The J-Talk Podcast

With only seven goals across the seven top flight games on Saturday and Sunday, and not a single VAR controversy to help us along, this week's episode is much shorter than usual, but we try to make the most of it, heaping praise on Kyoto's terrific performance away at Kashiwa in the late game on Sunday, and Shonan for their first win of the season away at Gamba Osaka earlier in the day.

Elsewhere we review the 'goalfest' - relatively speaking - at the Yamaha Stadium, and chat about Takashi Inui being placed on the naughty step by Cerezo Osaka.

This week on JTET, we welcomed a very special guest to the pod: Daniel Hartmann, creator of the 'Nagasaki Blue & Orange' blog (https://nagasakiblueorange.wordpress.com) and Twitter account (@NagaSapo_EN).

Daniel talked to Jon Steele about three of last weekend's most intriguing J2 matches, including Nagasaki's hard-fought home win over Machida. 

Jon then reviews the rest of the talking points from Round 9 in the second tier, before getting back together with Daniel to preview the upcoming Round 10 slate.

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is back and banging with a full round-up of a stellar J3 weekend in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (goals galore in Round 5)!

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks to Daniel for his time and expert analysis!

We begin this week's episode with more upheaval (and another defeat) at Kobe, and chat about Nagoya's stuttering start to the season, before talking about Yokohama F.Marinos' big win up in Kashima. Then follow wins for Kyoto and Hiroshima (to 32:20), before Neil Debnam hops on board to chat about Kawasaki's season so far as they sit top of the table as they head off for the ACL group stage (to 56:25).

At the end of the episode we review the three draws from J1 Matchday 8, before looking ahead to the weekend's games, highlighted by an unlikely match of the round.

There was a big refereeing controversy in J2 at the weekend, and James Taylor and Stuart Smith were on hand to talk about it – although truth be told, they really only showed their ignorance of the rules! We recorded on Monday night, and in typical fashion the story unfolded more on Tuesday. There’s also a roundup of the rest of the weekend’s action, a preview of matchday 9, and Magic Mike Innes with the latest from J3 in J-Talk Short Corner.

 

00:00-16:00 Yamagata v Okayama

16:01-26:05 Kumamoto v Niigata

26:06-35:28 MD8 Roundup

35:29-42:15 MD9 Preview

42:16 to end Short Corner

After a VARtastic J1 weekend, Alan Gibson was the perfect guest to help us try and make sense of all the controVARsy.

We begin with Japan's World Cup group, and then kickoff our J1 wrap with Kobe's winless run to start the season continuing in the Kansai derby against Kyoto - who ran our worthy winners. Then it was happy days for both Osaka clubs, with Gamba cruising past Nagoya, and Cerezo smashing the two-time defending champions Kawasaki. Before Alan departs we get his thoughts on a couple of other officiating decisions from other games (to 52:50).

Then in Part 2 we review wins for Kashima, Yokohama F.Marinos and Kashiwa that saw them close the gap on Frontale at the top, Hiroshima pulled away from the foot of the table with their win at Shonan, and we finish with the two draws from Matchday 6 and look ahead to the midweek and weekend fixtures.

Just in time for the J.League weekend, Jon Steele and Mike 'The Magic' Innes are back to bring you up to date with all of the latest J2 and J3 news!

In Part 1 (Start to 12:35), Jon runs through all of the Wednesday night J2 action (Round 7) of the season, including a crazy finale to Tokyo Verdy's game away at Ryukyu.

Jon also gives a quick preview of all of the Round 8 games coming up on Sunday this week (12:35 to 14:15).

In Part 2 (14:20 to Finish), Mike is on hand for 'J-Talk: Short Corner', wrapping up all of last weekend's J3 fixtures (Round 3) and looking ahead to a big weekend in the third tier again in Round 4.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and isn't panicking about Japan's World Cup draw - Spain and Germany are not invincible (although a defensively-minded Moriyasu approach might end up making them look that way...)!

Thanks for all the support for JTET and The J-Talk Podcast!

Mission accomplished for Japan - their ticket to Qatar is punched. But so many questions remain, and the feel good factor from qualifying in some style against Australia in Sydney last Thursday was diminished a little by yet another Saitama Stadium struggle, this time against Vietnam.

There was plenty of drama on J2 matchday 6, and James Taylor is here to talk you through it and get you up to speed before Wednesday night's games.

 

From Tokushima and Yokohama FC staying unbeaten, to Omiya's goalkeeper woes, to Sendai losing their unbeaten record, to late drama at Niigata, Yamagata and Tochigi - and more - it's all here in just under 14 minutes.

Just in time for a busy weekend of J2 and J3 fixtures, the boys are back in town to review all of the key points from the previous rounds in the second and third tiers of the Japanese game.

In Part 1, Jon Steele and Stuart Smith pick out three of the most eye-catching results from the J2 weekend, before Jon rounds up the other eight matches 'flying solo' in Part 2.

Part 3 sees Jon and Stu reunite to preview the upcoming Round 6 fixtures, then Part 4 covers all of your J3 needs in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (with a very special guest host this time)!

Hope everyone enjoys the episode!

Alex and Thomas are joined by fellow Kai-Guy Niall for a look back at FC Tokyo's last month, with the side heading into the international break on a three-game winning streak in the league. A trip to Tokyo's House of Horrors looms on the horizon, though... How do the (Kai)guys think that will turn out?