Japan J-League 6th May

[igor5]

Japan J-League

06 May 05:00 Oita v Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2.20 3.10 3.00
06 May 05:00 Yokohama FC v Vissel Kobe 2.50 3.10 2.50
06 May 06:00 Gamba Osaka v Shimizu S-Pulse 1.66 3.40 4.50
06 May 06:00 Niigata v Ventforet Kofu 2.00 3.20 3.20
06 May 07:00 Kashima Antlers v Yokohama F-Marinos 2.25 3.20 2.75
06 May 08:00 Jubilo Iwata v Nagoya Grampus Eight 2.00 3.20 3.20
06 May 08:00 Kawasaki-F v FC Tokyo 1.61 3.50 4.50
06 May 08:00 Omiya Ardija v Urawa Red Diamonds 4.00 3.30 1.75

[igor5]

Taking On A Greater Significance - Urawa Preview
And so Sunday's much-anticipated derby match against the hated Urawa Reds has become more than a matter of mere local bragging rights for Omiya Ardija and their supporters. With the Squirrels languishing in seventeenth place in the J1 table and dissatisfaction rife amongst fans - as demonstrated following the feeble 2-1 defeat to Ventforet Kofu at the weekend - club management have at least indicated some level of engagement with the team's situation.

For a statement has been issued saying that, although there are problems associated with identifying and bringing in a new coach mid-season, clubs seeking to remain in the top flight of Japanese club football should gain a minimum of ten points from their opening ten fixtures. Sunday's clash with Urawa will be the tenth match of the season, and in the unlikely event of an Ardija victory, they will still have just seven points in the bag.

The implication would therefore seem to be that coach Robert Verbeek needs to make very significant improvements very quickly, or the club will have no choice but to look elsewhere for someone who can raise the level or performance and results to an appropriate level, i.e. one that guarantees that the new Omiya Koen stadium will be hosting J1 football come the start of 2008.

It is difficult to imagine that there is money available to Verbeek or any other coach to bring in new players, but the fact remains that the Dutchman has achieved woefully poor results with the squad at his disposal. And whatever the rhetoric coming from the coach as regards attacking play, a glance at the statistics reveals that the 2007 Ardija team have found the net just five times in their nine league outings to date.

Omiya fans, for so long starved of attacking football, will acknowledge this with a rueful sigh - at the same time noting that ex-coach Toshiya Miura is riding high in J2 with his new club, Consadole Sapporo. Miura may have been defensive, goes the argument, but he was actually less defensive than Verbeek and he never led Ardija into such a perilous position in the league.

The unpalatable reality for the Squirrel Nation, therefore, is that a poor performance against Reds is in fact more likely to bring about the departure of Robert Verbeek. Urawa, with all the resources at their disposal, have undoubtedly underachieved this season, but on a player-by-player basis have a squad packed with talent.

How well they gel together will in all probability decide the result of Sunday's game, if one considers that Verbeek will almost certainly field the 4-5-1 formation that has yielded three straight defeats since the win over Nagoya Grampus 8 in the middle of last month. But the dilemma facing Omiya Ardija supporters is that it may be better in the long-term to lose the battle and win the war.

http://furtho.blog4.fc2.com/

[kompressaur]

Thanks igor. Is there any happy jappy chappies in the house tonight that could fill us all in on these games?

thanks

[junior98]

Yokohama Marinos in good form , they already gv me money twice , i'll try to the third
i,m going with Yokohama Marinos

[Winrew]

Good Luck ,Junior......

[junior98]

actualy i dont know why but i think i,m in good luck season , i win 25 from 31 game , maybe some one want to fllw me

[junior98]

sometimes beside the team news,injuries/sspnd,h2h and so on ...we must trust in a good luck but when u r in bad luck even u got all infrmtn all gone with the wind ...so fllw someone luck

[Diomed]

J.LEAGUE/ Golden Week no time to kick feet up

With barely enough time to dry their uniforms following a full slate of games on Thursday, all 18 J1 clubs will go at it again Sunday in the third round of matches scheduled for Golden Week.

The top three teams had their progress slowed in Round 9 as draws were the order of the day, and Gamba, Urawa and Reysol will be champing at the bit for wins in Round 10.

* * *

Yokohama FC (18) vs. Vissel Kobe (13)

With only one goal in their last five games, the mood in the Yokohama FC camp must be one of increasing frustration. They've lost seven of their first nine matches, scored only four times, conceded a league-worst 18 goals and have taken up full-time residency in the league basement. On the plus side, the geriatric gang have congealed nicely as a defensive unit the last four matches, limiting Kashima, Tokyo, Shimizu and Kofu to a single goal each. Vissel have been faring much better in J1 this year than Yokohama and will rely on former national team striker Yoshito Okubo (five goals in seven matches) to vanquish their J2 rivals from last season.

Oita Trinita (15) vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (12)

It came as no surprise Thursday that Oita, having gone scoreless for 360 minutes heading into their match against Nagoya, got goals from two players who had never scored in J1 before. What was a surprise is that the debut goals from Augusto and Masaru Matsuhashi helped lead the struggling Trinitans to victory over one of the strongest teams in the league so far this year. Things won't get any easier for Oita this weekend, as Sanfrecce boasts just one loss in their last five outings.

Albirex Niigata (10) vs. Ventforet Kofu (9)

Ventforet are on quite a roll with four wins and a tie in their last five games and the whole team pitching in in the scoring department. Albirex are having a similar season, with only two blemishes in the loss column and goals coming from all over the pitch (when they're scoring).

Niigata's hard-fought 0-0 draw with Reysol on Thursday should go some way to erasing the memory of the 6-0 whipping they received from the F Marinos a week earlier, but Alibirex will need to address the issue of zero goals in three matches if they hope to get a leg up on Kofu.

Gamba Osaka (1) vs. Shimizu S-Pulse (4)

With clutch scorer Magno Alves suspended for Gamba, the Osakans will turn to Bare and Ryuji Bando to blow holes in the stubborn Shimizu defense. Matches between the two clubs have been split down the middle, 16-2-16, and this rubber match promises to be a doozey.

Kashima Antlers (11) vs. Yokohama F Marinos (5)

Kashima may consider moving out of Kashima Stadium if their lousy run at home continues. Of the 12 points they've accumulated this season, only one has been earned at home, that in a 0-0 draw with Omiya Ardija. The Antlers will be chuffed with their come-from-behind victory over F.C. Tokyo on Thursday, but will be up against one of the hottest teams of late in the F Marinos, who have outscored their last three opponents by a margin of 13-1. If things go their way in Round 10, the F Marinos could climb as high as second in the table. Will wonders never cease?

Omiya Ardija (17) vs. Urawa Reds (2)

The Reds easiest "away" game this year can certainly only end in favor of the champions. Anything else will require a radical rethink in strategy ahead of their crucial AFC Champions League match against Indonesia's Persik Kediri on Wednesday.

Kawasaki Frontale (6) vs. F.C. Tokyo (16)

A heavy schedule and relatively shallow bench are beginning to get the better of Frontale, who looked like they were dipping into their reserve tanks in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the F Marinos. With a crucial home game this Wednesday against Indonesia's Arema Malang, the only team that still has a (slim) chance of knocking Frontale out of the AFC Champions League, Kawasaki will be thanking their lucky stars that the schedule has thrown up the miserable F.C. Tokyo as their opponent in Round 10. Three goals in Tokyo's last seven matches ain't gonna cut it in J1.

Jubilo Iwata (8) vs. Nagoya Grampus (7)

The only team to not drop a point at home this year, Jubilo will be out to put the skids on a roller-coaster ride of inconsistency. Thursday's loss to Shimizu was a debilitating blow, but with the top three teams all drawing in Round 9, things could have been much worse for Adilson's men. Nagoya is a team on the decline, having lost four of their previous five matches after blazing the trail with four wins to open the season. Worse still for Grampus is that they are losing to some of the worst teams in the league, including Omiya and Oita.

JEF United Chiba (14) vs. Kashiwa Reysol (3)

JEF manager Amar Osim could not have been more steamed than he was following his team's 1-1 tie with Urawa on Thursday. After playing the league champs at Saitama Stadium "for 120 minutes of the last 180 minutes with one less man" as a result of two red cards in their last two meetings, Osim looked as though he could have strangled someone. JEF fans will hope the fire the normally stoic, easygoing Osim displayed Thursday will rub off on the players Sunday.