Sunday 28 September 2014

Omiya Ardija 2-1 S-Pulse

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

Omiya Ardija 2-1 S-Pulse
Zlatan 9 ----------------------------------- Honda 50
Ienaga 73

Att 11684
NACK5 Stadium, Saitama city

Line Up

GK Kushibiki
DF Bueno, Hiraoka, Miura G, Kawai
MF Ishige, Honda, Musaka, Musaka
FW Omae, Novakovic

Subs Used

Takagi T on for Mizutani (67)
KiJe on for Kawai (76)
Kaneko on for Ishige (84)

Report

The seventh defeat since Ghobti was fired, inevitably we're now sitting in the relegation zone. I could reel off some of the increasingly long list of horrendous stats our new boss is racking up, but what's the point? The club are happy enough it would seem. 

Cerezo at home on Sunday., and with just eight games to go, it's do or die. Make no mistake, we are definitely going to get relegated unless something major is done.

Videos

The goals. Honda's one is something special. Omiya's second, on the other hand... Jesus wept.


Tuesday 23 September 2014

S-Pulse 0-3 G. Osaka

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

S-Pulse 0-3 G. Osaka
---------------------------------- Usami 21
---------------------------------- Niwa 84
---------------------------------- Lins 95

Att 15093
IAI Stadium Nihondaira

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Bueno
DF Hiraoka
DF Miura G
DF Yoshida (18)

MF Ishige
MF Honda (64)
MF Musaka
MF Mizutani

FW Omae
FW Novakovic

Subs used

Takagi T on for Mizutani (63)
Murata on for Bueno (77)
Hiroi on for Honda (86)

Report

Surprised? No, me neither.

We weren't that bad, but G. Osaka are a team in form, and the chances we made didn't even come close to being converted. To sum up what's wrong in three seconds, I present Lin's goal. Has a defence every looked so thoroughly defeated? It's painful to watch.

Now on six defeats from eight, eight goals for but TWENTY TWO against, we've now dropped to 15th. Only Tokushima sport a worse goal difference.

If we don't beat Omiya next week, we can have no complaints if we get relegated in December. Right now it's all about getting points. In that regard, things have to improve, or down is the only way we're headed.


Videos

Highlights.


Sunday 21 September 2014

Vissel Kobe 3-1 S-Pulse

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

Vissel Kobe 3-1 S-Pulse
Pedro 11, 58 -------------------------- Novakovic 69
Marquinhos 39

Att 14850
Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium, Kobe

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Yoshida
DF Bueno
DF Hiraoka
DF Miura G

MF Musaka
MF Honda
MF Takagi T
MF Lee Ki-Je

FW Omae
FW Novakovic

Subs used

Ishige on for Takagi T (HT)
Mizutani (81) on for Honda (HT)
Murata on for Bueno (66)

Report

Another Saturday, another handful of goals for the opposition and no points for us. This new appointment really isn't going very well so far, is it? Since the new boss's first game away at Tokyo, we've conceded a total of 19 goals. That's almost half our entire season's amount in seven games. We welcome 4th top scorer's Gamba Osaka to Nihondaira on Tuesday, the team who put four past us before the World Cup, so brace yourselves!

Taking over with two thirds of the season gone, Oenoki never had the luxury of a substantial transition period. Five defeats out of seven is poor, but most worrying is the number of goals we're leaking. Yes, we've been without Jong a Pin and Jakovic, but are we really that one dimensional? Of course not, but it's getting harder to ignore the fast accumulating pile of negative stats.

Two points off the relegation zone, but one defeat from 17th. 10 games to go. Safe to say any transitional period has expired. We're not a bottom half team. Time for Oenoki to start delivering.

Videos

The goals.




Saturday 13 September 2014

S-Pulse 1-4 Urawa Red Diamonds

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

S-Pulse 1-4 Urawa Red Diamonds
Hiraoka 76 ----------------- Moriwaki 22
--------------------------------- Lee 28
--------------------------------- Makino 72
--------------------------------- Own goal 91

Ecopa Stadium, Fukuroi city
Att. 19059

Line Up

GK Kushibiki

DF Yoshida
DF Bueno
DF Hiraoka
DF Mizutani

MF Musaka
MF Honda
MF Takagi T
MF Ishige

FW Omae
FW Novakovic

Subs used

Takagi Y on for Mizutani (69)
Murata on for Honda (80)

Report

With this result Urawa, the only team in Japan I know named after a shape, strode four points clear at the top of J1. On today's evidence, I can't see them relinquishing their lead. They were far from spectacular, but while we were disjointed and, aside from a lively opening 20 minutes, didn't trouble them, what they did they did well. They made fewer mistakes than most J. League teams, broke with pace and purpose, and defended their lead deep and well. Come December, if we don't see them adding to their 2006 J1 title I'll be one very surprised little Englishman.

As mentioned, we started brightly, and Novakovic should have opened the scoring around the 15 minute mark. Within 15 minutes of that chance, the visitors were two up, and we were reeling. The second half saw us all bluster and no end product, with possession generally progressing to the edge of the final third before a black shirt (not the ref, Urawa's bloody gorgeous away kit) intervened.

A 72nd minute Makino header off a corner put the game beyond us. At 3-0 there was still time for Hiraoka to snatch his own headed corner goal four minutes later, but the flurry of Shimizu attacks that followed rarely troubled Nishikawa. In stoppage time Aizawa fluffed a clearance to a black shirt and in the resulting mess the ball rebounded in off an orange shirt, and that really was game over.

Hopefully we'll look back on this game as a pivotal one in the Oenoki era. It lends stark contrast to the last game at Ecopa against Urawa under Hasegawa's charge. Just shy of 39000 were there, 20000 more than today, and we snatched victory in the most exhilarating of circumstances. Oenoki will take time to find his best XI, and there may be more bumps along the way until that happens. Today he was missing Jakovic through suspension and Jong-a-Pin through injury, which is half our defence right there. The 18 year old Mizutani worked hard, but it was a tall order for him to make the step up against the league leaders. What we need to do now is avoid defeat away next week, because another loss could see us in the relegation zone.

The Curious Case of The Perpetually Booing Fans

I mentioned something on Twitter which I'll elaborate on here, and that's Urawa's supporter culture. Until today I've always watched Shimizu Urawa match ups from behind the goal. If you've ever had the pleasure you'll know barely anything is audible over our joyous samba din. I now help with the S-Pulse English Twitter service, so am lucky enough to view matches from the press zone. Today I was located half way towards the away end, and WHAT. A. FUCKING. ROW.

The best thing about Urawa fans in their numbers. They've had the biggest traveling support for many years now. The worst thing is the booing and whistling. When they had the ball, they sang their hearts out. When we had it, and we had it a lot despite the result, a soul destroying caterwaul of jeering and whining oozed from the away end. This held true the full 94 minutes, even when at 4-1 up away from home you'd think they'd be reveling in their successful away day. Is it intended to break the spirit of the opposition? If it is, then it's ineffective. They've not won any domestic silverware since 2006, more than once coming off second best in winner-takes-all situations. Maybe that's precisely why the team with the biggest gates and deepest pockets have been consistently unable to make the most of those enviable resources; the simmering negativity and antagonism which infuses every game they play.

My background as a fan is in the lower leagues of English football, and there is absolutely no shortage of negativity there. But it's all shot through with a self-depreciating sense of humour, and like most any supporter culture, ultimately a premium is placed on supporting your own team over abusing the opposition. With Urawa it comes off, at best, 50/50. If that's what works for them, who am I to judge? What I will say though is upon my arrival in Japan I count my blessings I wasn't stationed in Saitama. Had I been, I might now be stood behind the goal spending as much energy taunting and heckling the visitors than supporting my own team. I don't doubt that would quickly become a pretty dreary way to watch football.

Which begs the question, why is a supporter culture so focused on the negative able to boast the biggest crowds in the country? The reasons for being the best supported club go way beyond this one particular custom, but in a country where every other team has fans which spend their effort supporting over haranguing, could it be that Urawa's uniquely toxic atmosphere actively attracts fans? Simply because it's the only club in the country, perhaps one of the only opportunities in Japan full stop, to encourage and revel in abusive behaviour? Urawa may be cannily tapping into a human instinct oft suppressed in Japan - the occasional requirement to blow off some vitriolic steam.

Well, that's a whole sociological and psychological study right there, and maybe I'm just talking bollocks. After all, every Urawa fan I've spoken to has been a thoroughly nice chap/chappet. I stand by what I said, though. No amount of silverware (not that much in Urawa's case, anyway) could make up for stripping away the joy of singing and cheering and replacing it with bile and disdain game in, game out. I'd rather samba any day.

Videos

Highlights.


Thursday 11 September 2014

Barry's Round Up!

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

We're back - and it feels good! Sometimes a break's required to recharge the batteries and assess what's really important. And what's that? Watching your team win football matches, having a laugh while you're at it. The two games I got to last month at Brighton's beautiful shrine to soccer the AMEX were both a good laugh, and ended in the right result. But what of S-Pulse during my four month enforced lay off (lazy spell)?

Well, following the master class in bad timing that was the sacking of Afshin, we unsurprisingly took a nosedive. In the immediate aftermath we lost three of four, conceded 10, and only managed a narrow win against the spectacularly rubbish Tokushima. None too inspiring, then. To be honest, you could have shipped Alex Ferguson over and he'd have struggled to steady a team reeling having seen its leader so abruptly axed.

We can't afford David Moyes let alone Fergie, so instead we've installed Katsumi Oenoki at the helm. In Oenoki we have, following footsteps made by former team mate and fellow Shimizu lad Kenta Hasegawa, another old boy in charge. He's been promoted from youth team boss where he'd been honing the skills required in management since 2008. This might be his debut as a first team coach, but given his years experience at Miho, the new environs of Nihondaira's technical area should take minimal acclimatisation.

While our starting elevens have so far largely been tweakings of Ghotbi's side (one big exception being the return of Lee KiJe), Oenoki of course brings intricate knowledge of our former youth players. He's been happy to call upon these and other youngsters, meaning we've seen the likes of Mizutani, Genta Miura, Kagami and Ibuki run out in orange the last few weeks.

So while we're still hovering too close to the drop zone for comfort, if you squint, the green shoots of recovery are visible. Ever the blind optimist (simpering idiot), I'm willing to believe things are about to take an upturn. They pretty much have to, because while Tokushima are to all Is and Ps already a J2 team, of those below us, Sendai and Nagoya ain't going down, and Cerezo will keep throwing money around like maniacs until they move out the bottom three. That just leaves one of Omiya or Kofu to put a run together, and we're right down in the mire.

The green shoots to which I tenuously refer are a 2-2 draw away at second placed Tosu who before that game had the stingiest defence in the league (should have won it, but conceded in stoppage time), and a 2-1 away cup win at FC Tokyo, ground out with zero height up front. We've signed defender Bueno who looked a decent prospect against Tokyo. Strong, persistent and good in the air. With a fit Jong-a-Pin our defence shapes up nicely. Crucially, we're still in the cup, so have something to aim for this year.

So that's pretty much the shape of things as we head into our annual Ecopa fixture against Urawa. It's the only time we use the 50000 seater bowl situated an hour from Shimizu. This is in part due to problems of safety we've experienced when welcoming the Saitamians(?) to town. The last few years they've habitually misbehaved, whether at Nihondaira (pulling down S-Pulse banners. #sigh) or Ecopa (aiming fireworks at our team bus. #rolleyes), but Ecopa undeniably offers greater security and easier in-stand segregation (rarely required at Nihondaira where fans can normally mingle freely). As much as anything though, the yearly jaunt to Fukuroi in an invaluable exercise in marketing.

Situated deep in the traditionally sky blue half of Shizuoka prefecture, Ecopa (an amalgam of Ecology, Pal and Park, if you were wondering) offers a chance to dangle a bright orange carrot in front of the region's school children. Thousands of free tickets are dispersed around the surrounding towns' elementary schools in the hope kids bring their parents, have a gay (old meaning) old time, and everyone heads home at 5pm with a burning love ignited for all things Shimizu. Out of respect for regional boundaries the free ticket generosity stops at the border of Fukuroi and Iwata, which is a shame really. God knows those poor kids could do with some top flight football.

Saturday then will be against the best Urawa team for a while, currently perched above Tosu atop the table. A tough old game for sure, but an ideal opportunity for Oenoki to show us what he's got, and to maybe steal a few wavering Iwata fans in the process. I'll be throwing a match report up here Saturday evening or Sunday lunchtime, but my Twitter (@spulseukultras) and the official S-Pulse account (@spulse_eng) will be the best places to keep right up to date.

Right, I think that's everything. Now time for another four month break (joke).

Tuesday 9 September 2014

With Thanks - Come Back Anytime, Afshin!

Barry BARRY WRITES... 

With apologies for the four month hiatus - it wasn't intentional, but you know how things go. One post gets missed, then another, then the World Cup comes along, a change of job, a three week trip to Europe, a week trying to get over jet lag... I could go on making excuses but the important thing is we're back. This was the first time we've neglected our service in six years, so I hope you'll forgive us. Six years?! Has it really been that long? Apparently so.

In the world of S-Pulse it's been an eventful four months. Too much has happened to recount it all, but to hit the most major point, our boss, my friend and gentleman, Afshin Ghotbi parted company with Shimizu.

I know how hard he worked over to revolutionise and globalise our club. He poured in effort, attracted some fantastic players (Freddie Ljungberg joining Shinji Ono in midfield for goodness sake!), and lived and breathed S-Pulse for three and a half years. Sometimes in the the face of opposition, everything he did he did for the good of Shimizu.

His exit leaves a certain emptiness around the club, and while we never reached the heights we, and he, longed for, I take too many unforgettable moments from his reign to count. A look at last season's most memorable games scratches the surface, but then there's the Miracle at Mizuho, and the Nine Man Madness at Ajinomoto to name but two. The Lionheart spirit Ghotbi instilled in his team came to the fore especially on those backs-against-the-wall occasions.

If there's one thing which exemplifies his motivational skills on the big occasion, it's this video made for that incredible day at Yamaha Stadium.



It worked, of course. We beat a fiercely motivated home team fighting for their J1 survival. No mean feat.

So, gone from Shizuoka, but very much not forgotten. Afshin, you transformed our club. Thanks for the memories and the opportunities. All the very the best for the future. We'll be following and supporting you!!