TENTH IN '10!! - A Round-up

Just to pull together into one place what we hope has been a wide-ranging and interesting GGOA 2010 review, in the form of the series of TENTH IN '10!! posts that have been running on the site since shortly after the end of the season. Here are links to all the articles, covering what we here at GGOA feel have been the most important elements of the year.

1. The Rise & Fall Of Haruo Yuuki Agent Orange asks some pretty searching questions on the departure from Ardija of Technical Director / Evil Mastermind Haruo Yuuki.

2. The Rise & Rise Of Shusuke Tsubouchi Signed on a season-long loan, expected by all to be pretty rubbish, but Shusuke Tsubouchi turned out to be one of Omiya's stars of the year; Furtho pays tribute.

3. The November Turnaround And thank God for it, says Furtho, as the by-now traditional late-season surge in form saved the Squirrels from the drop, again.

4. The Krispy Kreme Formation If only Ardija's team were not shaped like a donut and actually had something solid in the middle, laments Agent Orange, adopting the confectionary metaphor to end all confectionary metaphors.

5. Naoki, North Korea & The Nationals Agent Orange raises his hat to An Yong Hak as the first ever Omiya player to appear in the World Cup Finals. But why, he goes on to ask in his characteristically forthright manner, does Naoki Ishihara keep getting overlooked for Japan? Eh? Why?

6. Getting It All Ryong A particularly witless piece of punning from Furtho on the early season departure of coach Jang Wae Ryong and his replacement by the superhero that is Jun Suzuki.

7. The Lost Boys Of 2008 Agent Orange on the mixed fortunes of the young players who joined Omiya in 2008 - including the tragedy of cancer victim Taishi Tsukamoto.

8. Crowdgate Ardija manage to antagonise the J-League in about the most ill-advised manner possible, by systematically publishing false data about their match attendances. Media goes into frenzy! Punishment is imposed! Club president quits! And Furtho ponders what it might all mean.

9. The Fujimoto Story The decline into uselessness of Omiya captain and major irritant Chikara Fujimoto, discussed by Furtho while attempting not to get overcome by exasperation.

10. Six Years Of Survival Agent Orange concludes the series in uplifting fashion, by examining how the hell it is that Omiya manage to avoid getting relegated.

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