The J-Talk Podcast: Recent Episodes

Ben Maxwell

A weekly Japanese football podcast focusing on the J.League.

James Taylor and Jon Steele are back with a bumper episode of JTET reviewing another entertaining weekend of J2. First, James has a roundup of 7 games from matchday 19 (start to 05:35). Then he was joined by Jon to discuss three goalfests: Nagasaki v Omiya (05:35 to 20:20); Yamagata v Sendai (20:20 to 33:00); and Tokushima v JEF United (33:00 to 44:00). Next, the boys choose their Most Bravo Players and discuss the J.League’s monthly awards for May (44:00 to 51:40), and end the episode with a preview of the coming weekend’s league fixtures (51:40 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben begin the episode by chatting about the fringe players who stood out in Japan's big win over Indonesia last week, and the cupsets from the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup (to 15:10), before diving in to all the results and talking points from the nine J1 games played over the weekend.

In a quick wrap-up pod, James and Jon cover recent games from a trio of competitions.

In Part 1, James takes a look at how J2 sides fared in Round 1 of the Emperor's Cup at the end of May.

Then in Part 2, Jon checks in on Iwata's two-legged Levain Cup Play-Off tie against Shonan, and reviews the three rearranged J2 games that took place last weekend (including yet another win for Mito).

Thanks for all the support of the pod this season - we'll be back to review all of the weekend action next week!

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

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In this episode of JTSC, Jon Steele and James Taylor discussed recent events in J3. They begin with a quick mention of notable results from the first and second rounds of the Emperor’s Cup (start to 05:10), then discuss the recent managerial change at Zweigen Kanazawa (05:10 to 16:40), the general situation regarding the relegation battle (16:40 to 24:20), and a look at the teams at the top end of the table (24:10 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Alan Gibson joins Jonny and Ben to help us piece together the J-Talk Team of the (Half) Season. Before we get to the good stuff we chat about Alan's interview with Football Zone (Part 1 of 3 linked here), his overall thoughts on the first half of the season, and some of the major transfers in this mini window (to 27:30), before we discuss how Japan's newcomers fared in the 1-0 defeat to Australia last Thursday, and the Levain Cup playoff round (to 52:30).

Then in Part 2, we go from back to front selecting our team of the best performers in the first half of the season.

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with a review of a breathless weekend of J2 football. James kicks things off with a review of 9 games (start to 07:35), then Jon joined to discuss the game between two teams from Shikoku: FC Imabari v Tokushima Vortis (07:35 to 23:30). After that, there’s the usual Most Bravo Player coronation, transfer news, and previews of upcoming league and cup matches (23:30 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Stuart Woodward returned to the pod to chat about his appearance on the Ｊリーグと私 You Tube series (link is for the You Tube playlist, Stuart's episode isn't up yet), and Yokohama F.Marinos making it two straight wins in the wet at Machida on Saturday (to 34:10).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other nine games, as Kashima kicked six points clear at the top of the table as we reached the halfway point of the season.

In this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele review the latest Levain Cup and J2 action. In part 1, James has a roundup of 2 Levain Cup games and 6 league matches from matchday 17 (start to 05:45). In part 2, James and Jon talked about Iwata’s cup win over Gamba Osaka (05:45 to 14:40) and Kofu’s dismantling of Yamagata in the league (14:40 to 27:55), selected their Most Bravo Player (27:55 to 32:05), discussed some managerial news (32:05 to 40:15), and previewed league and cup fixtures (40:15 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Dan Orlowitz joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 of our new episode to chat about his new piece in The Guardian, Hajime Moriyasu's experimental national team squad, and Hiroshima's comfortable win over FC Tokyo at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Then in an elongated Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the other games from J1 Matchday 18, including Yokohama F.Marinos ripping up the form book with a fine home win over leaders Kashima, as the bottom three at the start of the matchday had a weekend to remember.

A jubilant James Taylor was joined by Jon Steele to talk about the latest events in J2. First, James reviews 9 games from matchday 16 (start to 08:25). Then, James and Jon discussed Mito’s win over Kumamoto (08:25 to 18:10), before chatting about high-flying Hollyhock in more detail (18:10 to 30:30). They round off the episode with Most Bravo Player (30:30 to 34:35), general news (34:35 to 40:, and a look ahead to league and cup fixtures (40:45 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

There were certainly many talking points from the weekend's top flight round, and we begin this episode with some positivity from Jon Steele after Yokohama FC moved out of the drop zone with an away win over Shonan on Saturday, as the sky blues continue to make a decent fist of their return to J1 (to 21:00).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben continue their roundup of Matchday 17, beginning with Kashima extending their advantage at the top of the table after they downed Shimizu, and Kashiwa lost at Machida. Next up is Kyoto, who piled on the misery for bottom club Yokohama F.Marinos with a fine away win, before we move on to events at Saitama Stadium, where Urawa claimed a controversy-laced home win over FC Tokyo (Ben's rant alert).

Following that we review all of the other games, before finishing with a look ahead to midweek and weekend action.

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together again to review the latest round of J2 games. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from matchday 15 (start to 06:55), and in part 2 he and Jon analyse the big match: Omiya v Sendai (06:55 to 22:40). They also pick a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 26:20) and look ahead to the matchday 16 and Levain Cup fixtures (26:20 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben flip the script and go from bottom to top on this week's episode, running through (almost) all positive results for the bottom six at the start of the matchday in Part 1 (to 45:45), before Neil Debnam joins the pod to chat about Kawasaki's ACL Elite adventure, and their defeat on Sunday at the hands of Kashima (to 1:13:08).

Finally, your co-hosts round up the final two games, before previewing J1 Matchday 17.

James Taylor and Jon Steele gathered their remaining energy to discuss the final set of J2 Golden Week fixtures. James reviews 9 games from matchday 14 in part 1 (start to 06:55), then chats to Jon about Sapporo v Iwata (06:55 to 25:10), Most Bravo Player (25:10 to 30:25), and the matchday 15 fixtures (30:25 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben wrap up Golden Week with a look back at the midweek action from J1 Matchday 15. We begin with 1-0 wins for Kashima and Kashiwa on Tuesday, then move on to Wednesday night's action - Kyoto's dramatic late victory at Machida, and Hiroshima squeaking past Shonan - before reviewing the other games from Tuesday, including excellent wins for both Osaka clubs.

With the Golden Week holidays in full swing, Jon Steele takes control of a solo JTET mini-pod to run through all of the J2 action from Saturday 3rd May (Round 13 of the season).

Over a 15-minute pod, you'll hear about all of the goals and talking points from the Round 13 matches, along with Jon's pick for a Most Bravo Player and a quick look ahead to Tuesday afternoon's full slate of fixtures (Round 14).

Thanks for all the support as always, and enjoy the pod!

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

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Jonny and Ben begin by commiserating with Kawasaki after their ACL Elite final defeat, then review all eight games played on Saturday in J1 Matchday 14.

Regular JTET co-hosts Jon Steele and James Taylor get together for another monthly update of the topsy-turvy world of J3. The episode begins with a discussion of recent goalfests involving Kochi United (start to 08:50), then takes in the standout attacking performances of Paulo Junichi Tanaka (08:50 to 17:30), Giravanz Kitakyushu’s impressive defence (17:30 to 20:25), a checkup of James’ beloved Zweigen Kanazawa (20:25 to 32:10), and a look at the bottom of J3, with a brief focus on the struggles of Thespa Gunma and Azul Claro Numazu (32:10 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

In this brief episode, James Taylor rounds up all the action from J2 matchday 12 (start to 04:05), selects a Most Bravo Player (04:05 to 05:40), and previews the upcoming fixtures on Saturday and Tuesday (05:40 to end).

Apologies for the variable sound quality this time - there were some technical issues.

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben return with a midweek special, to round up the eight games played from J1 Matchday 13 on Tuesday.

After beginning the episode with a quick look back at Kawasaki's ACL Elite quarter final win (Spoiler Alert: They won their semi final, too!), we begin our J1 wrap with the game Jonny was at: Gamba Osaka's win over incumbent leaders Kyoto (to 14:45).

Then we move on to Kashima going top, and Kashiwa second, with away wins (to 23:10), Shimizu and Machida both moving up after also winning on the road (to 30:50), Tokyo Verdy's second straight win, and Hiroshima Crisis Watch after their home defeat at the hands of Niigata, plus the only draw between Shonan and Fukuoka.

With a rush of Golden Week matches hoving into view, the JTET team looks back on the most recent slate of J2 fixtures (played across Friday and Saturday last week).

In Part 1 (Start to 04:15) James gives us a whistle-stop tour of the action from 9 of the Round 11 games.

Then in Part 2, Jon was joined by familiar voice (but first-time guest) Leslie Mabon for a deep dive into Iwaki's stunning 4-3 win at Nagasaki. In a wide-ranging chat, the boys talked about Leslie's impressions of the Peace Stadium, the match itself, & the season so far for both clubs (04:15 to 44:40).

There's also time for Most Bravo Player chat (44:40 to 47:00), and a look ahead to Tuesday afternoon's J2 action in Round 12 (47:00 to Finish)!

Big thanks for Leslie for taking the time to pod with us, and we hope everyone enjoys the show!

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

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With Golden Week upon us, the stars aligned and former co-host Sam Robson was able to join Jonny and Ben for a full review of all eight games played from J1 Matchday 12 over the weekend (the large majority of them on Friday night).

Sam also shares his thoughts on the state of the league - with goals down across the division - while we were keen to discuss teams like surprise leaders Kyoto and promoted high-fliers Okayama with him.

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with another packed episode of JTET. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from J2 matchday 10 (start to 07:20), then he’s joined by Jon to analyse Montedio Yamagata v Ehime FC (07:20 to 22:40) and elect a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 27:20). To round out the episode, the boys take a deep breath before looking ahead to the upcoming bombardment of J2 fixtures (27:20 to end).

Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

After the rest of the Levain Cup Round 2 games were played last Wednesday, Jon Steele covers all of the action from a J2 standpoint in an 8-minute mini-pod.

All 5 of the J2 v J1 ties last midweek went into extra time, but in the end only one 2nd-tier side made it through to the next round!

Jon also nominates a Most Bravo Player from the midweek madness.

*You can support The J-Talk Podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our dedicated Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky @jtalket.bsky.social

Alan Gibson returned to the podcast, to help Jonny and Ben review goings-on from last midweek, and how the four Kansai clubs are faring after 11 rounds.

We chat about the three J1 games - including Steve Holland's ouster at Yokohama F.Marinos after their home loss to Shimizu - and the conclusion of the 2nd round of the 1st round of the Levain Cup last Wednesday (to 18:30), before moving on to Matchday 11, beginning with our new leaders Kyoto, Kobe's fruitful week, and draws for both Osaka sides (to 1:05:55).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other six games, and look ahead to games coming up in Matchday 12.

Jon Steele and James Taylor were reunited after a week of solo pods for this episode of JTET. In part 1, James runs through 9 games from J2 matchday 9 (start to 09:20), before chatting with Jon about Kataller Toyama v Renofa Yamaguchi (09:20 to 26:35). There’s also Most Bravo Player discussion and mention of the J.League’s official awards for February and March (26:35 to 33:55), before a brief preview of matchday 10 (33:55 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

In a fashionably late mini-pod, Jon Steele looks back at last Wednesday's Levain Cup action from a J2 perspective.

There were derby wins for Imabari (in their rescheduled Round 1 game) and Iwata, as well as a night to remember for Yamaguchi as they slayed a J1 giant in the form of Kashima Antlers.

Jon also picks a Most Bravo Player, and previews the remaining Levain Cup fixtures in Round 2 (being played this Wednesday evening).

Sorry about the slow upload this week - Jon has been working at full capacity!

Sean Carroll made a very welcome return to the podcast this week, as we round up J1 Matchday 10, and the surprises and disappointments of the season so far.

We begin with the history makers in the top two, Fukuoka and Kyoto both flying higher than they ever have in the top flight, then move on to the incredible story that is Okayama, after their away win at Hiroshima. We also discuss Kashiwa's strong start, and Tokyo Verdy's early struggles (to 52:30).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben chat about the other five games, and look ahead to upcoming midweek and weekend action.

A bit later than scheduled (sorry!), James Taylor gives us a solo review of all of last weekend's J2 action (Round 8 of the season).

In a 10-minute pod, James also nominates a Most Bravo Player for the matchday, and previews the Round 9 matches coming up this weekend.

*Jon Steele is working on a review of the midweek Levain Cup action from a J2 perspective - that will be posted as soon as it's ready (let him cook, etc.)!

Hope everyone enjoys the pod!

Jonny and Ben round up two full rounds of J1 fixtures, with a focus on the weekend's Matchday 9, in our new episode.

We begin with the new frontrunner for game of the season - Kyoto's remarkable away win over Kashima on Sunday - before discussing the hard fought draw between Machida and Kawasaki, and the rest of an eventful Sunday chock full of tremendous goals.

In this episode of JTET, James Taylor reviews 9 of the J2 matchday 7 games (start to 05:00) to start off, then chats to Jon Steele about Fujieda v Nagasaki (05:30 to 16:00), Most Bravo Players (16:00 to 19:55), and the league and Levain Cup matches coming up over the next week (19:55 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Regular JTET co-hosts Jon Steele and James Taylor step up for an update of the goings-on in J3 during March. In part 1, Jon and James focus on the top half of the table (start to 14:25), and after the break they shift their gaze downwards to the bottom half (14:25 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

J1 returned after the international break over the weekend, and Daniel Hawkins joined Jonny and Ben to chat about goings-on at Avispa Fukuoka.

After a brief review of Japan 0-0 Saudi Arabia, and our review of Kashima's hard-fought win over Kobe (to 9:07), Daniel hopped on board to discuss Avispa's draw with Machida on Saturday, how the club's new signings have settled in, and more (to 29:42).

Then in Part 3 we round up the rest of the games, including Kawasaki having their way (again) against FC Tokyo in the Tamagawa Classico, and Nagoya notching a first league win of the season.

In this episode of JTET, Jon Steele and James Taylor review the second part of the Levain Cup 1st round. Jon kicks things off with a roundup of 5 games (start to 05:55) and is then joined by James to talk about Fukushima v Sapporo (05:55 to 21:50) and Omiya v Iwaki (21:50 to31:00), and select a Most Bravo Player (31:00 to 34:10). James rounds out the episode with a quick review of the remaining 5 matches (34:10 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

This week, JEF Chiba supporter Alan makes a JTET debut to help us to make sense of his side's fantastic start to the 2025 campaign.

To get things started, James round up most of the on-field action from Round 6 (Start to 03:30), then Alan joins Jon to chat about JEF's last-gasp win on the road at a blustery JIT Recycle Ink Stadium (03:30 to 18:50).

Jon and Alan then talk about their picks for Most Bravo Player for the round (18:50 to 22:20), and wrap up with the standard preview of the big fixtures coming up this weekend (22:20 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks to Alan for his time!

*You can follow Alan on Bluesky here: @mynameisjef.bsky.social

*Find JTET on Bluesky too: @jtalket.bsky.social

*Join The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Join our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

The Samurai Blue cruised into their eighth-straight World Cup with a 2-0 win over Bahrain last Thursday night, and Dan Orlowitz joined Jonny and Ben to review the game, and speculate on how Japan might prepare for the showpiece event, more than a year out (to 31:31).

Then we review the Levain Cup results from last Thursday afternoon, and look ahead to J1 Matchday 7.

Check out Dan's piece on The Guardian, and follow him on Bluesky.

In this week’s streamlined JTET, James Taylor kicks things off with a roundup of the J2 matchday 5 games (start to 05:30) before being joined by Jon Steele for analysis of Iwata v Kofu (05:30 to 14:30), Most Bravo Player selection (14:30 to 19:30) and a look ahead to upcoming league and Levain Cup matches (19:30 to end).

Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

*Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben kick off this new episode with a good news/bad news ACL review (to 14:56), then they're joined by Jon Steele to chat about Yokohama FC's victory over Cerezo Osaka on Saturday, and the season so far for the Mitsuzawa outfit (to 41:02).

Then we run through all of the other games from J1 Matchday 6, including Yokohama F.Marinos and Kobe notching first league wins of the season, Kashima making top flight history with their late leveler against Urawa, and Machida and Fukuoka continuing their upward trajectory, before we finish the episode with a look at the first round of the Levain Cup, and Japan's games against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as they look to seal qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

After another busy weekend of J2 action, JTET is back to run through all of the big talking points from Round 4 of the 2025 season.

James starts things off with a quick round-up of the bulk of the fixtures (Start to 04:15).

After that, you'll hear Jon in conversation with Akita supporter Martin Spivey as they discuss his trip to ND Soft Stadium in Yamagata for the big Tohoku Derby.

After talking about Martin's pleasant bus trip to the ground, and the match itself (04:15 to 26:00), the boys pick out some Most Bravo Players from Round 4 (26:00 to 35:45), and finish the pod with a short preview of the big matches coming up in Round 5 this weekend (35:45 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks to Martin for delaying his dinner to chat to us!

*Join The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

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Jonny and Ben are back to round up all eight games from J1 Matchday 5 played on the weekend, while they were also pleased to welcome Ralf Seidl back to the pod to discuss Urawa's first win of the season.

After an ACL review dominated by Hiroshima's disastrous oversight in fielding an ineligible player in the first leg against Lion City of Singapore (to 12:00), Ralf returns to chat about Urawa 1-0 Okayama, and his thoughts on Reds' season so far (to 33:28), before your co-hosts review the rest of the games and look ahead to this weekend's Matchday 6.

New JTSC host Victor Arroyo returns after an unexpected hiatus to review all 8 matches of an entertaining opening round of the J3 season and selects his goal of the week.

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Jon and James are together again to look back at an action-packed round of J2 action!

First of all, Jon runs you through the scores from most of the Round 3 games (Start to 05:30), then sits down with James to talk about Tosu v Imabari, our Match of the Week, in detail (05:30 to 25:40).

Then it's time to nominate our Most Bravo Players (25:40 to 29:40), and peruse the Round 4 fixture list to pick out some key games to focus on (29:40 to Finish).

Thanks for all of the support, and we hope you enjoy the pod!

*Join The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Check out our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

We round up two full rounds of top flight fixtures (with a focus on the weekend's Matchday 4) in this week's episode, towards the end of which we're joined by Neil Debnam to chat about the early days of Shigetoshi Hasebe's reign at Kawasaki.

We begin with the games involving the top three - new leaders Kashiwa, who climbed to the summit with a win away at Urawa, then Shonan's draw at Yokohama F.Marinos and Hiroshima's narrow win at home over Yokohama FC - before moving on to Kashima's win over FC Tokyo, and the battle between promoted sides Okayama and Shimizu, then away wins for Machida, Gamba Osaka and Fukuoka (their first of the season), before wrapping up Part 1 with the draw between Niigata and Cerezo Osaka (to 1:03:35).

Then Neil joins us to discuss Kawasaki's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Kyoto - Sanga's first win of the year - and Frontale's prospects in the ACL Elite Round of 16 against Shanghai Shenhua, before we wrap up the episode with a look at the fixtures in J1 Matchday 5.

Please check out Neil's Frontale Rabbit blog.

James, Jon, and special guest Sean Carroll look back at another busy weekend of J2 action.

James gets things started with a quick review of most of the Round 2 action (Start to 03:00), before Jon and Sean sat down to talk about Omiya's home win over Kofu in depth (03:00 to 15:00).

The boys also discuss Omiya and Kofu's prospects for 2025 in more detail, and touch on the new era at Omiya under Red Bull (there are spoilers for classic 90s sports comedy 'Cool Runnings', so be warned).

After that, Jon and Sean pick out some 'Most Bravo Players' from the weekend (15:00 to 19:50), and finish things off by looking ahead to the forthcoming Round 3 fixtures (19:50 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys another streamlined JTET experience this week!

*Support The J-Talk Podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Join our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben were pleased to welcome Stuart Woodward back to the pod, to chat about his trip to Hiroshima for Yokohama F.Marinos' visit to Sanfrecce on Sunday, a cagey affair settled by a correct, but unfortunate, penalty decision against visiting defender Jeisson Quinones that saw Hiroshima stay perfect after two rounds (to 27:20).

Then in Part 2 we chat the other two sides with spotless records, Shimizu and Shonan, then move on to the four teams that won for the first time this season on Saturday, and finish with the three Matchday 2 draws.

The JTET boys are back to pick over the bones of the opening round in J2 2025!

Kicking off a new, streamlined pod format, Jon runs through the scores on the doors from Round 1 in a whistle-stop roundup (Start to 03:15).

Jon then sat down with James to discuss their 'Match of the Week', focusing in detail on Omiya's return to J2 life against Yamagata at a sold-out NACK-5 Stadium in Saitama (03:15 to 20:40).

The gentlemen then move on to regular segments 'Most Bravo Player' (20:40 to 25:00), then bring up the rear with a look ahead to the key games on the upcoming Round 2 slate (25:00 to Finish).

Stay tuned for J3 content in 'J-Talk: Short Corner', coming soon!

Please consider joining The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

You can also get involved with our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg

If that's not enough, JTET is on Bluesky at @jtalket.bsky.social

J1 is back, and on this episode (after a brief ACL review at the start of the pod) Jonny and Ben review all of the top flight action, beginning with stirring wins for Okayama, Cerezo Osaka and Kawasaki, then moving on to clashes involving presumptive title challengers, before rounding up the final group of games.

With the new J2 season hurtling into view at the weekend, the JTET crew finish off their 2025 season preview with five more teams covered in depth.

James and Jon get things underway by running the rule over newly-relegated Tosu (Start to 09:20), followed by Yamaguchi (09:20 to 19:15), and then Oita (19:15 to 29:00).

The boys then welcome special guest Chikashi Toyoshima (co-creator of the ViviCast) to give us the lowdown on hotly-tipped Nagasaki (29:00 to 39:20).

After that, friend of the pod Garry Irwin brings up the rear with his thoughts on the campaign ahead for his beloved Kumamoto (39:20 to 50:30).

Finally, Jon and James reconvene to take a quick look at the Round 1 fixtures coming up on Saturday and Sunday (50:30 to Finish). This segment also includes a big JTET welcome to Victor Arroyo, who has gallantly agreed to take over at host of the J3-centric 'Short Corner' mini-pod for 2025!

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and the big kick-off this weekend!

*We asked Chikashi and Garry to respond to these hard-hitting questions in their previews:

1) Please tell us about your team's transfer activity over the winter break (major players coming in, major players going out).

2) Who will be your team's key player in 2025?

3) What do you think of your team's manager?

4) Where do you think your team will finish in the 2025 table (head and heart)?

5) Which team in J2 do you think is going to surprise people this season (could be your team or any other, could be a positive or negative surprise)?

*Join The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

*Join our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

*Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

We wrap up our top flight previews with the final five teams, and a heavy Kansai focus, as Alan Gibson guests in Part 1 to chat about his long weekend in the Tokyo area - including the Super Cup - and then help us preview defending champions Kobe (to 38:25) and Gamba Osaka (to 1:03:55).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben discuss Cerezo Osaka (to 1:22:35), Kyoto (to 1:41:35) and Nagoya.

Follow Alan on X/Twitter and Bluesky.

With the big J2 kick-off less than a week away, the JTET team continue with their team-by-team previews of the 2025 season.

In this episode, Jon and James begin in Shikoku, discussing newly-promoted Imabari (Start to 09:15), and their rather-more-established prefectural neighbors Ehime (09:15 to 17:20). After that, Tokushima come under the microscope as well (17:20 to 26:40).

The boys then hand over to regular contributor Chris Hough to hear all about JEF Chiba's preparations for 2025 (26:40 to 35:50).

Staying in Kanto, Jon then sits down with friend-of-the-pod Steve Fryer for an in-depth chat about Omiya's return to the second tier (35:50 to 01:04:30). There's also a bonus discussion with Steve about one of the biggest J.League news stories of the last twelve months: multinational energy drink conglomerate Red Bull's controversial takeover of Omiya (01:04:30 to Finish).

Thank you as always to our contributors and listeners, and we hope everyone enjoys the show!

*These are the questions that we asked Chris and Steve to think about:

1) Please tell us about your team's transfer activity over the winter break (major players coming in, major players going out).

2) Who will be your team's key player in 2025?

3) What do you think of your team's manager?

4) Where do you think your team will finish in the 2025 table (head and heart)?

5) Which team in J2 do you think is going to surprise people this season (could be your team or any other, could be a positive or negative surprise)?

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod

Get involved with our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Hot on the heels of Part 1, JTET is back to preview another five teams who are getting ready for the 2025 J2 season.

This time, Jon and James get things underway by talking about Consadole Sapporo (Start to 08:45), and Montedio Yamagata (08:45 to 16:45).

After that, a trio of special guests are on hand to give us their thoughts on the year ahead. First up is Martin Spivey, who covers Blaublitz Akita (16:45 to 36:20).

Following up is Fin Wilson, who has all the pre-season information about Vegalta Sendai (36:20 to 53:00).

Rounding things off this time is Leslie Mabon, who waxes lyrical about Iwaki FC's prospects for the 2025 campaign (53:00 to Finish).

*Here are the hard-hitting questions that we asked Martin, Fin, and Leslie to respond to:

1) Please tell us about your team's transfer activity over the winter break (major players coming in, major players going out).

2) Who will be your team's key player in 2025?

3) What do you think of your team's manager?

4) Where do you think your team will finish in the 2025 table (head and heart)?

5) Which team in J2 do you think is going to surprise people this season (could be your team or any other, could be a positive or negative surprise)?

Thank you for supporting JTET, and The J-Talk Podcast - we hope you enjoy the episode!

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

You are welcome to join the JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

You can also follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Victor Arroyo makes his debut as the new host of JTSC, previewing five teams ahead of the new 2025 J3 season:

0:00-3:05 Intro

3:05-5:30 Azul Claro Numazu

5:30-7:50 Fukushima United FC

7:50-10:05 Gainaire Tottori

10:05-12:20 FC Gifu

12:20-15:15 Giravanz Kitakyushu

15:15-End Outro

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Feel free to join us on the JLeague Chat Discord: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Follow Victor on Bluesky: @jfootballanalytics.bsky.social

With not long until the big kickoff for 2025, Jon Steele and James Taylor got together for the first J2 season preview pod. After a brief word of thanks to departing JTSC host Mike Innes, Jon and James talked about five teams:

04:00 to 10:15 Jubilo Iwata

10:15 to 16:10 Fujieda MYFC

16:10 to 25:05 Mito Hollyhock

25:05 to 34:45 Ventforet Kofu

34:45 to end Kataller Toyama

Thank you for your ongoing support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. We hope you’ll enjoy the 2025 season with us.

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Feel free to join us on the JLeague Chat Discord: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Follow JTET on Bluesky: @jtalket.bsky.social

Stay tuned for part two!

We have another bumper round of J1 previews for you this week, as we edge closer to the start of the new season.

In Part 1 Jonny and Ben preview Hiroshima (to 21:20) and Kashiwa (to 48:25), before they're joined by three terrific guests.

In Part 2 Daniel Hawkins chats about Fukuoka (to 1:13:17), then in Part 3 Ralf Seidl discusses Urawa (to 1:45:25), before James Taylor from J-Talk: Extra Time rounds out the pod in Part 4 looking ahead to Okayama's first-ever J1 campaign.

Now that we're up and running, our J1 season previews roll on galactically on this episode, with five more teams under the microscope.

We begin with a J-Talk crossing of the streams, as Jon Steele guests to preview promoted clubs Yokohama FC (to 42:15) and Shimizu (to 1:09:00), before Jonny and Ben run the rule over Shonan (to 1:29:30) and Yokohama F.Marinos (to 1:52:35) in Part 2. Then in Part 3 we were delighted to welcome Kawasaki correspondent Neil Debnam back to the pod to preview the brave new dawn at Todoroki.

You can keep track of all the goings on at Frontale on Neil's blog, and he's now on Bluesky, too.

Welcome to our previews of the 2025 J1 Season! In Part 1, after some housekeeping at the start of the episode, we chat with Lewis White about Tokyo Verdy (to 32:05), and to Ryo Nakagawara about Machida (to 1:01:00) and FC Tokyo (to 1:40:20), before Jonny and Ben discuss Niigata (to 1:56:23) and Kashima.

For each club, we follow the same format: A brief review of 2024; the club's major moves in the transfer market; thoughts on the manager; a player to watch and prospects for the new season.

You can read Ryo's terrific work in his Shogun Soccer newsletter, and follow each club's ins and out through Jonny's Google Doc.

Welcome back to a new year, and a new season of J-Talk! On our first episode of 2025, Dan Orlowitz joins Jonny and Ben to chat about how the J.League can build on their successful 2024, and what will be new or different this season, before we discuss the 2026 "0.5 Season", or as it will be known from this point on: The 2026 Chaos Energy J.League Cup (from 17:45 to 39:25), before we finish with some hot takes on the best and worst of the new season's top flight kits.

Thanks to you all for your ongoing support! Check out Dan on Bluesky, and remember you can keep up to date on offseason transfers on Jonny's Google Doc.

The JTET team start 2025 by bringing down the curtain on last season in the final part of their big J2 season review.

Jon and James get things up and running by discussing Montedio Yamagata (Start to 11:15), before handing over to a trio of guest contributors to cover the rest of the Play-Off teams from 2024.

We welcome debutant Makoto to talk about Fagiano Okayama (11:15 to 19:20), before veteran co-host of the ViviCast, Daniel Kuroda, takes us through V-Varen Nagasaki's campaign (19:20 to 30:00).

Rounding things off is Fin Wilson (@VegaltaPotter on Twitter), who reviews an impressive season for resurgent Vegalta Sendai (30:00 to Finish).

1) How do you feel about the 2024 season for your team overall?

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Which player from another club impressed you the most this season?

5) What is your biggest hope for your club in 2025?

Thanks to all of our listeners and contributors for a fantastic 2024 - see you all again for the new season very soon!

In a holiday special, Jon and James talk about the recent (official) J2 Awards, and discuss their own personal picks for some of the more interesting categories.

In Part 1, the gentlemen share their views on Manager of the Season (Start to 07:05), and Player of the Season (07:05 to 12:45). Spoilers: Matheus Jesus was robbed!

In Part 2, attention turns to the Goal of the Season award (12:45 to 16:10), before things are rounded off with a detailed look at the J2 Team of the Season (16:10 to Finish).

Thank you to everyone who's supported the pod in 2024, whether by contributing, commenting, or downloading and listening each week.

Best wishes for the year ahead from everyone at JTET!

In Part 3 of the big JTET Season Review for J2, a whopping six teams from the second tier are covered.

Jon and James kick things off (sorry) by talking about champions Shimizu S-Pulse (Start to 06:50), and runners-up Yokohama FC (06:50 to 16:45). Jon refers to 'Joao Pedro' twice in the Yokohama FC segment, but of course means 'Joao PAOLO'. The regular co-hosts also discuss Tokushima Vortis (16:45 to 25:45).

After that, the mics are thrown open to a welcome trio of guest correspondents. Chris Hough gives us the lowdown on JEF Chiba (26:30 to 34:55), and we hear all about an impressive Iwaki FC season from Leslie Mabon (34:55 to 44:50). Rounding things off for this episode is Martin Spivey, who shares his thoughts on another steady season for Blaublitz Akita (44:50 to Finish).

We asked our intrepid contributors to respond to these (painfully generic) season review questions:

1) How do you feel about the 2024 season for your team overall?

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Which player from another club impressed you the most this season?

5) What is your biggest hope for your club for 2025?

Thanks to all of our correspondents for sparing the time to get involved - Part 4 (covering the Play-Off quartet) is coming soon!

JTSC host Mike Innes signs off for 2024 with a comprehensive review of all 20 J3 teams, using his pre-season predictions as a guide and putting the teams into five groups of four. Mike starts with Toyama, Matsumoto, Gifu, and Nara (01:20 to 10:30), then Imabari, Osaka, Hachinohe, and Kanazawa (10:30 to 19:55). After that, the focus turns to champions Omiya, Kitakyushu, Sagamihara, and Nagano (19:55 to 29:00), followed by Ryukyu, Sanuki, and bottom two YSCC and Iwate (29:00 to 38:30). Mike rounds out the episode with Fukushima, Numazu, Tottori, and Miyazaki (38:30 to 47:30), and a special announcement at the end.

Thank you for your support of J-Talk: Short Corner over the last 4 years, and for your ongoing support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time.

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

In the final episode of 'big pod' for 2024, Sean Carroll joins Jonny and Ben to piece together the J-Talk J1 Team of the Season, as voted on by our patrons. We didn't agree with all of the poll winners, but there is healthy debate and reasoning when necessary, and we think we've assembled one hell of a team. Towards the end of the episode, with the managerial merry-go-round in full swing, we round up some recent appointments.

Just a reminder, you can keep up to date with all the top flight transfer news, as its confirmed by the clubs, on Jonny's Google spreadsheet.

Long-suffering Zweigen Kanazawa supporters James Taylor and Victor Arroyo got together again for a freewheeling discussion of their team’s first season back in J3. They covered events on and off the pitch throughout the 2024 season, including Victor’s visit to the Go Go Curry Stadium in April, and each selected their Kanazawa MVP.

Thanks for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast during the 2024 season!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

In part one of this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele discuss the J2 promotion playoff final between Fagiano Okayama and Vegalta Sendai (start to 24:00), including choosing their Most Bravo Player for the match (24:00 to 28:10). Part two is J-Talk: Short Corner, in which Mike Innes reviews the J3 promotion playoff final between Kataller Toyama and Matsumoto Yamaga (28:10 to 31:35) and the second leg of the promotion/relegation playoff between Kochi United and YSCC (31:35 to end).

Thanks for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast during the 2024 season!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Kobe claimed a second successive J1 title in Sunday's final round, and on this episode Jonny and Ben round up the final day.

We begin with the games involving the three title contenders, and after celebrating Kobe's success, we wonder how the champions, Hiroshima and Machida might approach the offseason (to 38:00).

Then in Part 2 we round up the relegation dogfight by discussing the games involving the three teams trying to avoid 18th and the drop, before chatting about the remaining four games from the Matchday 38 slate (to 1:14:55).

And finally in Part 3 we hand out Player of the Season awards for the top six.

The JTET boys (plus special guest) are back with another 2024 Season Review pod!

In this episode, Jon and James discuss the teams who finished between 11th and 15th in the league table. They start by chatting about Mito Hollyhock (Start to 05:55), then move on to Ventforet Kofu (05:55 to 15:20). After that, Fujieda MYFC (15:20 to 23:15) come under the microscope, with Renofa Yamaguchi (23:15 to 35:50) in hot pursuit.

After that, JTET is delighted to welcome Garry Irwin back to the pod for an in-depth look at Roasso Kumamoto (35:50 to Finish). Garry was tasked with responding to the following questions in his section:

1) How do you feel about the 2024 season for your team overall?

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Which player from another club impressed you the most this season?

5) What is the biggest hope for your club for 2025?

We hope everyone enjoys the pod, and we appreciate Garry answering the call as usual!

After a few weeks off, J2 returned for the promotion playoffs, and James Taylor and Jon Steele have a review of the semi-finals. First, they discuss Nagasaki v Sendai (start to 15:05), then they focus on Yamagata v Okayama (15:05 to 27:00). After that, they select their Most Bravo Player and look ahead to the playoff final (27:00 to 39:40).

J3’s first ever promotion playoffs also took place last weekend, and in J-Talk: Short Corner Mike Innes reviews the semi-finals: Toyama v FC Osaka (39:40 to 42:40) and Matsumoto v Fukushima (42:40 to 45:05). Mike also talks about the first leg of the relegation playoff between Kochi and YSCC (45:05 to 47:35), then previews the concluding weekend of the J3 season (47:35 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Jonny and Ben welcomed Scott McIntyre back to the pod to review all of the drama at both ends of the table from that mental Matchday 37.

Kobe's late, late equalizer at still relegation-threatened Kashiwa leads us off, before we discuss Hiroshima's home romp over Sapporo, and Machida staying in the title hunt with their win over Kyoto (to 43:10).

Next we head down the table to the battle to avoid 18th, before we wrap up Part 1 with the other games from Saturday, including that epic 5-4 Kawasaki win over Tokyo Verdy (to 1:13:45).

Then in Part 2 Scott sticks around as we hand out eight more team Player of the Season awards, and conclude with any other business.

Kobe lifted the Emperor's Cup for the second time in their history after a 1-0 victory over Gamba Osaka in Saturday's final at the National Stadium, and Alan Gibson joined Jonny and Ben to recap a cagey game won by Taisei Miyashiro's 64th minute goal, and then chat about potential offseason personnel changes at both clubs (to 39:10).

Then Alan shares some nuggets from his trip to Kashiwa on Sunday (to 45:15), we round up Urawa 1-1 Kawasaki, and look ahead to ACL and J1 Matchday 37 action on the horizon (to 1:00:30).

Then in Part 2, Jonny and Ben hand out Player of the Season awards for Tosu, Sapporo, Iwata, Kashiwa, Niigata and Shonan.

Please follow us on Bluesky!

In another (15-minute) standalone mini-pod, Mike 'The Magic' Innes rounds up all of the big stories from yesterday's Round 38 games in J3 (the final match day of the regular season).

There's also a look ahead to the trio of Play-Off games involving J3 coming up this weekend, as four clubs vie for J2 promotion, & YSCC face the first leg of their Promotion/Relegation Play-Off against JFL runners-up Kochi United!

We hope everyone enjoys the show!

Jon and James begin their big review of the J2 season by looking at the five teams that finished in the bottom quarter of the standings in 2024.

In Part 1 of this episode, the relegation zone comes under the microscope as the boys cover Gunma (Start to 08:00), Kagoshima (08:00 to 12:50), and Tochigi SC (12:50 to 19:40).

Then in Part 2, the focus shifts to just above the drop zone, with Ehime (19:40 to 26:45) and Oita (26:45 to Finish) being analyzed in detail.

We hope everyone enjoys the pod - more review episodes coming soon!

Jonny and Ben welcomed Dan Orlowitz back to the pod to chat about Japan's World Cup qualifying victories over China and Indonesia, and how Hajime Moriyasu might approach more than a year of 'dead rubbers' after the Samurai Blue clinch qualification, which will almost certainly come in the next international break, in March (to 27:20), and also Peter Cklamovski's departure from FC Tokyo, after a year and a half in charge (to 39:35).

Then in Part 2 we round up the two J1 games played last weekend, and look ahead to the resumption of Urawa v Kawasaki on Friday, and the big one: The Emperor's Cup Final between Gamba Osaka and Kobe, at the National Stadium on Saturday.

If you are of the persuasion, follow us on Bluesky!

In this week’s standalone J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes has a full review of all the action from anentertaining penultimate round of J3 fixtures, and a preview of what promises to be a dramatic final day of the regular season.

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E

Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Jon Steele and James Taylor have all the important action from the final day of the regular J2 season, with the second automatic promotion spot and the playoff participants still to be decided. In Part 1, Jon talks us through the matches that decided 2nd place, Yamaguchi v Yokohama FC and Nagasaki v Ehime (start to 17:25). In part 2, James leads a clockwatch roundup of the playoff contenders’ games: Kagoshima v Okayama, Yamagata v JEF United, and Sendai v Oita (17:25 to 42:25). After that, there’s a look far ahead into the future to preview the playoff semi finals (42:25 to 58:00), and then it’s time to elect the final Most Bravo Player of the regular season (58:00 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

In this standalone episode of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', Mike 'The Magic' Innes looks back at another big weekend of J3 results as Japan's third tier enters the final stretch. Congratulations are in order for Imabari, as they seal promotion to J2 for 2025!

There's also a preview of the upcoming Round 37 fixtures, and a handy explainer for the post-season J3 Play-Offs and the Relegation Play-Off between J3 and the Japan Football League.

Enjoy the show!

On this week's episode Ryo Nakagawara makes a very welcome return, to chat about the big games involving the top three teams in J1 in Matchday 36.

We begin with Hiroshima's dirty Sunday afternoon at Saitama Stadium, where their title hopes took a massive blow as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat to hosts Urawa, then move on to Kobe's trip to Tokyo Verdy - the champions stunned by a late equalizer but actually pulling a further point clear of Sanfrecce. And finally with Ryo we do a deep dive on Machida 3-0 FC Tokyo at the National Stadium on Saturday (to 1:10:35).

In Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the other seven games, including some amazing late drama in the relegation dogfight.

Check out Ryo's Shogun Soccer newsletter, and he's definitely worth a follow on Twitter if you aren't already.

Time is running out for promotion playoff hopefuls in Japan’s 2nd and 3nd tiers, and James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes bring you every twist and turn in the battle to finish in the top 6. First, James and Jon discuss games involving J2’s top 7: Shimizu v Iwaki, Yokohama FC V Tochigi and JEF United v Nagasaki (start to 12:05); Okayama v Fujieda, Mito v Yamagata, and Kumamoto v Sendai (12:05 to 26:10). Then they choose their Most Bravo Players (26:10 to 30:00) and look ahead to the final day of the regular season (30:00 to 40:15). After that, the action just keeps coming, as Mike brings you a full roundup of another dramatic J3 matchday in J-Talk: Short Corner (40:15 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

On this week's bumper episode of the pod Jonny is joined by special guest (though we still think of him as part of the furniture) Sam Robson, to review that wet, wild and wooly Levain Cup final that saw Nagoya triumph on penalties over Niigata.

It was also a seismic weekend in the J1 title race, and its advantage Kobe after the defending champions won on Friday night, with Hiroshima slipping up at home on Sunday to Kyoto, who themselves, like Shonan at FC Tokyo, practically sealed their safety. The guys chat about the ramifications at both ends of the table, round up all of the games, then look ahead to another national team squad selection, and the Matchday 36 slate.

There’s still plenty to play for in J2 and J3, and JTET co-hosts James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes are on hand with all you need to know. In part 1, after a quick catch-up, James and Jon discuss the fight for the second automatic promotion spot: Yokohama FC’s surprisingly high-scoring home loss to Fagiano Okayama (03:50 to 21:10) and V-Varen Nagasaki’s unsurprisingly high-scoring home win over Kagoshima United (21:10 to 32:30). Then it’s time to crown the week’s Most Bravo Player (32:30 to 38:00) and look ahead to the penultimate round of the regular season (38:00 to 00:00). Following that is J-Talk: Short Corner, where Mike has all the details about promotion chasers, playoff hopefuls, and relegation-threatened clubs (46:00 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JLeague chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

There was drama aplenty in the Emperor's Cup semi finals played on Sunday, and in Part 1 of this episode Alan Gibson joins Jonny and Ben to review the wins for Gamba Osaka and Kobe, setting up a Kansai Derby in the final at the National Stadium on November 23rd (to 44:20).

Then in Part 2 we round up the ACL and J1 action from last midweek, before looking ahead to Saturday's Levain Cup final, and the weekend's J1 fixtures.

As referenced on the pod, please check out Jonny's piece on Isa Sakamoto!

Time was against the JTET crew this week, so the only option was for Jon Steele to record a quick-and-dirty solo mini-pod to review last weekend's J2 action!

In a brisk 8 minutes, Jon discusses defeats for the top 2 in Round 35, victory for third-placed Nagasaki, and the state of play in the relegation zone.

There's also the customary preview of this weekend's games (Round 36), which could see both Yokohama FC and Shimizu clinch promotion back to J1 (if they don't shit their pants like they did in Round 35).

Hope the pod is a decent listen, and Jon and James should be back together for a 'normal' JTET next week!

It's another standalone outing for Mike 'The Magic' Innes and his J3-focused 'Short Corner' mini-pod this week!

In this episode, Mike congratulates Omiya on their J3 title win, as well as reviewing all the rest of the weekend's Round 33 action.

As usual, there's also a full preview of the upcoming weekend slate of games (Round 34) at the end of the pod!

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Returning refreshed from the international break, Jonny and Ben reflect on J-Talk Live at the beginning of the episode, before sinking their teeth into the weekend's topsy-turvy J1 Matchday 34, in which none of the top three won, but four of the bottom six (at the start of the matchday) did!

We went live, and lived to tell the tale! Please enjoy this recording of J-Talk Live, which took place on Saturday in Yokohama.

In a standalone JTET mini-pod, Mike 'The Magic' Innes runs his forensic eye over last weekend's J3 action.

There's plenty to discuss, with under-new-ownership Omiya clinching promotion with six games to spare, as well as a heated battle for Play-Off places. At the foot of the table, there are still several teams who are in dire need of points to avoid a possible Relegation Play-Off at the end of the season.

Mike wraps things up with his customary check on the league table, and a preview of the upcoming Round 33 fixtures this weekend.

Thank you for all the support, and enjoy the show!

*Join the JTET Discord server here: https://discord.gg/jKvKxJ99

There were plot twists galore in J2 and J3 last weekend, and James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes have all the details in this week’s JTET. First, James and Jon discussed the opening game at the Peace Stadium connected by Softbank in Nagasaki, where the generous visitors were Oita (start to 17:50), then Kofu’s surprise win over Okayama (17:50 to 26:30) and the draw between relegation-threatened Tochigi and Ehime (26:30 to 37:55). Next, it’s Most Bravo Player time (37:55 to 43:20), there’s a preview of the next round of fixtures (43:20 to 50:00) and of this weekend’s J-Talk LIVE at the Yokohama Football Film Festival (50:00 to 55:00). Then Mike takes over for a full review of J3 matchday 31 in J-Talk: Short Corner (55:00 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live (Saturday 12th October) at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

On this week's episode Jonny and Ben kick things off by rounding up events from last midweek, including Hajime Moriyasu's latest Japan squad (to 15:15), before Dan Orlowitz jumps on board to preview Saturday's J-Talk Live event at the Yokohama Film Festival - have you got your tickets yet?!

Then in Part 3 (from 24:53) Jonny and Ben review all of the games from J1 Matchday 33, beginning at the bottom, with Tosu and Sapporo seemingly doomed, and Iwata's survival hopes on life support.

At the top Hiroshima and Kobe maintained their terrific form, but it looks like curtains for Machida's title hopes after they were battered at home by Kawasaki.

Tickets for our live show can be bought (at 500 yen a pop) via this link.

The JTET boys are back with another J2-focused episode!

In Part 1 this week, Jon and James look back on the big match from last weekend, as the top two clashed at the National Stadium in Tokyo (Start to 21:10).

In Part 2, the gents take a detailed look at the state of the J2 league table with 5 rounds left to play. Up for discussion are the Play-Off places (21:10 to 27:15), and the relegation zone (27:15 to 34:30). There is also time for a chat about Jon and James' picks for Most Bravo Player for Round 33 (34:30 to 42:30).

To finish things off, the tiring daddies preview all of the action coming up this weekend in Round 34 (42:30 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the pod!

*Don't forget that you can get tickets to the big J-Talk Live extravaganza here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395

*Join the JTET Discord server here: https://discord.gg/jKvKxJ99

In this week’s standalone J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes has a full review of all the action from J3 matchday 30, as the promotion, playoff and relegation battles show no sign of letting up.

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Jon Steele, James Taylor and Mike Innes bring you up to date with all the latest drama in J2 and J3. In the first part of this week’s episode, Jon and James talk about the relegation 6-pointer between Tochigi and Kagoshima (start to 10:45), the Shizuoka Derby that saw Fujieda take on Shimizu (10:45 to 21:10), and playoff rivals JEF United v Yamaguchi (21:10 to 32:55). Then they make their unsurprising choices for Most Bravo Player (32:55 to 36:40) and look ahead to the coming round of fixtures (36:40 to 44:30). Then, Mike reviews J3 matchday 29 in full in J-Talk: Short Corner (44:30 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live (Saturday 12th October) at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Jonny and Ben begin this episode with a wrap of most of what went on in ACL and domestic action last midweek (to 11:17), before they had the pleasure of being joined by new Kyoto correspondent Jamie Meikle to chat about Sanga's win over Chiba in the Emperor's Cup quarter final, and the terrific game that both he and Jonny were at on Sunday night: the 2-all draw between Kyoto and Gamba Osaka (to 49:55).

Then later in Part 3 we round up the remainder of the J1 matchday, which came alive on the Sunday after just two goals across four games on Saturday.

Purchase your ticket(s) for J-Talk Live: Bringing J to the World, our live event as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival via this link.

The big games just keep on coming in J2 and J3, so the JTET team of Jon Steele, James Taylor and Mike Innes are on hand with analysis and opinions. Jon and James start the episode with two important games in the relegation dogfight, Tochigi v Mito (start to 13:05) and Kagoshima v Kumamoto (13:05 to 21:30), then look at a meeting of playoff hopefuls Sendai and Fujieda (21:30 to 32:45). That’s followed by Most Bravo Player chat (32:45 to 36:15) and a preview of upcoming fixtures (36:15 to 43:30). To round off the episode, Mike has all the details of the latest twists in the J3 playoff and relegation battles in J-Talk: Short Corner (43:30 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live (Saturday 12th October) at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

J1 returned with a bang after the international break, and on our new episode Jonny and Ben round up all the action from a drama-filled weekend.

We begin at the top with the pulsating draw between Kashima and Hiroshima on Saturday night, a result that allowed Machida to return to the summit after they claimed a terrific away win over Fukuoka, with Kobe keeping pace after cruising past Cerezo Osaka on Friday night, though Gamba Osaka's title hopes were dealt a major blow as Maciej Skorza returned to the Urawa dugout and led Reds to a win at the Suita City Stadium (to 40:10).

Next we shift our attention to the relegation dogfight, with Kyoto continuing their excellent recent form to maintain their gap above the bottom three, though Tosu and Sapporo both lost, to further dent their faint hopes of survival. Iwata stunned Kashiwa to move within a point of safety behind Shonan, who were never at the races in their loss at Niigata.

We finish our Matchday 30 roundup at the National stadium (to 1:20:10), then wrap up the episode with a look at upcoming ACL and domestic fixtures, including an intriguing-looking J1 Matchday 31.

You can get tickets for our live show as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival here, we'd love to see you there on October 12th!

The Samurai Blue swept aside both China and Bahrain during the international break, and Alan Gibson from JSoccer.com and JSoccerMagazine joined Jonny and Ben to chat about the two emphatic victories (to 22:22).

Then in an elongated Part 2, we chat about Hiroshima's disappointing cup quarter final defeats - losing to Gamba Osaka in the Emperor's Cup on Wednesday, and to Nagoya on penalties in the Levain Cup on Sunday - then rest of the Levain quarters (to 45:00), before we discuss the current top five in J1 and their runs to the next international break (to 1:06:45), and finish with the J.League's plans for the '0.5 Season' in 2026 that will be a bridge to the autumn-spring calendar.

Get your ticket(s) to J-Talk Live, our first-ever live show as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival, here! The page is in Japanese, but can be easily navigated using a translation site.

There’s no rest for the wicked, so although J1 took a break for international football, J2 and J3 continued apace, and James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes have all the latest from Japan’s 2nd and 3rd tiers. James and Jon begin by talking about Shimizu v Nagasaki (start to 09:40), Yamaguchi v Tokushima (09:40 to 17:30), and Kagoshima v Iwaki (17:30 to 27:35), then make their picks for Most Bravo Player (27:35 to 34:00) and preview upcoming league and cup games (34:00 to 43:35). Then, as ever, Mike Innes brings you a full and frank review of all the J3 games in J-Talk: Short Corner (43:35 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

The JTET team are back with another episode full of talking points. In part 1, Jon Steele and James Taylor discuss Yamagata v Yokohama FC (start to 13:55), Oita v JEF United (13:55 to 25:50), and Mito v Ehime (25:50 to 33:20). Then, after anointing this week’s Most Bravo Players (33:20 to 41:15), Jon and James took a look ahead to the weekend’s action (41:15 to 49:20). To round out the episode, Mike Innes has a full review of J3 round 26 in J-Talk: Short Corner (49:20 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

The J1 Matchday 29 slate was heavily weather-affected, but the six games that were played certainly delivered, and on this episode of the pod Jonny and Ben run through the movement at the top and bottom of the table, as Hiroshima returned to the summit, and Sapporo hauled themselves out of the cellar.

Come see us LIVE as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival! Here's the link to get your tickets (at just 500 yen a pop!).

In this very short bonus episode of JTET, James Taylor reviews the Emperor’s Cup Round of 16 matches involving J2 teams that were played on 21st August.

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

In another packed episode of JTET, Jon Steele and James Taylor discussed JEF United v Sendai (start to 12:25), Iwaki v Kumamoto (12:25 to 25:50), and Tochigi v Kofu (25:50 to 36:15), elected a Most Bravo Player (36:15 to 41:00), and previewed the upcoming week’s fixtures (41:00 to 56:55). That’s followed by J-Talk: Short Corner with Mike Innes, who reviews the action from J3 round 25 (56:55 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

It was Jonny and Ben's great pleasure to welcome former J-Talk co-host Sam Robson back to the pod, for an in-depth look at the top and bottom of J1 after the weekend's Matchday 28.

Part 1 (to 48:12) focuses on the top flight title race, with Part 2 centred around the relegation dogfight.

Here's the link to purchase your ticket to our live show as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival in October.

JTET co-hosts James Taylor and Jon Steele were reunited after a couple of months for a review of J2 round 27, focusing on three games in particular: Yamagata v Nagasaki (03:50 to 13:45), JEF United v Iwaki (13:45 to 21:45), and Fujieda v Yamaguchi (21:45 to 27:45). The match analysis was followed by Most Bravo Player selections (27:45 to 32:10) and a preview of the round 28 fixtures (32:10 to 41:05). After that, Mike Innes returns with a full review of J3 round 24 in J-Talk: Short Corner (41:05 to end).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Buy tickets for J-Talk Live at the Yokohama Football Film Festival here: https://teket.jp/6232/38395
Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

Jonny and Ben had the pleasure of welcoming Ralf Seidl back to the pod for an in-depth chat about Urawa Reds, who drew away at rivals Kashima on Saturday, and have lost several key players in this summer transfer window (to 24:20).

In Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the results for rest of the top five (to 42:22), then in Part 3 we review a bonkers matchday for our relegation dogfighters (to 58:33), wrap up the rest of the round, and look ahead to upcoming Emperor's Cup and J1 fixtures.

If you haven't done so already, we encourage you to get your tickets for our live show as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival.

On JTET this week, Jon Steele was joined by special guest Daniel Kuroda (co-host of the Nagasaki-centric ViviCast) to look back on last weekend's biggest J2 talking points.

The boys started with a deep dive into the big Yokohama FC v Nagasaki game at Mitsuzawa (04:15 to 27:25), and also discussed Yamaguchi v Tochigi (27:30 to 37:30) and Oita v Kumamoto (37:30 to 43:20).

After that, Jon and Daniel nominated their Most Bravo Players for the round (43:20 to 48:30), and previewed the upcoming Round 27 matches (48:30 to 53:30).

There was also time for a quick chat about the Emperor's Cup Round of 16 from a J2 standpoint (53:30 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys the show!

*As mentioned again on the pod this week, here is Jonny Nicol's superb scouting report on Kota Kawano: https://gambaosakaenglishblog.wordpress.com/2024/08/05/scouting-report-kota-kawano/

*Ryo Nakagawara also has a great report on another impressive Yamaguchi performer, Kaili Shimbo, here: https://www.shogunsoccer.com/p/shogun-soccer-scouting-4-kaili-shimbo

*JTET Discord link: https://discord.gg/Y27tEKcV

The J1 season resumed last midweek, and in our new episode Jonny and Ben round up all of the action from the last two matchdays, including wobbles for the top two Machida and Kashima (to 17:20), and Hiroshima's surge up to third, which saw them overtake Gamba Osaka and Kobe (to 43:45).

Then in Part 2 we focus on the relegation dogfight beginning with Shonan and Iwata, before wrapping up the episode with a look at the totally stacked Matchday 27 slate.

Thanks to those who have bought tickets to our live show in October. If you're able to make it along, we'd love to see you at Kanack Hall, tickets, priced at just 500 yen, can be purchased here.

Better late than never, James Taylor has a quick run through the Emperor’s Cup 3rd Round matches involving J2 teams that took place back in mid-July.

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, JTSC, and the J-Talk Podcast!

Join the JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

After a relaxing summer break, JTET is back with a forensic look at the big stories from last weekend's Round 25 games in J2.

This week, Jon Steele was joined by special guest co-host Jonny Nicol, and the boys began with a quick chat about the exciting 'J-Talk Live' announcement made earlier on Big Pod (Start to 05:00).

The Two Jonnies then discuss selected games from J2 Round 25, starting with Shimizu's defeat at Sendai (05:00 to 16:20) and followed by Iwaki's home victory over ten-man Akita (16:20 to 29:00).

Part 1 is rounded off with a discussion of this week's 'Most Bravo Player' (29:00 to 33:20), and a look ahead to the upcoming Round 26 games this weekend (33:20 to 37:50).

In Part 2, Jon quizzes Jonny on his thoughts about the J2 season so far, including a mention of his superb 'Scouting Report' on Yamaguchi's Kota Kawano (38:00 to Finish).

Thanks as always for your support of JTET, and The J-Talk Podcast!

You can find Jonny's Scouting Report on his excellent blog here: https://gambaosakaenglishblog.wordpress.com/2024/08/05/scouting-report-kota-kawano/
Join the JTET Discord server here: https://discord.gg/p6PVbF9E
Join The J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

After two weeks away, we return with a bang, and with some huge news! Dan Orlowitz joins Jonny and Ben to chat about J-Talk Live, which is coming in October as part of the Yokohama Football Film Festival (to 12:40), before we move on to Japan at the Olympics and the visit of several European clubs for friendlies against J1 opponents (to 35:00).

In Part 2 we discuss the major transfers that have taken place in the past two weeks (to 49:25), before we preview the next two rounds of J1 action (to 1:04:10), and wrap things up with some more information on our live show.

Stay tuned to the Twitter accounts of the Festival, the Podcast, and Dan for up to date info on tickets, which go on sale on Saturday.

As J3 heads into its summer break, Mike Innes is on hand to review all the action from matchday 23, including big wins for several promotion hopefuls and important results for teams aiming to survive at the bottom.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Scheduling conflicts meant Jon Steele and James Taylor couldn’t get together for a recording, so instead they each chose two games from J2 round 24 to talk about. In part 1, Jon talks about Kofu v Nagasaki (to 03:40) and Mito v Yokohama FC (to 06:00) before electing a Most Bravo Player (to 07:30). Then in part 2, James reviews Yamagata v Iwaki (to 08:50) and JEF United v Kumamoto (to 09:50) and chooses his MBP (to 10:50). To round out the episode, James previews the round 25 games that take place on the first weekend of August (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

In this week’s short and sweet JTSC, Mike Innes looks back on all the J3 round 22 action and previews the fixtures for round 23.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

After another wonderfully chaotic J1 weekend, Jonny and Ben welcomed Tom Dallyn back to the pod for a chat about Sapporo, who returned to the winner's list for the first time in 10 league games with a tremendous victory away at Urawa on Saturday night (to 23:53).

In Part 2 we round up the movement down in the relegation dogfight, then shift our attention to the top four (to 1:01:34), before finishing off the episode with the remainder of the top flight results.

Dan Orlowitz returned to the pod to give his thoughts on the top four, Harry Kewell's exit from Yokohama F.Marinos, FC Tokyo's progress under Peter Cklamovski, and the bumper crowds at, and management of, The National Stadium in Part 1 of our new episode (to 1:10:10), before Jonny and Ben roundup the Emperor's Cup results from last midweek, wrap-up the remainder of the J1 Matchday 23 results, and look ahead to the weekend's final round before a two and a half week break.

Mike Innes returns with another packed episode of J-Talk: Short Corner. Mike starts with a review of Tegevajaro Miyazaki’s Emperor’s Cup match from last Wednesday (to 01:55), rounds up all the league games from round 21 of J3 (to 13:30), and previews the weekend’s fixtures.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Time was against the JTET crew this week, so please accept this humble, 10-minute micro-pod as a review of last weekend's J2 action!

Jon Steele, flying solo this week, rounds up the three biggest games from last weekend in J2, names his Most Bravo Player for Round 23, and looks ahead to this weekend's Round 24 fixtures (the last round before a short summer break for J2 and J1).

Hope everyone enjoys the quick hit, and their summer break - normal service will be resumed soon!

We begin this episode by rounding up a dirty week for Yokohama F.Marinos, who lost twice in four days, Gamba Osaka putting them to the sword on Saturday night to ramp up the pressure on Harry Kewell (to 21:00), before we round up victories for the other top four sides (to 35:50).

Then in Part 2 Lewis White returns to the pod to chat about Tokyo Verdy's 1-1 draw with Cerezo Osaka and their tremendous first season back in the top flight (to 59:10), before we review a good weekend for most of the relegation dogfighters (to 1:31:25), chat about Japan's Olympic squad named late last week, and preview Wednesday night's third round of the Emperor's Cup, and the weekend's J1 Matchday 23.

In this week’s standalone J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes rounds up another exciting weekend of J3 football (to 13:25) and looks ahead to the midweek Emperor’s Cup and weekend league games.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

The JTET 'dream team' of James Taylor and Jon Steele are back again to cover all of the latest action from J2!

In Part 1, the boys discuss Sendai's pulsating victory over Tochigi (Start to 08:20), Shimizu's return to winning ways against Okayama (08:20 to 15:00), and Nagasaki's exciting 2-2 draw on the road at Tokushima (15:00 to 23:50).

After that, Jon and James nominate their Most Bravo Players for Round 22 (23:50 to 29:30), and chat about recent transfer news plus Kofu's change of manager (29:30 to 37:00).

Bringing up the rear, there's a preview of the upcoming Round 23 fixtures this weekend (37:00 to 41:00), and a look ahead to the Emperor's Cup 3rd Round next Wednesday night (41:00 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and the weekend football!

In this week’s J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes reviews the rescheduled J3 round 16 game (to 2:10) and all of the weekend’s round 19 action (to 13:55), checks both ends of the league table, and ends with a round 20 preview.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here:

https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Sean Carroll returns to the pod as we review the past two top flight matchdays (with a focus on the weekend's Matchday 21), and then piece together the Team of the (Half) Season.

In Part 1 we review Machida's massive win at Gamba Osaka and Kobe seeing off Kashima in the other battle between top four teams (to 24:00), then chat about the good recent runs Cerezo Osaka and Fukuoka are enjoying (to 35:15), before discussing Hiroshima, and where they might improve after a couple more frustrating draws (to 41:30).

Then in Part 2 its Team of the (Half) Season time (to 1:28:00), before we run through the other five games from the weekend, the changes in personnel at Urawa, what's going wrong at F.Marinos, and the Relegation Dogfight.

James Taylor and Jon Steele begin this episode with a very quick look back at the Emperor’s Cup 2nd round games involving J2 teams (to 07:40). Then they move onto league action and discuss Akita v Shimizu (to 15:45) and Yamaguchi v Iwaki (to 26:55), pick their Most Bravo Players (to 34:10), and look ahead to the weekend’s fixtures (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

We reached the halfway mark of the J1 season on the weekend, and Fukuoka correspondent Daniel Hawkins joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 to chat about Avispa's Matchday 19 draw away at leaders Machida, and his thoughts on his side's progress in the first half of the season (to 20:22).

Then Part 2 begins with a pair of results for Yokohama F.Marinos and Hiroshima after they squared off in their game in hand last Wednesday (to 34:40), before we review the two big games on the slate: Gamba Osaka's gutsy win at home over Kobe in the Kansai Derby; and Urawa fighting back late to earn a draw at home against a Yuma Suzuki-inspired Kashima (to 59:20).

Next we run through the other results (to 1:26:30), before looking ahead to the next two rounds of fixtures, each featuring a pair of clashes involving the top four teams in the league.

Things are still tight at both ends of J3, and Mike Innes is back to guide you through all the twists and turns (and splashes) of an exciting weekend of J3 football in this week’s standalone J-Talk: Short Corner. Mike’s matchday 19 roundup runs to 13:55, then he runs through the table and looks ahead to midweek and weekend action.

Open invitation to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

There were big results at both ends of J2 last weekend, so James Taylor and Jon Steele had plenty of talking points to get their teeth into. They start by discussing Ehime’s shock win over Shimizu (to 09:30) and Sendai’s dramatic draw with Nagasaki (to 17:30), then cover important wins for Tochigi over Oita (to 24:20) and Kagoshima over Yamagata (to 34:30). That’s followed by Most Bravo Player (to 39:00) and a preview of the next set of fixtures (to 47:10).

After that it’s J-Talk: Short Corner – Mike Innes rounds up all the J3 teams who played in the Emperor’s Cup round 2 last Wednesday (to 56:55) and then reviews another fascinating round of league fixtures, before finishing with a look at the table and the coming weekend’s games (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Alan Gibson of JSoccer Magazine joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 of this new episode, after a great weekend for the four Kansai clubs.

We begin with wins for Gamba Osaka and Kobe, before previewing their 3rd vs 4th clash this upcoming weekend (to 28:45), then discuss victories for Cerezo Osaka and Kyoto (to 51:30).

We kick off Part 2 with the leaders Machida passing another test with their win away at Yokohama F.Marinos (to 1:03:00), discuss comfortable wins for Hiroshima and Fukuoka, and wrap up our Matchday 18 review with the three 1-1 draws (to 1:29:40), before we finish the episode with a look ahead to two key games from the Matchday 19 slate.

Please do check out JSoccer Magazine, it's a terrific publication available in both physical and digital versions, and comes highly recommended by Jonny and Ben. Get in touch with Alan via Twitter/X, the website or through email alan@jsoccer.com.

This week's episode kicks off with a roundup of the cupsets from Wednesday night's second round of the Emperor's Cup (to 11:45), continues with a review of the major talking points from Japan's comfortable victories over Myanmar and Syria (to 24:30), and concludes with a Levain Cup Playoff Round roundup, and a look ahead to the weekend's J1 Matchday 18.

In this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele reviewed Niigata v Nagasaki in the Levain Cup playoff round (to 12:55), and a couple of league games: Yamaguchi v JEF (to 22:10) and Kagoshima v Okayama (to 36:05). They picked their Most Bravo Players (to 41:20) and looked ahead to J2 round 20 (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Mike Innes returns with another packed episode of J-Talk: Short Corner. Mike begins by reviewing Kataller Toyama's exploits against J1 opposition in the Levain Cup (to 03:45), then rounds up the weekend's J3 round 16 games (to 14:55). After that, Mike previews a busy Wednesday for J3 teams in the Emperor's Cup (to 17:05) and ends with a look ahead to J3 round 17 next weekend.

Jon Steele and James Taylor reconvened after a couple of weeks apart for a review of J2 round 18. First, James and Jon discussed the dramatic/farcical end to Mito v Nagasaki and the exciting game that came before it (start to 14:50), an impressive win for Yamauchi over league leaders Shimizu (to 20:40), and a big game at the bottom between Tochigi and Kumamoto (to 29:15). That’s followed by Most Bravo Player (to 34:25), and a preview of a busy week for J2 teams in Levain Cup, league and Emperor’s Cup action (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Jonny and Ben round up the latest top flight matchday, beginning with games involving the top four (to 46:05), before running through the other games, and looking ahead to what's on the docket during the international break.

With J3 Toyama still alive in the Levain Cup, and taking on Sapporo in the 1st Leg of the Play-Off Round this midweek, we've decided to put out Mike Innes' 'J-Talk: Short Corner' as a standalone pod again this time!

After a quick intro from Jon (to preview J2 Nagasaki's Levain Cup tie against Niigata the same evening), Mike takes his usual forensic look at the weekend's J3 action.

Mike then turns his attentions to Toyama's midweek date with destiny, and previews all of the upcoming weekend action in J3 (Round 16).

Hope everyone enjoys the mini-pod, and the midweek football - a J2-focused JTET is coming later this week as usual!

Fashionably late again this week (apologies, it's Jon's fault!), the JTET team are back in town with all the J2 and J3 news that you need to know about.

Scheduling constraints mean that Jon and James had to record separately this time, so in Part 1 (Start to 11:00) Jon looks back at the recent Levain Cup games that had a J2 participant, along with the four J2 games that were played last Saturday (and names his personal MBP for Round 17).

In Part 2 (11:00 to 17:20), James steps in to review the six J2 games from last Sunday, chooses his own MBP for the round, and looks ahead to this weekend's Round 18 fixtures.

After all the J2 action, as ever Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on hand to guide you through a busy few days from a J3 perspective in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (17:20 to Finish). Mike covers the J3-centric ties from the Levain Cup, reviews all of the relevant Emperor's Cup Round 1 action, and previews this weekend's slate of J3 matches (Round 15 of the third-tier season).

Sorry for keeping everyone waiting this week, and enjoy the show!

In this week's episode Stuart Woodward joins Jonny and Ben to chat about the disappointment of Yokohama F.Marinos stumbling at the final hurdle in the Asian Champions League, as they lost 5-1 to Al Ain in the second leg, and went down 6-3 on aggregate (to 31:23).

Then in Part 2 your co-hosts round up a ripping midweek set of Levain Cup ties, and chat briefly about the latest Japan National Team squad (to 51:55), before moving on to the weekend's J1 Matchday 16, beginning with the results for the top four (to 1:18:50), then running through the other five games.

Screamingly late this week (apologies!), Jon Steele presents a solo review of all of last weekend's J2 action (Round 16) in a 17-minute mini-pod.

As well as reviewing the on-field action, Jon picks a 'Most Bravo Player' (14:00 to 15:00), and previews all of the upcoming Round 17 matches (15:00 to Finish).

The sound quality of this week's episode is noticeably worse than usual, so apologies for that too - not sure exactly what the issue is, but we'll try to get it sorted for future pods!

Jonny and Ben dive right into their round-up of the weekend's J1 Matchday 15 with Machida's big home win over Tokyo Verdy and Kashima's home triumph over champions Kobe (to 13:50), before running through the other eight games, linking in results from Matchday 14 played in midweek where appropriate.

We finish the episode with a look at what's coming up in the Japanese game, including Yokohama F.Marinos' trip to the UAE for the 2nd Leg of the ACL Final.

After another action-packed round of fixtures in Japan’s 3rd tier, JTSC host Mike Innes has a full review of J3 round 14, and a preview of Wednesday’s Levain Cup and the weekend’s Emperor’s Cup matches involving J3 teams.

In a slight change of pace, James Taylor and Jon Steele decided to step back and take stock of the J2 season so far, focusing on 5 teams in particular: Shimizu S-Pulse (start to 07:35), Vegalta Sendai (to 14:45), Iwaki FC (to 23:45), Montedio Yamagata (to 33:15), and Tochigi SC (to 41:10). That’s followed by a preview of the matchday 16 fixtures and Levain Cup matches involving J2 teams (to 53:10). After that, J-Talk: Short Corner host Mike Innes has all the details of J3 teams’ efforts to qualify for the Emperor’s Cup via prefectural qualifying tournaments (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

This bumper episode features Stuart Woodward on the first leg of the ACL Final, then a full review of the nine J1 games played over the weekend.

In Part 1 Stuart takes us inside the Nissan Stadium for that roller coaster of a first leg, with Yokohama F.Marinos holding a slender advantage after a VAR-assisted 2-1 victory over Al Ain on Saturday night (to 31:50).

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the top flight results, beginning with the 3-3 draws involving the two Tokyo clubs (to 50:30), before we move on to Kobe's statement of intent away at Cerezo Osaka, Gamba Osaka's rise and more, before we finish with a look ahead to the next two rounds of fixtures.

Apologies if the audio is not up to our usual standard, our regular recording software was not co-operating on Monday night, so we had to go to Plan B.

After a packed double-header of Golden Week matches in both J2 and J3, the JTET team are back to catch you up on all of the major talking points from last week's action.

In Part 1, James and Jon look back on some of the big games from last Friday in J2 (Round 13). The focus is placed initially on Yamagata's exciting 2-2 draw against Okayama (02:00 to 10:10), then the boys talk about Fujieda's massive home win over Gunma in the relegation dogfight (10:10 to 20:50).

In Part 2, the gentlemen turn their attentions to Monday's J2 slate (Round 14). Under examination are Tokushima's statement win away at Okayama (21:00 to 31:15), followed by more relegation dogfight news with under-new-management Mito's win at home to Kumamoto (31:15 to 43:30).

After a quick break, James and Jon then select their 'Most Bravo Player' of the Golden Week games (43:35 to 48:45), and preview the upcoming Round 15 games on the weekend card (48:45 to 54:45).

It's then time to hand over the reigns to Mike Innes for the regular 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment of the pod, with all of the J3 action from the holiday period rounded up (54:45 to Finish). Mike also looks ahead to the weekend's J3-inflected football, as the third tier takes a break to allow most teams to take part in prefectural tournament finals/Emperor's Cup qualifying games.

Hope everyone enjoys the pod, and their weekend football!

With Jonny back in the co-hosts chair, this new episode features a full rundown of both rounds of top flight fixtures played over Golden Week.

We begin with Jonny's travels while his mum was visiting the country, and Japan's triumph in the Under 23 Asian Cup final against Uzbekistan, with their ticket to Paris stamped after the semi final win over Iraq (to 13:25).

Then Jonny reviews the Osaka Derby, with Gamba earning a first victory in the fixture for five years (to 27:55), before we move on to the four teams that won both of their Golden Week games - Machida, Kobe, Kashima and FC Tokyo - who all leapfrogged above Cerezo Osaka and now occupy the top four spots in the table (to 54:05).

Next we chat about the rest of the games from Monday's J1 Matchday 12, including Hiroshima's first loss, Tokyo Verdy going two-for-two over Golden Week, and Shonan hauling themselves off the bottom, before we finish with a chat about the first leg of the ACL Final, and the weekend's Matchday 13.

James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes joined forces for another full and frank review of all the latest J2 and J3 football. First, James and Jon discussed Okayama v Shimizu (start to 07:20), Akita v Yokohama FC (to 17:35), Mito v Fujieda (to 24:55), and Tokushima v Yamagata (to 34:20). Then, they chose their Most Bravo Players of the weekend (to 37:50), and previewed a busy weekend of Golden Week football (to 47:05). After that, Mike Innes takes over for a run through of the Levain Cup games involving J3 teams (to 53:55) and a roundup of the matchday 11 league fixtures (to 1:10:50), before ending with a preview of the holiday weekend’s fixtures (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

In this week's episode Alan Gibson slid into the co-hosts chair with Jonny away, as we reviewed a huge week in Japanese football, joined by special guest Stuart Woodward.

In a brief Part 1 Alan and Ben chatted about Japan's Under 23s making it through to the semi finals of their Asian Cup with a very eventful win over Qatar (Update: Japan beat Iraq 2-0 in the semis to qualify for the Paris Olympics), and then some cupsets from the second round of the Levain Cup (to 10:18).

Then Stuart joined us to talk about Yokohama F.Marinos's remarkable (definitely Ben's word of the week) victory on penalties over Ulsan in the semi finals of the ACL, and what qualifying for a first final in the competition means for the club, and also F.Marinos's draw away at Cerezo Osaka on Saturday (to 36:05).

In Part 3 we run through J1 Matchday 10 wins for Kashima and Kyoto over Gamba Osaka and Kobe respectively, Shonan's comeback from 3-0 down to draw at Sapporo, and Iwata's win over then-leaders Machida (to 56:55), before we finish with the other five games from the weekend, a look ahead to the two Golden Week rounds of fixtures, and Alan updates us on the upcoming release of the new issue of JSoccer Magazine.

Fashionably late this week, James and Jon have you covered with another review of the latest events in the second tier of the J.League.

Pesky scheduling conflicts in the real world meant that the boys couldn't record together this time, so in Part 1 of this episode (Start to 10:30), James covers all of the weekend's J2 action (Round 11) in solo mode (including an important win for Nagasaki, and a five-goal thriller at Nihondaira). There's also a quick-but-vital preview of this weekends's upcoming Round 12 fixtures.

In Part 2, Jon takes 'control' for a solo look over the recent Round 2 fixtures in the Levain Cup from a J2 angle (10:30 to Finish), touching on sort-of giant-killings from Nagasaki and Akita, plus a thrilling finale in the all-J2 clash between Okayama and Yokohama FC.

Thanks for being patient with us this week - enjoy the round-ups, and your weekend J.League fix!

Our new episode features a full breakdown of all nine J1 Matchday 9 games played over the weekend, beginning with Machida returning to the top of the table after a controversy-tinged Tokyo Derby victory over FC Tokyo, and Cerezo Osaka slipping off the summit after their first loss of the season, away at Nagoya.

We then move on to a trio of 1-0 away wins for Gamba Osaka, Kobe and Niigata, before Tosu's big day out at home against Kashima, as Sagan hauled themselves off the foot of the table. The three Matchday 9 draws round out our review, before we look ahead to the upcoming midweek and weekend action.

In this standalone episode of JTSC, Mike Innes guides you through all the latest action involving J3 teams in the Levain Cup, prefectural qualifiers for the Emperor’s Cup, and rescheduled J3 league matches. First, Mike runs through the Levain Cup 2nd round matches from Wednesday 17th(start to 04:30). Then, there’s a recap of the games that took place on Saturday 20th (to 08:00) and Sunday 21st (to 12:10). To close out the episode, Mike reviews the J3 standings, before looking ahead to the remaining Levain Cup fixtures on Wednesday 24th and the weekend’s league games (to end).

James Taylor and Jon Steele cast their analytical gaze over another round of J2 football. In this episode, they focus on 4 games from matchday 10: Iwaki v Shimizu (start to 08:35), Nagasaki v Tokushima (to 20:15), Kumamoto v Kofu (to 26:50) and Yamaguchi v Gunma (to 34:40) and crown their Most Bravo Player (to 39:55). Then there’s a preview of the round 11 fixtures (to 46:40) and the second set of Levain Cup Second Round games (to end).

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

With perfect timing, another 'J-Talk: Short Corner' special is now ready for mass consumption!

Scheduling conflicts mean that James and Jon's J2 chat is being recorded later than usual this week, so we've once again decided to give Mike 'The Magic' Innes some richly-deserved limelight by putting out JTSC in advance (so that listeners can hear Mike's midweek previews in time for the Levain Cup action on Wednesday evening).

Before JTSC, Jon has a quick preview of the triumvirate of Levain Cup ties that see a J2 side hosting a J1 opponent (Start to 03:00).

After that, it's breathless stuff as Mike ploughs through two full rounds of J3 action, previews the Wednesday night cup fixtures from a J3 angle, and gives you a heads-up up on a rather fragmented upcoming weekend slate - a smattering of J3 matches, and some Emperor's Cup qualifying tournament games (03:00 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and their midweek football - our J2 'content' will be available slightly later this week!

After another terrific round of J1 action, Jonny and Ben were joined by Lewis White and Tom Pennington to get their thoughts on a Tokyo Derby that was worth the 16 year wait (to 36:55).

Then in Part 2 your co-hosts run through the other nine games from Matchday 8, beginning with Kobe knocking Machida off the summit, and Cerezo Osaka taking over at the top (to 53:10. Then its 1-0 wins for Kashima, Kashiwa and Nagoya (to 1:04:45), before Jonny recounts his day out at the Panasonic Stadium on Sunday, where Gamba Osaka downed Tosu at the death (to 1:17:20). We finish our J1 wrap with the other three draws from the round, before looing ahead to upcoming midweek and weekend action.

After a packed week of J2 action, Jon and James are back to have their say on the big talking points from two full rounds of second-tier thrills and spills.

In Part 1, the focus is on last Wednesday's midweek fixtures. The boys discuss a tight (ahem) home victory for JEF Chiba against a hapless Tochigi (Start to 07:00), then move on to cover Nagasaki's impressive win at home to inconsistent Yamagata (07:00 to 11:55).

In Part 2, attention turns to Sunday's Round 9 action. James and Jon shared their views on Nagasaki's exciting 4-3 win at Kumamoto (11:55 to 20:50), as well as a pulsating draw between Ehime and Okayama at Ningineer Stadium (20:50 to 28:20). At listener/contributor Martin Spivey's request, the boys also took a few moments to talk about Akita's freewheeling victory away at Oita (28:20 to 32:30).

In Part 3, the JJs handed out their 'Most Bravo Player' gong for this week (32:20 to 36:45), and finished things off by looking ahead to this weekend's Round 10 slate of matches (36:45 to Finish).

We hope everyone enjoys the show!

*To get some pass notes on any of the games that we don't discuss on the pod, feel free to join our dedicated JTET/JTSC Discord server here: https://discord.gg/pngqMZ7hwD

Due to some scheduling conflicts for Jon and James, the J2 segment of JTSC is coming slightly later than usual this week - but not to worry, as Mike 'The Magic' Innes is here to bring you up to speed on all the latest news from J3.

In this episode, Mike looks back at a weekend slate of J3 matches that produced stacks of goals (not least at the Go Go Curry Stadium in Kanazawa).

There are also two full rounds of J3 games coming up in the next 5 days, with Round 9 taking place on Wednesday night, & Round 10 fast approaching at the weekend. As always, Mike has you covered with a preview of both rounds at the end of this mini-pod.

Enjoy the show, and stay tuned for some J2 content later this week!

Sean Carroll made a very welcome return to the pod to discuss the last two rounds of J1 action, as well as his recent trip down to Kyushu, and his book: Between the Lines.

We began our top flight round-up with the three teams that won twice in Matchdays 6 & 7 - Hiroshima, Iwata and FC Tokyo - before moving on to the two that notched first wins in the past week - Sapporo and Tokyo Verdy (to 1:02:23).

Then we run through the rest of the games from Sunday, answering some questions from patrons along the way, before finishing with a look ahead to Japan's U23 Asian Cup campaign, and the weekend's Matchday 8.

Jon Steele, James Taylor and Mike Innes are back with another action packed JTET. In part 1, Jon and James run through J2 round 7 fixtures, stopping to talk in detail about Yokohama FC v Sendai (start to 09:10), Kofu v Yamaguchi (to 15:30), and Tokushima v Gunma, along with all the off-field news from the latter two clubs (to 30:35). Then the guys pick their Most Bravo Player (to 33:30), before previewing rounds 8 and 9 (to 41:25). After that, it’s time for Mike Innes and a full review of J3 round 7 in J-Talk: Short Corner (41:25 to end).

J1 returned with a bang after the international break, and in this episode we review all 10 top flight games, beginning with Kobe's rout of Sapporo, whose start to the season is bordering on a crisis.

Next, Nagoya's horror start might be a thing of the past after they came from behind to beat Yokohama F.Marinos, before we discuss leaders Machida going about their winning ways at home against Tosu, and work our way through the other games.

We finish off the episode with a look at the big fixtures to come in Wednesday's Matchday 6, and Matchday 7 next weekend.

After a rather hectic 7 days of fixtures in J2 and J3, the JTET team are back to round up all of the key points (and some minor ones) from the most recent games.

First of all, James and Jon look back on some of the eye-catching games from last Wednesday in J2 (Round 5), chatting about Shimizu's late breakthrough at JEF Chiba (Start to 07:50), and early leaders Okayama's fairly comfortable home win over Gunma (07:50 to 13:40).

After a quick break, the boys do similar for Sunday's Round 6 slate, focusing on Yokohama FC's victory at nine-man Kagoshima in pouring rain (13:40 to 23:45), and Tochigi's smash-and-grab home success against Oita (23:45 to 30:00).

James and Jon then reveal their Most Bravo Players of the week, taking into account both rounds of action (30:00 to 35:30), and talk about some of the interesting transfer news of the week (35:30 to 42:20). The sad, tired, middle-aged men had just enough left in the tank to preview the upcoming Round 7 fixtures before slumping into a fitful, Pedro Manzi-haunted sleep (42:20 to 49:00).

With J2 fully covered, Mike 'The Magic' Innes takes over for 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (49:00 to Finish), with all of the key Round 5 and Round 6 action from J3 forensically analyzed.

Thanks for all the support for the pod, and we hope you enjoy the episode!

It was our great pleasure to welcome Scott McIntyre back for his long-awaited return to the pod, to chat about Japan's 1-0 win over North Korea last Thursday night and the ramifications of the cancelled rematch, scheduled for Tuesday night in Pyongyang (to 21:05).

In Part 2 we discuss some of the teams that have disappointed and surprised through the first four rounds of the new J1 season, before we preview the weekend's Matchday 5.

With a full midweek round of J2 and J3 fixtures haring into view, the JTET team are back (just in time) with a look back at the latest games and talking points from the lower tiers of the J.League.

In this episode, James and Jon begin by talking about the J2-centric Levain Cup results from last Wednesday (Start to 07:15), a chastening night for the second-tier sides.

The boys then move on to discussing last weekend's J2 action (07:15 to 40:50), as well as making their regular 'Most Bravo Player (MBP)' selections (40:50 to 44:45).

There's just time for James and Jon to preview a busy few days in J2, with Wednesday's midweek games (Round 5) being followed by a full slate of fixtures in Round 6 on Sunday (44:50 to 55:15).

As ever, Mike 'The Magic' Innes brings up the rear with 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (55:15 to Finish), as he trains his forensic eye on Levain Cup (from a J3 perspective), and covers all the key action in J3.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Alan Gibson from JSoccer Magazine and JSoccer.com guests in the first part of this week's episode, as we review the fourth round of the season.

We begin with surprise leaders Machida, who won for the third straight game, away at Sapporo (to 8:05), before moving on to the game of the round on paper, Hiroshima's trip to Kobe, which finished goalless but still provided levels of intrigue (to 18:40). Then we round up a positive weekend for both halves of Osaka, as Cerezo and Gamba notched comfortable wins (to 40:25), before wrapping up Part 1 with events at the Sanga Stadium on Sunday, where Yokohama F.Marinos claimed victory in a wild and woolly game against Kyoto, and Alan gives us a sneak peak at whats coming in the next issue of JSoccer Magazine (to 55:20).

Then in Part 2 we celebrate first wins of the new season for Nagoya and FC Tokyo (to 1:11:30), and round up the other three games, including the absolutely mental 4-4 draw fought out between Shonan and Urawa (to 1:34:10), before finishing the episode with thoughts on the Japan National Team squad for the two qualifiers against North Korea.

Time for your weekly dose of J2 and J3 analysis with James, Jon, and Mike!

The boys begin this week with some birthday wishes for James, and a look back at the Levain Cup ties involving J2 sides from last Wednesday night (Start to 12:20).

After that, discussion turns to last weekend's J2 action, including a cavalcade of teams picking up their first wins of the season (12:20 to 36:30). James and Jon also pick out a Most Bravo Player for the week (36:30 to 41:30), and look ahead to forthcoming games, with a preview of this week's Levain Cup card and the weekend's J2 fixtures (41:30 to 54:20).

Bringing up the rear as ever is 'J-Talk: Short Corner', where Mike reviews the Levain Cup talking points from a J3 standpoint, along with the Round 3 games from the third tier last weekend. There's also a preview of the upcoming Levain Cup ties with J3 interest, and the weekend's J3 fixtures in Round 4 (54:20 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

We're back with a full review of J1 Matchday 3. We begin in Hiroshima, where Sanfrecce went top on goal difference after putting Tosu to the sword (to 15:15), before moving on to the three teams who won for the first time this season over the weekend - Cerezo Osaka, Kyoto and Urawa (to 46:45).

Then Machida and Kashiwa kept the good times rolling, and kept pace with Hiroshima (to 1:01:40), before finishing with wins for Kobe and Niigata, and the only draw of the matchday down in Fukuoka.

There was plenty to talk about in the second rounds of J2 and J3, and the JTET team is on the ball. In part 1, Jon Steele and James Taylor talk about Nagasaki v Sendai and Kumamoto v Gunma, name their Most Bravo Players of the weekend, then look ahead to Wednesday night’s Levain Cup matches and round 3 of J2. In part 2, Mike Innes has a comprehensive review of last weekend’s J3 games and a preview of Levain Cup and J3 round 3 in J-Talk: Short Corner.

Start to 12:30 Nagasaki v Sendai

12:30 to 29:25 Kumamoto v Gunma

29:25 to 32:50 Most Bravo Player

32:50 to 47:00 Levain Cup and J2 round 3 preview

47:00 to 58:00 JTSC J3 Saturday games

58:00 to 1:02:45 JTSC J3 Sunday games

1:02:45 to end JTSC Levain Cup and J3 round 3 preview

We're back with a full run through of all the results and major talking points from Matchday 2 of the new J1 season.

Timestamps: Friday night - Kawasaki v Iwata to 18:00 and Yokohama F.Marinos v Fukuoka to 25:55

Saturday's winners, from Machida through to Gamba Osaka to 1:03:50, and the three draws to 1:31:10, before a check of the Matchday 3 fixtures to end.

The JTET team is back in action with a full review of the opening weekend of J2 and J3. In part 1, James Taylor and Jon Steele discuss three games from J2, pick their Most Bravo Player, and preview the coming weekend’s fixtures. Part 2 is J-Talk: Short Corner with Mike Innes; he has all the action from last weekend in J3 and looks ahead to round 2.

Start to 07:20 Yokohama FC v Yamaguchi

07:20 to 12:30 JEF United v Yamagata

12:30 to 19:05 Tokushima v Kofu

19:05 to 24:10 Most Bravo Player

24:10 to 30:15 Round 2 preview

30:15 to 39:10 JTSC J3 Saturday games

39:10 to 50:50 JTSC J3 Sunday games

50:50 to end JTSC J3 round 2 preview

History was made, and repeated, in J1 Matchday 1, and Dan Orlowitz joined us to chat about some of the biggest games, and storylines, from the opening weekend of the new campaign.

Dan guests in Part 1, and we begin with the two games he was at, starting with Tokyo Verdy's return to the big time on Sunday, and the Greens were very impressive even though Yokohama F.Marinos spoilt their party late on (to 19:00), before we move on to Hiroshima's 2-0 win over Urawa, as they officially christened their brand new stadium in style, with Yuki Ohashi the two-goal hero (to 34:40).

We then move on to Gamba Osaka getting a 1-1 draw away at promoted Machida, with a discussion on the transportation/access issues that threaten to tarnish Zelvia's name with away supporters (to 57:35), before we finish with FC Tokyo's 2-2 draw away at Cerezo Osaka, with Ryotaro Araki stealing the show with two goals in his Tokyo debut (to 1:09:35).

Then in Part 2 we round up the other six games, including Kashima's cruise away at Nagoya, before we finish with a look ahead to the best games on the Matchday 2 slate.

If you haven't already, please check out Dan's new(ish) newsletter, The Hachi.

With less than 24 hours until the new J2 campaign gets underway, JTET is back and banging for one final pre-season pod.

In this mini-episode, James Taylor and Jon Steele begin by reviewing valiant Ventforet Kofu's ACL Round of 16 clash with Ulsan, which ended in defeat (but no disgrace) for Yoshiyuki Shinoda's men. We also talk a little bit about what kind of legacy Kofu's Asian adventure might leave for the side from Yamanashi, and J2 as a whole (Start to 17:20).

After that, James and Jon take a look at the weekend's opening round of J2 fixtures, picking out a couple of key games to keep an eye on (17:25 to Finish).

Enjoy your J-football this weekend!

We wrap up our top flight season previews with FC Tokyo and Nagoya, before looking ahead to Matchday 1 of the 2024 season.

In Part 1 Tom Pennington from the FC Tokyo Kai-Guys guests to chat about how The Gasmen can turn things around after last year's mediocre campaign, with some exciting attacking talent signed in the winter. And its an early win for FC Tokyo vs city/stadium rivals Verdy, as Tom's segment clocks in a fraction longer than Lewis' in our previous episode (to 57:58)!

Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben discuss Nagoya's interesting winter in the transfer market, and whether they can push for the top four (to 1:28:45), before we finish the episode with Jonny's league-wide Ones To Watch, and a full preview of J1 Matchday 1.

The opening round of J2 fixtures is just a few days away, so James Taylor and Jon Steele, with special guests, have the final batch of J2 previews:

Start to 09:50 Renofa Yamaguchi (Jon and James)

09:50 to 18:25 Oita Trinita (Jon and James)

18:25 to 26:00 Kagoshima United (Jon and James)

26:00 to 34:20 Roasso Kumamoto (Garry)

34:20 to end V-Varen Nagasaki (Daniel and Chikashi)

Thank you to Garry, Daniel and Chikashi, and for contributing, to Mike for his help with the Kagoshima section, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Enjoy the football!

Mike Innes returns with previews of the remaining 10 J3 clubs, a whistle-stop tour of the Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa regions, as well as a look ahead to the opening round of fixtures.

Start to 03:20 Azul Claro Numazu

03:20 to 05:22 FC Gifu

05:22 to 07:30 FC Osaka

07:30 to 09:30 Nara Club

09:30 to 11:40 Gainare Tottori

11:40 to 13:37 Kamatamare Sanuki

13:37 to 15:45 FC Imabari

15:45 to 17:45 Giravanz Kitakyushu

17:45 to 19:55 Tegevajaro Miyazaki

19:55 to 22:00 FC Ryukyu Okinawa

22:00 to end round 1 preview

Thanks for listening, and thank you to everyone who supports the pod on Patreon. Patreon subscribers should look out for Mike’s exclusive J3 predicted table later this week!

Well, we've finally done it! At the seventh time of asking we've finally eclipsed the two-hour mark in our previews as we run the rule over the three promoted clubs.

First cab off the rank is Tokyo Verdy, and it was our great pleasure to welcome Lewis White on for his big pod debut to chat about Verdy's return to the top division after a 15-year absence, their offseason wheeling and dealing and their prospects for survival (to 55:05).

Up next is ambitious newcomers Machida Zelvia, up in the big time for the first time (to 1:32:25), before we wrap up with fallen giants Iwata, who have yo-yo'd between the top two divisions in the past ten years.

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with another special guest and previews of 5 more J2 teams ahead of the 2024 season:

Start to 09:25 Shimizu S-Pulse (Jon and James)

09:25 to 16:35 Fujieda MYFC (Jon and James)

16:35 to 22:35 Tokushima Vortis (Jon and James)

22:35 to 29:40 Ehime FC (Jon and James)

29:40 to end Fagiano Okayama (@Fagi_INTL_Fans)

Thank you to Fagi_international for contributing, to Mike for his help with the Ehime section, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Stay tuned for part 4 later this week!

With the ACL back and banging this midweek, Jon and James got together to preview Ventforet Kofu's Round of 16 clash with K-League giants Ulsan.

Over the course of a 15-minute chat, the boys take a Wikipedia-informed look at the Ulsan side, and offer their thoughts on our J2 representative's chances of progressing to the Quarter-Finals.

We hope everyone enjoys the mini-pod!

James Taylor and Jon Steele plus special guest are back with another set of J2 teams to preview ahead of the 2024 season:

Start to 07:15 Mito Hollyhock (Jon and James)

07:15 to 13:00 Tochigi SC (Jon and James)

13:00 to 21:10 Yokohama FC (Jon and James)

21:10 to 27:30 Ventforet Kofu (Jon and James)

27:30 to end JEF United (Chris)

Thank you to Chris for contributing, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Stay tuned for part 3!

We wrap up Week 3 of our J1 Season Previews with a tour of Kanagawa: Neil Debnam guests to chat about Kawasaki, and whether they can rebound up the table after last season's disappointing 8th place finish (to 39:40); then Jonny and Ben discuss Shonan, now on their longest run of consecutive seasons in J1, but is this the year their luck runs out (to 1:03:20)?

Then in Part 3 Stuart Woodward hops on board to give his thoughts on Yokohama F.Marinos after a very intriguing offseason of comings and goings at the Nissan Stadium.

Not wanting to miss out on all the preview pod action, Mike Innes is here with the first of two previews for the 2024 J3 season. In this episode, Mike covers teams in the Tohoku, Kanto, and Hokushinetsu regions.

Start to 03:25 Vanruare Hachinohe

03:25 to 05:23 Iwate Grulla Morioka

05:23 to 07:17 Fukushima United

07:17 to 09:28 Omiya Ardija

09:28 to 11:25 YSCC Yokohama

11:25 to 13:27 SC Sagamihara

13:27 to 15:35 Matsumoto Yamaga

15:35 to 17:42 AC Nagano Parceiro

17:42 to 19:35 Kataller Toyama

19:35 to end Zweigen Kanazawa

Thanks for listening, and thank you to everyone who supports the pod on Patreon. Look out for part 2 next week!

We kick off our third week of top flight season previews with a little jaunt down to Kyushu. In Daniel Hawkins' stead Jonny and Ben do their best to put last year's best-ever finish for Fukuoka into perspective, and wonder what Shigetoshi Hasebe's side can manage for an encore (to 32:35), before we move on to the little engine that could - Tosu. Is this the year the pixie dust dries up, or can Kenta Kawai keep their heads above water for another season?

We're back with our next group of teams to wrap up our second week of previews. Ralf Seidl guests in Part 1 to chat about title contenders Urawa (to 37:05), before we shift our focus down the table and look at Kashiwa (to 56:00) and Niigata.

Its week 2 of our J1 season previews, and in this episode Tom Dallyn (on his J-Talk debut!) chats with Jonny and Ben about Sapporo (to 35:30), before we run the rule over Kashima.

Both clubs appear to have lost more than they gained in the transfer market, so Consadole's hopes of a first top half finish in six years look slim, and, while it would be foolish to bet against them, Antlers will be hard-pressed to continue their remarkable run of consecutive top five finishes.

The new J2 season is fast approaching, so James Taylor and Jon Steele, plus special guests, swing back into action to preview five teams:

Start to 05:05 Montedio Yamagata (James and Jon)

05:05 to 08:35 Thespa Gunma (James and Jon)

08:35 to 18:50 Vegalta Sendai (Fin)

18:50 to 51:05 Blaublitz Akita (Martin)

51:05 to end Iwaki FC (Leslie)

Thank you to Fin, Martin, and Leslie for contributing, and to Patreon subscribers for the ongoing support. Stay tuned for part 2!

Japan bowed out of the Asian Cup after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Iran on Saturday night, and in this episode we round up the game, the sideshow(s) around the squad before and after, and pick out some players for praise or criticism.

The Samurai Blue secured their spot in the quarter finals of the Asian Cup for a ninth straight time with a 3-1 win over Bahrain on Wednesday night, and in this episode we run through the major talking points from the game.

We weren't planning on it (but should've known, knowing us!), but our lengthy recording session on Monday meant that our previews stretched over two episodes, and so we proudly present Episode 500 of J-Talk!

Once again Alan Gibson was our guest (though Ben forgot to properly introduce him at the start of the pod) as we preview defending J1 Champions Kobe (to 27:35): What can they do for an encore?; Kyoto (to 49:15): How high can they climb under Cho Kwi Jae?; and Hiroshima: Will Michael Skibbe deliver success in their new stadium?

Thanks to all who have contributed over the years, and to our listeners near and far.

Its officially happy new season time as we kick off our J1 Season Previews! Alan Gibson, live and direct from Bangkok, joined us to chat about the first five clubs off the rank, but as our recording stretched over two hours we decided to separate into two episodes, so on this podcast we preview both Osaka clubs - Cerezo and Gamba.

Both finished 2023 in a funk, so what have they done in the offseason to turn things around? How much pressure is on both managers, and who are their players to watch in 2024? Those questions and more are answered here.

aka “Misery Loves Company”

Zweigen Kanazawa supporters James Taylor and Victor Arroyo joined forces for a full and frank post mortem of their team’s terrible season, which ended in relegation to J3. The wide-ranging discussion takes in all aspects of the club (on and off the pitch) before finishing on a slightly more positive note ahead of the 2024 season.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the 2023 JTET season reviews, to Patreon subscribers for their continued financial support of J-Talk, and to everyone for listening. Jon and James will be back for season previews soon!

The Samurai Blue sealed their spot in the Round of 16 of the Asian Cup with a comfortable victory over Indonesia on Wednesday night, with manager Hajime Moriyasu now faced with several selection dilemmas ahead of their next game against Bahrain after his raft of changes for this one paid off.

We run through the game's major talking points, before attempting the fruitless exercise of trying to get inside Moriyasu's head and work out which XI he'll take into the Bahrain game.

After a longer-than-expected break (sorry!), the JTET team are back to round off their in-depth review of the 2023 J2 season.

To start things off in Part 3, James Taylor and Jon Steele take a look at Tokushima Vortis (01:20 to 06:00), Vegalta Sendai (06:00 to 12:20), and Mito Hollyhock (12:20 to 17:30).

After that, special guest Leslie Mabon (@ljmabon on Twitter) shares his thoughts on Iwaki FC's superb debut season in the second tier (18:00 to 34:00).

James and Jon then return to cast their forensic gaze over Tochigi SC (34:00 to 40:00), Renofa Yamaguchi (40:00 to 48:20), and (gulp) Zweigen Kanazawa (48:20 to 57:00).

If that wasn't enough, there was only one place we could end the 2023 season review, and it's with Omiya Ardija. Jon sat down with Squirrels supporters Steve Fryer (@ardija01talk on Twitter) to run through a bitterly disappointing year for the orange side of Saitama (57:00 to Finish).

Sorry for the long wait, and we hope everyone enjoys the pod - look out for our 2024 season preview content coming soon!

*For reference, these are the questions that we asked Leslie and Steve to think about for their contribution to the pod:

1) What grade would you give to your team’s 2023 season, and why? (A, B, C, D, E)

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Who was the most important player for your team this season (you can pick the manager, if he was the most important)?

5) What was the biggest surprise of the season for you (from your team, or any other team in the division)?

Japan suffered a disappointing defeat to Iraq in their second group stage game at the Asian Cup, and Ryo Nakagawara joined Jonny and Ben to discuss the frustrating performance.

If you're not already, please follow Ryo on Twitter/X, and subscribe to his newsletter.

Japan's Asian Cup campaign got off to a shaky, but ultimately successful start on Sunday night, and in this episode we run through it all, from a slightly surprising selection decision from the manager Hajime Moriyasu, through that eventful first half in which the Samurai Blue took the lead, lost it, but then got themselves back on top before the break.

We move on to discuss the impacts made by the substitutes and whether that might lead to changes for the next game against Iraq, and praise two-goal hero Takumi Minamino (to 46:00).

We then wrap up the episode with bouquets for newly retired Samurai Blue legend Yasuhito Endo, and chat about some of the new J1 kits that have caught our eye as top flight teams ramp up their preseason preparations.

After a few days off for the New Year holidays, JTET is back with the second episode of our club-by-club J2 season review for 2023.

This time, Jon Steele and James Taylor kick off (sorry) by discussing Ventforet Kofu (Start to 07:10), Oita Trinita (07:10 to 14:10), and Fagiano Okayama (14:10 to 20:50).

After that, we welcomed a pair of guest correspondents to the show: firstly, Martin Spivey (@bantam84 on Twitter) gave us his thoughts on Blaublitz Akita's 2023 campaign (21:20 to 29:50), and then Garry Irwin (@GarryIrwin on Twitter) looks back on Roasso Kumamoto's season (29:50 to 35:30).

To round off this installment, Jon and James returned to share their opinions on Thespa Kusatsu Gunma (35:50 to 44:00) and Fujieda MYFC (44:00 to Finish).

Thank you for all your support for JTET, and Big Pod - look out for Part 3 of our J2 season review next week!

*These are the season review questions that we asked Martin and Garry to answer on the pod:

1) What grade would you give to your team’s 2023 season, and why? (A, B, C, D, E)

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Who was the most important player for your team this season (you can pick the manager, if he was the most important)?

5) What was the biggest surprise of the season for you (from your team, or any other team in the division)?

Happy new year one and all. On our first episode of 2024, Dan Orlowitz guests to chat about Japan's Asian Cup squad, and the J.League's decision to switch to an autumn to spring calendar from the 2026/27 season.

As mentioned on the podcast, here are some links if you'd like to donate to the earthquake relief efforts:

Association for Aid and Relief, Japan - https://aarjapan.gr.jp/en/blog/365/

The Nippon Foundation - https://kifu.www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/dras/?lang=en

Yahoo! Japan official donation page - https://donation.yahoo.co.jp/detail/1630064

After a short break to recharge the batteries, the JTET team are back for some club-by-club reviews of the 2023 J2 season!

In this episode, the focus is on the top seven teams from the final league table. Jon Steele and James Taylor begin by looking at the automatically-promoted sides: Machida Zelvia (Start to 06:50), and Jubilo Iwata (06:50 to 12:50).

After that, special guest Lewis joins us to look back on a fantastic season for Play-Off winners Tokyo Verdy (13:00 to 26:00). You can find Lewis on Twitter @illusionofease.

Jon and James then reconvene to run the rule over Shimizu S-Pulse (26:00 to 32:30), Montedio Yamagata (32:30 to 39:10), and JEF Chiba (39:10 to 48:30).

To round off Part 1, another special guest, Daniel Kuroda, gave us his thoughts on V-Varen Nagasaki's 2023 campaign (49:00 to Finish). Daniel is on Twitter @NagaSapo_EN.

Thanks to Lewis and Daniel for their contributions, and to all our listeners for their support this season - Parts 2 and 3 of our season review will be coming soon!

*For reference, we asked Lewis and Daniel to record answers to these questions for their segments on the pod:

1) What grade would you give to your team’s 2023 season, and why? (A, B, C, D, E)

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Who was the most important player for your team this season (you can pick the manager, if he was the most important)?

5) What was the biggest surprise of the season for you (from your team, or any other team in the division)?

The J.League season might have ended, but the JTET machine cannot be stopped (believe us - we've tried).

This week, Jon and James got started with some ACL chat (Start to 12:30), covering Kofu's superb result last midweek over in Thailand (and their frankly astonishing passage to the knockout stage as group winners).

After that, the gents shared their choices for J2 Team of the Season (12:30 to 48:20), with some interesting similarities and differences to discuss. The boys also picked a manager, rookie, best player, and goal of the season into the bargain!

To round things off, Jon quizzed James on some of the more eye-catching J2 transfers that have already taken place since the final day of the season (48:20 to Finish).

Hope everybody enjoys the show - we'll be posting some more detailed season review content over late December/early January, so please stay tuned for that!

Kawasaki won the Emperor's Cup for the second time in their history on Saturday after prevailing in a penalty shootout against Kashiwa at the National Stadium, and in Part 1 of our final episode of the year Neil Debnam guests to commiserate with Reysol, but then celebrate another trophy under Toru Oniki, before our attention turns to what is sure to be a fascinating winter transfer window for Frontale (to 29:07).

Then in Part 2 we discuss the Japan squad for the New Years Day friendly against Thailand, some early offseason managerial and transfer moves and the permutations for the final round of ACL group stage games this midweek, before wrapping up another bumper year in the J.League and on the pod.

The curtain came down on the J2 season last Saturday, as Tokyo Verdy met Shimizu S-Pulse in the playoff final. Jon Steele was at the National Stadium to see it, and in part 1 of this week’s JTET he tells James Taylor all about it (start to 21:45). After that, James and Jon take a look at Ventforet Kofu’s exploits in the Asian Champions League, with their group finely poised heading into the final matchday next week (21:45 to 29:40). There’s also time for a quick chat about managerial news (29:40 to 37:15). Then, in J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes rounds up the final day of a thoroughly entertaining J3 season (37:15 to end).

Thank you for listening throughout the season, and special thanks to Patreon subscribers for their support of JTET and J-Talk.

It was our great pleasure to welcome Sam Robson back to the pod for our blockbuster season wrap-up episode.

After a brief catch up with the great man we ran through all nine games from the final day of the season (to 1:04:08), before running through the Patreon poll results and piecing together the J-Talk J1 Team of the Season, before looking ahead to Saturday's Emperor's Cup Final between Kawasaki and Kashiwa.

In part 1 of this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele discuss the J2 playoff semi-finals (start to 14:00) and look ahead to the final (14:00 to 23:40).

In part 2, the fight for 2nd in J3 is going to the final day – Mike Innes has all the details about the penultimate round of the season and a preview of the final day (23:40 to end).

Enjoy the final weekend of the season!

Vissel Kobe won the first J1 Championship in their history on Saturday afternoon, and Alan Gibson guests to talk us through a tense 90 minutes at the Noevir Stadium, and what this title means for the club, plus towards the end of Part 1 Alan shares his thoughts on how both Osaka clubs, Cerezo and Gamba, are shaping up under their current managers (to 43:45).

Then in Part 2 we run through the other eight games from J1 Matchday 33, highlighted by a difficult weekend for both Yokohama clubs, with F.Marinos seeing their title hopes dashed, and Yokohama FC all but mathematically confirmed relegated.

Japan got their World Cup qualification campaign off to a very satisfying start during this international break, and we round up the 5-0 wins over Myanmar and Syria (not necessarily in that order) (to 16:45), before comparing notes on how the Asian Cup squad is shaping up, with some very difficult decisions looming for Hajime Moriyasu (to 31:00).

Then its back to J1 matters, as we hand out six more Player of the Season awards (to 53:40), and then wrap up the episode with an in-depth preview of the huge games coming at the top of the table (to 1:03:00) and in the Relegation Dogfight in J1 Matchday 33.

The regular J2 season may have ended, but some teams still have games to play: James Taylor and Jon Steele preview the playoff semi-finals and Kofu’s Asian Champions League game (start to 15:40), before chatting about some confirmed managerial departures (15:40 to 27:10).

We know that Ehime will be in J2 next year, but who will join them? The battle to finish 2nd – or should that be not to finish 2nd? – in J3 is in full flow, and Mike Innes has all the details in J-Talk: Short Corner (27:10 to end).

Thank you as ever to all our Patreon subscribers and listeners.

The JTET crew are back with another episode, keeping you up to date with all things J2 and J3!

To start things off this week, Jon Steele and James Taylor cover all of the J2 action from a dramatic final day of the regular season. Jon reviews the battle for second place and some of the 'dead rubber' fixtures (Start to 09:50), while James casts his forensic eye over the tussle for the last available Play-Off place, and the rest of the second-tier games (09:50 to 15:50).

After that, you'll hear Jon and James in conversation, sharing their views on how the season climax unfolded. The boys start with Mito v Shimizu (15:55 to 22:40), then discuss Tochigi v Iwata (22:40 to 28:15) and Omiya v Tokyo Verdy (28:15 to 35:30).

There was also time for Jon and James to chat about JEF Chiba v Nagasaki (35:30 to 42:00), and Yamagata v Kofu (42:00 to 49:50). After that, the boys (basically men at this point) look ahead to the Play-Off games coming up in a week's time (49:50 to 53:00).

Rounding things off in perfect style is Mike 'The Magic' Innes, who has all of the J3 latest for you (as ever) in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (53:00 to Finish).

Thanks for all the support so far in 2023 - enjoy the show!

Kobe took another massive step towards their first J1 title on Sunday, but should their stoppage time winner at Saitama Stadium have stood? Jonny and Ben discuss the hugely contentious closing moments, from Shusaku Nishikawa's decision to go up for Urawa's set piece, to whether or not Yuya Osako's eagerness to collect Daiya Maekawa's punt upfield saw him stray offside, and whether or not the VAR crew checked the latter as thoroughly as they should have.

After all that madness we wrap up a run-of-the-mill home win for Yokohama F.Marinos against Cerezo Osaka (to 33:10), before we're joined by Jon Steele to chat about Yokohama FC, and their prospects of making a great escape after their terrific 3-1 away win over Tosu on Saturday (to 1:03:40).

Then we wrap up the rest of the relegation dogfight, and all of the other results from J1 Matchday 32.

Once again, all of the latest J2 and J3 news is wrapped up in a brand-new JTET!

We begin this week with James Taylor reviewing all of Sunday's J2 action (Start to 06:00), with Jon Steele taking over to cover the rest of the Round 41 games along with Kofu's thumping win over Zhejiang in the ACL on Wednesday night (06:00 to 18:35).

After that, James and Jon convened to discuss some of the big J2 talking points ahead of Sunday's huge final day. The gents focused on JEF Chiba, and the teams scrapping for the final Play-Off spot (Kofu, Yamagata, and Nagasaki) in this segment (18:40 to 41:45).

James and Jon then take a detailed look at the Round 42 fixtures (41:45 to 56:50), with a focus on the battle for the second automatic promotion spot, and the aforementioned tussle for 6th place.

After all that, there's the J3 latest in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' with Mike 'The Magic' Innes (56:50 to Finish), as Ehime edge inexorably closer to a return to the second tier (with Kagoshima or Toyama looking the most likely to grab second place).

Thanks for all of your support of JTET, and The J-Talk Podcast - enjoy the show!

Fukuoka broke the longest major trophy drought in J.League history at the National Stadium on Saturday, and Daniel Hawkins guests to revel in Avispa's 2-1 victory over Urawa in the Levain Cup final.

After praising heroes Kazuya Konno, Hiroyuki Mae and Daiki Miya, among others, we chat about what this success means for the club going forward, and how it shapes expectations for coming campaigns.

Finally, we wrap up the episode with a look ahead to the crunch clashes at both ends of the table in the weekend's J1 Matchday 32.

The JTET team is back in action with a full review of J2 and J3. In part 1, James Taylor rounds up Saturday’s J2 matchday 40 games (start to 06:45), then in part 2 Jon Steele talks you through Sunday’s games (06:45 to 16:35). Part 3 is analysis of the two games with implications for automatic promotion, Shimizu v Kumamoto and Iwata v Tokyo Verdy, and a preview of the coming weekend’s fixtures (16:35 to 43:55). Finally, Mike Innes is on hand with the latest from J3 in J-Talk: Short Corner (43:55 to end).

Kobe slipped on a Bellmare banana skin on Saturday afternoon in J1 Matchday 31, and the top flight title race has new life after Yokohama F.Marinos moved to within two points of Vissel after a big win away at Fukuoka (to 28:15).

The relegation dogfight is still a battle in three after Kashiwa threw away two points at home against ten man Kawasaki (to 43:10).

A bit later than planned this week (apologies!), the JTET crew are back and banging with a full roundup of all the latest action from J2 and J3.

In Part 1, Jon Steele rounds up half of last weekend's J2 fixtures (Start to 12:35), then hands over to James Taylor for a review of the rest of the second-tier games (12:40 to 19:00) - James also mentions Kofu's disappointing ACL trip to China in midweek.

After that, you'll hear Jon and James chatting in depth about some of the big J2 talking points from Round 39, with a focus on those crazy 3-2 matches in Tokyo and Fujieda (19:00 to 43:40). The boys (alright, middle-aged men) then preview all of the Round 40 matches coming up this weekend (43:40 to 54:25).

Bringing up the rear is Mike 'The Magic' Innes - as always, he has all of the J3 news that you need to know in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (54:30 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and the weekend football!

After a big weekend of action at both ends of the top flight table, Sean Carroll joined Jonny and Ben to round it all up.

We begin at the National Stadium, where table toppers Kobe passed another huge test on their way to a maiden J1 title when they comfortably saw off Kashima on Saturday (to 30:50), while Yokohama F.Marinos stayed four points adrift with a home win over Sapporo (to 45:50).

Next we link the top three to the relegation dogfight by chatting about Urawa's home win over Kashiwa on Friday night, then move on to massive wins for Reysol's fellow dogfighters Yokohama FC and Shonan (to 1:08:10), before rounding up the other four games and looking ahead to the ACL in midweek and next weekend's J1 Matchday 31.

JTET is back with a streamlined episode this week, thanks to the relatively light slate of J2 games last weekend!

In Part 1 of this week's show (Start to 09:50), Jon Steele review the pair of rearranged J2 fixtures that took place last Saturday (Akita v Machida, plus Fujieda v Gunma), and looks ahead to a very intriguing Round 39 slate coming up on Saturday and Sunday.

Then in Part 2 (09:55 to Finish), normal service is well and truly resumed as Mike 'The Magic' Innes takes you on a J3 journey in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'. Mike has a full review of last weekend's Round 31 games from the third tier, plus a look ahead to the upcoming Round 32 card.

Hope everyone enjoys the episode - thanks for all the support, as always!

Jonny and Ben chat about Japan's win over Tunisia on Tuesday night, and the battle for places in the Asian Cup squad (to 21:15), then move on to a brief review of the Levain Cup semi finals (to 33:00) before finishing with a look ahead to J1 Matchday 30 and the top flight run-in at both ends of the table.

Ready for the weekend, another all-new JTET episode is ready for launch!

To get things underway this week, Jon Steele and James Taylor look back at a busy weekend of J2 matches in Round 38 (Start to 14:30) - Jon also reports on Kumamoto's big day out at Kashiwa in their Emperor's Cup Semi-Final last Sunday.

In the 'J2 Chat' segment (14:30 to 51:00), Jon and James got together to discuss some of the main talking points from the weekend action.

The gents talked in detail about Shimizu v Iwata (14:30 to 22:45), and followed that up by sharing their thoughts on Omiya v Yamaguchi (22:45 to 31:50), before doing their best to make sense of Iwaki's 2-2 draw at home to Sendai (31:50 to 43:00).

The boys then rounded off their chat by previewing this weekend's J2 action, a sparse selection with only a pair of rearranged games on the slate for Saturday (43:00 to 51:00).

Bringing up the rear as ever, Mike 'The Magic' Innes then takes over for another installment of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', bringing you all the news and previews from J3 in fine style (51:00 to Finish).

Thanks, as always, for supporting the pod - enjoy the show!

With the international break in full swing, Jonny and Ben got together to review Sunday's Emperor's Cup semi finals (to 21:00) and the ACL action from last midweek (to 35:10), before looking ahead to the Levain Cup semis (to 42:10) and the upcoming Japan national team friendlies.

Once again, the good ship JTET sets sail with a full review of the latest J2 and J3 action.

To start things off this week, Jon Steele and James Taylor team up to run through all of the J2 action from Round 37 (Start to 15:20) - James also includes a quick report on Kofu's big ACL home debut against Buriram United in Tokyo from Wednesday night.

After that, Jon sat down with Sean Carroll for some serious J2 discussion. The boys (alright, technically men) began with a review of Kofu's big night at the National Stadium, since Sean was there (15:30 to 36:00)!

Also under the microscope in this segment are in-form JEF Chiba, who find themselves right in the thick of the Play-Off push (36:00 to 58:30) - can they finally return to J1 after their prolonged absence?

Sean also helped Jon to preview the upcoming Round 38 fixtures, as well as giving his thoughts on Kumamoto's big Emperor's Cup Semi-Final tie against Kashiwa this Sunday (58:30 to 01:22:15).

To finish things off in style, Mike 'The Magic' Innes has all of the J2 latest for you in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (01:22:20 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

After the top of the clash at the Nissan Stadium last Friday night, Ryo Nakagawara joined Jonny and Ben for a deep dive on what went so right for leaders Kobe, who strengthened their hold on top spot with a 2-0 win away at an off-colour Yokohama F.Marinos (to 38:50).

Then the guys chat about FC Tokyo's 3-0 win over Gamba Osaka, and Ryo shares his thoughts on what might be done to freshen up an aging Tokyo squad (to 1:13:05).

Later on in the episode Jonny and Ben round up the rest of the J1 Matchday 29 action, beginning with a good weekend for all three relegation dogfighters.

Jon Steele, James Taylor and Mike Innes return with a look back at all the action from J2 and J3. Jon takes care of Saturday’s J2 round 36 games in part 1 (start to 14:10), while part 2 sees James round up Sunday’s games and two rearranged Wednesday matches (14:10 to 21:00). In part 3, the guys got together for the first time in a while to talk about the state of play in J2 overall and preview the coming weekend’s fixtures (21:00 to 54:15), and then Mike Innes rounds off the episode as ever with the latest from J3 in J-Talk: Short Corner (54:15 to end).

Invite link to JLeagueChat Discord Server: https://discord.gg/e6cKcRDv

The top two did the business in J1 Matchday 28, setting up an epic clash at the Nissan Stadium this Friday night, and on this episode we review all the action from the top flight weekend, beginning with Kobe's win in the Kansai Derby over Cerezo Osaka, and Yokohama F.Marinos's come-from-behind triumph at Kashima.

Then it's 10-man Urawa assuming nearest challenger status after a terrific win at Gamba Osaka, while the rest of the title chasers stumbled. After that we move on to a disappointing weekend for all of our relegation dogfight combatants, before previewing the game of the season (from 1:18:00).

The JTET team is back with a full review of J2 round 35 and J3 round 27. In part 1, James Taylor reviews 6 games (start to 07:35) and in part 2, Jon Steele covers the other 5 league games and Kofu’s Champions League debut (07:35 to 13:30). Part 3 sees Jon talk to Martin Spivey about Blaublitz Akita’s season (13:30 to 1:17:35). Then Mike Innes has all the J3 action in J-Talk: Short Corner (1:17:35 to end).

Invite link to JLeagueChat Discord Server: https://discord.gg/e6cKcRDv

After a weekend of surprising results at both ends of the J1 table, Stuart Woodward and Ralf Seidl joined Jonny and Ben to chat about missed opportunities, but improved league positions for both Yokohama F.Marinos and Urawa Reds after matchday 27, while also looking ahead to the commencement of the ACL group stage.

In Part 1 Stuart guests following F.Marinos's 1-1 home draw against Tosu on Friday night, and chats about the pressure on Kevin Muscat to do well on the continental stage (to 23:23), then in Part 2 Ralf rues ridiculous refereeing after Reds were held 0-0 by Kyoto, also on Friday, and discusses the state of the defending ACL champs and their outlook for the remainder of the season (to 46:50).

Then in Part 3 Jonny and Ben review the rest of Matchday 27, including Hiroshima leaping back into title contention, and 10-man Kashima bullying Cerezo Osaka while climbing up to third, plus two big results in the relegation dogfight.

Just in time for the weekend's games, another all-new JTET episode is ready for launch!

This week, we begin with Jon Steele reviewing all of the action from the most recent round of J2 matches (Start to 17:00).

After that, Jon was joined by special guest Daniel Kuroda (@NagaSapo_EN on Twitter) for an in-depth discussion about Nagasaki's season so far. The boys talked about Nagasaki's come-from-behind home win against Gunma (17:00 to 23:50), then chatted about how Daniel is feeling about the 2023 campaign as a whole (23:50 to 46:10).

Jon and Daniel then took a detailed look at the upcoming J2 Round 35 fixtures in a weekend preview (46:10 to 55:35).

With J2 thoroughly analyzed, Mike 'The Magic' Innes brings things home with the regular 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod (55:35 to Finish). As always, Mike has all of the news, reviews, and previews to keep you up to date with the state of play in J3.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Japan turned on the style in their first friendly of this international break, claiming a comprehensive and thoroughly deserved 4-1 victory over Germany in Wolfsburg, and Alan Gibson and Brett Bobysud (in a storming J-Talk debut) guest to chat about the game and its standout performers.

We also briefly look ahead to Tuesday night's game against Turkey, and wrap up the Levain Cup quarter finals, before rounding off the episode by previewing the weekend's J1 Matchday 27.

A brand new JTET episode is ready for launch!

This week, the pod starts with Jon Steele reviewing all of the action from Round 33 in J2 (plus a look at Kumamoto's glorious PK shootout win over Kobe in the Emperor's Cup last midweek). That runs until 16:50.

After that, Jon sat down with JTET's Official Kumamoto Correspondent, Garry Irwin, to chat about the latest events at Egao-Kenko Stadium. The boys discussed the Emperor's Cup win (16:50 to 26:00), and Kumamoto's defeat at JEF Chiba in the league (26:00 to 36:30).

After that, Garry helped Jon to preview all of the upcoming J2 games in Round 34 this weekend (36:30 to 45:50).

With all of the second-tier action covered, Mike 'The Magic' Innes steps up to review and preview all of the J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (45:50 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Sam makes a triumphant return to J-Talk to help Ben run through all of the games from a wild top flight weekend.

We begin with the top two, Kobe taking advantage of Yokohama F.Marinos's latest wobble by returning to the summit with a 2-1 home win over Kyoto on Sunday night, with the picture looking very murky for F.Marinos after back-to-back defeats against lowly opponents and the rumoured move of Anderson Lopes to Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere Cerezo Osaka vaulted up to fourth and might just be the likeliest challengers to the top two after a third straight win, with Nagoya, Urawa and Kashima all drawing against bottom six opponents.

Wins for Hiroshima, Fukuoka and, at long last, Sapporo, round out our J1 wrap, before we look ahead to Levain Cup quarters and two big games for the Samurai Blue.

This week's soaraway JTET has finally landed!

To kick things off, there's a full review of last weekend's J2 action with James Taylor (Start to 06:30), and Jon Steele (06:35 to 15:50).

After that, Jon had the chance to sit down and chat with Richy Palmer about some of the big talking points from the 2nd tier. The gents talked about Tochigi v Mito (15:55 to 26:00), Yamaguchi v Kofu (26:00 to 32:45), and Kumamoto v Iwaki (32:45 to 42:15).

Jon and Richy then previewed the midweek Emperor's Cup tie between Kumamoto and J1 big boys Kobe (42:15 to 45:40), and looked ahead to the weekend's slate of J2 matches (45:40 to 54:00).

Finally, the ever-reliable Mike Innes has all of the J3 news, reviews, and previews in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (54:00 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

On a momentous evening at Mitsuzawa, Yokohama FC stormed back from a goal down to claim a famous 4-1 victory over city rivals F.Marinos on Saturday, the standout result from a Matchday 25 slate that saw the situation in the title race tighten further, with six teams now in with a realistic shot with nine games to play.

We take you through all of the games from the weekend, then look ahead to Wednesday's Emperor's Cup quarter finals, and the games to watch in the upcoming Matchday 26.

James Taylor and Mike Innes are back to bring you a complete review of all the latest action from J2 and J3. Part 1 of this episode sees James round up all 11 games from J2 round 31 (start to 17:30). Then in part 2, James had a chat with Mike Innes about a new Discord server that’s been set up for those who want to chat about Japanese football online but away from Twitter (17:30 to 22:10). And as ever, Mike took the reins for J-Talk: Short Corner, a comprehensive review of another entertaining weekend in J3 (22:10 to end).

Invite link to JLeagueChat Discord Server: https://discord.gg/e6cKcRDv

Jonny Nicol is back to take you through another action-packed weekend of J1 football. In part 1 (start to 16:30), Jonny was joined by Neil Debnam to discuss Hiroshima against Kawasaki, and Frontale more generally.

In part 2 (16:30 to 30:05), Jonny reviews 4 games (Fukuoka v Niigata, Urawa v Nagoya, Kashima v Tosu, Gamba v Shonan) and reveals his Player of the Round.

Then, in part 3 (30:05 to end), Jonny looks at the remaining 4 games (Kyoto v Sapporo, Kobe v Kashiwa, Yokohama F. Marino v FC Tokyo, Yokohama FC v Cerezo), hands out his Under-23 Player of the Round, and previews the matchday 25 fixtures.

Thanks to Jonny for another excellent episode, and to Neil for his guest appearance this week. Thank you to everyone who downloads and listens, especially our Patreon subscribers for their support. Hope everyone enjoys the episode!

The big games in J2 and J3 just keep coming, and the JTET team has them all covered. In part 1, James Taylor rounds up 6 games from J2 round 30 (to 08:25), and Jon Steele has the other 5 games and a quick preview of the coming weekend’s fixtures in part 2 (to 18:50). Part 3 is J-Talk: Short Corner with Mike Innes; he’s got a full review of J3 round 22 (to end).

With summer holidays in full swing, Jonny Nicol files solo this week to bring us a full review of last weekend's J1 action (Round 23 of the top-flight season).

In Part 1 (Start to 12:38), Jonny reviews a trio of big games from the Round 23 slate (Kawasaki v Kobe, Yokohama Marinos v Gamba Osaka, and Nagoya v Kashima), as well as revealing his Under-23 Player of the Round.

Then in Part 2 (12:38 to 19:53), Jonny casts his forensic Nicol-vision over three more matches (Kashiwa v Cerezo Osaka, Fukuoka v Yokohama FC, and Niigata v Shonan), and announces his overall Player of the Round.

To finish things off in Part 3 (19:53 to Finish), Jonny talks about Hiroshima v Urawa, FC Tokyo v Kyoto, and Sapporo v Tosu, then gives us an in-depth preview of the forthcoming Round 24 fixtures.

Hope everyone enjoys the pod - special thanks to Jonny for taking time out of his well-earned vacation to record this week!

Summer holidays be damned, JTET is back with another roundup of all the latest news from Japan's J2 and J3 Leagues!

In this episode, we start with a blow-by-blow account of last weekend's J2 action (Round 29 of the season) from James Taylor and Jon Steele (Start to 16:30).

After that, the boys sat down together to review last midweek's Emperor's Cup Round 4 ties that featured a J2 participant, and lavished praise on first-time quarter-finalists Rosso Kumamoto (16:30 to 43:00).

James and Jon then previewed all of the forthcoming Round 30 fixtures in J2 (43:00 to 51:40).

Then to top things off, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on hand with 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (51:40 to Finish) - Mike has all of the action from a busy Round 21 slate of J3 matches, and he also previews this weekend's Round 22 fixtures to boot.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and the summer break!

After the short summer break, J1 was back with a vengeance last weekend, and guest host Jonny Nicol is on hand to run us through all of the key points from a busy (and very hot) Matchday 22 in the Japanese top flight.

In Part 1 (Start to 08:45), Jonny reviews four of the weekend fixtures (Shonan v Hiroshima, Nagoya v Niigata, Kashima v Sapporo, and Cerezo Osaka v FC Tokyo), and reveals his pick for Player of the Round.

Then in Part 2 (08:50 to 18:34), Jonny looks back at four more of the Matchday 22 games (Kawasaki v Gamba Osaka, Kyoto v Kashiwa, Tosu v Fukuoka, and Urawa v Yokohama Marinos). Jonny also hands out a gong for Under-23 Player of the Round (and it's a name that JTET listeners will also be familiar with).

To conclude this week's pod, in Part 3 (18:38 to Finish) Jonny sat down for a chat with Jon Steele (nope, me neither). The boys discussed Yokohama FC's home game against Kobe from the weekend, answered a listener question or two, then worked together to preview the upcoming Matchday 23 slate (all games taking place this coming weekend).

Hope everybody enjoys the show!

Once again, the well-oiled (not in an alcoholic sense) JTET machine has produced a full and frank review of all the latest J2 and J3 action from the Japanese professional football scene.

We begin with a blow-by-blow account of the weekend's J2 action, with Jon Steele and James Taylor teaming up to cover all 11 fixtures from Round 28 (Start to 16:15).

After that, Jon had the chance to talk to Victor Arroyo (@JFootballAnaly1 on Twitter) for a deep dive into the Kanazawa v Omiya match (the weekend's big clash at the bottom of the table) - that's from 16:15 to 44:00.

Victor then helped Jon to look ahead to a busy midweek of Emperor's Cup football - all 8 of the Round 4 ties are being played on Wednesday night, so the boys focused on the 4 games that will see a J2 side come up against a J1 opponent in midweek (44:00 to 49:40).

Not content with that, Jon and Victor also previewed all of the coming weekend's J2 matches (Round 29 of the season) - that discussion is from 49:40 to 57:30.

As ever, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is bringing up the rear - he has all of the latest J3 news, reviews, and previews in the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment from 57:30 to Finish.

Enjoy the pod, and all of the Japanese football coming up this week!

A bit later than planned this week (sorry!), a bumper JTET is live just in time for the next round of J2 and J3 fixtures.

In this episode, we start with James Taylor and Jon Steele reviewing all of the weekend J2 action (Start to 15:00).

After that, it's 'Two Jonnies' time as Jon Steele sat down with Jonny Nicol (@BlogGamba on Twitter) to cover a veritable smorgasbord of J.League topics.

The Jonnies started off with some J1 chat, covering last weekend's rescheduled Kobe v Kawasaki fixture and some thoughts on the overall state of the top flight at the summer break (16:40 to 30:00).

The gents then shared some opinions on the latest round of big club summer friendlies to hit Japan, with ticket prices at the top of the agenda (30:00 to 40:00).

After that, the boys shifted gears to talk J2, starting with a deep dive on Gunma and Iwata after their 1-1 draw on Sunday evening (40:00 to 51:00), then a more open-ended chat on the state of J2 in general with 15 rounds left to play (51:00 to 01:00:00).

Keeping things moving, Jon and Jonny talked about some of the recent eye-catching J2 transfers that have taken place (01:00:00 to 01:10:00), then previewed the upcoming Round 28 matches (01:10:00 to 01:20:00).

With the Jonnies exhausted, Mike 'The Magic' Innes, took control of the show after that for his regularly-scheduled 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod (01:20:00 to Finish). Mike has all of the reviews from J3 Round 19, plus a look ahead to the upcoming weekend's Round 20 matches.

Thanks for your patience with the slow upload this week - enjoy the episode!

There was yet another action-packed weekend in Japan’s second and third tiers, and the JTET team is here to review it all. In part 1, Jon Steele rounds up 5 games from matchday 26 of J2 (to 12:15), and then James Taylor has the rest of the games in part 2 (to 18:30). After that, Jon gave James the chance to get some Kanazawa issues off his chest as well as talk about Sendai (to 47:25), then the guys discussed some transfer news (to 58:50) before taking a look at the upcoming J2 fixtures (to 1:08:00). Finally, the battles at both ends of the J3 table show no signs of letting up, and Mike Innes is on hand to review matchday 18 and preview the next round of games in J-Talk: Short Corner (to end).

With J-Talk Pod founder Ben Maxwell heading to Australia for a well-earned summer break, Sam Robson and Jonny Nicol took charge of this week's episode: a full and frank review of all of the weekend action from J1.

In Part 1 (Start to 41:30), the boys talk about all of the key moments from the games at the top of the table, then move on to the bottom of the standings in Part 2 (41:30 to Finish).

Sam and Jonny round off with a quick update on podcast scheduling as Japan's top tier takes a 3-week break (to allow for some lucrative friendly matches against touring European clubs).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

After a busy midweek of Emperor's Cup action, Jon Steele looks back over the twelve games from Round 3 that featured a J2 participant.

Jon runs you through four victories for J2 teams against more illustrious opponents from J1, and covers the other eight matches (where J2 teams battled valiantly but were ultimately defeated).

There's also a quick preview of this weekend's J2 action (Round 26 of the season) at the end of the pod!

Hope everyone enjoys - Jon and James Taylor should be back with a full review of the weekend J2 action (plus J3 with Mike Innes in 'J-Talk: Short Corner') next week!

After another exciting weekend of J2 and J3 matches, the JTET boys (OK, men) are back in town to bring you up to speed with all of the major talking points.

To kick things off (sorry), Jon Steele reviews all of the J2 action from a hectic Round 25 slate (Start to 18:30). There's also a preview of the midweek Emperor's Cup ties that have a J2 participant (18:30 to 21:30) - all of those games are being played on Wednesday 12th July.

While Jon adopts the recovery position with the lights off and the air conditioner on, Mike 'The Magic' Innes takes over - he has all the key points from J3 Round 17, plus a look ahead to this weekend's Round 18 fixtures, in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (21:50 to Finish). Mike also has a quick mention for the two J3 sides who will be in Emperor's Cup action this midweek.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and the midweek cup football! Let's keep it Big and Basic.

A matchday that promised so much left us with most of the big questions unanswered following stalemates in the crunch clashes at either end of the table, but still delivered plenty of cracking goals and talking points for us to chew on.

We begin at the Toyota Stadium for the battle of the (then) top two, with both teams taking the lead but then pegged back, Yokohama F.Marinos maintaining their four point buffer over hosts Nagoya (to 14:20), but seeing their lead over (now) second-placed Kobe reduced to three points after Vissel won at Niigata on Friday night. We then round out the top four with Urawa's goalless draw at home against FC Tokyo (to 33:40), before shifting to the foot of the table and the Battle of the Bottom at Hitachidai, and then rounding up the rest of J1 Matchday 20 (to 1:08:05).

We finish the episode with a look ahead to some of the intriguing battles on Wednesday's Emperor's Cup third round slate, and pick out some games to watch in the weekend's Matchday 21.

After a full slate of midweek J2 games, Jon Steele and James Taylor strap in for a 20-minute roundup of all of the key moments from Round 24 of the second-tier season.

First of all, Jon guides you through six of the Wednesday night matches (including victory at last for bottom side Omiya, and a setback for promotion-chasing Tokyo Verdy).

After that, James covers the rest of the midweek thrills and spills, and also previews the Round 25 games coming up this weekend (all fixtures are on Sunday 9th July).

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks for the support for JTET and Big Pod as always!

No time to waste this week! With a full round of J2 fixtures coming up on Wednesday night (5th July), the JTET team has pulled together to bring you a full review of the weekend's action as quickly as possible.

No guest pundit/expert this week due to the quick turnaround, so in Part 1 (Start to 07:15) James Taylor looks back on a pair of J2 games from last midweek, plus half of the weekend slate (including a scare for leaders Machida at home to bottom side Omiya).

In Part 2, Jon Steele (07:15 to 15:00) takes over to run you through the remainder of the weekend J2 games (including a memorable night for Yamagata and Yoshiki Fujimoto in the Michinoku Derby against Sendai), as well previewing all of Wednesday's nights games in Round 24 (from 15:00 to 17:30).

After all that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes takes the reigns for Part 3 - he has all of the latest J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (17:30 to Finish). Mike looks back on a fascinating weekend of J3 games in Round 16, and previews the Round 17 matches coming up next weekend into the bargain.

We're planning to put out a bonus mini-pod later this week to round up all of the midweek J2 action, so please stay tuned for that!

The curtain came down on the Andres Iniesta era at Kobe on Saturday night, and Alan Gibson guests to share his thoughts on Vissel's 1-1 draw with Sapporo (to 17:35) and the overall impact Iniesta had during his time at the Kansai club (to 33:00).

Then in Part 2 we review the rest of J1 Matchday 19, and look ahead to what shapes as a bumper round at both ends of the table this coming weekend.

We’re into the second half of the J2 season, and Jon Steele (part 1, to 10:45) and James Taylor (part 2, to 15:35) have a roundup of all of the matches from matchday 22. Then in part 3, James chats to Garry Irwin about Roasso Kumamoto’s season so far (to 30:50) and then preview the upcoming fixtures (to 33:40). As ever, Mike Innes has all the action from another entertaining round of J3 matches in J-Talk: Short Corner (33:40 to end).

The second half of the J1 season kicked off with plenty of goals and some huge results at both ends of the table.

We begin with Japan's excellent performance against Peru last Tuesday, before beginning our top flight wrap up with Tosu's sweet, sweet revenge away at Shonan on Saturday night.

We then move on to the top three - F.Marinos terrific and Kobe clinical away from home at Hiroshima and Fukuoka respectively, though Nagoya were well below their best in the capital as the f$%&ing new manager bounce worked a treat for FC Tokyo (to 30:00).

Then its Cerezo's unexpected goalfest up in Sapporo, and big home wins for Kyoto and Gamba, before we finish with the two draws.

Fashionably late (or perhaps just in time) this week, JTET brings you up to date with all of the latest J2 & J3 action as usual.

In Part 1 of this episode, James Taylor looks back at the five J2 games played last Saturday (01:40 to 07:00). Then in Part 2, Jon Steele does similar for the four J2 games played on Sunday, as well as a nod to Shimizu & Iwata's Levain Cup games that took place on the same day (07:00 to 15:50).

Part 3 of the show (15:50 to 36:00) is a chat between Jon & special guest Lewis (@illusionofease on Twitter), a Tokyo Verdy supporter. As you might expect, Jon grilled Lewis on how the first half of the season has gone for the green half of Tokyo, and the boys also talked about what the rest of the 2023 campaign might bring. Lewis also helped Jon to preview all of the weekend J2 fixtures (Round 22) as well (36:00 to 45:40).

As usual, Part 4 (45:40 to Finish) is a must for J3 lovers, as Mike 'The Magic' Innes covers all of the latest J3 news (including one of the most amazing penalty awards of all time in the Fujieda v YSCC game).

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks for your patience again this week!

Its that time of year again, after a week's worth of polls, Jonny Nicol made a triumphant return to the pod to help us construct the J-Talk J1 Team of the (Half) Season.

We begin with a brief review of Japan's cruise over El Salvador (to 10:00), and a check on the Levain Cup quarter finalists (to 18:15), before discussing the managerial change at FC Tokyo (to 30:35) and the revival at Gamba Osaka plus some of the other first half of the season surprises (to 49:30).

Then we run through the poll results and pick our best XI through Matchday 17.

After another hectic J.League week (and a bit later than scheduled), a new JTET episode is turned loose on an unsuspecting and ill-prepared populace!

In Parts 1 and 2, James Taylor and Jon Steele take turns to review all of last weekend's J2 action (Round 20 of the season) - you'll hear James from 01:45 to 05:30 with 5 of the Round 20 matches, and Jon from 05:30 to 17:00 with the rest.

Then in Part 3, Jon sat down with special guest (and Omiya supporter) Steve Fryer (@ardija01talk on Twitter) for a deep dive into how the season has been going for the orange side of Saitama in 2023 (spoilers: not that well so far!).

Jon and Steve talked all things Omiya from 17:15 to 49:00, then worked together to preview the upcoming weekend's J2 fixtures (Round 21) from 49:00 to 01:05:00.

In serious danger of J2 overkill, Part 4 sees the ever-reliable Mike 'The Magic' Innes switch things up with the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod.

Mike covers all of last weekend's J3 action (Round 13), and previews the upcoming Round 14, from 01:05:00 to the end of the show.

Thanks to everyone for the support, and your patience with the slow upload this week (real life got a bit too real for everyone this week)!

The 2023 J1 season reached its halfway point on the weekend, and it was all change at the top, as defending champions Yokohama F.Marinos returned to the summit for the first time since Matchday 2 after they won an all-timer at home against Kashiwa, and long time leaders Kobe slipped to third after losing in ridiculous fashion at the death to Cerezo Osaka. Those games, plus Nagoya moving back up to second with their win over Fukuoka, lead off the episode (to 34:05).

Then we cover 1-0 home wins for Kawasaki and Kashima, 3-1 triumphs for Kyoto and Gamba Osaka, and the two draws to round out the podcast.

After a hectic midweek of Emperor's Cup action, the JTET team are back for a special mini-pod to review the matches that had J2 and J3 participants involved.

In Part 1 (Start to 06:00), Jon Steele looks at a pair of ties that pitted a J2 side against JFL opposition (with contrasting fortunes), and a trio of all-J2 clashes.

In Part 2 (06:00 to 09:00), James Taylor has 5 more J2-on-J2 matches in review, including a 5-goal thriller for Kanazawa in their tie against high-flying Machida.

James also runs you through all of this weekend's J2 fixtures (Round 20 of the season).

Part 3 (09:00 to Finish) is a J-Talk: Short Corner special, with Mike 'The Magic' Innes reporting on 8 fixtures that involved a J3 side on Wednesday night.

Mike also has a full preview of this weekend's J3 slate (Round 13 of the season).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

With one eye on this midweek's Emperor's Cup action, the JTET crew are back to run you through all of the important business from last weekend in J2 and J3.

In Part 1, James Taylor covers six of the J2 matches from Round 19 (Start to 05:35), while Jon Steele covers the remaining six games in Part 2 (05:35 to 12:50) - there's also a preview of all of the Emperor's Cup Round 2 matches that have a J2 element in this section (12:50 to 15:20).

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes has his regular J3 reportage in the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment (15:20 to Finish), covering all of the third-tier action from the weekend, and looking ahead to all of the midweek Emperor's Cup ties that have a J3 participant involved.

Hope everyone enjoys the stripped-down pod this week - we are aiming to put out a bonus Emperor's Cup review episode before the weekend as well!

We lead this episode with a modern day J.League classic under the lights at Hitachidai on Saturday night, when visiting Sapporo triumphed 5-4 over Kashiwa (to 16:20), before welcoming Sean Galbraith back to the pod to discuss Yokohama F.Marinos winning away at FC Tokyo earlier on Saturday (to 45:00) and Ange Postecoglou's move to Tottenham - will the Australian take any of his Celtic Japanese contingent with him to London, and what does the move mean for other Japanese players eyeing a move to Scotland (to 1:02:05)?

Finally in Part 3 we review the rest of the weekend's top flight action, and look ahead to the weekend when we'll wrap up the first half of the season.

After another bustling weekend of lower-league J-football action, the JTET crew are back to review all of the big talking points (and some of the minor ones).

In Part 1 (Start to 13:15), Jon Steele looks back at the recent Levain Cup games involving J2 representatives Iwata and Shimizu, and some of the J2 Round 18 action from last weekend.

In Part 2 (13:25 to 16:30), James Taylor is on the mic to cover all of the other J2 games from Round 18.

Then in Part 3, Jon and James chatted about some of the big games from the J2 matchday, including Kofu 5-1 Omiya (16:30 to 26:00), Tokushima v Machida (26:00 to 36:10), and Nagasaki v Iwata (36:10 to 47:00).

The boys (who are actually grown men in their late thirties) then previewed all of the upcoming Round 19 action for this weekend (47:00 to 56:50).

Bringing up the rear, Part 4 sees Mike 'The Magic' Innes take control for the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod (56:50 to Finish) - Mike has all of the news from a jam-packed Round 11 in J3, plus a look ahead to Round 12 coming up this weekend.

Thanks for all of the support for JTET and The J-Talk Podcast - enjoy the show!

We had the great pleasure of welcoming Sean Carroll back to the pod for his first appearance of the 2023 J1 season, to chat about the Japan squad for upcoming friendlies against El Salvador and Peru, all of the games from J1 Matchday 15, and some bigger picture topics in the top flight.

Our J1 review begins at the top this week with convincing wins for Kobe and Yokohama F.Marinos, and runs through to Gamba Osaka and Kawasaki perhaps turning a corner with victories as they look to push up the table.

The well-oiled machine that is the JTET team of James Taylor, Jon Steele and Mike Innes are back to review the latest action in J2 and the Emperor’s Cup. In part 1, James goes through 5 J2 games from round 17 (start to 05:40), and in part 2 Jon covers the other 6 (05:40 to 17:55). In part 3, James and Jon discussed 4 games in detail: Machida v Shimizu (17:55 to 26:45), Okayama v Gunma (26:45 to 34:00), Yamaguchi v Tokyo Verdy (34:00 to 41:15), and Mito v Kumamoto (41:15 to 51:00). They also took a quick look ahead to the round 18 fixtures (51:00 to 59:05). In J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes takes a look at the fortunes of J3 teams in the first round of the Emperor’s Cup (59:05 to end).

We begin our review of the weekend's top flight action at the foot of the table, as defending champions Yokohama F.Marinos (and the officials) piled on the agony for cellar dwellers Gamba Osaka, who now find themselves four points adrift at the bottom after a 2-0 home defeat (to 18:40), then its happier times for Yokohama FC, and Manny Padovan returns following the Fulie's third win in four, Saturday's 2-1 Kanagawa derby win over Kawasaki their first ever against Frontale (to 39:50).

Then we run through the other games from J1 Matchday 14, including Shonan's struggles and Sapporo's surge continuing against Cerezo and Kyoto respectively, and some more comedy own goals, before we finish with some picks from the coming round of games.

Just in time for the weekend, Jon Steele and James Taylor review all of the key moments from a full round of midweek J2 games (played on Wednesday this week).

In Part 1, Jon runs you through six of the midweek matches, including a very pleasant afternoon for Yamagata, and what proved to be Naoki Soma's last game in charge of Omiya.

In Part 2, James covers the rest of the Round 16 action, including another win for imperious-looking Machida, and a silly penalty run-up in the Fujieda v Iwata match.

James also casts a keen eye over the upcoming Round 17 fixtures (all on Sunday 21st May).

Hope everyone enjoys this midweek mini-pod - we'll be back with a 'regular' JTET installment next week!

After another busy weekend of J2 and J3 matches, the JTET team whirrs back into action to bring you up to speed with all of the major talking points from Japan's second and third tiers.

On a J2 tip, James Taylor and Jon Steele join forces to cover all of the Round 15 action (Start to 14:30), and Jon sticks around to preview the upcoming Round 16 slate (14:30 to 17:20) - with all of the Round 16 games coming up on Wednesday this week, there's no time for any punditry this time!

To sate your J3 needs, Mike 'Die Mensch-Maschine' Innes has all of the latest news from the third tier in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (17:20 to Finish).

James and Jon will return later this week to round up all of the midweek J2 action, and we should be back with a full-featured, punditry-focused pod next week!

Enjoy the midweek games, and thanks for all the support!

The J.League celebrated its 30 Year Anniversary on Monday, and Alan Gibson was the only guest we could call on to reminisce on the tremendous history of the professional game in Japan.

In Part 1 we discuss how far the league has come in 30 years, and what could be done to take it forward in the years to come, before running through the winners of the 'J30 Best Awards' (to 46:22).

Then we turn to matters on the pitch in Part 2. Alan chats about how Kobe have managed to turn things around after last season's struggles, and now top the table by five points after Saturday's win over Hiroshima, before turning to Gamba Osaka, who sunk to the foot of the table after Sunday's reverse at Urawa, before finishing with a state of the union address on J.League officiating (to 1:21:20).

Then in Part 3 we roundup the other seven games from J1 Matchday 13, including the two showpiece games at the National Stadium, and Yokohama FC hauling themselves out of the cellar.

In an attempt to recover from a hectic Golden Week on and off the pitch, Jon Steele and James Taylor met for a review of J2 matchday 14 and a chat about the state of the league so far. In part 1, Jon reviews 5 games (start to 13:10), and in part 2 James takes care of the other 6 games (13:10 to 20:15). In part 3 they worked their way down the J2 table, with some in-depth discussion of Gunma (to 30:10), Kofu (to 35:20), Iwata (to 39:10), Mito (to 44:10), Yamaguchi (to 52:30), and Omiya (to 1:04:40), plus brief comments on other teams along the way. They also previewed the derby-filled round 15 fixtures (to 1:12:10). In J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes rounds up the qualifiers for the Emperor’s Cup involving J3 teams (to 1:20:25) and looks ahead to round 10 of the league campaign (1:20:25 to end).

Oops, they did it again! Urawa claimed the third ACL title in their history with a 2-1 aggregate triumph in the Final over Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, and Ralf Seidl returns to the pod to give us a taste of the atmosphere of the second leg at a rollicking Saitama Stadium (to 23:50).

Then we shift our attention to the eight games played in J1 Matchday 12 over the weekend, with several teams wrapping up a very 'Golden' Week. Others... not so much.

Phew, that was a hectic 'holiday' period (especially on the J.League beat)!

To help everyone catch up with a breathless midweek of J2 and J3 action, JTET is back and banging with Jon Steele and Mike Innes at the controls.

First of all, Jon looks back at the Wednesday afternoon J2 matches, comprising Round 13 of the season (Start to 15:15).

There's also a brief-but-hopefully-useful preview of this Sunday's Round 14 games too (15:15 to 17:30).

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes has the J3 lowdown from a busy Wednesday and Thursday programme, which made up Round 9 of the third tier season (18:00 to 24:00).

Mike also casts his forensic eye over this weekend's Emperor's Cup qualifying matches that involve J3 teams (24:00 to Finish).

We hope everyone had a nice Golden Week break, and enjoys this mini-pod!

JTET will be back again (with a 'regular' episode) next week.

Reds get the result they were after in Saudi Arabia, sleeping giants rouse from their slumber, movement in the top flight top four, and the rest of the J1 matchday - it's all in our new pod.

We begin with Urawa's battling draw away at Al Hilal in the first leg of the ACL Final, leaving it all to play for at Saitama Stadium this Saturday night (to 10:00), then move on to convincing wins on Saturday - that took them both out of the bottom six - for Kashima and Kawasaki (to 27:35).

Next its on to the top four, with Kobe still top of the pile, and Hiroshima now their closest challengers after the draw at the Nissan Stadium (to 45:00), before we finish with wins for FC Tokyo and Sapporo, and the draw between Kashiwa and Kyoto.

With the busy Golden Week fixture schedule upon us, Jon Steele and Mike 'The Magic' Innes guide you through all of the thrills and spills from last weekend in J2 and J3.

First off, Jon covers all of the J2 action from Round 12 (Start to 16:45), and previews the full program of midweek games in Round 13 (16:45 to 19:20).

After that, Mike takes control for 'J-Talk: Short Corner' to cover a very exciting set of J3 games from Round 8 (19:20 to 37:00), and to give us all a heads-up on the midweek fixtures in Round 9 (37:00 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the round-ups, and the Golden Week holidays - we'll back to review all of the midweek action soon!

Jon Steele and James Taylor teamed up to review J2 matchday 11. In part 1, Jon covers Levain Cup matches featuring Shimizu and Iwata and Saturday’s league games, and in part 2 James rounds up Sunday’s games. In part 3 they discussed 3 games in detail: Nagasaki v Akita, Fujieda v Sendai, and Tochigi v Iwaki, and looked ahead to the start of the busy Golden Week football schedule. Then in J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes has details of J3 teams who were involved in qualifiers for the Emperor’s Cup and a preview of J3 round 8.

00:00 to 14:30 Jon’s roundup

14:30 to 20:00 James’ roundup

20:00 to 29:35 Nagasaki v Akita

29:35 to 39:20 Fujieda v Sendai

39:20 to 49:50 Tochigi v Iwaki

49:50 to 58:25 Matchday 12 preview

58:25 to end J-Talk: Short Corner (Mike)

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Ryo Nakagawara on for his J-Talk debut, to chat about the two games he attended in the Kansai region over the weekend, as well as FC Tokyo's win away at Hiroshima.

First up is the huge clash at the Noevir Stadium on Saturday night, which saw Yokohama F.Marinos come out on top against leaders Kobe (to 32:20), then Gamba Osaka's draw with Yokohama FC on Sunday (to 51:10), before we finish up with Ryo on the Tokyo win, and how the capital club are traveling under Albert Puig (to 1:09:25).

Then in Part 2 we cover the rest of the J1 Matchday 9 games, including some of nuttiest VAR stuff you've ever seen.

James Taylor and Jon Steele joined forces to bring you all the action from J2 matchday 10. In part 1, James rounds up 6 matches, and in part 2 Jon takes care of the other 5. In part 3 there’s analysis of both ends of the table: Machida v Oita, Tokushima v Nagasaki, and Yamagata v Kanazawa, and a preview of matchday 11. Then, Mike Innes guides you through another action-packed round of J3 in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00 to 07:40 James’ roundup

07:40 to 18:35 Jon’s roundup

18:35 to 27:30 Machida v Oita

27:30 to 38:45 Tokushima v Nagasaki

38:45 to 50:40 Yamagata v Kanazawa

50:40 to 1:00:10 Matchday 11 preview

1:00:10 to end J-Talk: Short Corner (Mike)

Goals galore, and some absolute humdingers amongst them, Saturday's top flight matchday had the lot, and Ralf Seidl guests in Part 1 to chat about Urawa's big win at home over Sapporo, Maciej Skorza hitting the ground running in the Saitama Stadium dugout (that he was finally able to sit in on Saturday), and the upcoming ACL Final vs Al Hilal (to 27:00).

Then we cover Kobe's crushing of Kashima, and Nagoya and Hiroshima keeping pace with the leaders with away wins of their own (to 48:10), before we sweep through the rest of the round, and look ahead to the weekend's Matchday 9.

After a full round of midweek J2 games, James Taylor and Jon Steele divide and conquer to bring you up to speed with all of the Wednesday night action.

To start, James guides you through 5 of the midweek games, before Jon covers the remaining 6 matches (including a change at the top with Oita leapfrogging Machida).

There's also a quick preview of the upcoming Round 10 fixtures (all on Sunday this week, including possibly the biggest fixture of the season so far), and a mention for Iwata and Shimizu's Levain Cup commitments next midweek.

Thank you for all of your support for JTET, and The J-Talk Podcast!

We'll be back to review the Round 10 news next week, along with all of the latest J3 updates from Mike Innes in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

In this brief but jam-packed episode, Jon Steele (start to 11:30) and James Taylor (11:30 to 18:45) review the action from J2 matchday 8 and last week’s Levain Cup matches involving J2 teams. Then, Mike Innes takes you through J3 matchday 6 in J-Talk: Short Corner (18:45 to end).

There’s no guest this week due to the midweek J2 round, but Jon and James will be back later in the week with a full roundup of those games.

Thanks as ever to Patreon subscribers and all listeners.

Dan Orlowitz from The Japan Times guests in Part 1 of this episode, after another big top flight weekend.

We begin with first wins of the season for Gamba Osaka and Kashiwa, with warning signs flashing for their conquered opposition, Kawasaki and Kashima, respectively, before we move on to Yokohama F.Marinos' big win in the Yokohama derby, and FC Tokyo's draw with Shonan, while in amongst it all we get Dan's thoughts on a number of bigger picture J.League and Samurai Blue topics (to 54:10).

In Part 2 we cover the goalless draws at Kobe and Nagoya, then move on to wins for Fukuoka and Hiroshima, who sit joint-3rd in the table, and finish with a positive result for Jekyll and Hyde Sapporo.

JTET is back with another packed review of J2 and J3 action, including a 'live' (face-to-face) guest chat for the very first time!

In Part 1 (Start to 08:15), Jon Steele looks back on the 5 games played in J2 last Saturday in Round 7, while James Taylor does the same for the Sunday fixtures in Part 2 (08:20 to 14:40).

After that, Jon Steele had the unmissable chance to take Kanazawa superfan Victor Arroyo to karaoke, where he picked his brains on a range of J2 topics for Part 3. The boys started with a Kanazawa special (14:45 to 27:30), then discussed the recent sackings of Shimizu boss Ze Ricardo and Yamagata's Australian manager Peter Cklamovski (27:30 to 36:30).

Jon and Victor then took a look ahead to a very exciting slate of J2 fixtures coming up this weekend in Round 8 (36:30 to 42:30).

To wrap things up, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on hand to take you through all of the big stories from Round 3 in J3, and to look ahead to Round 6, in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (42:30 to Finish).

*You can find Victor on Twitter @JFootballAnaly1 - thanks for taking time out of your vacation to chat to us, Victor!

J1 returned after the international break with a brilliant round of matches stacked with talking points.

Our first guest is Chris from J.League Journeys after he and his cohort Lolo headed up to Kashima to see Hiroshima stun Antlers in the last five minutes, and then hung with the Sanfrecce players in the convenience store for a while afterwards (to 20:25).

Next we round up comfortable victories for Kobe, Nagoya and Urawa (to 36:35), before Yokohama FC correspondent Manny Padovan guests after the Sky Blues drew at home with Fukuoka (to 54:25).

In Part 4 we run through the final four games, including that instant classic up at the Sapporo Dome, and Shuto Machino single-handedly putting Gamba Osaka and former teammate Kosei Tani to the sword.

Later than usual this week (due to school holidays - apologies!), the JTET team bring you up to date with another packed week of J2 and J3 action.

In Part 1 (Start to 08:20), James Taylor looks back at all of the J2 action from last Saturday, when six of the Round 6 matches took place. He also casts his discerning gaze over Iwata's game against Sapporo in the Levain Cup.

Then in Part 2 (08:20 to 22:00), Jon Steele covers the rest of the J2 games from Round 6 - three matches from Sunday (plus Urawa v Shimizu in the Levain Cup), and the two Wednesday night games (including a shock home defeat for Shimizu against an impressive Gunma). Jon also takes a brief look at the J2 games on the weekend slate for Round 7.

As usual, Mike 'The Magic' Innes brings us home with 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (22:00 to Finish), reviewing all of the J3 talking points from a very busy Round 4, as well as previewing Round 5.

No guest this week, due to spring holiday scheduling issues, but normal service (alright, as normal as it gets around here) will resume next episode!

Japan got their year started with a couple of friendlies against South American opposition, and while a number of players performed well across the two games, we were left with familiar questions about personnel and formation.

We chat Samurai Blue to 34:15, then look ahead to the return of J1, with a terrific slate of games coming up in Matchday 6.

After some sterling work on the main 'J-Talk Podcast' this season, we were finally able to book J.League expert Jonny Nicol (@BlogGamba) for a JTET appearance this week!

The episode begins with Jon Steele and James Taylor teaming up to review all of the match action from the Round 5 games played in J2 last weekend (Start to 16:40).

After that, Jon sat down with Jonny for the first 'Two Jonnies' chat of 2023, with in-depth discussion of Iwata v Shimizu (16:50 to 27:40) and Oita v JEF Chiba (27:40 to 36:50).

Keenly aware that it could be some time before we're able to pick Jonny's brains on a J2 tip again, Jon pressed him for some overall thoughts on the state of the second tier as well (36:50 to 50:40) - Tochigi supporters might want to skip this bit.

Jonny then exacted instant revenge by asking Jon about which J2 players could find themselves on the fringes of the Japan national team squad this time next year (50:40 to 01:00:15).

To finish off the chat, the Jonnies previewed the upcoming J2 games in Round 6, with a pair of Levain Cup matches for Iwata and Shimizu thrown in for good measure (01:00:15 to 01:09:35).

After all that, the pod concludes, as ever, with another superb edition of 'J-Talk: Short Corner' from Mike 'The Magic Innes' (01:09:35 to Finish) - Mike talks us through a fascinating weekend of action in J3 (Round 3), and looks ahead to the Round 4 games coming up soon.

Hope everyone enjoys the episode - arigato gozaimasu to all guests, contributors, and listeners!

With no teams winning for the first time this season in the weekend's Matchday 5, we begin this episode by chatting about the three hottest teams in J1 - Urawa and Kyoto making it three straight wins over Niigata and Yokohama FC respectively, and Fukuoka now four unbeaten after their late, late show at home over Shonan (to 22:35).

In Part 2 we cover the one-sided wins for Hiroshima and Kobe, and Yokohama F.Marinos' home victory over Kashima that featured another nomination for own goal of the month (to 41:20), before we finish the J1 wrap with the three draws (to 59:15) and then have an extended discussion on Hajime Moriyasu's first post-World Cup squad.

James Taylor and Jon Steele are back together for a review of J2 matchday 4. Part 1 sees James’ review of Shimizu and Iwata in Levain Cup action and the J2 Saturday matches, and part 2 has Jon’s roundup of Sunday’s matches. In part 3 James and Jon talked about Yamaguchi v Kumamoto, Shimizu v Oita and Sendai v Iwaki, then took a quick look ahead to round 5. Mike Innes describes all the action from round 2 of J3 in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00 to 06:05 Levain Cup & Saturday roundup (James)

06:05 to 17:25 Sunday roundup (Jon)

17:25 to 23:45 Yamaguchi v Kumamoto

23:45 to 29:05 Shimizu v Oita

29:05 to 35:20 Sendai v Iwaki

35:20 to 42:05 Matchday 4 preview

42:05 to end J-Talk: Short Corner (Mike)

Jonny Nicol returned to the pod for a full rundown of J1 Matchday 4, beginning with Gamba Osaka's heartbreaking late loss to Hiroshima, who notched their first win of the season. Then we move on to Sapporo and Cerezo Osaka, who also tasted victory for the first time in the new top flight campaign (to 32:25).

Next Nagoya and Niigata continued their fine starts to the season, Urawa and Kyoto won for the second straight week, FC Tokyo bounced back from their miserable showing in Kyoto, and we finish with the lone draw on the Matchday 4 slate, a goalless affair up in Kashima.

Once again, the JTET crew are here to look back on a busy weekend of J2 and J3 action.

In Part 1, Jon Steele picks over the key points from Saturday's J2 matches (Start to 07:00), before James Taylor does similar for the Sunday fixtures in Part 2 (07:00 to 13:15).

After that, Jon sat down with brand new guest Lewis to discuss Tokyo Verdy's mixed start to 2023 (13:15 to 36:30), and the boys also previewed the forthcoming Round 4 matches (36:30 to 43:00) - there's also a very brief mention for Shimizu and Iwata's Levain Cup campaigns, which get underway this midweek.

To round off the episode, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is back and banging in his 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod (43:00 to Finish) - Mike has the lowdown on a thrilling opening round of J3 fixtures, as well as a preview of Round 2.

Hope everyone enjoys the show - you can find Lewis on Twitter @illusionofease!

J1 Matchday 3 wasn't quite as eventful as its two predecessors, but with two big derbies on the slate there was never going to be a shortage of talking points.

In Part 1 of this episode (to 32:40) Alan Gibson from JSoccer Magazine joins to chat about Kobe maintaining their perfect start to the season as they swept to victory over Gamba Osaka in the Kansai Derby.

In Part 2 we cover first victories of the season for Urawa, Kyoto and Tosu (to 51:45), then Kashima and Fukuoka making it two wins from three (to 1:05:25), before we chat about the three draws from the weekend, and look ahead to J1 Matchday 4.

James Taylor and Jon Steele teamed up to talk about round 2 of the J2 season. In part 1 James reviews the Saturday matches, and in part 2 Jon takes you through Sunday’s games. In part 3 James and Jon discuss JEF United v Yamagata, Fujieda v Nagasaki and Machida v Gunma, then preview the fixtures in round 3.

00:00 to 05:40 Saturday roundup (James)

05:40 to 16:05 Sunday roundup (Jon)

16:05 to 22:40 JEF United v Yamagata

22:40 to 30:40 Fujieda v Nagasaki

30:40 to 36:10 Machida v Gunma

36:10 to end Matchday 3 preview

We all thought the madness of J1 Matchday 1 would take some topping, well, the second round kicked off on Friday night, and Shonan vs Yokohama FC set the tone for another incredible top flight matchday.

We begin our roundup with the three teams who won for the first time this season: Kawasaki, in that epic VAR-controversy-laden encounter up in Kashima; Niigata, who turned on the style in Hiroshima; and Fukuoka, who left it late at home against Cerezo Osaka (to 32:50).

In Part 2 we chat about the three teams a perfect two wins from two: Yokohama F.Marinos, Kobe and Nagoya (to 48:55), and then finish with the three draws, including the fantastic Kanagawa derby that got the matchday rolling on Friday Night Football.

With the new J3 season kicking off this weekend, Mike 'The Magic' Innes (venerated creator and host of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod) is back with a fourth and final in-depth preview episode, bringing us up to speed with the five remaining clubs in the third tier for 2023.

Mike also cast his expert eye over the opening weekend's fixtures in his Round 1 Preview.

Thank you for all of the listener questions for this one - hope everyone enjoys the episode, and the brand spanking new J3 campaign!

Timecodes:

01:10 to 05:00 - Ehime FC

05:00 to 08:30 - Giravanz Kitakyushu

08:35 to 12:10 - Tegevajaro Miyazaki

12:10 to 15:55 - Kagoshima United

16:00 to 19:30 - FC Ryukyu

20:30 to Finish - J3 Round 1 Preview

The 2023 J2 season finally got underway last weekend, so James Taylor and Jon Steele joined forces to review all the action and discuss some of the main talking points from the opening round. First, James rounded up Saturday’s games, then Jon did the same for Sunday. After that, James and Jon talked about Iwaki v Fujieda, Iwata v Okayama, and Tokushima v Oita, before finishing the episode with a brief look ahead to round 2.

00:00 to 09:10 Saturday roundup (James)

09:10 to 17:00 Sunday roundup (Jon)

17:00 to 24:15 Iwaki v Fujieda

24:15 to 33:00 Iwata v Okayama

33:00 to 42:50 Tokushima v Oita

42:50 to end Matchday 2 preview

The new top flight season kicked off on Friday night, and Stuart Woodward and Alex Bishop guest to help us round it all up.

We begin with surprise leaders Shonan, who rode a Yuki Ohashi hat trick to a VAR-assisted 5-1 away thumping of Tosu (to 13:45), before Stuart hops on board to chat about Yokohama F.Marinos's victory in the battle of last season's top two (to 34:30).

Then Alex joins to discuss FC Tokyo's victory over Urawa (to 49:50), before we wrap up wins for Kashima, Nagoya and Kobe (to 1:06:40) and finish with the three draws from Saturday, and look ahead to the Matchday 2 slate.

With the new J3 season hurtling towards us, Mike 'The Magic' Innes (host of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod) continue his in-depth previews of each team in the third tier for 2023.

In Part C, Mike turns the glare of his forensic gaze onto both newly-promoted teams, a pair of perennial strugglers at the wrong end of the table, and an upwardly-mobile outfit who will start the season in a brand spanking new stadium (next door to the old one).

Thank you for all of the listener questions - keep them coming for Part D!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:40 - FC Osaka

04:40 to 08:20 - Nara Club

08:20 to 12:00 - Gainare Tottori

12:05 to 15:30 - Kamatamare Sanuki

15:30 to Finish - FC Imabari

FC Tokyo manager Albert Puig returns to Kai-Guys Radio, and talks to Thomas and Alex about the challenges of changing the culture of the capital club in his first season, and the mentality of Japanese players, before reflecting on Japan's performances at the World Cup.

On the eve of a brand spanking new J2 season, the JTET machine is back in action to complete their preview of the upcoming campaign.

In this episode, Jon Steele and James Taylor run the rule over the J2 clubs based in southwest Japan and Kyushu, with help from club-specific correspondents Victor Arroyo (Kanazawa), Daniel Kuroda (Nagasaki), and Garry Irwin(Kumamoto).

The boys (men) then reviewed some of the best J2 club slogans for 2023, and looked ahead to some of the key weekend fixtures in a Round 1 preview.

To finish off our preseason preparations, Jon added a quick review of Kofu's big day out at Kokuritsu Kyogijo for their Super Cup match against Yokohama Marinos, while mentioning some other eye-catching friendly results for J2 sides who took on J1 opposition.

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and the season ahead!

Timecodes:

01:35 to 08:15 - Fagiano Okayama

08:15 to 17:00 - Tokushima Vortis

17:00 - 30:35 - Zweigen Kanazawa

30:35 to 37:40 - Renofa Yamaguchi

37:40 to 46:15 - Oita Trinita

46:30 to 56:35 - V-Varen Nagasaki

56:35 to 01:03:45 - Roasso Kumamoto

01:03:45 to 01:11:00 - J2 Team Slogan Roundup

01:11:00 to 01:16:20 - J2 Round 1 Preview

01:16:25 to Finish - Super Cup & Preseason Friendly Roundup

*To aid with your enjoyment, here are the questions that we asked our correspondents to think about when recording their preview segments...

1) What do you think of the new signings that your team has made, and who will be the most important in 2023?

2) What do you think about the departures from your team this winter, and which player departure are you most disappointed by?

3) If your team has a new manager, are you happy with the appointment? (If your team has the same manager, are you comfortable with them?)

4) Where do you think your team will finish this season? (Head & heart!)

5) What are you most looking forward to in J2 overall this year (this could be related to your team, or the division in general)?

*You can follow our contributors on Twitter here:

Victor Arroyo - @JFootballAnaly1

Daniel Kuroda - @NagaSapo_EN

Garry Irwin - @GarryIrwin

We wrap up our previews with the final two teams, with the help of some special guests.

In Part 1, after a brief review of Saturday's Super Cup, we welcome first time guest Manny Padovan to chat about Yokohama FC, who returned to the top flight at the first time of asking in 2022. Has their busy offseason in the transfer market steered them in the right direction, and can they defy expectations by surviving in J1 (to 34:55)?

Then in Part 2, Pratik, Tony and Stuart from the Tricolore Pridecast give us their rundown of defending champions F.Marinos. Can they cover for some key departures and maintain their spot at the sharp end of the table?

Finally, your co-hosts give their thoughts on some F.Marinos players to watch (to 1:06:30), before previewing some of the big games kicking off the season in Matchday 1.

We look ahead to the new top flight season for FC Tokyo, Shonan and Kawasaki.

In Part 1 Alex Bishop from FC Tokyo Kai-Guys presents a thorough preview of the capital club in a solo Kai-Guys mini-pod, before your hosts give some brief thoughts and a couple of Tokyo players to watch (to 28:25).

Then in Part 2 we discuss Shonan: Can they follow-up last season's 12th-placed finish, how long can they hang on to Shuto Machino, and is Song Bum-keun the signing of the season (to 47:00)?

And finally, Neil Debnam returns to the pod to discuss the departure of Shogo Taniguchi, a potential change in formation by manager Toru Oniki, and the season ahead for Kawasaki.

Mike 'The Magic' Innes, firm but fair supremo of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod, continues his J3 season preview series with a look at five more sides who will be battling it out in Japan's third tier over the forthcoming campaign.

As usual, in-depth analysis awaits!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:20 - Nagano Parceiro

04:20 to 07:20 - Matsumoto Yamaga

07:20 to 10:15 - Kataller Toyama

10:20 to 13:45 - Azul Claro Numazu

13:45 to 16:50 - FC Gifu

Parts C and D are coming soon - in the meantime, be sure to follow Mike on Twitter @GoGoOmiyaArdija!

As we edge closer to the start of the new J1 season, we wrap up our third week of previews by discussing Nagoya and Hiroshima.

Grampus are first cab off the rank in this episode: After an underwhelming first season in charge for Kenta Hasegawa, a lot hinges on loanee Kasper Junker's performance, fitness and attitude - could his goals spur Nagoya up the table, or will he clash with Hasegawa as he did with his former boss at Urawa (to 34:00)?

Then Sanfrecce look to kick on after a stirring rise up the table under Michael Skibbe. With a seemingly settled, deep and versatile squad, can Hiroshima swat aside talk of regression and be genuine title contenders this season?

With the new J3 season kicking off on March 4th, it's time to start previewing the 20 clubs that will be battling it out in Japan's third tier in 2023.

In a 'J-Talk: Short Corner' takeover, Mike 'The Magic' Innes will be running the rule over the division in a series of 4 preview mini-pods, taking a forensic look at 5 teams in each episode.

In Part A, it's Hachinohe, Iwate, Fukushima, YSCC, & Sagamihara that find themselves under the Mike-roscope (I'm bringing this pun back for increased validation that it's actually funny and clever).

Hope everyone enjoys the episode - the remaining 3 parts are on the way!

Timecodes:

01:00 to 04:30 - Vanraure Hachinohe

04:30 to 07:50 - Iwate Grulla Morioka

07:50 to 11:20 - Fukushima United

11:20 to 14:40 - YSCC

14:40 to 18:00 - SC Sagamihara

The J-Talk Podcast reaches 450 episodes with first-time guest Daniel Hawkins joining the pod to chat about Fukuoka, who suffered through a pretty severe case of second season syndrome in 2022, but could their rally out of danger at the end of last season auger well for this go-round, and how much of an impact will their new signings make (to 30:20)?

Then J1's great survivors, Tosu, are on the docket, fresh from defying more pessimistic expectations, and looking to maintain their midtable status. It happens season after season, so which youngsters will come to the fore in 2023 and thrive in second year manager Kenta Kawai's system?

With the new J.League season fast approaching, Jon Steele and James Taylor (plus some very special guests) continue their preview of the second tier for 2023.

In this episode, the focus is on a quartet of clubs from the Tohoku region (Akita, Yamagata, Iwaki, and Sendai), as well as a triumvirate of teams from Shizuoka (Fujieda, Iwata, and Shimizu).

Special thanks to Martin Spivey (@bantam84) for his Akita preview, and to 'new signing' Fin (@VegaltaPotter) for his thoughts on Sendai!

Part 3 of the big JTET J2 Season Preview is coming soon!

Timecodes:

02:00 to 17:45 - Blaublitz Akita (from Martin Spivey)

18:50 to 26:45 - Montedio Yamagata

26:45 to 33:30 - Iwaki FC

33:40 to 41:20 - Vegalta Sendai (from Fin)

41:20 to 49:10 - Fujieda MYFC

49:10 to 55:40 - Jubilo Iwata

55:40 to 01:02:00 - Shimizu S-Pulse

Three more clubs go under the microscope in Part 2B of our J1 Season Previews with guest Jonny Nicol (though he's basically part of the furniture these days).

In Part 1 (to 27:40) we chat about one of the league's great entertainers (both for good and bad reasons), Sapporo.

In Part 2 (to 48:40) we cover the welcome return to J1 of second tier champions, Niigata.

And finally on this episode, we discuss last season's surprise packets, Kashiwa.

After a short (and cold) winter break, Jon Steele & James Taylor kick off their J2 season previews with a focus on 8 clubs in the Greater Kanto area (with help from special guests)!

Timecodes:

02:00 to 09:30 - Machida Zelvia

09:50 to 16:05 - Tokyo Verdy with Lewis (@illusionofease on Twitter)

16:05 to 22:30 - JEF United Chiba

22:55 to 52:20 - Omiya Ardija with Jon & Steve Fryer (@ardija01talk on Twitter)

52:20 to 58:50 - Thespa Kusatsu Gunma

58:50 to 01:05:00 - Mito Hollyhock

01:05:00 to 01:11:35 - Tochigi with Matt Bruce (@MatthewDBruce on Twitter)

01:11:35 to Finish - Ventforet Kofu

We asked our club correspondents to keep these questions in mind when recording their segments...

1) What do you think of the new signings that your team has made, and who will be the most important in 2023?

2) What do you think about the departures from your team this winter, and which player departure are you most disappointed by?

3) If your team has a new manager, are you happy with the appointment? (If your team has the same manager, are you comfortable with them?)

4) Where do you think your team will finish this season? (Head & heart!)

5) What are you most looking forward to in J2 overall this year (this could be related to your team, or the division in general)?

Hope everyone enjoys Part 1 - the other season preview episodes are coming up soon!

This week's five club preview is split into two separate pods, with two of the league's heaviest hitters featured first.

In Part 1 Ralf Seidl guests to chat about Urawa's 2022 campaign, their ins and outs in the transfer market, and expectations for the new season under (yet another) new manager, Maciej Skorza, plus some ones to watch in 2023 (to 32:50).

Then another giant, Kashima, the most successful club in the history of the J.League, are put under the microscope. After 2022 started so promisingly, the season petered out, so what can Daiki Iwamasa do to get Antlers back in title contention (leave, according to Sam!)?

Check out Jonny's terrific J1 Predicted Lineups piece and stay tuned for three more previews coming soon in Part 2B.

And away we go! Jonny Nicol guests in the first of our four part series previewing all 18 top flight clubs ahead of the new season, with the four Kansai clubs the first cabs off the rank. Timestamps are your friend here if you want to skip to a specific team, for each we chatted about their 2022 performance, major transfers in and out (not necessarily in that order), the manager, players to watch, and overall expectations for the new campaign.

Kyoto (to 25:40)

Gamba Osaka (to 56:20)

Cerezo Osaka (to 1:17:10)

Kobe (to end)

Happy new year to you all, and welcome to a new season of 'big pod'! In our first episode of 2023, we welcomed Dan Orlowitz back to the podcast to chat about some of the big changes coming to the J.League in 2023 and 2024, and the possibility of the league switching to an autumn-to-spring season in the future (to 25:10.

In Part 2 we reflected on Japan's showing at the World Cup, and the JFA's decision to extend manager Hajime Moriyasu's contract for a further four years, before teasing our season preview pods - that begin next week - with some of the biggest moves of the winter transfer window thus far (we did not have the Giakoumakīs to Urawa news at the time of recording).

Mike 'The Magic' Innes is back again with another 'J-Talk: Short Corner' takeover of JTET, finishing his club-by-club review of the J3 season by casting his forensic eye over six teams from Japan's southwestern region.

The sides in question this week enjoyed/endured very contrasting fortunes in 2022, making this episode a real rollercoaster - hope everyone enjoys it!

Thanks to Mike for all of his painstaking work on these review pods, and to everyone for listening - 'J-Talk: Short Corner' will return soon!

Timecodes:

01:00 to 04:50 - Kamatamare Sanuki

04:50 to 08:50 - FC Imabari

08:50 to 12:25 - Ehime FC

12:30 to 16:00 - Giravanz Kitakyushu

16:00 to 19:25 - Tegevajaro Miyazaki

19:25 to Finish - Kagoshima United (with listener questions)

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together for the final time this year to discuss how the teams finishing from 16th to 22nd in J2 fared. They were joined by Matt Bruce (@MatthewDBruce) to cover Tochigi, Steve Fryer (@ardija01talk) to talk about Omiya, and James Gallagher (@FLManInJapan) to review Ryukyu. James and Jon discussed Yamaguchi, Kofu, Gunma, and Iwate, before closing the episode with a question from @akakichnoeleven.

00:00-05:57 Renofa Yamaguchi (James and Jon)

05:58-15:42 Tochigi SC (Matt Bruce)

15:43-21:52 Ventforet Kofu (James and Jon)

21:53-54:25 Omiya Ardija (Steve Fryer in conversation with Jon)

54:26-1:00:56 Thespakusatsu Gunma (James and Jon)

1:00:57-1:21:12 FC Ryukyu (James Gallagher)

1:21:13-end Iwate Grulla Morioka and listener question (James and Jon)

Stats were courtesy of jleague.jp, transfermarkt.com, football-lab.jp, sporteria.jp, and @Data_Swan.

Thanks again to our contributors for their analysis, and to Patreon subscribers for their ongoing support. And of course, thank you to everyone who listened throughout the year. See you in pre-season!

Mike 'The Magic' Innes returns with Part 2 of his 'J-Talk: Short Corner' takeover of JTET, reviewing the J3 season with a focus on six teams in the central area of Japan this time.

Hope everybody enjoys the episode - Part 3 is coming soon!

Timecodes:

01:00 to 04:40 - Matsumoto Yamaga

04:40 to 08:55 - Kataller Toyama

08:55 to 13:00 - Fujieda MYFC

13:00 to 16:45 - Azul Claro Numazu

16:45 to 21:00 - FC Gifu

21:00 to Finish - Gainare Tottori

James Taylor and Jon Steele are joined by another all-star cast to review the seasons of J2’s midtable teams (9th to 15th): Lewis (@illusionofease) reviews Tokyo Verdy, Martin Spivey (@bantam84) covers Akita, Daniel Kuroda (@NagaSapo_EN) talks about Nagasaki, and Victor Arroyo (@JFootballAnaly1) reviews Kanazawa. Plus James and Jon deal with JEF United, Mito, and Machida.

00:00-11:16 Tokyo Verdy (Lewis)

11:17-15:39 JEF United Chiba (James and Jon)

15:40-27:59 V-Varen Nagasaki (Daniel Kuroda)

28:00-54:33 Blaublitz Akita (Martin Spivey)

54:34-1:00:03 Mito Hollyhock (James and Jon)

1:00:04-1:13:59 Zweigen Kanazawa (Victor Arroyo)

1:14:00-end Machida Zelvia (James and Jon)

(The timings might be a bit off; Audacity and VLC Media Player were not very cooperative.)

Stats were courtesy of jleague.jp, transfermarkt.com, football-lab.jp, sporteria.jp, and @Data_Swan.

Thanks again to our guests for sharing their thoughts on their teams, and to Patreon supporters. More J2 and J3 review pods are coming up over the next few weeks.

A very tough one to take. Japan were excellent for large periods of their Round of 16 clash against Croatia, but ultimately succumbed on penalties. This episode was recorded straight after the final spot kick.

In this special standalone episode of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', Mike 'The Magic' Innes kicks off a 3-part review of the 2022 J3 season.

In Part 1, Mike trains his analytical gaze on six teams from Japan's northeast region that plied their trade in the third tier this year.

Hope everyone enjoys the episode - Parts 2 and 3 are coming soon!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:20 - Vanraure Hachinohe

04:20 to 07:25 - Fukushima United

07:25 to 11:05 - Iwaki FC

11:10 to 14:40 - YSCC

14:40 to 18:00 - SC Sagamihara

18:00 to Finish - Nagano Parceiro

Against all the odds, the Samurai Blue made it through to the Round of 16 with a stunning 2-1 win over Spain in the early hours of Friday morning, and Sam and Ben recorded this pretty much straight after the full time whistle.

The dust has settled on an exciting J2 season, and in the first of a series of season review episodes, James Taylor and Jon Steele looked back on the top 8, with help from a few special guests: @YokohamaFSG, Garry Irwin, and @Vegalta_Blog. James and Jon also answered a question from Mike Innes to end the episode.

00:00-06:13 Albirex Niigata (James and Jon)

06:14-11:39 Yokohama FC (@YokohamaFSG)

11:40-16:37 Fagiano Okayama (James and Jon)

16:38-25:24 Roasso Kumamoto (Garry Irwin)

25:25-31:45 Oita Trinita (James and Jon)

31:46-37:10 Montedio Yamagata (James and Jon)

37:11-41:12 Vegalta Sendai (@Vegalta_Blog’s thoughts read by James)

41:13-49:05 Tokushima Vortis

49:06-end Question from Mike

NB: There are a couple of naughty words in the Sendai section.

Stats were courtesy of jleague.jp, transfermarkt.com, football-lab.jp, sporteria.jp, and @Data_Swan.

Thanks to our guests for their contributions, and to everyone who supports the pod on Patreon. We hope you enjoy this episode. Look out for more J2 and J3 review pods over the next few weeks.

What's your favourite adjective for this Japan 'performance'? Whichever way you slice it, they blew a golden opportunity here, failing to build on the win over Germany.

This episode was recorded right after the full time whistle of the greatest result in the history of the Japan Men's National Team, Japan 2-1 Germany. Enjoy! Asanooooooooo!!!

After a grueling 9-month campaign, the J3 season reached its climax last weekend with Round 34.

To run through all of the major events on the pitch, including an incredible promotion to the second tier for Fujieda MYFC, Mike 'the Magic' Innes is back and banging with a special 'J-Talk: Short Corner' episode.

We hope everyone enjoys the show, & thank you again for all the support in 2022.

Keep an eye out for J2 & J3 season review episodes - coming up over the next few weeks!

The J2 season ended in dramatic fashion, and James Taylor was joined by Garry Irwin to discuss Roasso Kumamoto’s playoff final against Kyoto Sanga in part 1 of this week’s episode. Then, in part 2 James welcomed Jon Steele for a chat about the J.League Awards, including the team of the season, MVP, best manager, best rookie and goal of the season. In part 3, Mike Innes takes you through a pretty decisive penultimate round of the J3 season in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00-21:23 Kyoto v Kumamoto with James and Garry

21:24-54:53 J.League Awards with James and Jon

54:55-end J-Talk: Short Corner with Mike

We’re interested to hear listeners’ best XIs, MVPs, best managers, rookies and goals of the season, so feel free to share them with us on Twitter.

Thanks to all the fantastic guests who’ve given up their time to appear on the pod this season; we really appreciate it. And thanks to everyone who supports us on Patreon, and of course to everyone who listens. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Kyoto got the result they needed in Sunday's playoff final, and Sanga correspondent Nick Bolton guests in Part 1 to relive the drama of the draw with Kumamoto, and to reflect on an eventful first season back in the top flight (to 16:35).

Then Jonny Nicol hops for an epic Part 2, in which we go over the past week's poll results, and piece together the J-Talk J1 Team of the Season (to 1:26:40), before we finish the episode with a fitness update on some key Samurai Blue personnel, and look ahead to the World Cup opener vs Germany.

The JTET are back at it again, bringing you up to date on all of the latest J2 and J3 news!

For the J2 segment of the pod, Jon Steele was joined again by Garry Irwin (@GarryIrwin on Twitter) to look back on another tense and exciting J2 Play-Off match, with Garry's beloved Kumamoto just about making it through to the Final after their 2-2 draw with Yamagata.

Garry also helped Jon to preview the Final, where Kumamoto will take on J1's 16th-placed side Kyoto Sanga (that game is coming up on Sunday 13th November).

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on deck for 'J-Talk: Short Corner', rounding up another eyebrow-raising weekend of J3 results (including Iwaki sealing promotion to J2 as champions, and mixed results for most of the other teams at the top).

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

It was truly an amazing final day of the J1 season, and when the dust settled, Yokohama F.Marinos were crowned top flight champions, and Stuart Woodward guests in Part 1 to revel in the triumph, sealed with a 3-1 away win over Kobe (to 36:25).

Then in Part 2 your regular co-hosts chat about Kawasaki, who finished two points behind the champions, before moving on to talk about Shimizu's relegation after the barnburner up at the Sapporo Dome, and look ahead to Sunday's playoff final, where incumbents Kyoto will battle upstarts Kumamoto for a spot in the top flight in 2023.

We round up all of the other games, and then move on to the Japan squad for the World Cup (with news breaking on Tuesday afternoon that Shuto Machino has been called up to replace Yuta Nakayama), and hand out our final four club Player of the Season awards.

After a thrilling opening to the J2 Play-Offs, and another big weekend at the top of J3, the well-oiled (alright, oiled) JTET machine swings back into action.

In the first part of the show, Jon Steele (@JTalkETJon on Twitter) was joined by Jonny Nicol (@BlogGamba on Twitter) to look back over both of the J2 Play-Off games from last Sunday, and to preview the Round 2 match coming up this weekend.

After that, Mike 'the Magic' Innes (@GoGoOmiyaArdija on Twitter) is on hand to cover all of the latest J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner', including a shock defeat for imperious leaders Iwaki.

Hope everyone enjoys the episode!

Sean Carroll made a very welcome return to the podcast this week, guesting to chat about Urawa's decision to axe manager Ricardo Rodriguez after two seasons in charge (to 12:10), before we move on to chat about the J1 title race going to the final matchday after both Yokohama F.Marinos and Kawasaki won their home finales on Saturday (to 34:00).

Then we get down and dirty in the #RelegationDogfight, where there was joy for Gamba Osaka, Shonan and Fukuoka after huge home wins, but more agony for Shimizu supporters, who now face a must-win final day trip to Sapporo (to 1:14:50).

After we bid Sean adieu, Sam and Ben wrap up the final two games from Matchday 33, and hand out four more Player of the Season awards.

The JTET crew return to cover the final day of the regular J2 season, as well as all of the latest J3 news as the 3rd-tier season nears an intriguing climax.

In Part 1, Jon Steele (@JTalkETJon on Twitter) rounds up all of the big talking points from the final day of the J2 season, as Yamagata pip Tokushima and Sendai to grab a Play-Off place, and Oita slipped up at Ryukyu to hand Kumamoto 4th place (and a home tie in Round 1 of the post-season tournament).

After that, Jon was joined by official JTET Kumamoto reporter Garry Irwin (@GarryIrwin on Twitter) to review Kumamoto's home game against Yokohama FC in depth, and to look ahead to both of this weekend's Play-Off matches.

To round things off, Mike 'The Orlando Magic' Innes (@GoGoOmiyaArdija on Twitter) brings you up to date with J3 in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Thank you for all of the support for JTET so far in 2022 - enjoy the show!

More late drama in Japanese cup finals, as Dan Orlowitz guests to chat about Hiroshima finally breaking their cup decider duck. Having previously lost six Emperor's Cup and two Levain Cup finals, Sanfrecce stunned 10-man Cerezo Osaka in Saturday's Levain Cup decider with two goals in second half stoppage time from Pieros Sotiriou giving them a 2-1 win. Dan also talks about Iwata's transfer ban, and gives his thoughts on FC Tokyo's Player of the Season (to 40:00).

Then in Part 2 we discuss more late drama, this time in Saturday evening's Shizuoka derby (to 51:45), preview this Saturday's Matchday 33 (to 1:06:10), and hand out more Player of the Season silverware.

Rest in Peace, Masato Kudo. Our thoughts go out to all of Kudo's former colleagues and his family and friends at this very difficult time.

This week on JTET, Jon and James collaborated on a full review of all of the big J2 news from the last seven days.

They began with a chat about Kofu's incredible penalty shoot-out win over Hiroshima in the Emperor's Cup Final, then segued into discussing Okayama's home defeat against Akita that clinched the J2 title for Niigata, and promotion for Yokohama FC.

The boys then review Yokohama FC's thrilling home defeat against Kanazawa, before turning their eyes to Gunma's 5-1 drubbing of Iwate (a result that sealed Gunma's J2 survival, and confirmed relegation for Iwate and Ryukyu).

Jon then reviews the rest of the J2 action solo, before getting help from James to preview all of the games coming up on the final day of the regular season this Sunday.

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is in position to cover all of the latest J3 events in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

This episode was recorded before the horrible news of Miyazaki striker Masato Kudo's untimely passing at just 32 years old, so apologies if the tone of the episode seems 'off' this time.

We will do our best to give Kudo-san a full and proper tribute next week.

Rest In Peace, Masato. Thank you for all the memories.

One of the most remarkable stories in recent J.League history concluded on Sunday with Kofu finishing the job, beating Hiroshima on penalties to win the Emperor's Cup, the first major trophy in their history. James Taylor from J-Talk Extra Time returns to share his thoughts on Ventforet's terrific performance on the afternoon, and how they might go about tackling the ACL next year (to 31:35).

Then we look back briefly on last Wednesday's J1 results, when Iwata blew the title race wide open and gave themselves a fighting chance of staying up, and then look ahead to Saturday's Levain Cup final and Shizuoka derby, before handing out the first five J-Talk Player of the Season Awards.

The end of the J2 season is fast approaching, and there's still plenty to play for. James Taylor and Jon Steele join forces to analyse 4 games from J2 matchday 40 with implications for automatic promotion, playoffs, and relegation. There’s a roundup of the rest of the weekend’s games and a preview of the penultimate round of the regular season, plus a question from Alan Gibson and news of an interesting fixture coming up in Kanazawa. After that, Mike Innes keeps you up to date with everything J3-related in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00-09:55 Nagasaki v Tokushima

09:56-17:54 Kumamoto v Gunma

17:55-26:27 Kofu v Okayama

26:28-41:34 Yokohama FC v Oita

41:35-49:36 roundup of J2 MD40

49:37-1:10:10 J2 MD41 preview

1:10:11 to end Short Corner

After Cinderella story Kofu made their way to the Emperor's Cup Final with a stirring semi final win over J1 giants Kashima last Wednesday night, James Taylor from J-Talk Extra Time guests to chat about how Ventforet have made it this far, and to preview Sunday's showpiece against Hiroshima (to 25:50).

Then in Part 2 we run through all of the action from Saturday's J1 Matchday 32, when Gamba Osaka kept Yokohama F.Marinos's champagne on ice with a shock 2-0 away win, and other dogfighters Kobe, Shonan and Fukuoka all notched huge wins.

Later than a Manchester United equalizer during the Fergie years, a new JTET episode is finally here!

This week, Jon Steele was joined by doyen of the J2 drop zone Richy Palmer for an in-depth look at the wrong end of the J2 table with just a handful of games remaining.

After a solo round-up of the rest of the Round 39 action (plus a mention for Omiya's midweek draw with Yamagata in their rearranged game), Richy helped Jon to preview all of this weekend's crucial games in Round 40.

After that, regularly-scheduled 'J-Talk: Short Corner' programming sees Mike 'The Magic' Innes cover all of the big news from J3 as the race for promotion to J2 heats up.

Apologies for the slow upload this week, and enjoy the show!

PS. We haven't forgotten to mention Kofu's incredible passage to the Emperor's Cup Final - we'll talk about it in detail next episode!

Jonny Nicol guests for a full review of Saturday's J1 Matchday 31, which saw Yokohama F.Marinos place one hand on the championship trophy after their cruise at Nagoya, coupled with Kawasaki's stunning defeat at Sapporo, saw them open up an eight point gap at the top.

We begin with results for the top three (to 46:40), then move down into the #RelegationDogfight, where Kobe and Kyoto notched massive 1-0 away wins, but there was more frustration for Jonny's Gamba Osaka.

Back and banging once again, JTET brings you up to speed on all of the latest J2 and J3 news.

In Part 1, Jon Steele looks back on all of last weekend's J2 action (Round 38 of the season).

Then in Part 2, Jon was joined by J.League expert Sean Carroll for an in-depth chat about the state of play in the second tier: automatic promotion, Play-Offs and relegation dogfighting.

Sean then helped Jon to preview the upcoming J2 fixtures for the weekend (Round 39).

Finally, as ever, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on hand to cover all of the important J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks for all the support!

Timecodes:

Start to 22:00 - J2 Round 38 Review (with Jon)

22:00 to 32:00 - J2 Automatic Promotion Chat (with Jon & Sean)

32:00 to 45:40 - J2 Play-Off Chat (with Jon & Sean)

45:40 to 01:02:00 - J2 Relegation Chat (with Jon & Sean)

01:02:00 to 01:10:00 - J2 Round 39 Preview (with Jon & Sean)

01:10:35 to Finish - 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (J3 News with Mike)

After an encouraging international break for the Samurai Blue, we discuss Tuesday night's battling draw against Ecuador and last Friday's impressive win over the USA, and then try to piece together Hajime Moriyasu's squad for Qatar. How many of the 26 spots are already locked up, and which players might be left on the outside looking in?

Then in Part 2 (from 35:30), we review the Levain Cup semi finals (to 42:50), and look ahead to what should be an epic J1 Matchday 31 on Saturday.

In this episode Alex Bishop chats with Everton FC First Team Performance Analyst, Kaita Hasegawa. Kaita tells us all about his journey as an aspiring analyst. Originally from Japan, Kaita is a football analytics graduate of Liverpool John Moore's University and has gone on to work under renowned managers such as Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez.

An excellent and intriguing listen that details the career path of an analyst as well as a brief comparison of analytics in the Premier League and the J League. Enjoy!

James Taylor and Jon Steele are back with a review of J2 round 37, featuring Yokohama FC v Kofu, Akita v Gunma, Ryukyu v Yamaguchi and Kanazawa v Oita, with a bit of extra chat about Kanazawa’s new stadium. James rounds up the rest of the weekend’s games and two rearranged midweek matches, then he and Jon look ahead to matchday 38. Mike Innes has the latest twists in the J3 promotion race in J-Talk: Short Corner

00:00-05:58 Yokohama FC v Kofu

05:59-11:24 Akita v Gunma

11:25-19:53 Ryukyu v Yamaguchi

19:54-31:18 Kanazawa v Oita

31:19-43:04 roundup of J2 MD37 and rescheduled matches

43:05-49:46 J2 MD38 preview

49:47 to end Short Corner

Two huge relegation dogfight six-pointers highlighted the J1 Matchday 30 fixture list, and we lead this episode with special guest Alan Gibson, who was on hand (with a foot in both camps) at the Noevir Stadium to see hosts Kobe stun Kansai rivals Gamba Osaka with a fightback from a goal down in the last ten minutes (to 35:40).

Then Alan sticks around as we round up the other games down in and around the drop zone, beginning with Fukuoka's massive win over Shimizu, and finishing off with Kyoto's disappointing display away at FC Tokyo (to 1:12:00).

Finally, we review the other four games, including draws for the top two, before ending the episode with a check on the Japan squad for the upcoming friendlies against the USA and Ecuador.

Just in time for the weekend action, Jon Steele and Mike 'The Magic' Innes have all the latest J2 & J3 news for you.

In Part 1 (Start to 17:00), Jon reviews all of the midweek J2 action (Round 36), and previews the upcoming Round 37 games on Saturday and Sunday.

Then in Part 2 (17:00 to Finish), Mike reviews all of the weekend J3 action (plus bonus Gifu v Fujieda content from Wednesday night), and looks ahead to this coming weekend's fixtures.

Hope everyone enjoys the pod, and thanks for all the support (Jon has just about recovered from COVID now)!

Bottoms are really beginning to squeak down in the #RelegationDogfight, and we begin our review of the weekend's J1 Matchday 29 with Iwata's heavy defeat up in Sapporo, and frustrating home draws for both Kobe and Gamba Osaka.

Next is the six-pointer at Nihondaira where Shonan nicked (but deserved) a point at the death away to Shimizu, and Kyoto's home draw with Kashima, before we finish Part 1 with the leaders sending Fukuoka down to 16th (to 54:05).

Then Neil Debnam hops on board to discuss Kawasaki's cruise over a depleted and disappointing Hiroshima, and Frontale's outlook for the remainder of the season (to 1:22:55), before we finish the episode with wins for Cerezo Osaka and Urawa.

James Taylor reviews the Emperor’s Cup quarter finals, with an historic win for Kofu. There’s also a review of J2 games from the weekend, when Niigata took over top spot, and 4 of the bottom 5 teams earned points. Plus there’s a quick preview of Wednesday night’s J2 games.

00:00-03:26 Emperor’s Cup quarter finals

03:27-10:36 J2 round 35 review

10:37-end J2 round 36 preview

Just in time for another big weekend of J2 & J3 football, the JTET machine whirrs back into action to review the most recent slate of lower-tier matches.

This week, after a solo round-up of all of last weekend's J2 action (plus a bonus midweek game), Jon talked to Daniel Kuroda from the Nagasaki Blue & Orange Blog (https://nagasakiblueorange.wordpress.com) about the Kyushu-based side's recent form, and Play-Off chances.

Jon and Daniel then preview the upcoming Round 35 matches, before handing over to Mike 'the Magic' Innes for all of the J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Hope everyone enjoys the (very long) show this week!

You can find Daniel on Twitter @NagaSapo_EN.

Timecodes:

Start to 22:00 - J2 Round 34 Review (plus Kanazawa v Nagasaki from Round 32)

22:00 to 01:03:15 - Nagasaki deep diving with Daniel

01:03:15 to 01:23:00 - J2 Round 35 Preview

01:23:40 to Finish - J3 news with Mike in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'

The full slate of games in J1 Matchday 28 delivered an incredible amount of terrific goals, late drama, and, once again, VAR controversy.

We begin with new leaders Hiroshima, who proved they have the mettle to stick around in the title race with a gritty win against the odds at home against Shimizu (to 13:10), before we welcome Stuart Woodward back to the pod after his Yokohama F.Marinos side were pegged back and had to settle for a 2-2 draw away at FC Tokyo (to 40:30).

Then we roll through the rest of the top flight games, with some huge results - some good (Shonan, Kyoto, Iwata), some not so good (Gamba, Kobe) - down in the relegation dogfight, and the controversial Fukuoka vs Nagoya game that had pretty much everything.

In this special episode of J-Talk, long time friend of the podcast Cesare Polenghi chats about everything that went into the process of starting his own football club, Kamui FC, and his hopes for the future for this ambitious project.

James Taylor and Jon Steele have all the latest J2 discussion and analysis, including a close look at Sendai v JEF United, Gunma v Okayama, and Kofu v Kanazawa. There’s a roundup of the rest of the weekend’s games and the much-anticipated final 79 minutes of Yamagata v Okayama, and a preview of matchday 34. Then, in J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes is your guide for the J3 round 22 action, including a barnstorming game between Kagoshima and Imabari.

00:00-08:46 Sendai v JEF United

08:47-17:04 Gunma v Okayama

17:05-31:30 Kofu v Kanazawa

31:31-38:59 J2 MD33 roundup

39:00-47:41 J2 MD34 preview

47:42 to end Short Corner

With Japan's pro women's football league entering its second season, Alex Bishop checks in on Sarina Bolden of Chifure AS Elfen Saitama FC and the Philippine National Women's Football Team.

Sarina tells us all about her journey in Japan so far and how the technical standard and playing style of the WE League differs from an international perspective.

You can follow Sarina on Twitter @srnbldn

Music by chillmore from Pixabay

Ralf Seidl (@akakichinoeleven on Twitter) makes his J-Talk debut to look back on Urawa's astonishing victory on penalties over Jeonbuk in the East Region Final of the ACL last Thursday night, yet another storied occasion in Reds' love affair with the competition. Ralf also shares his thoughts on the state of the SaiSta club, and their progress under Ricardo Rodriguez (to 38:00).

Then we work our way through the six games from J1 Matchday 27 played over the weekend, notable for some big wins at either end of the table, and some woeful officiating in pretty much every game.

The JTET team are back again with a full roundup of all of the latest J2 & J3 news.

In Part 1 (02:40 to 46:40), James Taylor and Jon Steele discussed 4 of the big J2 games from last weekend, including a spirited post-match rant and a superb long-range goal.

Timecodes:

02:40 to 10:10 - Niigata v Kumamoto

10:10 to 22:30 - Gunma v Sendai

22:30 to 36:40 - Yamaguchi v Mito

36:40 to 46:40 - Ryukyu v Yamagata

In Part 2 (47:10 to 57:10), Jon reviews all of the other J2 action from the last week, including the Round 32 games from the weekend, and some of the rearranged fixtures from the last two midweeks.

After that, James and Jon return to preview all of the Round 33 fixtures coming up this weekend in Part 3(57:05 to 01:09:10).

The pod concludes, as always, with Mike 'Orlando' Innes bringing us up to date with J3 in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (01:09:25 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks for all the support as always!

Sam welcomes Jonny Nicol to the co-hosts chair on this week's episode, for a comprehensive roundup of both continental and domestic action.

Urawa are running roughshod over their ACL opponents, but Kobe's conquerors Jeonbuk loom large in the East final on Thursday (to 31:20).

Then J1 takes centre stage, after another abbreviated matchday (A.C.L., not C.O.V.I.D.-related) that still saw plenty of drama - Hiroshima surge to second as Kawasaki lurk with intent, while down the other end an eight-way #RelegationDogfight looks set to puzzle and confound the rest of the way.

James Taylor and Jon Steele bring the noise with another action-packed weekend in J2. They discussed surprise wins for lowly Ryukyu at Nagasaki and Omiya at Sendai, as well as Machida’s victory over JEF United. James rounded up the rest of the action, and then Jon and James looked ahead to matchday 32. Mike Innes rounds up the goalfests from J3 round 20 in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00-12:08 Nagasaki v Ryukyu

12:09-22:39 Sendai v Omiya

22:40-29:15 JEF v Machida

29:16-38:15 J2 MD31 roundup

38:16-45:05 J2 MD32 preview

45:06 to end Short Corner

In this week's episode, we discuss the six games played from Matchday 25, all but one with huge ramifications at either end of the table.

James Taylor was joined by JTET debutant Steve Fryer to analyse J2 round 30, particularly Omiya’s important win over Yokohama FC, Gunma’s loss to JEF, and Niigata’s draw with Tokushima. They also tried to answer some listener questions. Then James rounded up the rest of the games, and Steve returned to preview matchday 31. As ever, Mike Innes has J3 covered in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00-21:05 Omiya v Yokohama FC

21:06-35:23 Gunma v JEF

35:24-56:38 Niigata v Tokushima and listener questions

56:39-1:08:41 J2 MD30 roundup

1:08:42-1:19:40 J2 MD31 preview

1:19:41 to end Short Corner

We begin our chat about the weekend's J1 action at Todoroki, where Kawasaki kept their top flight title hopes alive thanks to Jesiel's dramatic late winner, and then move on to the surprise sacking of Rene Weiler at Kashima, followed by the wins for Kashiwa and Cerezo that took them above Antlers in the table.

The second half of the episode is focused on the dogfight, with Shimizu the big winners down there after they hauled themselves off the foot of the table with a win in the capital that was chock full of talking points.

Swinging into action again, the JTET team review all of the latest J2 and J3 action.

This week, Jon Steele was joined by James Taylor for a look at three of the biggest games from Round 29 in J2.

After a solo round-up of the rest of the action from Jon, the boys preview all of the fixtures coming up in Round 30 this weekend.

After that, Mike ‘The Magic’ Innes is back and banging in ‘J-Talk: Short Corner’ – he has all of the J3 match action from Round 19 in this segment!

We were delighted to welcome Dan Orlowitz back to the pod for an in depth chat about the league's COVID situation, Urawa's punishment for their supporters' indiscretions, and of course a full review of the weekend's J1 Matchday 23.

We discuss the top seven to around 54:00, then finish with what is shaping as a relegation dogfight for the ages.

Once again, JTET is here to look back on all of the latest J2 & J3 action.

This week, the pod starts with Jon Steele reviewing all of last weekend's J2 action (including a bonus mention of Tokyo Verdy's win over Iwata in the Emperor's Cup).

After that, James Gallagher joins Jon for some in-depth chat about FC Ryukyu, as well as a preview of the upcoming Round 29 fixtures.

To finish, there's the usual 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment, with Mike 'The Magic' Innes back and banging after a short vacation - he has all of the J3 news and match reports to keep you up to date with the third tier.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks for the support as always!

On this week's episode we celebrate Japan's victory over South Korea on Wednesday night that saw them lift the EAFF Cup, and chat about which, if any, players have possibly edged their way on to the fringes of the World Cup squad (to 16:00).

Then we move on to a few notable transfers from the past week, and finish the episode with a game-by-game breakdown of the weekend's J1 Matchday 23, which features crunch clashes at both ends of the table.

Just in time for another J.League weekend, JTET is back & banging with all of the news and match reviews from J2 & J3.

This week, we kick off with a solo review of the Emperor's Cup games that involved a J2 participant from last midweek - James Taylor is at the controls for that one.

After that, Jon Steele was joined by special guest, & Kumamoto fan, Garry Irwin (pod debut) to review 3 of the big J2 matches from last weekend.

Following that, Jon rounds up all of the other J2 action, before rejoining Garry for the now-traditional preview of the upcoming Round 28 games.

If that wasn't enough, never fear: the pod concluded with 'J-Talk: Short Corner', bringing you all of the latest J3 news. With Mike 'The Magic' Innes on holiday, James is on hand to take you through a big weekend of J3 action.

Enjoy the show, and thanks for all the support!

Sam's back as we review the last round of games before the EAFF Cup break. F.Marinos, Antlers and Sanfrecce all drew again, allowing Reysol and Cerezo to make up ground after odd goal wins.

Once all the games are seen to, we finish up with a frank and honest review of the hodge-podge Mr Moriyasu selected for the EAFF.

Jon Steele joined James Taylor to discuss the action from matchday 26 of J2, focusing on Niigata’s win in Yamaguchi and Shion Homma’s transfer to Club Brugge, Yokohama FC’s draw with Tokushima, and more dropped points in stoppage time for Omiya against Tokyo Verdy. James reviewed the rest of the action, and then the boys took a look ahead to the weekend’s games. Then, Magic Mike Innes has all the latest from J3 in J-Talk: Short Corner.

00:00-12:18 Yamaguchi v Niigata

12:19-21:37 Tokushima v Yokohama FC

21:38-33:15 Omiya v Tokyo Verdy

33:16-42:32 J2 MD26 roundup

42:33-51:20 J2 MD27 preview

51:21 to end Short Corner

Thanks to Steve (@ardija01talk) for his question, and to everyone for your continued support of the pod. We hope you enjoy the episode and the football!

With Sam away on his holidays, Jonny Nicol slipped in to the co-host's chair for this week's episode as we reviewed a bumper weekend of J1 action and controversy.

After beginning with some of the major events from last Wednesday night's Matchday 20, we start our weekend review with the leaders Yokohama F.Marinos needing a late rally to scrape a point away at Cerezo Osaka, while second placed Kashima missed their chance to close the gap on top spot as they were held up in Sapporo.

Next we move on to Kawasaki's big win over 10-man Gamba Osaka, the early VAR-assisted red card practically killing the game as a contest (to 44:15), before we spend most of the second half of the episode in and around what is shaping as an elongated relegation dogfight.

After a busy midweek of J2 action, Jon Steele looks back on the 11 games from Wednesday night (Round 25), & briefly previews this Sunday's fixtures (Round 26).

In midweek, there was a win for bottom side FC Ryukyu, and mixed fortunes for the top three in the table - defeat for Niigata, a last-gasp draw for Yokohama FC, and a comfortable home win for Sendai.

Elsewhere, Machida and Mito produced a five-goal thriller, draw specialists Tokushima drew, and Omiya... well, you'd better listen to find out.

Thanks as always for supporting JTET, and enjoy the show!

Jon and James will be back to review all of the weekend action in the next pod.

We hope you've already checked this out on the FC Tokyo Kai-Guys YouTube channel, and now we are very pleased to present the podcast version of the interview that Thomas and Alex conducted recently with FC Tokyo manager, Albert Puig.

In this fascinating conversation, Albert outlines his football philosophy and vision for taking FC Tokyo forward, while amongst other topics he also discusses the time he first met Takefusa Kubo (during his time at Barcelona), and Tokyo's latest starlet, Kuryu Matsuki.

After a check on recent player transfer and managerial news (to 9:15), we were thrilled to be joined by Chris, one half of the brilliant J.League Journeys duo, for his thoughts on Shimizu's 30th Anniversary match against Yokohama F.Marinos on Saturday night, and the National Stadium, the venue for what was undoubtedly the game of the season so far (to 36:00).

With F.Marinos in such imperious form, their challengers are finding it hard to keep up: Kashima were again not at their best but managed to edge past Kashiwa away; while Kawasaki are now anxiously looking over their shoulder at Hiroshima, after their poor recent run continued away at Cerezo Osaka, and Sanfrecce cruised past Iwata at home.

Elsewhere Kobe beat Tosu (again) and Lukian scored for Fukuoka against FC Tokyo (again), while from the same game we have a new frontrunner for goal of the season after Kazuya Konno's wonder strike. From VAR controversy to red card decisions we've never seen before, you name it, J1 Matchday 19 had it.

James Taylor reviews the J2 games from the weekend, when 8 of the 11 were away wins, but bottom 2 Omiya and Ryukyu couldn’t get anything from their travels. There’s a preview of Wednesday night’s J2 games too. As ever, Mike Innes rounds up all the weekend’s J3 action in J-Talk: Short Corner, including Imabari’s biggest ever J.League win.

00:00-10:35 J2 roundup

10:36-11:35 J2 preview

11:36-31:04 J3 roundup

31:05 to end J3 preview

Fashionably late this week (sorry!), the JTET gang look back over another interesting weekend in J2 & J3.

In Part 1, Jon Steele was joined by James Taylor to review a trio of big matches from last weekend in J2:

01:10 to 14:00 - JEF Chiba v Tokyo Verdy

14:00 to 25:00 - Sendai v Yamagata

25:00 to 37:00 - Ryukyu v Machida

After that, Jon reviews the rest of the J2 action solo (37:20 to 47:30), before rejoining James to preview all of the upcoming Round 24 action (47:30 to 54:00).

Following all of the J2 chat, Mike 'The Magic' Innes in on hand to review the latest J3 action (54:30 to Finish), answer listener questions, and preview the upcoming Round 15 fixtures in the third tier.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks for waiting for the upload this week!

The summer heat was really cranked up over the weekend, and the pace that Yokohama F.Marinos set in their 4-0 win over Kashiwa that opened the Matchday 18 slate on Saturday proved too hot to handle for their main title rivals Kashima and Kawasaki, and with guest Scott McIntyre, we praise the leaders and their coach Kevin Muscat after they stretched their advantage at the top of the table to three points (to 29:30).

Then there's more positive buzz for the coaching jobs Michael Skibbe and Kenta Kawai have done at Hiroshima and Tosu respectively, while further down the table Urawa edged out of the bottom six and Shonan out of the bottom three after late drama at Kobe and Kyoto on Sunday.

After a busy midweek of Emperor's Cup action, Jon Steele and James Taylor look back over the Round 3 ties that included J2 participants.

In Part 1, Jon reviews the games featuring Kanto-based teams (more or less), including shocks for five J1 sides.

In Part 2, James picks up the rest of the schedule, including Kanazawa's tie against Nagoya (which I believe he attended, the lucky chap).

Thanks as always for the support, & enjoy this mini-pod!

James Taylor and Jon Steele convened to discuss the latest J2 action, focusing on Sendai v Yokohama FC, Yamagata v Kofu and Iwate v Tokushima. James reviewed the rest of the games from the weekend and last Wednesday’s rearranged match, before previewing round 23 with Jon. Then, Mike Innes reviewed the action from J3 and previewed the upcoming league fixtures.

00:00-10:09 Sendai v Yokohama FC

10:10-16:08 Yamagata v Kofu

16:09-24:12 Iwate v Tokushima

24:13 to 36:04 J2 MD22 roundup (plus rearranged MD16 game)

36:05 to 42:20 J2 MD23 preview

42:21 to 1:05:09 J3 MD13 review (plus rearranged MD8 game)

1:05:10 to end J3 MD14 preview

The FC Tokyo Kai-Guys are back on the air with a keen eye on the midseason transfer window. In their latest episode Alex Bishop lists some potential targets as FC Tokyo look to bolster up their roster.

J1 returned after the international break on Saturday with great goals and baffling officiating, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

We begin by chatting about the wins for Yokohama F.Marinos and Kashima (to 14:30), before Neil Debnam hops on board for a therapy session on the current state of Kawasaki - 5-2 winners over Sapporo on Saturday evening, but things are clearly not 'right' at the two-time defending champions (to 53:25).

From there we discuss Kashiwa and Hiroshima keeping the pressure on the top three as both won for the third straight game, then head down to the foot of the table where things tightened up after Shimizu and Shonan both claimed important home victories.

Fashionably late this week (apologies from the management!), the JTET crew look back over another absorbing weekend of J2 & J3 football.

This week, Jon Steele was joined by Stuart Smith to highlight three of the big J2 games from Round 21 (the halfway stage of the regular season).

After a solo roundup of the rest of the second-tier action from Jon, the boys discussed the managerial changes at Ryukyu, Tokyo Verdy and Nagasaki, before previewing all of this weekend's games.

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes takes the controls for a review of last weekend's J3 action, plus a look ahead to all of the Round 13 matches coming up soon, in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Thanks for the support as always - enjoy the show!

Japan unfortunately saved the worst for last in this international break, and after celebrating Australia's streak of World Cup appearances reaching five (and commiserating with New Zealand), we launch into a post mortem of the Samurai Blue's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Tunisia on Tuesday night (to 21:10).

Next we discuss our lists of players who we think are already 'On the plane' to Qatar as locks in Hajime Moriyasu's squad (to 37:35), and then discuss some players that could be potential bolters for the World Cup, and celebrate Japan's Under 21s after they reached the semi finals of the U23 Asian Cup (to 54:40).

Finally, we chat about the Levain Cup Playoff Stage, and look ahead to the resumption of the J1 season on Saturday.

James Taylor was joined for a JTET debut by Victor Arroyo (@JFootballAnaly1) to take a look at Kanazawa’s pummelling at the hands of Okayama, and Victor talked in more detail about his thoughts on Kanazawa’s season so far. They also discussed Yokohama FC’s draw with Tokyo Verdy. Then James reviewed the rest of the weekend’s games, before Victor came back to preview matchday 21. Finally, Mike Innes reviewed the action from round 11 of J3 and J3 teams’ participation in the 2nd round of the Emperor’s Cup, and previewed the upcoming league fixtures.

00:00-14:00 Okayama v Kanazawa

14:01-34:51 Kanazawa half-season review

34:52-43:20 Yokohama FC v Tokyo Verdy

43:21 to 53:24 J2 MD21 roundup

53:25 to 59:41 J2 MD21 preview

59:42 to 1:06:21 Emperor’s Cup 2nd round review

1:06:22 to 1:24:30 J3 MD11 review

1:24:31 to end J3 MD12 preview

The polls are done and dusted, the votes have been tallied, now it's time to assemble the J-Talk Best XI from the first half of the J1 season, with the one and only Jonny Nicol guesting.

We begin the episode with an extended look at Japan's friendly against Brazil played on Monday night, and also touch on the Samurai Blue's win vs Paraguay the previous Thursday (to 22:15), before diving in to our team, position by position.

We begin between the sticks, and after thrashing out our back four (to 1:02:10), we take a brief interlude to get Jonny's thoughts on Gamba Osaka's season so far and how they might look to improve in the second half of the campaign (to 1:14:55), before finishing off our team with the central midfielders and both wide and central attackers.

A little bit later than planned, Jon Steele and James Taylor take a quick look back the Emperor's Cup games from last midweek that involved J2 sides.

In the first section, Jon casts a glance over 6 of the Round 2 games that contained at least one J2 participant, with James covering 6 more ties in the second part of the show.

The games that involved J3 teams are going to be covered by Mike 'The Magic' Innes in this week's regularly-scheduled JTET, so please stay tuned for that!

Hope everyone enjoys this mini-pod!

Once again, the JTET crew swing into action to look back on all of the latest J2 and J3 news.

This week, Jon Steele and James Taylor take an in-depth check on the situation at the foot of the J2 table, with a special focus on Iwate, Ryukyu and Omiya.

After that, Jon rounds up all the rest of the weekend J2 action, before reconvening with James to preview the upcoming Round 20 matches.

As if that wasn't enough, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is in control of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment, reviewing all of last week's third-tier games, and looking ahead to both the midweek Emperor's Cup ties involving J3 sides (as well as the next slate of league fixtures coming up on Saturday and Sunday).

Hope everyone enjoys the show - it's a packed one this week!

It had a hard act to live up after the madness of Wednesday's Matchday 15, but the weekend's round of top flight games also served up a few surprises, with a lot of 'big clubs' needing to do some soul searching over the international break.

We begin with a brief look back at the carnage from the previous midweek (to 10:30), then begin our Matchday 16 wrap with musical chairs continuing at the top of the table, with Yokohama F.Marinos returning to the summit after Kashima and Kawasaki suffered surprise defeats (to 30:30).

From there we give more praise to Kashiwa after their free-scoring week, and also cover the wins for Cerezo Osaka, Hiroshima, Tosu and Kobe.

After a full round of J2 action on Wednesday night, Jon Steele looks back on the main events at both ends of the table in a 16-minute mini-pod, including a change of manager for struggling Omiya (Start to 14:00).

With another slate of matches coming up at the weekend, there's also a short-but-perfectly-formed Round 19 preview thrown in for good measure (14:00 to Finish).

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks for all the support, and enjoy the weekend footy!

After one of the most dramatic and action-packed matchdays of this, or any, J1 season, Sam and Ben reconvene to wrap it all up.

We begin with Shonan's win in the battle of the bottom over Kobe, chat about the huge derby wins for Cerezo Osaka and Hiroshima, and the top three all slipping up on the same weekend, with VAR playing a huge part in almost every result and a couple of unsavoury incidents that could linger for a while to come.

James Taylor rounds up all of the J2 matchday 17 action from the weekend, plus the rearranged round 15 match between Omiya and Iwate from last Wednesday, and takes a quick look at this Wednesday’s fixtures. Then, Mike Innes reviews rescheduled J3 games from last week and J3 teams’ matches in the Emperor’s Cup first round, and looks ahead to this weekend’s league action.

00:00-11:12 J2 MD17 roundup (and Omiya v Iwate)

11:13-12:15 J2 MD18 preview

12:16-17:54 J3 review

17:55 to 29:23 Emperor’s Cup roundup

29:24 to end J3 MD 10 preview

FC Ryukyu finally got their first home win of the season (1-0 v Tochigi) and pod debutant James Gallagher (@FLManInJapan) told James Taylor all about it, as well as sharing his insights on Ryukyu more generally. Then James T rounded up the rest of the matchday 16 games, before the Jameses took a look at the upcoming J2 fixtures. Finally, Mike Innes has all the latest from J3 round 9 in J-Talk Short Corner.

00:00-31:17 Ryukyu 1-0 Tochigi

31:18-41:18 MD16 roundup

41:18-47:10 MD17 preview

47:11 to end J-Talk Short Corner

Thanks to James G for coming on the pod, and to Geoff Osborne for putting us in touch. We hope you enjoy this episode of J(ames)-Talk Extra Time!

It was yet another terrific weekend of J1 action, but there was no where else we could start this episode than in Glasgow, where Ange Postecoglou's Celtic side clinched the SPL title last midweek, and lifted the trophy in front of the Parkhead faithful on the weekend, and Jamie McCourt (who was there to bask in the glory) and Stuart Woodward guest in Part 1 to talk about the remarkable turnaround the former F.Marinos boss has performed at the club, and the impact their four Japanese players have made.

We also chat about Yokohama's performances in the ACL group stage, their emphatic weekend win over Shonan, and their embarrassment of attacking riches that makes them strong title contenders in 2022 (to 49:00).

Then in Part 2 we run through the other games from J1 Matchday 13, including convincing wins at the top for Kashima and Kawasaki, Kobe breaking their duck in some style at long last, and Maxi's Moan at FC Tokyo (becoming a recurring segment, we know...).

Just in time for another busy J2 & J3 weekend, the boys are back with a full review of the most recent lower-league action.

In Part 1, Jon Steele and James Taylor focused on two of the biggest J2 games of the previous round: Niigata's conventionally-thrilling win over Tokyo Verdy, and Kanazawa's thrilling-but-in-a-slightly-different-way victory at home against Yamaguchi.

In Part 2, Jon rounds up all of the other J2 matches from Round 15, before getting back together with James to preview the upcoming Round 16 fixtures.

After that, who else but Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on hand to review all of the J3-centric Emperor's Cup qualifying games from last weekend, & preview all of the third-tier league matches coming up on Sunday (Round 9).

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks as always for the support!

Sensational Sanfrecce stole the headlines with a stomping of top flight leaders Kashima on Saturday, a superb win for Michael Skibbe's side as their intriguing mix of dynamic youngsters and grizzled veterans continue to thrive, and top billing on this week's episode is their reward.

Next we move on to the results for the four ACL clubs who returned to J1 action last weekend, try to make sense of the spell Tosu hold over FC Tokyo, and round up the rest of the Matchday 12 action, finishing up with Robson's Rant on the late game shenanigans at Cerezo Osaka.

Got a spare 30 minutes?

James Taylor was on midweek J2 duty again this week, and he’s here to review a full round of fixtures (to 11:32), and briefly preview matchday 15 this coming Sunday (11:33 to 12:38). Then Mike Innes reviews J3 matchday 8 (12:39 to 27:00) and previews J3 teams’ Emperor’s Cup qualifiers (27:01 to end) in J-Talk Short Corner.

It's another Golden Week mini-pod this week, as Jon Steele reviews all of the weekend J2 action & previews the Wednesday afternoon matches (start to 15:25).

Then Stuart Smith sits in for Mike Innes in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (15:30 to finish), running through all of the J3 news from Round 7 last week, and looking ahead to the Round 8 games this Wednesday and Thursday.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, the midweek football, and the rest of the holidays - thanks as always for your support!

After wrapping up the ACL group stage at the start of the episode (to 10:10), we work our way through the seven J1 games that kicked off Golden Week, including Kashima going top after winning at Cerezo Osaka and FC Tokyo settling in to their new home away from home (the National Stadium) with a win over Gamba Osaka.

Plus, has the Kashiwa bubble officially burst?

Matchday 12 was a wild Wednesday of J2 action, and James Taylor is here to talk you through it, including 4 penalites, 4 disallowed goals, 2 red cards, and one mighty comeback (to 10:28). He also takes a quick look at the matchday 13 fixtures (10:29 to end).

With roughly a quarter of the J1 season behind this, the past weekend's break in top flight action was the perfect opportunity for us to connect with Alex Bishop once again to chat about the J.League Fantasy game.

We check in on our teams, discuss what we've liked about the new game and areas we think it could be improved on, and dispense some transfer tips and gameplay advice (to 44:22).

At the end of the episode we round up the latest ACL results and try to make sense of the permutations as all four Japanese clubs chase a spot in the knockout stage.

With the Golden Week sprint well and truly upon us, it's a solo-tastic JTET installment to start the week.

First of all, Jon Steele runs through all of the weekend's J2 action (Round 11 of the season), and previews the full slate of midweek games that are coming up on Wednesday 27th April.

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is on deck with a bonus 'J-Talk: Short Corner', looking back at the rearranged J3 game from last midweek between Hachinohe and Numazu, along with the weekend's Emperor's Cup qualifying action, and a look ahead to Round 7 in the 3rd tier (coming up on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th April).

Enjoy the show, and thanks for all of the support!

Jonny Nicol made his first JTET appearance of the season, and it’s a bumper episode. Jonny let James Taylor off the leash to talk about Kanazawa v Kofu, then they discussed Yokohama FC v Sendai, Okayama v Niigata and Machida v Yamagata from J2 matchday 10, as well as previewing matchday 11. In between, James reviewed the rest of the weekend’s games, and of course there’s Mike Innes with J-Talk Short Corner, reviewing J3 matchday 6 and previewing J3 teams’ Emperor’s Cup qualifiers.

00:00-15:05 Kanazawa v Kofu

15:06-23:02 Yokohama FC v Sendai

23:03-31:54 Okayama v Niigata

31:55-40:18 Machida v Yamagata

40:19-47:46 MD10 roundup

47:47-57:45 MD11 preview

57:46 to end Short Corner

With only seven goals across the seven top flight games on Saturday and Sunday, and not a single VAR controversy to help us along, this week's episode is much shorter than usual, but we try to make the most of it, heaping praise on Kyoto's terrific performance away at Kashiwa in the late game on Sunday, and Shonan for their first win of the season away at Gamba Osaka earlier in the day.

Elsewhere we review the 'goalfest' - relatively speaking - at the Yamaha Stadium, and chat about Takashi Inui being placed on the naughty step by Cerezo Osaka.

This week on JTET, we welcomed a very special guest to the pod: Daniel Hartmann, creator of the 'Nagasaki Blue & Orange' blog (https://nagasakiblueorange.wordpress.com) and Twitter account (@NagaSapo_EN).

Daniel talked to Jon Steele about three of last weekend's most intriguing J2 matches, including Nagasaki's hard-fought home win over Machida.

Jon then reviews the rest of the talking points from Round 9 in the second tier, before getting back together with Daniel to preview the upcoming Round 10 slate.

After that, Mike 'The Magic' Innes is back and banging with a full round-up of a stellar J3 weekend in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (goals galore in Round 5)!

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thanks to Daniel for his time and expert analysis!

We begin this week's episode with more upheaval (and another defeat) at Kobe, and chat about Nagoya's stuttering start to the season, before talking about Yokohama F.Marinos' big win up in Kashima. Then follow wins for Kyoto and Hiroshima (to 32:20), before Neil Debnam hops on board to chat about Kawasaki's season so far as they sit top of the table as they head off for the ACL group stage (to 56:25).

At the end of the episode we review the three draws from J1 Matchday 8, before looking ahead to the weekend's games, highlighted by an unlikely match of the round.

There was a big refereeing controversy in J2 at the weekend, and James Taylor and Stuart Smith were on hand to talk about it – although truth be told, they really only showed their ignorance of the rules! We recorded on Monday night, and in typical fashion the story unfolded more on Tuesday. There’s also a roundup of the rest of the weekend’s action, a preview of matchday 9, and Magic Mike Innes with the latest from J3 in J-Talk Short Corner.

00:00-16:00 Yamagata v Okayama

16:01-26:05 Kumamoto v Niigata

26:06-35:28 MD8 Roundup

35:29-42:15 MD9 Preview

42:16 to end Short Corner

After a VARtastic J1 weekend, Alan Gibson was the perfect guest to help us try and make sense of all the controVARsy.

We begin with Japan's World Cup group, and then kickoff our J1 wrap with Kobe's winless run to start the season continuing in the Kansai derby against Kyoto - who ran our worthy winners. Then it was happy days for both Osaka clubs, with Gamba cruising past Nagoya, and Cerezo smashing the two-time defending champions Kawasaki. Before Alan departs we get his thoughts on a couple of other officiating decisions from other games (to 52:50).

Then in Part 2 we review wins for Kashima, Yokohama F.Marinos and Kashiwa that saw them close the gap on Frontale at the top, Hiroshima pulled away from the foot of the table with their win at Shonan, and we finish with the two draws from Matchday 6 and look ahead to the midweek and weekend fixtures.

Just in time for the J.League weekend, Jon Steele and Mike 'The Magic' Innes are back to bring you up to date with all of the latest J2 and J3 news!

In Part 1 (Start to 12:35), Jon runs through all of the Wednesday night J2 action (Round 7) of the season, including a crazy finale to Tokyo Verdy's game away at Ryukyu.

Jon also gives a quick preview of all of the Round 8 games coming up on Sunday this week (12:35 to 14:15).

In Part 2 (14:20 to Finish), Mike is on hand for 'J-Talk: Short Corner', wrapping up all of last weekend's J3 fixtures (Round 3) and looking ahead to a big weekend in the third tier again in Round 4.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and isn't panicking about Japan's World Cup draw - Spain and Germany are not invincible (although a defensively-minded Moriyasu approach might end up making them look that way...)!

Thanks for all the support for JTET and The J-Talk Podcast!

Mission accomplished for Japan - their ticket to Qatar is punched. But so many questions remain, and the feel good factor from qualifying in some style against Australia in Sydney last Thursday was diminished a little by yet another Saitama Stadium struggle, this time against Vietnam.

There was plenty of drama on J2 matchday 6, and James Taylor is here to talk you through it and get you up to speed before Wednesday night's games.

From Tokushima and Yokohama FC staying unbeaten, to Omiya's goalkeeper woes, to Sendai losing their unbeaten record, to late drama at Niigata, Yamagata and Tochigi - and more - it's all here in just under 14 minutes.

Just in time for a busy weekend of J2 and J3 fixtures, the boys are back in town to review all of the key points from the previous rounds in the second and third tiers of the Japanese game.

In Part 1, Jon Steele and Stuart Smith pick out three of the most eye-catching results from the J2 weekend, before Jon rounds up the other eight matches 'flying solo' in Part 2.

Part 3 sees Jon and Stu reunite to preview the upcoming Round 6 fixtures, then Part 4 covers all of your J3 needs in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (with a very special guest host this time)!

Hope everyone enjoys the episode!

Alex and Thomas are joined by fellow Kai-Guy Niall for a look back at FC Tokyo's last month, with the side heading into the international break on a three-game winning streak in the league. A trip to Tokyo's House of Horrors looms on the horizon, though... How do the (Kai)guys think that will turn out?

Jonny Nicol guests on this episode, that we believe sets a new J-Talk record for our longest pod ever, with each top flight team's new arrivals (with the exception of Iwata, sorry (!)) scrutinized.

We begin with the Samurai Blue, who face a crunch World Cup Qualifier away to Australia on Thursday. We debate how Hajime Moriyasu will line his team up in the wake of three players having to withdraw from his initial 27-man squad, with several positions in the first XI seemingly up for grabs (to 13:00).

Then our round-up of J1 kicks off with more Khaos in Kobe, with Atsuhiro Miura shown the door after Vissel made it seven without a win to begin the season after drawing away at Shimizu on Saturday (to 30:20). The rest of Part 1 stays on a Kansai tip, as we cover Gamba Osaka's home defeat at the hands of Fukuoka, Cerezo's home draw with Sapporo, and Kyoto's narrow loss at home to FC Tokyo (to 1:22:55).

Part 2 leads off with Urawa's win over Iwata, and then we work our way through the other four games, including the football, or rather, water polo match at Mitsuzawa last Friday night.

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together to review J2 matchday 4. They talked about Yokohama FC v Mito (to 6:53), Nagasaki v Oita (6:54 to 12:36), and Machida v Okayama (12:37 to 18:42). There's a roundup of all the other games from last weekend (18:43 to 26:03), and a preview of matchday 5 (26:04 to 31:16). Plus, Magic Mike Innes was on hand to go through all the action from the opening J3 weekend (31:17 to end).

Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy the episode!

After another eventful weekend in the top flight, we review all of the action, beginning with Kobe in Krisis, and Ragged Reds, after both ACL clubs' early season struggles continued.

We then move up to the top of the table, where Kawasaki edged their noses in front by beating Nagoya, while Yokohama F.Marinos had to settle for a point from their trip to Sapporo. From there we round up all of the other Matchday 4 games, including Kashiwa keeping the good times rolling, and a first victory of the new season for Cerezo Osaka.

With the big third-tier kick-off almost upon us, Mike 'Orlando Magic' Innes and Jon Steele convened again to take a look at six more clubs that will be taking part in this season's J3 League.

In the first half of the show, Mike and Jon focused on the Shikoku trio of (gulp) Sanuki, Imabari, and Ehime, and in the second half, turned their attentions to Kyushu, and the triumvirate of Kitakyushu, Miyazaki and Kagoshima. The gents finished off the pod with some overall closing comments and listener questions.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and the new J3 season!

Timecodes

Part 1 - Shikoku

02:30 to 10:30 - Sanuki

10:30 to 19:00 - Imabari

19:00 to 27:10 - Ehime

Part 2 - Kyushu

27:50 to 36:00 - Kitakyushu

36:00 to 44:00 - Miyazaki

44:00 to 52:40 - Kagoshima

52:40 to Finish - Final comments and listener questions

This week on JTET, Jon Steele was joined by Sean Carroll to look back at another eventful round of J2 action.

The boys (men?) begin by reviewing 3 matches in depth, with a solo review of the rest of the action from Jon added in for good measure.

Jon and Sean also give their thoughts on the Round 4 fixtures coming up this weekend, and there's even bonus J3 content as Mike 'The Magic' Innes drops in to preview the Round 1 fixtures for the big third-tier kick-off.

Thanks for all of your support, and enjoy the show!

With the new J3 season hurtling toward us with frankly indecent speed, Jon Steele & 'Magic' Mike Innes combined once again to run the rule over 6 more teams that will be hoping to achieve promotion up to J2 in 2022.

Well alright, some of them will be happy with a top-half finish!

Hope everyone enjoys the show - Part 3 will drop before the big kick-off on Saturday 12 March!

Timecodes

Part 1

02:00 to 12:10 - Matsumoto

12:10 to 20:30 - Toyama

20:30 to 27:35 - Fujieda

Part 2

28:00 to 35:20 - Numazu

35:20 to 45:50 - Gifu

45:50 to Finish - Tottori

It was a great pleasure to welcome Nick Bolton (UKSangaUltra) back to the podcast for the first time in almost three years, to chat about all things Kyoto Sanga.

It had been a long time between top flight drinks for Sanga, and they announced their return in some style of course, with their stirring win over Urawa on the opening day, but since then a draw at Cerezo Osaka, and Saturday's controversy-tinged 4-1 defeat at the hands of fellow promoted side Iwata, has brought them back down to earth. Still, it promises to be a terrific season for Cho Kwi Jae's side, and it was great to get Nick's thoughts on it all (to 33:00).

In Part 2 we work our way through the other eight games from the Matchday 3 slate, with a quick look ahead to this weekend's fixtures to wrap up the episode.

With the new J3 season about to kick-off, JTET has you covered with in-depth previews for all 18 of the competitors in Japan's third tier for 2022.

In Part 1, Mike 'The Magic' Innes and Jon Steele took a close look at 6 teams that are gearing up for the season - look out for Parts 2 and 3 coming later this week!

Timecodes:

Part 1

Start to 06:45 - Introduction / What is J3?!

06:45 to 13:35 - Hachinohe

13:35 to 23:40 - Fukushima

23:40 to 32:50 - Iwaki

Part 2

33:15 to 41:00 - YSCC

41:00 to 48:45 - Sagamihara

48:45 to Finish - Nagano

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks for the support, as always!

Jamie, Tony and Stuart review Yokohama F. Marinos first four matches of the season and the news since the last podcast.

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together to review the action from J2 matchday 2.

In part 1, they focused on Omiya v Niigata (to 7:53), Mito v Sendai (to 14:25) and Yokohama FC to Nagasaki (to 21:42). In part 2, James gave a quick roundup of the other games from the weekend (to 28:08), and Jon came back for part 3 to preview matchday 3 (to end).

Sean Carroll returns to the pod as we discuss a very eventful - and red card heavy - J1 Matchday 2.

We began with surprise leaders Kashiwa, the only team with a perfect record after two games, after they came from behind to beat nine-man Yokohama F.Marinos, and then move on to defending champions Kawasaki, who bounced back from their tonking at the hands of Yokohama in midweek by cruising past Kashima away from home (to 27:35).

Next we chat about all the drama from the Shizuoka Derby, with Shimizu painting the prefecture orange after beating nine-man Iwata 2-1, and then discuss a huge win for Gamba Osaka, and yet more frustration for Urawa, at Saitama Stadium (to 55:25). From there we move on to the four draws from the matchday, and finish with a look at what's to come in the week ahead.

J2 is back!

James Taylor was joined by Stuart Smith to discuss the opening weekend of the 2022 J2 season.

In part 1, Stuart analysed Nagasaki v Tokyo Verdy (to 18:10) and JEF v Iwate (18:10 to 28:56) in detail. Then, in part 2 James summarised the rest of the action (29:00 to 35:51). In Part 3, Stuart returned to preview the matchday 2 fixtures (35:55 to end).

Thomas and Alex are back with Episode 2 of FC Tokyo Kai-Guys Radio, as they chat about the positives from the Matchday 1 defeat at the hands of Kawasaki, and the COVID-19 outbreak that has temporarily derailed Tokyo's season (to 22:00).

Then the guys welcome on Neil Debnam to get the view from the other side of the Tamagawa, and thoughts on Frontale's start to the season.

How's your J1 JPred looking after Matchday 1? Early days of course, but as is tradition here on J-Talk, we like to overreact wildly to a very small sample size, so with our annual hat tip to the ESPN Fantasy Focus (American) Football podcast, Scott McIntyre guests for Overreaction Theatre.

We begin with news of a COVID-19 outbreak at FC Tokyo that has seen their next two games postponed, then chat about Tokyo's trip to Kawasaki that kicked-off the season last Friday night - Frontale took the points thanks to Leandro Damiao, but the visitors drew praise from all quarters for their performance (to 21:00).

Next we move on to the most surprising result from Matchday 1 - promoted Kyoto's terrific 1-0 home win over an Urawa side that many (over 30% of JPred'ers, actually) have tipped for the title (to 29:30). From there we work our way through the other seven games, including first up wins for Nagoya, Kashima and Kashiwa, and finish with the four draws from the opening weekend.

With the 2022 season right around the corner, James Taylor and Jon Steele combined forces again to look over 7 more teams from this year's J2 League.

In Part 1, we talk about Niigata, Yamagata, JEF United and Ryukyu. After a quick break to regroup, Part 2 contains our pre-season thoughts on Mito, Okayama, and Tokyo Verdy.

Enjoy the show, and the season kick-off this weekend!

With the brand new J.League season almost upon us, Jon Steele was joined by James Taylor to run the rule over eight more of the sides comprising this year's J2 roster.

Part 1 begins with the gents analyzing newly-promoted Kumamoto and Iwate, before covering Gunma. Then Jon let James off the leash to bring us up to date on all of Kanazawa's winter transfer business.

In Part 2, we run the rule over four teams from lower mid-table in 2021: Akita, Tochigi, Yamaguchi and Omiya.

Hope everyone enjoys the show - look out for Part 3 before the big kick-off at the weekend!

Jonny Nicol guests as we review Saturday's Super Cup, and wrap up our club-by-club previews of the new J1 season.

After some housekeeping, we praise Urawa for their strong showing in taking down Kawasaki 2-0 at the Nissan Stadium (to 18:10), then begin this set of previews by chatting about Gamba Osaka, who will be desperate to atone for a disappointing 2021 campaign (to 40:30). We then shift to the other half of Osaka, and discuss a Cerezo side that is in a similar boat having slipped out of the top half last term (to 54:40).

Next we run the rule over Kyoto, back in the top flight for the first time in over a decade (to 1:11:35), and finish off the Kansai clubs with Kobe, who have lofty goals, and, it appears, the squad to help them achieve them (to 1:26:25). Finally it shapes as a long season ahead for Hiroshima, whose slide in recent seasons could continue and see them battling against the drop (to 1:35:25).

We finish off the episode with a look at the fixtures for J1 Matchday 1.

After a (painfully) protracted genesis, the JTET machine is back in action for a brand new J2 season.

In Part 1 of our in-depth season previews, Jon Steele was joined by Sean Carroll to take a look at the four newly-relegated sides, along with three of last season's high-fliers in the second tier of the Japanese professional game.

Hope everyone enjoys the show - Parts 2 & 3 coming before the big J2 kick-off this weekend!

With the Super Cup taking place this Saturday, the 2022 J1 season is almost upon us, and we continue our club-by-club previews with five teams whose prospects for the new campaign are very much up in the air.

We begin with Shimizu, who have underwhelmed in recent years, and would dearly love a season of midtable stability (to 19:15), then look at their Shizuoka rivals Iwata, who are returning to the top flight as J2 champions, but lost Lukian, their top scorer, and replaced him with a pair of retread strikers that hardly inspire confidence (to 35:00).

Next we chat about a Nagoya side that appear to be on the slide and will have to find their feet under a new manager (to 47:45), then finish down in Kyushu by first checking in on Tosu, who have been stripped of practically all of their goalscorers from 2021, and their best defender, but always seem to find a way (to 1:05:40), and wrap up with Fukuoka, who have added to their attacking weapons and appear well equipped to fight off second season syndrome.

Remember to use hashtag #jpred2022 for your JPreds, and follow @JLeague_fantasy for the link to get your J.League Fantasy team set up for the new season.

After languishing in editing hell for a couple of weeks, Jon Steele and Stuart Smith finally put the 2021 J2 season to bed with a retrospective look at the top 12 finishers in the league table.

There's also some 'soft' preseason preview chat, with more in-depth 2022 preview shows coming this week and next!

Hope everyone enjoys the episode.

Another week, another welcome new addition to the J-Talk family, as we proudly present the inaugural episode of FC Tokyo Kai-Guys Radio, featuring the co-founders of the Kai-Guys: Thomas and Alex.

In their debut pod, the guys review Tokyo's 2021 season (to 23:10), chat about new majority owners mixi (to 29:15), run the rule over the club's winter signings (to 45:30) and new manager Albert Puig (to 54:25), and finish with their expectations for the new campaign.

We begin the episode by discussing another fruitful international break for the Samurai Blue, as Junya Ito's incredible run of form continued to put Japan within touching distance of an automatic World Cup qualification spot (to 16:45).

Then Ben is joined by long time friend of the pod Cesare Polenghi, to chat about the work his company, Ganassa LLC, has been doing with major European leagues, and clubs from across the continent, in expanding their reach on social media (to 59:55).

Then we resume our club-by-club previews of the new J1 season by discussing Sapporo (to 1:14:00), Kashima (to 1:37:30), Urawa (to 1:57:20) and Kashiwa

These fellas don't mess around! Announced on the new pod this week, we proudly present the inaugural Tricolore Pridecast!

This is the series introduction with Jamie, Tony, and Stuart from Tricolore Pride, in which they talk about how they started to follow Marinos, favourite players and goals, and then proceed to run through the 2021-22 winter transfer window, chatting about new signings and leavers up until Dec 31st.

While we did consider a 400 minute podcast for Episode 400, you'll have to settle for this 110 minute blockbuster, as we kick off our team-by-team previews of the 2022 J1 season and make a couple of huge announcements along the way.

Stuart Woodward is first cab off the rank and shares his thoughts on how last year's second-placed finishers Yokohama F.Marinos are shaping up for the new campaign (to 32:30), then Thomas Pennington makes his J-Talk debut to chat about brighter times ahead for FC Tokyo under new Spanish coach Albert Puig (to 1:04:50).

Next we run the rule over Shonan, who have reason for optimism after a decent winter in the transfer market (to 1:19:45), and then wrap up our first group of clubs with the defending champions, the juggernaut, Kawasaki (to 1:42:42). Finally we finish off the episode by looking at the Japan squad selected for the World Cup qualifiers against China and Saudi Arabia.

After a just-long-enough year-end break, Mike Innes and Jon Steele reconvened to finish off their comprehensive review of the J3 season by looking at the bottom 6 sides from the 2021 league table.

The gents discussed positives for Fujieda, Imabari, and Hachinohe... and did their best to do the same for Tottori, Numazu and Sanuki!

Hope everyone enjoys the show - many thanks for all of your support for JTET, and 'J-Talk: Short Corner', last season!

Happy new season! In our first episode of the new year, we begin with some major transfers from the J.League to Europe - highlighted by Celtic's triple swoop - and elsewhere in Asia (to 18:30), before moving on to talk about a number of players who have left the four relegated teams and found new top flight homes (to 37:30). We finish with a check of the ACL group stage draw, and ponder Hajime Moriyasu's thoughts as he gets set to announce his next Japan squad.

With the dust now fully settled on the 2021 J2 season, James Taylor joined Jon Steele for the first installment of the JTET Season Review for Japan's second tier.

James and Jon covered the bottom 10 sides from the final standings, starting with the four relegated sides, and ending on a more positive note discussing mid-table safety for Akita, Tochigi and Yamaguchi.

Enjoy the show - Part 2 (covering the top 12 sides from the final table) is coming soon!

Typical, isn't it? You wait ages for a JTET episode, then two come along at once!

For Part 2 of our J3 Season Review (recorded on Christmas Day), Mike Innes & Jon Steele took a look at the teams finishing from 6th to 9th in the 2021 J3 table.

There was a stellar performance from Yuki Stalph's YSCC, but disappointing campaigns for Gifu, Kagoshimaand Nagano.

Enjoy the show!

To get 2022 started with a bang, Jon Steele and Mike Innes look back over the 2021 J3 season in a 3-part special.

In this episode (Part 1), Jon quizzed Mike on the third-tier season's top 5 finishers, including promoted Kumamoto and Iwate, high-flying debutants Miyazaki, an ultimately disappointing Toyama, and much-improved Fukushima.

Enjoy the show, and Happy New Year!

Tomoaki Makino ended his Urawa career in sensational style on Sunday, scoring a stoppage time winner to win Reds the Emperor's Cup 2-1 over Oita, and in our final episode of 2021 we celebrate the talismanic defender, and wonder how he might fare at his next stop (Kobe?).

There's also props for friend of the podcast Ricardo Rodriguez on delivering a trophy, and ACL football, to the Saitama giants, while we sympathize with Trinita, who were so close to forcing extra time before Makino's dramatic intervention (to 21:20).

Then in Part 2 we run through some of the major transfer news and rumours from the past week.

A lot later than expected (sorry), here's the full JTET lowdown on an exciting climax to the J2 and J3 seasons.

With both promotion places in J3 still up for grabs going into the final round, we start with 'Magic' Mike Innes and his 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment again this time.

After that, Jon was joined by James Taylor to review all of the relegation dogfight action in J2, as two more sides joined Matsumoto and Ehime in J3 for next season (and several other teams breathed a huge sigh of relief).

To wrap things up, Jon then goes solo to bring you up to date with all of the key moments from the rest of a busy final day in J2.

Enjoy the show, and apologies for the late delivery this time!

Jonny Nicol returns as we round up the Emperor's Cup semi finals and the latest transfer news and rumours, before we piece together our J1 Team of the Season.

We begin at Todoroki, where Oita stunned the J1 champions to make it through to their first ever Emperor's Cup final, then head to Saitama Stadium, where Urawa eased past Cerezo Osaka to set up a fascinating (take a sip every time Ben says that word on this episode) decider this Sunday. Then its news and notes time, covering all of the major player and managerial moves of the past week (to 1:02:10).

Then Part 2 is all about our top flight team of the year, with a couple of contentious decisions for our panel to ponder.

The J1 season wrapped up on Saturday, and we begin this week's episode by commiserating with Tokushima, who became the fourth and final team relegated after their home defeat at the hands of Hiroshima. After moving on to discuss the final day results for Shonan and Shimizu, who ended up safe (to 28:15), we head up the table to the barnburner at the Nissan Stadium, where they top two slugged it out and honours - and the Golden Boot - were shared.

Then we work our way through the other results, and finish up by handing out our final six (well, seven) Player of the Season awards, and look ahead to the Emperor's Cup semi finals coming up on Sunday.

Just in time for the climactic J2/J3 relegation/promotion showdowns this weekend, the JTET machine is back and banging once again.

In a welcome change of pace this week, the pod opens with 'Magic' Mike Innes running the rule over the latest action in J3 (including the promotion picture) in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

After that, Jon Steele was joined by Jonny Nicol to look back at a pivotal round in the J2 relegation dogfight, with two teams now doomed and a third almost certain to join them.

After a quick Jon-only interlude to round up the rest of the J2 games, Jonny rejoins the show to help Jon preview all of the upcoming 2nd-tier action in Round 42.

Hope everyone enjoys the episode!

Alan Gibson guests on our new episode, which begins on a somber note following the tragic passing of Shonan midfielder Riuler last week.

We then discuss Bellmare's 1-0 defeat at home at the hands of Tokushima, which takes the relegation dogfight down to the final day, with Shimizu in the box seat to stay up after Keita Nakamura's stunning winner away at Urawa. Then Alan shares his thoughts on Kobe, who are now out of the running for second spot after Saturday's home loss to Yokohama F.Marinos. Part 1 runs to 1:08:40.

Then in Part 2 we round up all of the remaining fixtures from Matchday 37, look ahead to this Saturday's season finale, and hand out five more Player of the Season awards.

Fashionably late this week, the boys look back on another stinking weekend of lower-league J-action.

First off, Jon takes a solo look at the games at the top end of the J2 table, including an 8-goal cracker up in Yamagata.

For the second part of the show, Jon was joined by James Taylor to try and make sense of the battle at the bottom of the J2 table.

After that, 'Magic' Mike Innes has all the latest J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and sorry about the late upload this week!

Sean Carroll makes a very welcome return to the podcast to chat about all the goings-on in the latest round of top flight action.

We begin at the foot of the table, where relegation was confirmed for Yokohama FC, Sendai and Oita, but Tokushima and Shimizu both notched vitally important wins, to keep some interest in the dogfight ahead of a huge clash between Shonan and Tokushima this weekend (to 51:35).

In Part 2 we move up the table and chat about wins for Nagoya, Urawa, Kawasaki and Tosu, before finishing with the draw at Hitachidai and some more player of the season awards.

It wasn't much to write home about, but Junya Ito's goals saw Japan win both of their November qualifiers 1-0 away, and in part 1 of this week's podcast, we talk about the Samurai Blue's ongoing struggles under Hajime Moriyasu, while also discussing the personnel at his disposal, and how they might be better deployed if the manager is kept on, or ultimately replaced (to 37:15).

Part 2 looks ahead to Saturday's J1 Matchday 36, with a huge relegation six-pointer on the slate up in Sendai as last chance saloon time looms for several of the drop zone occupants.

Wow....last weekend's J2 and J3 had EVERYTHING....and more. Stuart Smith (J2) & Mike Innes (J3) take you through the wreckage of J2 round 39 and J3 round 27 including who is up, who is down, and who is sweating relegation from J2. In J3, Mike looks at a new frontrunners, an almighty scramble for the top two which leaves a certain club needing a miracle to achieve its aim of promotion. Thank you to all of you that download and listen to this podcast. I speak for all the hosts when I say we really appreciate it. Enjoy the listen, and enjoy the upcoming football!

The boys are back for another look at the state of play in Japan's lower tiers!

This week, Jon reviews some of the less-vital J2 games on his own, before being joined by Richy Palmer for the latest on the 2nd-tier relegation dogfight.

That's followed by your regular 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment, as Mike Innes brings you up to speed with all of the latest J3 news.

Enjoy the show!

After Kawasaki wrapped up the J1 title last Wednesday afternoon, we obviously expected to lead this week's episode with that banner news, but then Yokohama F.Marinos 8-0 FC Tokyo happened on Saturday evening, and Tokyo manager Kenta Hasegawa quit on Sunday, so the sorry state of the capital club opens this podcast (to 14:55).

After that Neil Debnam guests to revel in a fourth Frontale title in five seasons, and chats about what targets are left for the top flight record breakers and how they might cope if more players are poached by European clubs (to 46:00).

Then we round up the other eight games from Matchday 35 (to 1:11:45), chat about Japan's prospects ahead of two crucial away World Cup qualifiers, and hand out the first Player of the Season awards.

Jon Steele flies solo again with a 15-minute roundup of all the midweek J2 action, as Iwata & Kyoto look dead certs for promotion, while Matsumoto & Kitakyushu look to be in almost irreversible relegation danger.

Hope everyone enjoys the mini-pod!

Just in time for Wednesday's midweek J2 round, Jon Steele & 'Magic' Mike Innes are back to bring you up to speed with all the lower-league news.

This time, Jon is flying solo to look back on the weekend's J2 action (Round 36), with Mike on 'J-Talk: Short Corner' duty to review J3 Round 25.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and thank you for all the support!

Its cup action all the way on this week's pod, beginning with Nagoya's 2-0 win over Cerezo Osaka in Saturday's Levain Cup final (to 11:45), while we also look back at last Wednesday's Emperor's Cup quarters (to 22:00), before previewing upcoming top flight fixtures and the start of our Player of the Season series for all 20 J1 clubs.

Stuart Smith (J2) & Mike Innes (J3) are here to give you a whistle stop tour of what happened in the second & third tier of the J.League last weekend.

In J2, find out why it wasn't such a good weekend for the top two, how Giravanz shot themselves in the foot, and why it goes from bad to worse in Matsumoto.

Mike takes you through a busy weekend in J3, including a bad defeat for Toyama, and a crucial win for Gifu.

We hope you enjoy listening!!

Jonny Nicol returns to guest this week as we return to midseason form with a bumper episode rounding up the weekend's J1 Matchday 33 action.

We begin at the top with Kawasaki now within touching distance of a fourth top flight title in five years after their home win over Shimizu on Sunday, coupled with Yokohama F.Marinos losing away at Cerezo Osaka in the late game, left Frontale 12 points clear with five games to play. Next we cover the draw between Nagoya and Kobe in the battle for third, and the wins for Urawa and Kashima that kept them right in the hunt for a return to the ACL in 2022 (to 41:20).

Part 2 begins with a key victory for Jonny's Gamba Osaka side that eased any lingering relegation fears, and also includes vital wins for Sendai and Shonan that took them off the foot of the table, and saw them escape the drop zone, respectively. We finish our top flight roundup with the draw in the dogfight six-pointer between Tokushima and Oita, and the scoreless draw up at the Sapporo Dome.

We conclude the episode with a look ahead to Wednesday's Emperor's Cup semi finals, and Saturday's Levain Cup Final.

Fashionably late this week, Jon Steele was joined by Kanazawa correspondent James Taylor for a full review of Round 34 in Japan's second tier.

As ever, 'Magic' Mike Innes is also on hand with all the latest J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Hope everyone enjoys the show, and sorry that the upload is rather late!

After J1 returned with an action-packed and late drama-filled weekend, we're back to round up all of the top flight fixtures.

We begin with Nagoya's disappointing ACL exit at the hands of Pohang (to 5:00), and then work from bottom to top in Matchday 32, beginning with the game of the season contender at Mitsuzawa, that saw Yokohama FC move off the foot of the table after winning an eight-goal thriller against Tokushima, and then moving on to Oita's triumph over Sendai, that saw Vegalta slip into the cellar.

From there we touch on Kashiwa making themselves almost certainly safe with a win at Shimizu, who are far from out of the woods, and then chat about the two draws that bridged the relegation dogfight and top three battle - Shonan's visit to Tosu, and Gamba Osaka's trip to Urawa.

We finish at the top with Kobe staking their claim to third with a late winner over Fukuoka, and Yokohama F.Marinos keeping up their end of the bargain in the title race by coming from behind late on to win at home over Sapporo.

We are coming down to the business end of the season, and things are becoming pretty desperate across great swathes of J2 & J3. Stuart Smith is on hand to bring you the latest on J2 - including the wild & wacky relegation dogfight, Hikaru Nakahara's fantastic season and a look ahead to an interesting weekend slate of games.

Mike Innes' "Short Corner" segment goes over all the need-to-know information on J3, including how the promotion race is really hotting up.

Samurai Blue supporters sat through another couple of difficult watches in this international break, but the 2-1 win over Australia on Tuesday night appears to have kept the wolves from Hajime Moriyasu's door, and kept Japan in the hunt for a spot at the 2022 World Cup.

Scott McIntyre guests for a (very brief, thankfully) look back at the loss in Saudi Arabia last week, and then a more thorough review of the clash against the Socceroos, before a chat about some of the wider issues surrounding the national team, and Moriyasu's future (to 37:40).

Then in Part 2 we round up the Levain Cup semi finals (to 49:20), and chat about the J1 title race, before a brief look ahead to the weekend's top flight fixtures.

Once again, the JTET team assemble to look back on the latest action from J2 & J3.

To review last weekend's slate of J2 fixtures, Jon was joined by Sean Carroll. The boys discussed the complication relegation picture in the second tier (focusing in particular on a crazy game between Sagamihara and Mito), and the (seemingly much more straightforward) promotion race.

As usual, 'Magic' Mike Innes is on hand for all of the latest J3 news (including a stonking 9-goal thriller) in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Enjoy the show!

After another goal-filled weekend in the top flight, Sam and Ben reconvene to review all of the J1 Matchday 31 action.

We begin with the top two looking slightly off-colour, but still doing enough to win their respective games, before moving on to a bumper weekend in the #RelegationDogfight, which saw four of the bottom six win (Part 1 runs to 39:05).

Then we run through the rest of the games leaving the best, or at least highest-scoring games 'til last - though Urawa and Gamba Osaka supporters would probably argue with that designation!

The boys are back in town to review another action-packed weekend from J2 & J3.

Joining Jon to look back over J2 Round 31 (including a bad day for the match officials at Matsumoto) was Jonny Nicol (@BlogGamba on Twitter).

Meanwhile, all of the latest J3 news is covered by 'Magic' Mike Innes in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

P.S. The managerial changes at Yamaguchi (J2) and Imabari (J3) came up after recording, so they will be discussed in more detail next week!

What a week of top flight action! Kawasaki won at the death twice in five days to re-establish a comfortable buffer at the top, after Yokohama F.Marinos dropped two points late on against city rivals Yokohama FC on Saturday. We begin Part 1 with the top two (to 20:35), and then move on to the Relegation Dogfight, which further tightened after Tokushima's last gasp win at Sendai (to 27:07).

Later in Part 2 we round up the results for the teams still in the hunt for third, and review the rest of the Matchday 30 fixtures, before looking ahead to the weekend's slate.

The team are back in town to bring you up to date with all of the latest news from J2 & J3!

For the second week running, Stuart Smith joined Jon Steele to look over the big news stories from J2.

Back and banging after a short holiday, 'Magic' Mike Innes is back on J3 duty in the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Jonny Nicol joined Ben to run through all of the games, and major talking points from the weekend's J1 Matchday 29.

After beginning with the results and performances of their respective teams, Gamba Osaka and FC Tokyo (to 15:20), attention is then turned to the top of the table, and in the see-sawing battle between Kawasaki and Yokohama F.Marinos its advantage Frontale again (to 34:35).

Then the battle for third and the relegation dogfight are covered in detail as the remainder of the games are reviewed (to 1:03:40), before a look ahead to midweek action and the weekend's Matchday 30 (to 1:08:00), before some bonus Gamba content as we try to make sense of a lost season for the black and blue half of Osaka.

Slightly later than usual, the JTET team are back to bring you up to date with all the latest J2 & J3 news.

This week, Jon & Stuart run through all of the key points from last weekend's J2 fixtures (Round 29 of the season).

After that, Jon makes a brief cameo to wrap up the two rearranged J2 games from midweek (Round 25).

With 'Magic' Mike Innes taking a well-earned holiday this week, Jon goes for the hat-trick by standing in as the host of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', and reviewing all of the J3 action from Round 18 as well.

Come back soon, Mike - Jon misses his sleep!

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

On this week's episode we welcome Dan Orlowitz back to the pod to recap his terrific experiences at the Olympics and Paralympics, and also to chat about the long-awaited first matchweek of the WE League, before we finish Part 1 by discussing Yuto Nagatomo's return to FC Tokyo (to 49:26).

Then in Part 2 we review all nine games from the top flight weekend.

JTET is back for another comprehensive review of the latest J2 & J3 action!

This week, Jon was joined by James Taylor (@kanazawadreamin on Twitter) to look back on Round 28 in the second tier (plus a rearranged game from Round 25), with 'Magic' Mike Innes bringing you up to date with a review of J3 Round 17 in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Happy listening!

No sugar coating things here - Japan were poor in their latest World Cup qualifiers, and Scott McIntyre guests for a discussion on some of the problems the Samurai Blue are having under Hajime Moriyasu, while we also touch on Japan's next two opponents, Saudi Arabia and Australia (to 35:05).

Then we return to domestic matters, firstly rounding up the Levain Cup quarter finals, then moving on to discuss the run-in at both the top and bottom of J1.

For this week's JTET, Jon was joined by J.League expert (and unusual snack enthusiast) Sean Carroll to review all of the key J2 action from last weekend's games (Round 27).

There's also a welcome return for 'Magic' Mike Innes in J-Talk: Short Corner, as we celebrate the return of J3 after the long summer break - Mike is back and banging as he wraps up all of the key action from Round 16 in the third tier.

Enjoy the show!

A big week in J1 saw Yokohama F.Marinos close to within a point of champions Kawasaki on Wednesday, but the script was flipped on Saturday as Frontale won for the first time in four and F.Marinos saw their lengthy unbeaten run snapped.

Joining us in Part 1 to chat about a testing period for the leaders is our regular Frontale correspondent Neil Debnam (to 32:53), then we round up all of the other games from a terrific weekend round.

In this week's episode, the legend that is Richy Palmer (@GifuRichy on Twitter) joined Jon Steele to look back at a (another) very exciting round of J2 matches.

Thanks as always for supporting the podcast, and apologies about the slow upload this week!

It has been a while!! Finally, the J3 promotion race is ready to get back into full, crazy swing. Who will finish in the top two? Who are dark horses? Who are the players to watch out for in the second half of the season?

Jon Steele & Stuart Smith guide you through the runners and riders in J3, take a detour through some Fukushima foul-ups, some transfer treasures, and finally take a look ahead to this week's fixtures.

Enjoy the return of J3.

With Yokohama F.Marinos continuing to whittle away Kawasaki's buffer at the top of J1, this seemed the perfect time to have Stuart Woodward back on the podcast, and he joins us to chat about the 5-0 shellacking of Sendai on Saturday, and what's been going right during their 12 match unbeaten run. We also discuss another frustrating evening for the champions, who were held to a draw at Hiroshima (to 31:40).

Then in Part 2 we run through the other eight games, including key wins for Tosu, Kobe, Nagoya and Urawa in the hunt for third.

In the third installment of our J3 Summer Specials, Jon and Mike take a closer look at the 'bottom third' of the current J3 league table, and round off the discussion with some existential chat about where Fujieda and Numazu (in particular) find themselves in the grand scheme of things!

Hope everyone enjoys the show - thanks, as always, for all the support!

In Part 2 of our J3 Summer Special, Jon Steele & Mike Innes run the rule over the teams that are sitting from 6th to 10th in the third-tier standings during the summer break.

*Quick note: The announcement of Fukushima United's 3-point deduction for breaking COVID-19 protocols means that the league table looks a little bit different than when we recorded the pod, but don't worry - the analysis is still achingly, vitally relevant!

Thanks for supporting JTET and Big Pod - look out for Part 3 of our J3 Summer Special online soon!

On this week's show, Jon Steele was joined by Jonny Nicol (@BlogGamba on Twitter) to run though all of last weekend's (weather-affected) J2 action!

The boys started by discussing Jonny's incredible impressive recent blog output, some of the more interesting recent transfers, and the big games from the relegation dogfight over the weekend (Part 1).

After that, the rest of the Round 25 games were covered, along with a listener question (Part 2), before some previews of midweek Emperor's Cup games (already played by the time this pod is being posted) and the upcoming J2 games in Round 26 this weekend (Part 3).

Thanks for all the support, and enjoy the show (no intro music this week since Jon forgot to add it - sorry)!

The weather wasn't great, but the football definitely was over an extended J1 weekend, and Alan Gibson made a very welcome return to the pod to help us review the Matchday 24 action.

We begin with a quick chat on Kobe, who were off over the weekend after their game in Hiroshima was postponed, and then move on to talk about a big win for Yokohama F.Marinos over Oita that, coupled with Kawasaki's draw at Kashiwa, means we can properly start talking about a Title Race. Kashima are up to 3rd, and their win over Tokushima rounds out Part 1 (to 33:39).

Part 2 includes important wins for Nagoya, Fukuoka and Gamba Osaka amongst others, as we take stock of the league with roughly one-third of the season remaining.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder apparently, and Jon Steele & Stuart Smith were both VERY glad to see the return of J2 last Monday - after the Olympic break - and what a dramatic Monday it was. With injury time goals a plenty, outstanding volleys, bad pitches, and more drama than you can shake a stick at, the gents take you through what you need to know from the return of J2 including:

Kyoto going clear at the top
Kofu & Jubilo share the spoils
Crazy ending in Niigata
Matsumoto shred Akita
and a look ahead to this weekend's fixtures

As always, thank you for you support - stay safe & enjoy the football coming your way soon!

What a weekend in J1! After some Olympic and transfer window housekeeping in Part 1 (to 22:50), we dive in to a terrific top flight matchday beginning with Yokohama FC's stunning win at home over Nagoya, then contrasting results for the top two - F.Marinos stumbling at Shimizu while Kawasaki cruised at Oita - before wrapping up Part 2 with Tosu continuing their dominance over Tokyo, and Kashiwa claiming a huge win at the death over Kobe (to 52:15).

Then in Part 3 we wrap up the other five games, including more late drama at Shonan, and Tokushima claiming a huge three points at home over Gamba Osaka.

With the third tier in the middle of its summer recess, Jon Steele & Mike Innes got together to review each team's progress over the first half of the J3 season.

In this episode, the guys take a forensic look at the teams currently occupying the top five positions in the league table (and Jon compares Fukushima United's squad-building with him struggling to carry an armful of laundry up a staircase).

Look out for Part 2 & Part 3 soon!

After a week or two of downtime, Jon Steele was once again joined by Stuart Smith for a catch-up, 'Summer Special' JTET with a J2 focus.

In Part 1, the boys discuss the season so far, and the major transfer news from the summer window.

In Part 2, they look forward to the 'second half' of the second-tier season, and end with a (rather long!) debate about alleged 'power harassment' at Tokyo Verdy.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Jonny Nicol returns to the pod to help us round up a difficult week for the Japanese teams at the Olympics, with the men following Nadeshiko Japan out of gold medal contention after their extra time loss to Spain in the semi final on Tuesday (to 43:23).

Then in Part 2 Jonny is rightly buoyant after Gamba Osaka's impressive recent results in their games in hand during the Olympic break hauled them out of relegation danger, and we finish up with some of the most intriguing arrivals during the J1 summer transfer window ahead of the league resuming next Monday.

We're back for a second episode of the week to mark Japan's progress to the Tokyo 2020 knockout stage in both the women's and men's football tournaments.

Once again we begin with the Under 24 men, and welcome back Richy Palmer, whose New Zealand side stand in the way of Japan making the semi final, but Hajime Moriyasu's team will certainly take some stopping after their superb performance against France. Where can the OlyWhites hurt Japan, and who are their players to watch? Richy fills us in (to 24:58).

Then we recap the 1-0 win over Chile that took Nadeshiko Japan in to the quarter finals, but they will definitely have to perk up their ideas against a Sweden side that have swept all before them in the group stage.

On this episode we chat about the contrasting fortunes of the Japan National Teams at Tokyo 2020, with fingers crossed both can make it through to the quarter finals (to 25:55), then cover the four J1 games from the past week.

Stuart Smith is here with a brief roundup of what happened in the last set of fixtures before the J2 summer "break", with updates on tight situations at the top and bottom of the league, plus a sprinkling of the latest transfer news.

Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay alert for more podcasts to come even the J2 is on hiatus!!

If you do want to get involved, and support us in our "work" please consider joining us on Patreon. You can find the details at: https://www.patreon.com/jtalkpod

A slow week ahead of the Olympics starting? Well Celtic, Kobe and Kyogo Furuhashi put paid to any plans we had for a cruisy episode by dropping their transfer bombshell on Friday morning, and Sean Galbraith joined us for Part 1 in which we discuss Furuhashi's move to link up with Ange Postecoglou and how he might fit in at Parkhead. We then move on to some Yokohama F.Marinos transfer news - that Sean is slightly less excited about - with Ado Onaiwu looking set for a move to France, and 2019 J1 Player of the Year Teruhito Nakagawa possibly heading to Kobe to attempt to fill Furuhashi's boots (to 30:39).

In Part 2 Alex Bishop makes a very welcome return to the pod to chat about the key players, youngsters to watch, and overall medal prospects for Asako Takakura's Nadeshiko Japan side in Tokyo 2020, while we also chat about the makeup of the squads for the other three teams in Japan's group in the men's Under 24 Olympic football tournament (to 1:01:38).

Then finally in Part 3 we review the four J1 games played on Saturday, with mixed results for the returning ACL clubs.

Fashionably late, here is this week's new JTET episode!

In Part 1, Jon Steele rounds up all of the recent Emperor's Cup action involving J2 & J3 sides, & looks back on last weekend's J2 action.

In Part 2, 'Magic' Mike Innes runs the rule over the latest J3 events in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

As always, thank you for your support!

It's a bumper new episode of the pod, with Jonny Nicol guesting for the duration after a weekend full of the good and bad (VAR?!) of the J.League.

In Part 1 Sam chats about his trip to the Euro 2020 Final on Sunday, and then Jonny reviews Gamba Osaka's ACL campaign, before we discuss Kaoru Mitoma's rumoured move to Brighton (via Belgium) and speculation over Kyogo Furuhashi's future (to 36:53).

Then we move on to J1 Matchday 22, and kick things off with three huge upsets where bottom five teams stunned top half opponents (to 1:06:56), before we round up the other four games.

Needing your J2 & J3 fix? Don't worry, Stuart Smith & Mike Innes - doyens of the lower J.League fare - are here to bring it to you.

Only a short round up for J2 this week, but get to know about the new leaders, Kyoto's first defeat since forever, and an eventful day for a JEF United forward.

Meanwhile, Mike Innes' Short Corner gives you all you need to know on what is becoming an absolutely epic promotion race.

Thank you for all your support. Stay safe, and enjoy your football!!

Jon Steele is back to look ahead to tonight's J2 & J3-focused Emperor's Cup ties in this 5-minute, new-style micro-pod.

Hopefully it helps to pump everyone up for this evening's action! Happy listening.

We begin this episode with Sam's report from the England v Germany game at Wembley, Urawa left red faced after an administrative error cost them their two goals from their recent loss to Shonan, and an ACL status check as the group stage in the East Zone winds down - with plenty still on the line for both Osaka clubs (to 10:00).

Then we dive in to the weekend's J1 action, as 10-man Yokohama F.Marinos continued to narrow the gap to Kawasaki at the top, and Kobe rose to third (to 27:26), before we wrap up the other four games from the Matchday 21 slate.

Stuart Smith is at the helm for this week's episode on the podcast dedicated to the second and third tier of Japanese football. He welcomed James Taylor - AKA @KanazawaDreamin - to discuss Zweigen Kanazawa in depth, and go through all of the J2 results form the weekend.

We talked JEF United, Blaublitz Akita, Omiya Ardjia, Matsumoto Yamaga and a whole host of J2 issues. Then Mike Innes enters the fray with his J3 focused Short Corner segment. Time stamps?

0:00-26:00 - Get to know James, and we spoke in depth about the current state of Zweigen Kanazawa, including their 4-1 defeat at Montedio Yamagata

26:00-31:50 - Dissecting Kyoto Sanga & Jubilo Iwata's wins

31:50-40:40 - The chasing pack, including big wins for Ryukyu, Machida & Kofu

40:40-50:20 - The relegation battle

50:20-1:00:40 - Weekend preview

1:00:50-end - Mike Innes' J3 Short Corner

Big thanks to James for taking time out to speak on Kanazawa, and as usual a huge shout out to Mike for doing such a good job with J3. This J3 season is wild, and I think we're lucky to have Mike on hand to navigate us through it.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support, we all really appreciate it! Enjoy the football this weekend.

Dan Orlowitz guests this week as we look forward to the Olympic football tournaments, and review the week's goings-on in Japanese football.

We begin with Tokyo 2020, looking first at Hajime Moriyasu's Under 24 squad, then chat about expectations for Asako Takakura's Nadeshiko Japan, before moving on to an excellent start to the ACL for all four J1 clubs (to 26:37).

Then we turn our attention to Sunday's J1 Matchday 20 fixtures, beginning with the VAR-dominated marathon between Shonan and Kashiwa and more inconsistency from Shimizu in the bottom half of the table, before we look up and chat about wins for Yokohama F.Marinos, Urawa, Kashima and FC Tokyo.

The boys are back in town with a comprehensive review of the latest J2 and J3 action!

First off, Johnny Nicol sat down with Jon Steele to look back at Round 19 of the J2 season, including a change of manager for struggling Matsumoto.

After that, 'Magic' Mike Innes runs the rule over the most recent J3 games, and rounds up some related news items, in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Just the six J1 games from the weekend to review, but still plenty of great goals and talking points from another top flight matchday.

After a brief ACL and Emperor's Cup status check off the top, we cover wins for Hiroshima, Shonan and Kobe in Part 1 (to 40:20), then chat about the Kashima vs Sendai draw, and victories for Sapporo and FC Tokyo against the bottom two.

If you've waited ALL week for a podcast, it had better be worth your while, right?

Don't worry - Jon Steele, Mike Innes & Stuart Smith are here to dissect the latest happenings in J2 & J3 in a 1hr 27m special!! All the way from Hachinohe in the far north, to the Kingdom of Ryukyu in the south, we have EVERYTHING covered.

Time stamps, you say? Sure!

00:00-17:11 - Sir Jon Steele gives an overview of what happened in the latest round of J2 games.
17:16-1:12.16 - Jon & Stuart Smith give a "State of the J2 Union" discussing their views on the promotion race, the relegation battle and everything in between. And breakfasts.
1:12.16-end - Mike gives you the news & hot gossip from J3.

It's a long one, but well worth your time. Thank you for your support as always, and enjoy your football!!!

Jonny Nicol guests as we piece together the J-Talk Best XI from the first half of the J1 season.

After a brief news and notes roundup at the start of the episode (to 13:00), we go from back to front on the pitch, beginning with goalkeeper and our four-man defence (to 37:31).

Then we stock the midfield and attack in our 4-3-3 formation, with perhaps a couple of controversial selections throughout the team, but hopefully you'll find this an enjoyable listen - it was certainly a lot of fun for the three of us during recording.

A bit later than planned, Jon Steele & Mike Innes are back to round up all of the J2 & J3-related action from last week's Emperor's Cup Round 2 ties.

Enjoy the show - a 'full' JTET episode with a review of last weekend's J2 & J3 action is coming later this week!

In this week's 'mainline' JTET, Magic Mike Innes joins Jon Steele to run the rule over last weekend's J2 action (including a new manager at Omiya in the form of ex-Yamaguchi man Masahiro Shimoda).

After a look ahead to this weekend's upcoming games, Mike goes solo for another installment of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', rounding up all of the latest J3 news.

Enjoy the show!

A (very short) midweek JTET special this time, with a full-to-bursting slate of Emperor's Cup games coming up on Wednesday night.

To give you a crash-course on the upcoming fixtures, we've clipped out some sections of this week's main JTET episode & uploaded them here!

First of all, Jon Steele & Mike Innes talk about the Emperor's Cup ties with J2 involvement. Then, after the traditional hit of JTET beats, Mike flies solo with a quick rundown of all of the Emperor's Cup ties with J3 interest.

We hope this enhances your enjoyment of the Emperor's Cup action tonight - the full JTET episode for this week is coming soon!

JTET is back with a new episode, rounding up the latest news and action from Japan's second and third tiers.

This week, Jon Steele was joined by Richy Palmer to look back on last weekend's J2 action (Round 16, with a bonus game from Round 15 - Sagamihara v Ehime - thrown in for good measure).

There's also a full episode of 'J-Talk: Short Corner', where Mike Innes brings you up to speed on the latest news and results from J3 (Round 9).

Enjoy the show!

It's one of the biggest items of J.League news in the past decade - Yokohama F.Marinos boss Ange Postecoglou seemingly set to take over in the dugout at Celtic Park, and joining us to talk about his thoughts on the potential move, the reaction from both sets of supporters and what it might mean for both F.Marinos and Celtic going forward, is Sean Galbraith, who has a foot in both camps as a supporter of both clubs.

After Part 1 (which runs to 1:17:32), we take a whirlwind tour of the top flight, rounding up all ten J1 games from the weekend's Matchday 17.

It was a hectic last weekend in J2, but Stuart Smith is back at the controls to guide you through Kyoto's rise to the J2 summit, Tochigi forgetting the rules of fair play, a ghost goal in Chiba, and the sad exit of a J2 manager.

In "Short Corner", Mike Innes gives you the lowdown on the Emperor's Cup 1st round proper. Spoiler alert, Honda FC are up to their old tricks

We'd all like to thank all of you that listen, interact and support us here. We really appreciate it. Enjoy the the show!!

Urawa continued their rise up the J1 table in Matchday 15, and regular Reds correspondent Ryan Steele (@Steelinho) guests in Part 1 to talk about their recent run, and the terrific impact a number of new arrivals have made on the team. Ryan also sticks around to review the other two all-top half games over the weekend - Tosu beating Kashima and Hiroshima winning away at Cerezo Osaka (to 50:26).

Then in Part 2 your faithful cohosts run through the other games from Matchday 15, as Kawasaki continue to cruise, Fukuoka flourish and Sendai skip up the table.

The JTET team are back & banging with another roundup of the latest J2 & J3 action.

To look back on Round 14 of the J2 season, Jon Steele was joined by Sagacious Sean Carroll.

For the latest J3 & Emperor's Cup info, Magic Mike Innes returns with 'J-Talk: Short Corner', with a brief (but very welcome) cameo from Super Stuart Smith to discuss the big Iwate v Gifu match.

Enjoy the show!

Scott McIntyre guests this week for a look at the wretched situation at Gamba Osaka, who sacked manager Tsuneyasu Miyamoto late last week, and then slumped to a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Urawa on Sunday (to 31:30). The rest of Part 1 covers weekend wins for the top two in J1 in Matchday 14, and Tosu's draw at Oita (to 54:34).

Then Part 2 begins with Kashima's stunning home smashing of Yokohama F.Marinos, and also includes 1-0 away wins for the two promoted sides, before wrapping up with Yokohama FC's first win of the season and Scott's new boyfriend(s).

All the colours of the J2 rainbow covered by Stuart Smith in this week's J-Talk: Extra Time:

Red haired GK keeps a clean sheet for leaders Niigata
Orange at the bottom as Omiya slide
Yellow peril for Giravanz Kitakyushu
Green guts as Sagamihara & Matsumoto gain creditable draws
Blue-Blitz Akita hold Jubilo, but concede a late equalizer
Indigo inconsistency - Machida held in derby
Violet vigilance as Kyoto creep up on the leaders

And some SILVER in the shape of Mr. Mike Innes' "Short Corner" as he takes you through the Emperor's Cup qualifying and a look at the latest J3 news.

Thanks to all who listen!

It's another bumper episode this week, as Neil Debnam guests in Part 1 to discuss Kawasaki's superb start to the season, including their double over Nagoya and Saturday's win at Gamba Osaka, as the defending champions look set to run away with their fourth top flight title in five seasons (to 49:33).

Then in Part 2 we review the other nine games from the Matchday 13 slate.

Jon Steele rounds up the midweek J2 action in this solo JTET episode. There's also J3 content with a mention of Gifu's rearranged game at home to Numazu, and a managerial change at Tottori.

Enjoy the show! And apologies to Matsumoto's Toyofumi SAKANO, who I refer to as Toyofumi Suzuki in Part 2.

It is Golden Week in Japan - and that means loads of football. Stuart Smith - you remember him, right? - is back on the mic to give you a whirlwind round-up of last weekend's action in J2 plus a brief look ahead to a mighty Wednesday evening clash, and of course Magic Mike Innes is giving you the latest J3 action in his 'Short Corner".

Enjoy!!

Alan Gibson guests in Part 1 of this new episode to discuss the Kansai J1 contingent, and a very head scratching VARdi VAR VAR moment from the end of the Shonan vs Sapporo game.

We begin with another superb performance by Kyogo Furuhashi in Kobe's 3-0 home cruise over Hiroshima, then move on to Sunday's Osaka derby and a look at Gamba Osaka's early season struggles in front of goal (Part 1 runs to 45:17).

In Part 2 your regular co-hosts run through the other six games and look ahead to this weekend's Matchday 13.

This week, Jon is joined by Mike Innes to run through all of the latest J2 action.

Mike is also on hand to bring you up to date with all of the J3 news in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' at the end of the episode.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Jonny Nicol guests for a full review of J1 Matchday 11, and a look ahead to the blockbuster top of the table clash coming up on Thursday night.

Part 1 features a look back at wins for Nagoya, Tosu and Yokohama F.Marinos, and Kobe's draw at Kashima (to 51:04).

Part 2 begins with Fukuoka and Urawa keeping the good times rolling, then we move on to Kashiwa clicking in to gear, Sapporo's home win over Sendai and the Shimizu v Shonan draw. We finish up with a Nagoya vs Kawasaki preview, and Sam's Pick of the Weekend.

Magic' Mike Innes takes the reigns for a solo roundup of an explosive midweek in J2, with some of the best games of the season having taken place on Wednesday night.

There's also a look back to the rearranged J3 game between Tottori and Gifu, played on the same evening, and some general J3 news!

Just in time for the midweek round of 2nd-tier fixtures (Round 9), Jon Steele looks back over the weekend's J2 action (Round 8) in a solo pod this time.

After Jon talks happily to himself for about 18 minutes, Mike Innes brings you up to date on J3 and Emperor's Cup qualifying news in the regular 'J-Talk: Short Corner segment'.

Happy listening, and enjoy the midweek games!

Dan Orlowitz guests for an overview of all the major talking points in the Japanese game, before a full review of J1 Matchday 10.

We kick off our look at the top flight action (from 16:00) with Nagoya's shock home defeat at the hands of Tosu, while leaders Kawasaki also dropped points on their home patch - Hiroshima decent value for their point at Todoroki.

This Week in VAR is back, and we also debut a promising new segment at the end of the podcast.

In this week's JTET episode, Stuart Smith returns to the pod to review the latest J2 action with Jon Steele, as well as looking ahead to the upcoming fixtures in the 2nd tier this weekend.

There's also the usual J3 roundup with Mike Innes in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'!

On this week's episode we chat about all of the games and major - mostly VAR-related - talking points from Matchday 9 of the top flight season, as we reached the (roughly) 1/4 point of the season over the weekend.

In this week's episode, Jon was joined by Sean Carroll to look back at all of the J2 action from Round 6. As usual, Mike Innes was also on hand to review the 3rd-tier action from Round 4 in his 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

After the top flight season resumed on the weekend, Jonny Nicol and then Stuart Woodward guested for a full review of J1 Matchday 7.

Jonny guests in Part 1 to discuss Gamba Osaka's return to action, and solid wins for the other two Kansai clubs (to 30:07), then Stuart chats about Yokohama F.Marinos after their home draw against Shonan (to 50:29).

Finally, we wrap up the other six games.

It's an unchanged lineup for the second JTET episode of the week, as Mike & Jon chat about the Round 3 action from last weekend, as well as the state of the third tier in general.

Hope everyone enjoys the show - Mike will be back with 'J-Talk: Short Corner' next week!

Mike Innes & Jon Steele are back to round up all of last weekend's J2 action!

The boys discuss Niigata's drubbing of Tokyo Verdy, Omiya's big win over Nagasaki, and Akita's victory over Kyoto in their debut J2 home game.

There's also a review of all of the other Round 5 action, some listener questions, and a preview of the forthcoming Round 6 matches.

Enjoy the show!

Alan Gibson guests for a look back at a very satisfying international break for both the Samurai Blue and the Under 24s (to 14:18), before we move on to the main event of this week's episode - putting together our 18 man squad for the Tokyo Olympics.

This week's JTET episode is finally ready for human consumption - sorry for the slow upload!

In this episode, Jon was joined by Jonny Nicol to review all of the action from Round 4 in the second tier, including a ludicrous second half in the Kyoto v Iwata game.

After that, Mike Innes is on hand to bring you up to speed on J3 in the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' segment of the show.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

Johnny on Twitter: @BlogGamba

Mike on Twitter: @GoGoOmiyaArdija

Jon on Twitter: @JTalkETJon

After another terrific round of top flight games, Neil Debnam guests in Part 1 for a look back at Kawasaki's 5-0 win at Urawa on Sunday, and Frontale's season so far (to 25:23).

Then we move on to Nagoya remaining perfect, a new game of the season so far, the return of everyone's favourite new segment, and all of the other games from Matchday 6, including a first win of the season for promoted Tokushima.

This week, Jon is joined by Richy Palmer (@GifuRichy) to review all of the J2 action from last weekend, including Omiya's storm-affected game with Kyoto.

Furthermore, Mike Innes (@GoGoOmiyaArdija) is on hand to bring you up to speed with all of the talking points from the opening round of J3 matches in 'J-Talk: Short Corner'.

Enjoy the show!