BARRY WRITES... All things considered, Tese joining Niigata on loan was not a huge shock, but it's sad to see him go. It's no exaggeration to say in his time with us, the Korean has become one of S-Pulse's best. He's strong, he's a goal scorer, he's a leader, he's principled, and he's passionate. He's also one charming mofo. When I was lucky enough to receive a video greeting from players and staff on my wedding day, Tese's message was heartfelt, and genuinely funny.
He was a steamroller in his golden boot J2 season, and without him we'd have probably missed out on promotion. We were lucky to get him when we did, and retain him after that. You won't find me waxing lyrical about too many players, but Tese was an S-Pulse great, and he'll be missed.
As for the whys, it's easy to see the logic in Cklamovski's actions. We're in a transitional season, that's obvious. Nobody wants to lose matches, but if you're building for the following year and have the luxury of not worrying about relegation, why would you fall back on older players? Give the youngsters minutes, try things out, and create the team you want. Makes total sense.
Tese was never going to be happy warming the bench, so you can't blame him for wanting out. He loves Shizuoka and S-Pulse, and probably wanted to see out his career with us, but that's football. I doubt we'll see his return as a player, but he's up there with Okazaki, and will always be welcome. Good luck, fella!
S-Pulse 3-4 Yokohama FM / 2-3 Yokohama FC
Didn't see any of the YFC game, as we were driving back from deepest, darkest Suffolk (which was actually very nice). The unbeaten run is very much over, but if the YFM match was anything to go by, there's no need to panic. It's a transitional year after all, not a transitional few months.
The YFM game I watched with friends on location at our mini get-away, which included a mate's son.
He's been an S-Pulse fan for the last few years, but Wednesday was the first time he got to watch us live. It echoed my first S-Pulse game, also a 4-3, but on that occasion we won. Wednesday may not have had the result we wanted, but if there was a choice between that and a 0-0 bore draw, I'm glad he got some excitement. It was entertaining, and up to the last few minutes really could have gone either way. Against the champions, can't really argue too much.
Next up, away at Kawasaki, who are threatening to run away with it this year. We've discovered our scoring boots a bit more of late, but our leaky defence will be sure to get tested. What's the worst that could happen? Bring it on. :)
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