iwaki FC (Leslie)

Thank you to Fin, Martin, and Leslie for contributing, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Stay tuned for part 2!

Japan bowed out of the Asian Cup after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Iran on Saturday night, and in this episode we round up the game, the sideshow(s) around the squad before and after, and pick out some players for praise or criticism.

The Samurai Blue secured their spot in the quarter finals of the Asian Cup for a ninth straight time with a 3-1 win over Bahrain on Wednesday night, and in this episode we run through the major talking points from the game.

We weren't planning on it (but should've known, knowing us!), but our lengthy recording session on Monday meant that our previews stretched over two episodes, and so we proudly present Episode 500 of J-Talk!

Once again Alan Gibson was our guest (though Ben forgot to properly introduce him at the start of the pod) as we preview defending J1 Champions Kobe (to 27:35): What can they do for an encore?; Kyoto (to 49:15): How high can they climb under Cho Kwi Jae?; and Hiroshima: Will Michael Skibbe deliver success in their new stadium?

Thanks to all who have contributed over the years, and to our listeners near and far.