So today was the first league game this season I wasn't able to watch, and all I can say is thank God for real life getting in the way. While we got sent packing from Niigata with our tales firmly between our legs, I was far from any TV screen, drinking in the history, admiring the architecture and chatting up the maiko girls of Japan's most ancient city.So fair play, I wasn't at match, but with the 36000 fans who were there, including the as-always sizable Orange Army, it seems the only people who didn't bother turning up was the S-Pulse team. I didn't see the game, and I know scorelines don't always tell the whole story, but it comes as no surprise in checking the stats to learn we matched them on shots, destroyed them on the corner kicks, yet still came away pointless. The lack of penetration up front is crippling us, and we're looking at a season of horrendous mid-table mediocrity the rate things are going.
Amid the very few positives after today are the facts that we're amazingly still only two wins off the top five, Jubilo got turned over 4-1 at home, and... and... No, that's it. It's double winners Antlers at home on Sunday, and fingers crossed we can capitalise on their champions league exhaustion to start clawing our way back up the table. Here's to that, but in the meantime, here's to remembering that having important stuff to do with people important to you is a shite sight more rewarding than watching 11 men chase a pigs bladder around. Amen to that.
While on my short trip, despite attempting to keep football as far from my mind as possible, it had a funny way of finding me:
Two S-Pulse fans spotted in the grounds of Kyoto's Kinkakuji. They also wisely opted to avoid the trek to Niigata:
If there are any nutters out there who want to see where it all went wrong, here's the "highlights":
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