The J-Talk Podcast

It's one of those weeks where J2 games come thick and fast, so let Jon Steele & Stuart Smith guide you through the Japanese second tier, taking you past sights such as: 

 

- Call the cops! The Kanazawa 5-0 are on the march- Nagasaki overcome a stiff challenge

- Omiya second, but are there reasons for concern?

- Gunma look Grim, but signs of life in Ryukyu

- J2 goalkeepers earning respect

 

As always, a huge thank you to all the listeners and for all of those who submit questions and comments. We both really appreciate it!! 

 

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

After a huge week in J1 both on and off the pitch, Dan Orlowitz and Scott McIntyre return with star guest turns.

In Part 1 (to 13:30) Dan fills us in on the latest (at the time of recording on Monday night) at Nagoya Grampus, whose Matchday 7 fixture away at Hiroshima was postponed after two more players and a member of staff tested positive for COVID-19. This story remains fluid, and Nagoya's Matchday 8 fixture remains in doubt - be sure to follow Dan on Twitter for updates.

Then Scott joins us to discuss leaders Kawasaki after they notched two come from behind victories in the past week, and we wonder if second-placed Gamba Osaka, who zipped up the table after an impressive week of their own, will offer Frontale a sterner test when the top two clash this coming Saturday.  From there we move on to FC Tokyo and Cerezo Osaka after their pair of draws, before we stretch our leg(s) (at 52:47) and finish with a flourish, chatting about Matchday 7 wins for Urawa, Kashiwa, Sapporo and Shimizu.

The second period of Extra Time deals with the nitty-gritty of J3. Once again, Stuart Smith & Jon Steele go where few others dare to go and talk:

 

- The ongoing adventures of Cerezo U23 keeper Ahn Joon-soo

- A tale of two Akita's - one very good (Blaublitz) and one not so good (Yutaka)

- YSCC's Yuki Stalph Hugo Boss-ing the J3 manager fashion stakes

- Why J3 goalkeepers need to calm down

- J3 West vs J3 East

- and much more!!

 

We say it every time, but we really do appreciate you tuning in and listening to us. We enjoy getting feedback and questions so please, don't hesitate to ask us (the harder ones I'll pass on to Jon...) Enjoy the show!

 

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

The First period of this week's Extra Time finds Stuart Smith & Jon Steele discussing the latest action in J2, including: 

 

- Substitutes working their magic.....again

- A bruising encounter in Tochigi

- FC Ryukyu's leaky defence

- JEF doing JEF things

- and more!!

 

A big thank you to everyone who listens, asks us questions, gives us feedback etc. We really appreciate it. Enjoy the show!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

Dan Orlowitz and Alan Gibson guest for a full review of Matchday 5 of the J1 season, with plenty of extras thrown in at no extra charge.

In Part 1 Dan chats about FC Tokyo finally breaking their Urawa hoodoo at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday night, and also shares the latest on the CFG - Yokohama F.Marinos partnership and an update on when/if more supporters will be allowed back into J.League stadiums (to 35:50).

Then in Part 2 Alan discusses a very fruitful Saturday night for the three Kansai clubs, and his thoughts on retrospective punishment for violent conduct (from 35:50 - 1:24:20).

Later Sam and Ben round up the rest of the top flight slate.

Thought the Extra Time duo would leave you hanging in the midst of a carnival of midweek J.League action? Think again peeps! Jon Steele guides you through the Wednesday J2 slate of games in his lovely, soothing Staffordshire voice. He tells you what you need to know including: 

- Defeat for Omiya- Crazy night in Machida- Weirdness with Pitbull- Biblical rain in Ryukyu- And much more.....

Don't worry (if you were...) the band will be back together again next week. Probably.....

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

Supporters were allowed back into J.League stadiums over the weekend, and we went right to the source, with two (well, three actually) of them joining Sam and Ben: Kawasaki correspondent Neil Debnam, who watched Frontale beat Kashiwa at Todoroki on Saturday night; and our Yokohama F.Marinos man Stuart Woodward (with a cameo from Sean Galbraith), who was at the Nissan Stadium on Sunday for the visit of FC Tokyo.

 

Part 1 with Neil on what it was like to be at Todoroki, and Kawasaki's fruitful week runs to 39:29, then Sam and Ben discuss joint table toppers Urawa's home win over struggling Kashima.

 

Stuart pops on from 44:35, then from the 1:19:10 mark Ben and Sam conclude the Matchday 4 wrap with away wins for Nagoya and Gamba Osaka over Cerezo Osaka and Shimizu respectively, and the draws at Oita, Yokohama FC, Shonan and Tosu.

 

Please consider supporting the podcast from as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/jtalkpod.

And in the always more dramatic second period of Extra Time, we look at J3, and the often weird and sometimes wonderful goings on. In 30 minutes of non-stop J3 analysis (it is more exciting than it sounds....possibly) Jon and Stuart talk:

 

- 100% records for Akita & Kumamoto - Sit down penalty protests - "Ropey goalkeeping" - Tsugutoshi Oishi and his stellar goalscoring record - Rainy day blues for Gifu - Imabari off the mark - Someone have a word with YSCC's defence - Why Roasso Kumamoto LOVE the left hand side - Nicknames on shirts

 

As always, thank you so much to everyone who listens and interacts with us. We hope you're enjoying both the football and the content we give. Enjoy!!

 

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

Because there was just SOOOOO much going on in J2 & J3 this past weekend, we decided to split the pod into separate J2 & J3 pods. The first period of Extra Time (do you see what I did?) covers J2, and the second period covers J3. 

In the first period of Extra Time, Jon & Stuart discuss:

- Another goalkeeper in the wars- Nagasaki's bench does it again- How to, and how NOT to do one-on-ones vs the 'keeper- Thierry Henry-ish goals- Why Serginho is so good- Good wins for Machida, Kyoto & Tochigi- Much to ponder for Gunma, Tokyo Verdy, Yamaguchi- (Very bad) Non penalty calls- JEF United disappoint......againStay tuned because the second period is coming later today, but for now, as always, thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy this episode!!

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

Omiya, Ehime, Niigata - all great stories in their own unique ways at the start of this J2 season. On this week's pod, Jon Steele & Stuart Smith talk:

 

- Omiya's 100% record - The crazy world of Albirex Niigata - Ehime's win at Renofa Yamaguchi

 

along with:

 

- Is this the new JEF? - What is "Tochigi style"? - YSCC do "a Tokushima" - Blaublitz Akita - the happy-go-lucky club in J3

As always, thank you for your support. Enjoy the games this weekend! 

 

Thank you everyone - and enjoy the podcast!!

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Patreon - https://patreon.com/jtalkpod