State of the J: Vegalta Sendai
Vegalta Sendai are a bit anonymous in J1. They don’t challenge for honours, but always do enough to see them clear of the relegation spaces and their Yurtec stadium is…
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State of the J: Omiya Ardija
Things are not all good in the orange half of Saitama. After a fine 2016 season, hopes were high that Ardija would look to challenge in and around the top…
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The Heart of the North
Ken Tokura means different things to different people: the guy with a mouthguard; the guy who did the Balotelli celebration; the man who likes to look after his body. But…
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Mr. Mito
Could you point to Mito on a Japanese map? Could you even say which prefecture it is in? More specific still, could you name any players from J2 side Mito…
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Vanilla Ice
I know I had most of you hooked with the title, but just let me check: 80’s music references? ✅ Rob van Winkle?✅ Aria Jasuru Hasegawa? ✅ I’ve a feeling…
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The Rough (football) Guide to Matsumoto
Matsumoto is a place you should definitely take time to visit. The football aspect is excellent as you’ll struggle to find a more fervent fan base in Japan, but…
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J1 Weekend preview
He once told me that his weekly previews would start off long and then get gradually shorter – but no sign of that just yet as @JTalkPod goes deep into…
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The King at 50
1967. A year when Otis Redding died in a plane crash. A year when John McCain was shot down in Vietnam & taken prisoner. A year when The Beatles released…
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J1 preview – Week 3
Back by popular demand, @JTalkPod gives us the lowdown on the weekend’s J1 action, which, somewhat excitingly, starts on Friday night this week….. Four teams lead the way with…
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5 Things I think I think….
I’m shamelessly lifting this segment from the MMQB American Football site (quite simply, the best sports site on the web) and using it to give a quick overview of the…
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