The J-Talk Podcast

With the new J3 season hurtling towards us, Mike 'The Magic' Innes (host of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod) continue his in-depth previews of each team in the third tier for 2023.

In Part C, Mike turns the glare of his forensic gaze onto both newly-promoted teams, a pair of perennial strugglers at the wrong end of the table, and an upwardly-mobile outfit who will start the season in a brand spanking new stadium (next door to the old one).

Thank you for all of the listener questions - keep them coming for Part D!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:40 - FC Osaka

04:40 to 08:20 - Nara Club

08:20 to 12:00 - Gainare Tottori

12:05 to 15:30 - Kamatamare Sanuki

15:30 to Finish - FC Imabari

FC Tokyo manager Albert Puig returns to Kai-Guys Radio, and talks to Thomas and Alex about the challenges of changing the culture of the capital club in his first season, and the mentality of Japanese players, before reflecting on Japan's performances at the World Cup.

On the eve of a brand spanking new J2 season, the JTET machine is back in action to complete their preview of the upcoming campaign.

In this episode, Jon Steele and James Taylor run the rule over the J2 clubs based in southwest Japan and Kyushu, with help from club-specific correspondents Victor Arroyo (Kanazawa), Daniel Kuroda (Nagasaki), and Garry Irwin(Kumamoto).

The boys (men) then reviewed some of the best J2 club slogans for 2023, and looked ahead to some of the key weekend fixtures in a Round 1 preview.

To finish off our preseason preparations, Jon added a quick review of Kofu's big day out at Kokuritsu Kyogijo for their Super Cup match against Yokohama Marinos, while mentioning some other eye-catching friendly results for J2 sides who took on J1 opposition.

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and the season ahead!

Timecodes:

01:35 to 08:15 - Fagiano Okayama

08:15 to 17:00 - Tokushima Vortis

17:00 - 30:35 - Zweigen Kanazawa

30:35 to 37:40 - Renofa Yamaguchi

37:40 to 46:15 - Oita Trinita

46:30 to 56:35 - V-Varen Nagasaki

56:35 to 01:03:45 - Roasso Kumamoto

01:03:45 to 01:11:00 - J2 Team Slogan Roundup

01:11:00 to 01:16:20 - J2 Round 1 Preview

01:16:25 to Finish - Super Cup & Preseason Friendly Roundup

*To aid with your enjoyment, here are the questions that we asked our correspondents to think about when recording their preview segments...

1)  What do you think of the new signings that your team has made, and who will be the most important in 2023?

2)  What do you think about the departures from your team this winter, and which player departure are you most disappointed by?

3)  If your team has a new manager, are you happy with the appointment? (If your team has the same manager, are you comfortable with them?)

4)  Where do you think your team will finish this season? (Head & heart!)

5)  What are you most looking forward to in J2 overall this year (this could be related to your team, or the division in general)?

*You can follow our contributors on Twitter here:

Victor Arroyo - @JFootballAnaly1

Daniel Kuroda - @NagaSapo_EN

Garry Irwin - @GarryIrwin

We wrap up our previews with the final two teams, with the help of some special guests.

In Part 1, after a brief review of Saturday's Super Cup, we welcome first time guest Manny Padovan to chat about Yokohama FC, who returned to the top flight at the first time of asking in 2022. Has their busy offseason in the transfer market steered them in the right direction, and can they defy expectations by surviving in J1 (to 34:55)?

Then in Part 2, Pratik, Tony and Stuart from the Tricolore Pridecast give us their rundown of defending champions F.Marinos. Can they cover for some key departures and maintain their spot at the sharp end of the table?

Finally, your co-hosts give their thoughts on some F.Marinos players to watch (to 1:06:30), before previewing some of the big games kicking off the season in Matchday 1.

We look ahead to the new top flight season for FC Tokyo, Shonan and Kawasaki.

In Part 1 Alex Bishop from FC Tokyo Kai-Guys presents a thorough preview of the capital club in a solo Kai-Guys mini-pod, before your hosts give some brief thoughts and a couple of Tokyo players to watch (to 28:25).

Then in Part 2 we discuss Shonan: Can they follow-up last season's 12th-placed finish, how long can they hang on to Shuto Machino, and is Song Bum-keun the signing of the season (to 47:00)?

And finally, Neil Debnam returns to the pod to discuss the departure of Shogo Taniguchi, a potential change in formation by manager Toru Oniki, and the season ahead for Kawasaki.

Mike 'The Magic' Innes, firm but fair supremo of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod, continues his J3 season preview series with a look at five more sides who will be battling it out in Japan's third tier over the forthcoming campaign. 

As usual, in-depth analysis awaits!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:20 - Nagano Parceiro

04:20 to 07:20 - Matsumoto Yamaga

07:20 to 10:15 - Kataller Toyama

10:20 to 13:45 - Azul Claro Numazu

13:45 to 16:50 - FC Gifu

Parts C and D are coming soon - in the meantime, be sure to follow Mike on Twitter @GoGoOmiyaArdija!

As we edge closer to the start of the new J1 season, we wrap up our third week of previews by discussing Nagoya and Hiroshima.

Grampus are first cab off the rank in this episode: After an underwhelming first season in charge for Kenta Hasegawa, a lot hinges on loanee Kasper Junker's performance, fitness and attitude - could his goals spur Nagoya up the table, or will he clash with Hasegawa as he did with his former boss at Urawa (to 34:00)?

Then Sanfrecce look to kick on after a stirring rise up the table under Michael Skibbe. With a seemingly settled, deep and versatile squad, can Hiroshima swat aside talk of regression and be genuine title contenders this season?

With the new J3 season kicking off on March 4th, it's time to start previewing the 20 clubs that will be battling it out in Japan's third tier in 2023. 

In a 'J-Talk: Short Corner' takeover, Mike 'The Magic' Innes will be running the rule over the division in a series of 4 preview mini-pods, taking a forensic look at 5 teams in each episode.

In Part A, it's Hachinohe, Iwate, Fukushima, YSCC, & Sagamihara that find themselves under the Mike-roscope (I'm bringing this pun back for increased validation that it's actually funny and clever). 

Hope everyone enjoys the episode - the remaining 3 parts are on the way!

Timecodes:

01:00 to 04:30 - Vanraure Hachinohe

04:30 to 07:50 - Iwate Grulla Morioka

07:50 to 11:20 - Fukushima United

11:20 to 14:40 - YSCC

14:40 to 18:00 - SC Sagamihara

The J-Talk Podcast reaches 450 episodes with first-time guest Daniel Hawkins joining the pod to chat about Fukuoka, who suffered through a pretty severe case of second season syndrome in 2022, but could their rally out of danger at the end of last season auger well for this go-round, and how much of an impact will their new signings make (to 30:20)?

Then J1's great survivors, Tosu, are on the docket, fresh from defying more pessimistic expectations, and looking to maintain their midtable status. It happens season after season, so which youngsters will come to the fore in 2023 and thrive in second year manager Kenta Kawai's system?

With the new J.League season fast approaching, Jon Steele and James Taylor (plus some very special guests) continue their preview of the second tier for 2023.

In this episode, the focus is on a quartet of clubs from the Tohoku region (Akita, Yamagata, Iwaki, and Sendai), as well as a triumvirate of teams from Shizuoka (Fujieda, Iwata, and Shimizu).

Special thanks to Martin Spivey (@bantam84) for his Akita preview, and to 'new signing' Fin (@VegaltaPotter) for his thoughts on Sendai!

Part 3 of the big JTET J2 Season Preview is coming soon!

Timecodes:

02:00 to 17:45 - Blaublitz Akita (from Martin Spivey)

18:50 to 26:45 - Montedio Yamagata

26:45 to 33:30 - Iwaki FC

33:40 to 41:20 - Vegalta Sendai (from Fin)

41:20 to 49:10 - Fujieda MYFC

49:10 to 55:40 - Jubilo Iwata

55:40 to 01:02:00 - Shimizu S-Pulse