S-Pulse 4-2 Oita - Socially Distancing in the Rain

BARRY WRITES...

I may be wrong, but the last time I remember an S-Pulse game being stopped because of the weather was away at Sendai, 2012. Check out the sky at 1:15 in the afternoon:

Biblical! We didn't have the hail, but Sunday's rain was something crazy. You could barely see across the pitch, so there wasn't much choice. Social distancing so diligently observed went out the window as everyone dove for cover.

With the rain switching from drizzle to power shower, it necessitated the 2nd half drinks break be extended by an hour. Had there been no let up in sight, you wonder if the game would have been abandoned. As it is, there's already a stack of games squeezed into the next few months.

The rain gods were kind. After the storm clouds passed, we picked up where we left off: scoring goals from set-pieces. Earlier on Seok Ho had popped in a header from a corner, with this added to by Carlinhos's brilliantly taken hook shot, also coming from a corner.

It might right a lot in England, but rarely like it can in Japan
For a billion bonus points, name the stadium at which I'm taking refuge

After the deluge abated Tatsuta scored from a corner, and Valdo nodded in a freekick. Props to Tatsuta - underling what he showed us against G. Osaka, he’s got a decent header on him. Questions could be asked of Oita’s keeper, but no taking away from our four goals. All well executed in their own way.

I'd had to head out on the hour (after the game was meant to have ended), so missed the restart and climax. Oita scored two in two to make orange arseholes slightly twitchy for the final few minutes, so I'm glad I swerved those sweats. Oita's late brace were worrying in how easily they cut through our back line, but let's not dwell on the negative. I'm sure the boss is aware, and they'll be working on it.

Beating Oita is always that little bit more enjoyable given they played antagonists in Part 1 of The UKU Cup Final Defeat Trilogy. We now also have an identical record to Kashima, so are no longer bottom. Joint 17th with nobody below us we might be, but we're not 18th! Sunday was just what we needed after the season's less than ideal start, and we can use this to kick on.

We've been up and down, but there are good signs. In Peter we trust!

Take it away, Robin...

Sagan Tosu 1-1 S-Pulse - de Geaja-vu

BARRY WRITES...

Did Umeda's balls-up for Tosu's equaliser remind anyone of de Gea's on Sunday? A low shot the keeper should deal with, but didn't. Fair play to him, he's a 21 year old lad (22 tomorrow - HBD!), who's not long made his professional debut. He'll be more annoyed than anyone, so chin up Umeda!

Saved! Oh...

You might say we were unlucky not to add a second, but the phrase "few and far between" best describes our chances. Far more worrying was the inability to either keep possession, or regain it. We were absent in midfield seemingly every time Tosu went forward, and when they did, there was also little in the way of a defensive line. It's bizarre, because we've played, albeit fitfully, very well at points this season. At least as well as you can and still lose your first 5 games.

It makes we think the boss is still experimenting, because teams don't usually jump from dominating matches against half decent teams, to being on the backfoot for most of others against worse opposition. Yes, we did go close once or twice, but Tosu were far more dangerous, and will see this as two points dropped. Keep in mind they hadn't even scored this season before today. #grrr

Not too much else to say about this one, other than it wasn't even nearly good enough. This was us against Cerezo Osaka, while we can play like we did against Gamba Osaka. There may be no relegation, but time is starting to run out though for Cklamovski to find something that works.

We're bottom of the table with no wins after 6. To say this can't go on is stating the bleeding obvious, so starting on Sunday we turn the corner. Looking on the bright side, we've not scored the least in J1, neither have we conceded the most.

Come on S-Pulse, for fuck's sake.

Kobe 3-1 S-Pulse - NO RELEGATION IN 2020

BARRY WRITES...

Have I mentioned yet that there's no relegation from J1 this season? While much good rarely comes from a pandemic, that is one tiny Coronabonus for three J1 teams. 600k lives lost, but you know. Every cloud.

The first 45 was very even, and there really wasn't much to choose between the two. Given we're of relatively modest means and are in transition, while Kobe are in what, year 4? of being bank-rolled by trillionaires-with-Barcelona-contacts, it was a decent half. That said, even since Daddy Warbucks took over, Vissel are still only finishing a couple of spots above their historical average. For what they splash, returns of 7th, 8th, or 10th are pretty lame. I'd be getting twitchy by now if I wore Rakuten purple.

Where's the Kobe Gyu?

Not to say they didn't deserve to win today, because they did. The scoreline was pretty fair. We should have gone in at the break level, but deep into injury time we couldn't defend a corner at the near post. Bosh. 0-1. The neighbours hear me swear, and the manager's team talk needs changing.

The second half was a different story. We failed to really trouble the hosts, while they made the best of a couple of good chances. Defeat 5 of 5, which is obviously pretty crap (fun fact: it's as bad a start as is possible!) but we have had a few difficult games in there, and we're in transition blah blah blah.

Brewdog, take the pain away

Some easier games are coming up (on paper), though. We just need to keep our spirits up, our adrenaline pumping, and remember what we can do. Because we can play football. I've seen it. And we can score goals. I've seen that, too. (I was always told you can't start sentences with Because or And. Guilty. Unorthodox. Sue me.)

Tosu away on Wednesday. Currently above us with 2 points, but get this: Played 5 - Goals Scored: Sweet Fanny Adams. So come on boys, this is it. We go there, we score. Tosu make it 6 without netting. We go home happy. I get to tweet about a win, and everything seems that little bit brighter.

Right enough of this nonsense. It's 3pm, the sun's out, and I have a BBQ to attend. I may even wear my 2017 home shirt. That's how optimistic I'm feeling. Collective chins up, S-Pulse fans - the good times are coming, they're just under construction.

S-Pulse 1-2 G. Osaka - DON'T PANIC

BARRY WRITES...

Two posts in a week? I'm not sure these pages can handle all this activity!

Sunday saw the return of supporters at Nihondaira, albeit in a limited capacity. Clubs are allowed 50% of their stadium or 5000 fans, whichever is less. Our official total was 4131, so not "full", but above average amongst J1 teams. This, in tandem with restrictions on behaviour that may spread contagions, meant an atmosphere unlike any the stadium has seen before.

I was reminded of the charity match with Yokohama FC after the Great East Japan Earthquake, but while the fans were silent, the PA certainly wasn't. The usual entrance music was booming, recorded singing and chanting kept the samba pumping, and Suzuki-san was giving it loads with his usual full-blooded performance on the mic. Awesome work as always, Mr Suzuki.

So to flesh out my tweets a little, while Sunday was the 4th loss from 4, in my opinion (for what it's worth) there's no need to panic. We showed hard work and endeavor, and were unlucky not to equalise earlier. As an example, you would have put all of the money on Kaneko finding the net just before the hour. Following up Carlinho's saved shot, it looks like Higashiguchi did just enough to make him miss the target.

That was but one chance of what I can best describe as an Orange Onslaught. The second half saw wave after wave of S-Pulse crashing against Gamba's shores. It was almost ceaseless. I enjoyed most our speed and movement. We displayed a real verve, and but for a better cross or shot, we wouldn't have waited until the 84th minute to find the net.

What lack of accuracy we'd shown up to that point was paid back in one. Nakamura floated a perfect cross to the back of the 6 yard box, and Tatsuta rose majestically to crash it home. If claiming our reward for dominating the half came as a huge relief, then just as huge was the frustration at getting caught flat-footed shortly after. On 89 minutes Watanabe shot past three defenders and one keeper to restore the guests' lead, and that's how it ended.

So yeah, an annoying end, but I've watched S-Pulse when we've been bad (2015 springs to mind. Oh, the horror, the horror!). I've also watched us when we've been average and not very interesting. But what I saw on Sunday has me hopeful. Players were hustling. Players were being selfish and having a go. I saw a team swarming forward, moving with fluidity to create space and passing opportunities. Early days, but we were also much better when playing out from the back.

Clearly we're not yet the finished article. We got caught napping more than once, the goals being good examples. But as I sat outside in the late morning sunshine with a cup of tea and a Club (orange, obviously), I couldn't be too down. We've got a new boss who's putting his team together under some pretty tricky circumstances. The games are coming fast and furious, but overall the signs are good. If we build on this, it won't be long until we're racking up some points.

Here's some very limited highlights:

J. League in the Covid-19 era - S-Pulse vs G. Osaka

BARRY WRITES...

What's this? The first original UKU blog post in 4 years? It may have taken a pandemic, but these pages were in danger of disappearing in a cloud of their own ennui, so we'll take it. It's not that we've been supporting any less of have been inactive, it's just that Twitter took over.

In hindsight it's a shame I didn't make more of an effort. Especially in 2016, as that was a hell of ride. It included some phenomenal moments, not least of which the 4-3 win away at JEF United. Having led 2-0, we went down to 10 men, and with 6 minutes left, we fell behind. 90^th and 94^th minute goals snatched an incredible victory, and provided much needed momentum for our promotion bid. This culminated successfully down in Tokushima, and I recently posted an article from the time.

Clearly, a decent amount has sadly been lost through over-reliance on Twitter. So while this isn't going to be the first of a return to weekly updates, I do aim to try and keep things ticking over a little better. And with that in mind, let's talk about THE VIRUS.

J. League and Coronavirus

I love our stadium. Of course I'm biased, but I'd say it's one of only a handful of stadia that still looks pretty great, even when empty.

It was in this state that the J. League's grounds found themselves when games re-started recently. As around the world, cardboard supporters, plastic sheets, piped in crowd noise, and other initiatives attempted to fill the gaping void created by a lack of fans. All better than nothing, but it's like trying to fill a swimming pool with a wet sponge. Fans are the heart and soul of football, and this weekend has seen the first tentative steps towards a return to normality.

Japan hasn't dealt with CV19 perfectly, nowhere has, but they've done a much better job than some. As such we're at a stage where people are starting to return to the stadiums, albeit in limited numbers, and with various rules aimed at preventing virus spread.

The Rules for S-Pulse v G. Osaka

First of all, the following are asked to stay home:

• Those exhibiting symptoms, or who have come into contact with those who are
• Those who have returned from overseas in the last 14 days, or those who have come into contact with those who have

Those attending games have to abide by the following:

• Masks to be worn
• All should remain at least 1 metre apart, if possible 2 metres
• No handshakes, hugging, or high fives
• No shouting, singing, chanting or whistling
• No megaphones or drums
• No flag waving, or scarf twirling (and I love a bit twirling, me)

Within the stadium, the following rules are in place:

• Banners can be hung with prior arrangement
• No areas for smoking
• Food and soft drinks are on sale, BUT!
• No alcohol on sale, or to be brought in :(
• Pulchan and co will not be doing the rounds - they will only appear on the pitch
• No away fans

This isn't a full list, but covers the main points. As is obvious, this will impact on the S-Pulse experience (as it will most clubs). A lack of samba, kachiloco and group hugs are just something we have to put up with until things are back to normal. We'll get there, and when we do we shouldn’t forget these tough times.

2020 So Far

Our season hasn't started especially well. Played 3, lost 3. Scored 2, conceded 7. Far from ideal, but then Kashima are worse off, having scored one less. Sagan Tosu have scored a big fat zero. So, you know. Could be worse.

The opening game against FC Tokyo was so long ago, I barely remember it. I did manage to catch most of the Nagoya and C. Osaka matches, though. Nagoya's second was offside, but that's life. It was close, but I'd take the odd close call going against you than the farce that VAR has become in many parts of the world.

A recurrent theme has been failed attempts to play intricately out from the back. Where this fell down on numerous occasions was a lack of precision, or not releasing the ball before being closed down. This resulted in several chances for the opposition, and if we continue to make the same mistakes, this will cost us goals over the season.

Our second half in Osaka was a vast improvement on the first (we barely left our own half) but we've not been very inspiring so far. There's been flashes, for sure. Our goal against Nagoya was beautiful, and the type of sweeping football we love to see, but it's been the exception to the rule. Any new managers takes time to get things working, so no need to panic yet (especially as there's no relegation this season!), but let's hope things start clicking into place over the next few weeks.

The games are coming thick and fast now, and they will right the way through until December. You know there’s not going to be a dull moment – when is there ever with this club!? G. Osaka have conceded 5 in three games, so they're as good a team as any to play as we try and find our scoring boots.

The J. League has upped its international game of late, with a much-improved Twitter feed. They have a proper little service going on now, and coupled with some games streamed live, and highlights made available, they've arrived in the digital age. I respect that they bother, because the market for Japanese club football in the English speaking world is tiny, and not growing. It's about as niche as you can get. For those of us they do love it though, it’s great to see a bit of investment there. Long may it continue.

Well, roll on Sunday and match day 4 - our first win is not far away. I can feel it!