The J-Talk Podcast

J1 returned over the weekend after the latest international break with brilliant goals and exciting games up and down the country, and Sam Robson and Stuart Woodward guest on this week's podcast to review all of the Matchday 29 action.

Stuart is along for our chat about the top three: Kashima dropping two points away at Matsumoto last Friday night (to 17:10), and then seeing their mini-buffer wiped away after impressive 3-1 wins for FC Tokyo in Kobe and Yokohama at home against Shonan on Saturday (to 52:40).

After Stuart bids us farewell, Sam and I cover the remainder of the title and ACL-chasing pack - Hiroshima, Cerezo Osaka and Kawasaki - before we segue on to the relegation battle and a look ahead to the upcoming week in Japanese football.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Sam - @FRsoccerSam

Stuart - @stuartcw

If, like Tokyo manager Kenta Hasegawa, you're a new listener to the pod and would like to support us on Patreon, please visit patreon.com/jtalkpod - all help is greatly appreciated and begins from just $1 a month.

Staggered from Saturday to Tuesday, this week's J-Talk: Extra Time covers all that you need to know about J2, and plenty you don't need to in an hour long celebration of the good (Uejo), the bad (the referee at Mitsuzawa) and the ugly (Machida Zelvia's new name) of J2. 

Follow us:

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

Donate on Patreon

We ran a teaser for this (originally) Patreon-only Groundhopping Special during the last international break, now we're pleased to present the full episode, featuring masters of the genre Chris Hough and Stuart Woodward, who have both been there, done that, and eaten the beef tongue.

We begin with Gamba Osaka's home, the Panasonic Stadium Suita, stay in Kansai by chatting about Kobe's Noevir Stadium (from 27:47), then move on to a Nagano double attack of (J3) Parceiro's Nagano U Stadium and Matsumoto's Alwin Stadium (from 42:05), before finishing off with Chris's first J.League ground, and one of Stuart's favorites - the Yurtec Stadium in Sendai.

Stadium access, facilities, and general matchday experiences are all covered here, as well as thoughts on some of the cities themselves, to hopefully whet your appetites for a new J.League-watching sojourn.

Special thanks, as always, to our supporters on Patreon, without who we would not be able to do special episodes like this. Please consider hopping on board by visiting patreon.com/jtalkpod - all support is very welcome and begins from $1 a month.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Stuart - @stuartcw

Chris - @LiFJapan

Chris's Lost in Football Japan website.

With Typhoon Hagibis (real name) on its way, time to hunker down and get informed on the latest happenings in the ever changing landscape that is J2 (& J3!). Promotion, playoffs, relegation, managers, players - Jon Steele and Stuart Smith discuss the lot. Stay inside, get your supplies, and happy listening!

More from Stuart - @sushi_football

More from Jon - @J2KantoBites

Support us on Patreon - J-Talk Podcast Patreon

There was plenty of movement at both ends of the table after J1 Matchday 28, and Ryan Steele and Scott McIntyre guest on the pod to round up all of the games and major talking points.

In Part 1 we begin with new leaders Kashima, who ground their way to the summit with a win at Cerezo Osaka on Sunday, after incumbents FC Tokyo lost in controversial circumstances at Tosu the previous day. We then move on to the only team in the top six to finish the matchday where they started it, third-placed Yokohama, after their away win at bottom club Iwata (to 41:31).

From there we discuss the big wins for Kawasaki and Hiroshima, Urawa's fortunes turning at the start of a new month - including a superb performance in the first leg of the ACL Semi Final last week, and squeaky bum time for Shonan and Sendai as they battle to stay out of the bottom three. We finish with a brief look at Japan's upcoming fixtures, highlighted by a ripping installment of Scott's Travel Tales.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Ryan - @Steelinho

Scott - @mcintinhos

Check out The Asian Game Podcast hosted by Scott and Paul Williams.

More crowded than Stuart's work schedule or a Yamanote Line train at 7:45am, the top & bottom of J2 is getting down to business time. What does that mean? It means that Stuart Smith & Jon Steele are here to guide you through the latest happenings in the second tier. It is your essential guide to what is promising to be a monumental end to the season. 

You want more of us? 

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

The big pod - @JTalkPod

In the words of Bryan Adams, everything we do, we do it for you. Please consider supporting us on Patreon. You can do so here

In this week's episode we get back to (J1) business, with Ryan Steele and Alex Bishop guesting to chat about the key results at either end of the top flight table, while Adrian Serna stops by too, to fill us in on Takefusa Kubo's progress in Spain with Mallorca.

In Part 1 Ryan and I begin with Urawa's mad September, before moving on to one of the maddest games of the season - Reds's thrilling and controversy-laden 3-3 draw away at fellow strugglers Tosu on Saturday. From there we move on to talk about some other results for #RelegationDogfight protagonists, including Shimizu's shellacking of Shonan, and Gamba's limp display in the Osaka Derby (to 34:49).

Then Adrian hops on board to discuss how Kubo has settled in at Mallorca in what looks set to be a long season for his loan side, while we also check in on how Shinjis Kagawa and Okazaki, as well as Takashi Inui, are faring in the second division. And before I let Adrian go I had to get his thoughts on the big change at Nagoya, with Yahiro Kazama sacked as coach and replaced by Massimo Ficcadenti (to 59:00).

Finally Alex guests to review a disappointing performance from top flight leaders FC Tokyo away at second from bottom Matsumoto on Sunday, while we also cover the Kashima and Yokohama draws from Saturday that had opened the door for The Gasmen to re-establish a decent buffer at the top - an opportunity wasted after a 0-0 draw.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Ryan - @Steelinho

Adrian - @758Bruns

Alex - @Abishop32

Alex's FC Tokyo English account

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Support from our patrons enables us to do specials like our Groundhopping episode from last week, as well as Extra Time, hosted by Stuart Smith and Jon Steele.

The idea was hatched after we launched on Patreon, and finally on Tuesday night Stuart Woodward and Chris Hough joined me for the first of our Patreon-only Groundhopping specials.

In this free teaser, Stuart and Chris chat about Gamba Osaka's home, Panasonic Stadium Suita, covering all the essentials you need to know before you go.

To listen to the full episode, with Kobe's Noevir Stadium, Nagano Parceiro's Nagano U Stadium, Matsumoto's atmospheric Alwin, and Sendai's Yurtec Stadium also discussed at length, sign up to support the podcast from as little as $1 a month at patreon.com/jtalkpod.

You thought it was a quiet weekend in J2? Possibly, but that doesn't stop Jon Steele & Stuart Smith taking over an hour to dissect the happenings, the goals, the fouls, the bad refereeing, the tactics, the players, the pitches, the upcoming weekend....enjoy! 

Stuart - @sushi_football

Jon - @J2KantoBites

After the J1 title race was blown wide open in Matchday 26, Sam Robson and Scott McIntyre guested to review the weekend's action.

We lead with Kashima's win over table-toppers FC Tokyo, that reduced The Gasmen's buffer to a single point, before moving on to Yokohama's huge win over Hiroshima, and Kawasaki sinking cellar dwellers Iwata (to a hit of music at 32:41).

Following that we work our way through the other six games, and finish with Scott and Sam giving their thoughts on which clubs currently out of the bottom three are in the most danger with eight games left in the season.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Sam - @FRsoccerSam

Scott - @mcintinhos