BARRY WRITES... S-Pulse 0-0 Kofu
Att 19842
Saturday December 6th, 3:30pm
IAI Stadium Nihondaira, Shizuoka
GK Kushibiki
DF Kawai (60)
DF Jakovic
DF Hiraoka
DF Yoshida
MF Honda
MF Takeuchi
MF Omae
MF Ishige
FW Novakovic
FW Takagi T
Subs Used
Nagasawa on for Ishige (57)
Musaka on for Takeuchi (78)
Miura G on for Takagi T (92)
Report
Job done. I can't really complain about the manner it was achieved, because if it was to be either 90 minutes of sexy, silky passing football and losing, or aimless, long ball hoofery and drawing, then there was no choice. As it transpired, after a bright opening minute or two we kicked off our attacking shoes, pulled up a chair, brewed a nice cup of tea, and settled back for the afternoon.
Wasting time and occasionally booting the ball forward was the major theme of proceedings. Not being able to hold on to possession was an unwelcome addition to the final 15 minutes. Knowing one Kofu goal would have relegated us, it was a painful game to endure, especially because the only team who looked like scoring wasn't us.
Few sights (or sounds) in J1 match a sold out Kop
Away end half an hour before kick off
Representin'
We held on, Kushibiki made a couple of crucial saves, and S-Pulse survived demotion by one point. A massive relief of course, but tinged by the fact a new manager wasn't announced immediately after the game. With the current regime in place can anyone honestly see us doing anything next season but struggling again? I can't. Oenoki didn't just have a few games to settle in. He had half a season. And we were shite. From beginning to end. A few exceptional performances kept our heads above water, but without Ogawa's late goal last week for Nagoya against Omiya we'd be down.Well, who knows? Maybe I'll be proved wrong next year. Hell, we could end stage one bottom, stage two second, and then win the league! What's not to like?! Oh yeah, that from 2015 J1 is impossible to take seriously. Convoluted and unfair, it's becoming a parody of a football league. There's maybe a few mischievous away days to be had, but the football? Well, I guess it takes the stress out of it when you know, regardless of points earned over the year, the table is going to be manipulated and warped for the sole purpose of selling a few more tickets and sponsorship rights. Meh, it's been fun while it lasted.
So the curtain has come down on the 2014 J. League season. It's been a gas, and when I moan and whinge, it's only because I care. :) See you next season, Happy Christmas and have a great new year!
Videos
Bored? Here's the whole match (minus the first 5 minutes).
The moment we stayed up.
2 comments:
Congratulations on avoiding relegation. Being a Gamba fan I think I have quite a bit to thank you for--our manager would have never become the leader he is if it wasn't for his hard earned experience at the S-Pulse. Also let me wish good luck to 'Enoki another Shimizu 'crow' for the next season.
I think I had a book you wrote on the SPulse club a few years ago. Too bad I had to throw it away when I vomited on it after getting drunk at a new year's party. I will purchase another copy when I can. Sorry.
I can't help wondering if Kenta had been given another year he'd have led us to silverware. He got close a few times, but maybe was just lacking in experience. Fair play to him, he's a self made manager! Oenoki should have done the same as Hasegawa and managed a lower level team before taking on S-Pulse. That the Shimizu first team is being used as his sandbox is so frustrating.
No worries about the book - vomiting on it is an epic reason to have thrown it out, by the way! :D
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