tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57608796276926120522024-03-14T16:49:53.827+09:00Go! Go! Omiya Ardijaレッツゴー 大宮, 大宮 アレアレ!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1036125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-61887558903523013612012-09-01T21:55:00.002+09:002012-09-01T21:55:28.578+09:00Urawa Video Highlights<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YSqqZt0EXwQ" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-21414939041791429282012-08-26T01:54:00.002+09:002012-08-26T01:54:12.487+09:00Vegalta Sendai Video Higlights<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MlbjCZ9xWzs" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-53058398712679118052012-08-25T05:34:00.003+09:002012-08-25T05:34:46.315+09:00FC Tokyo Video Highlights<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1kf-fs2w60U" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-67917136474830636632012-08-25T05:29:00.000+09:002012-08-25T05:29:37.332+09:00Sendai Preview<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">So after all our moaning here on GGOA Omiya came away from FC Tokyo last weekend with a win, pulling themselves out of the relegation zone in the process. </span><b style="background-color: white;">Milivoje Novakovic</b><span style="background-color: white;"> scored a cracking winner, </span><b style="background-color: white;">Hiroyuki Komoto</b><span style="background-color: white;"> made his debut as substitute and helped shore up the defence as Tokyo pressed for an equaliser, while </span><b style="background-color: white;">Yosuke Kataoka</b><span style="background-color: white;"> had the game of his life. With a home game to come on Saturday night against out of form Vegalta Sendai, are things actually looking a little rosier now in </span><i style="background-color: white;">le jardin de écureuil?</i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, yes and, to coin a phrase, nope. The Squirrels just about deserved the three points at Ajinomoto, Novakovic producing the game's one moment of real attacking quality as Kataoka performed his heroics at the other end... and what an unusual combination of words that is. But the distance between success and failure was very, very narrow: if FC Tokyo had had a bit more luck, a bit more incisiveness and someone else instead up front of the completely anonymous <b>Edmilson</b>, they could easily have won.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">And if <b>Zdenko Verdenik</b> is relying on this Ardija back four to keep the opposition out, he's going to need Komoto to take a starring role... and a lot of luck. On the two other occasions Omiya have kept clean sheets since Verdenik took over, the defence worked astoundingly hard against a Sanfrecce Hiroshima side having a serious off-day, and then <b>Koji Ezumi</b> shone against a poor Shimizu S-Pulse. These things don't happen every week. Make no mistake about it, the Squirrels are still deep in a relegation fight.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">But they actually might happen tomorrow. Novakovic's goal was a massive confidence boost for the squad and although the veteran Slovenian is some way yet from full match fitness, <b>Yu Hasegawa</b> has also found the target a couple of times in recent weeks. In other words it's possible that we might score against Vegalta Sendai, especially if the massively underachieving <b>Cho Young Cheol</b> remains on the substitutes' bench. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Komoto meanwhile looks set to make his first start in an orange shirt, although there are dispiritingly large question marks over where he might be deployed. The former Vissel Kobe man is an experienced central defender and God knows there's a need for improvement in that part of the Omiya team; but then again we don't have a dedicated right back at all, and at FC Tokyo he came on for regular first choice left back <b>Takumi Shimohira</b>. Wherever he ends up playing against Vegalta, let's hope he's lucky.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-22415153239542551682012-08-19T03:17:00.001+09:002012-08-19T03:17:45.746+09:00A First Chance To Say Super-Nova<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J1 Game 22/34, Sat 18 Aug</span></em><br />
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<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">FC Tokyo 0-1 Omiya Ardija</span></strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 Novakovic 78'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Watabe</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kataoka</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kikuchi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">DF Shimohira</span><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> (Komoto 76')</span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watanabe</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Aoki</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa (Suzuki 87')</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Carlinhos</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Higashi</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Hasegawa (Novakovic 65')</span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Subs not used:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Kitano</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Cho</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanakubo</span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Cards:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Higashi 33'</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-78601292767331468552012-08-18T23:05:00.002+09:002012-08-18T23:05:09.406+09:00FC Tokyo Video Highlights<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1kf-fs2w60U" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-77242330712032570892012-08-18T04:47:00.001+09:002012-08-18T04:47:50.183+09:00FC Tokyo Preview<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enthusiastic for the remainder of the J-League season? You betcha. Here at GGOA Towers we just can't wait. And it's guaranteed to be an exciting few months for Squirrels fans. Goals aplenty? Mm, probably, in a sense. A roller-coaster ride? Well, not sure about the ups, but from here it looks like the year could end in a great big down. And it all starts with Saturday's game at FC Tokyo! Great! The team - er, one of the teams - that always seems to beat us!</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">They certainly beat us on the opening day, a relatively even match at NACK5 seeing Omiya fail to get past the impressive <b>Shuichi Gonda</b>, while at the other end <b>Lucas'</b> superb piece of snap shooting was enough to take all three points for the reigning J2 champions. So how are the eleven players that started for the Squirrels that day doing now? Let's take a look...</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Goalkeeper <b>Takashi Kitano</b> has been injured for a good proportion of the year and seems now to be second choice behind <b>Koji Ezumi</b>. Oh.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">2. <b>Kazuhiro Murakami</b> has either been playing out of position at right back, or injured. Ow.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">3. <b>Kosuke Kikuchi's</b> confidence as a central defensive organiser appears totally shot. Bang.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">4. <b>Kim Young Gwon</b>, never particularly impressive during has year and a half at Ardija, has been sold. Almost immediately after leaving Omiya he went on to shine for South Korea in the Olympic Games. Guh.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">5. <b>Takumi Shimohira</b> has been an ever-present in the league, but... before we get too excited, let's remember that he came to Ardija having failed to become a regular in Gamba Osaka's defence. Ouch.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">6. No matter who the coach, they all seem to appreciate <b>Daigo Watanabe</b>. He's still around, mostly being mediocre on the right-hand side of midfield. Zzzzz.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">7. <b>Carlinhos</b> works hard and is always at least trying to create something, however uncooperative or immobile his team-mates might be. At the moment it's hard to look anywhere else for Player of the Year. Woohoo!</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">8. <b>Takuya Aoki's</b> hopes of playing for Japan in the Olympics disappeared long ago, but he's always in the middle for Omiya. Always. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">9. <b>Cho Young Cheol</b> may be the team's top scorer - with, um, four - but boy has he been disappointing for most of the time since his move from Albirex Niigata. Yeesh.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">10. Underperformer of the Year is arguably <b>Keigo Higashi</b>, who has spent 2012 making Cho look like <b>Lionel Messi</b>. Still, he did pretty well for Japan in London. What's that you say? Keigo's big opportunity to get a transfer to Europe? Hmmm.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">11. <b>Rafael</b> has gone back to Brazil. Bye bye.</span></div>
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<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And now the transfer window is closed, meaning that the current squad - including new loan signing <b>Hiroyuki Komoto</b> from Vissel Kobe - will be seeing us through to December. It might be too soon to expect Komoto to be propping up the middle of the back four against FC Tokyo, meaning that some combination of Kikuchi, <b>Yosuke Kataoka</b> and <b>Yuki Fukaya</b> will have the job of keeping out Lucas and <b>Edmilson</b>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are we going to score? That mostly depends on the midfield's ability to create chances for a likely starting pair of <b>Yu Hasegawa</b> and Slovenian veteran <b>Milivoje Novakovic</b>, the latter set to make his first start in a Squirrels shirt. So hey, that's something to get excited about, right? I don't know what I'm moaning about really.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-54655149960396471092012-08-14T23:30:00.002+09:002012-08-14T23:30:58.991+09:00Ljubijankic & Novakovic Intro Interviews<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brief English-language interviews with new Ardija signings <b>Zlatan Ljubijankic</b> and <b>Milivoje Novakovic</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oZSHeVZlOnE" width="425"></iframe></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-91246060450743002102012-08-14T06:10:00.000+09:002012-08-14T06:11:16.511+09:00Verdenik: The Stats So Far<span style="font-family: inherit;">Guess how <b>Zdenko Verdenik</b> has been doing since he took over as Omiya coach eight league games ago? Agent Orange has been busy constructing the table below, which shows how all J1 clubs have performed since the Slovenian's appointment at NACK5 in the middle of June. Ex-Ardija boss <b>Yasuhiro Higuchi</b> has had a fantastic couple of months at Yokohama F Marinos, undefeated and picking up an impressive sixteen points. Reigning champions Kashiwa Reysol have continued their resurgent form, firing in no fewer than 23 goals that includes four in Verdenik's first match in charge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Having replaced their own coaches at around the same time as Omiya, Vissel Kobe and Albirex Niigata have both moved up the table, the Swans under new boss <b>Masaaki Yanagishita</b> now boasting the best defence in the division - a rearguard that has been further improved by the addition from Ardija of the experienced <b>Shusuke Tsubouchi</b>. Even Consadole Sapporo, rock bottom all season long, have managed good home wins against Nagoya Grampus and Vegalta Sendai.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And Verdenik's Squirrels? We're last in Agent Orange's table. We have the poorest form of any club in J1. Despite some glimmers of hope during a handful of matches in June and early July, we've actually got worse since the departure of <b>Jun Suzuki </b>- a fact reflected in our drop into the relegation places. One of the division's least able defences has grown weaker with the sale of Tsubouchi and <b>Kim Young Gwon. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of the defensive players that remain, captain <b>Kosuke Kikuchi </b>seems for all the world a broken man rather than a leader, the crash and burn of his confidence exemplified by a humiliating own goal against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. In fact there's even an argument that game-but-limited <b>Yosuke Kataoka</b> might now be Ardija's best defender - an idea that would have been laughable in 2007 but is less than amusing in 2012. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No wonder Squirrels fans have been overwhelmed with relief at the arrival on loan of <b>Hiroyuki Komoto</b>, the Vissel Kobe centre back who in the current squad appears to carry the Squirrels' hopes of J1 survival on his shoulders. Welcome to Omiya, Hiroyuki. No pressure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Marinos 16pts (+6)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Kashiwa 15 (+10)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Hiroshima 15 (+8)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Nagoya 14 (+6)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. Tosu 14 (+3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. Kobe 14 (-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Urawa 13 (+3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Niigata 12 (+2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Kashima 12 (-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Sendai 11 (+3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Kawasaki 9 (-1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Gamba 8 (-1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">13. FC Tokyo 8 (-3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">14. S-Pulse 8 (-5)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">15. Jubilo 7 (-4)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">--------</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">16. Cerezo 6 (-5)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">17. Sapporo 6 (-14)</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">18. Omiya 5 (-8)</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-83191304541103911012012-08-12T22:35:00.002+09:002012-08-12T22:36:37.279+09:00Another Great Sunday Friendly<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2x40 mins Friendly, Sun 12 Aug</span></em><br />
<div style="background-color: white;">
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya Ardija 2-3 Meiji University</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-0 Kanakubo 14'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 scorer unknown 28'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-2 scorer unknown 38'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-3 scorer unknown 57'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2-3 own goal 68'</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">GK Kitano (K Shimizu HT)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF trialist</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF trialist</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF trialist</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Lee</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Hashimoto</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW Kanakubo (trialist 54')</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW trialist</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-58791478006602140042012-08-12T19:32:00.000+09:002012-08-12T19:33:08.782+09:00Which Way From Here?<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J1 Game 20/34, Sat 11 Aug</span></em><br />
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></strong></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya Ardija 1-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima</span></strong></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 own goal 24'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 Ljubijankic 38' (PK)</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-2 Shimizu 49'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Watabe</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kataoka</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kikuchi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">DF Shimohira</span><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watanabe</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Aoki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa (Ueda 81')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Cho (Novakovic 79')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Hasegawa</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Ljubijankic (Kanakubo 65')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Subs not used:</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Kitano</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Hashimoto</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Cards:</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Kanazawa 47'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Aoki 56'</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-78352571736233649822012-08-12T19:26:00.000+09:002012-08-12T19:26:17.658+09:00Losing A Must-Not-Lose Game<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J1 Game 20/34, Sat 04 Aug</span></em><br />
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></strong></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gamba Osaka 3-1 Omiya Ardija</span></strong></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 Hasegawa 52'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 Leandro 64'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">2-1 Leandro 65'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">3-1 Kurata</span> 71'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Watabe</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kataoka</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">DF Shimohira</span><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Aoki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Carlinhos (Ljubijankic 66')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watanabe (Kanakubo 82')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Cho</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Hasegawa </span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Subs not used:</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Kitano</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Tsubouchi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Hashimoto</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Cards:</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Carlinhos 38'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Ezumi 62'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Hasegawa 64'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Ljubijankic 72'</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-60118766626216263422012-08-04T04:06:00.002+09:002012-08-04T04:06:42.668+09:00Gamba Preview<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">All in all another extraordinary week to report on at Omiya Ardija, ahead of what is shaping up to be a crucial match on Saturday evening at Gamba Osaka. It's an encounter which, while very important to both teams' hopes of staying in J1, is also very difficult to predict. Approaching the business end of a disastrous season Gamba are running out of time if they are to battle their way out of the relegation places, but have re-signed a proven J-League goalscorer in </span><b style="background-color: white;">Leandro</b><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></span><br />
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile Omiya's form is up one moment and down the next, as exemplified by last weekend's thrashing at Kawasaki Frontale. And in <b>Zlatan Ljubijankic</b> and <b>Milivoje Novakovic</b> the Squirrels have signed forwards of their own, as they seek to secure their place in the top division for another season. But Ljubijankic went off after a mysteriously brief 20-minute cameo in a training match on Sunday and his fitness ahead of the trip to Osaka is unclear.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Newcomer Novakovic had his first training session as an Omiya player on Friday. A veteran of 33, his scoring record at both club and international level is better than of his fellow Slovenian Ljubijankic, alongside whom he has played for the national team: Novakovic boasts a resume that includes nineteen goals for Slovenia more than seventy for 1FC Koln in Germany. </span>Impressive enough, and stats that suggest he could be a very dangerous weapon in the J-League, but Ardija fans will likely have to wait before it becomes apparent how <b>Zdenko Verdenik</b> plans to deploy his new assets.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They may choose to spend some of that time pondering the fragility of the Squirrels' defence - demonstrated with terrifying clarity during the second half at Frontale - and the fact that Verdenik has not yet done anything to strengthen this part of the squad. Indeed, given that <b>Kim Young Gwon</b> has left and not been replaced, there are now fewer options than earlier in the year. At times under their new coach Omiya have looked strong and resolute defensively, but on other occasions the discipline of the back four has disappeared completely.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No combination of players seems to convince on a consistent basis: <b>Kosuke Kikuchi</b> might usually be the lynchpin and decision-maker, but when such a key member of the team is so prone to lapses in concentration that expose his colleagues, it is hard to have confidence in Ardija's rearguard. It is also worth noting that the one defender Omiya have been linked with in the transfer market, Mito Hollyhock starlet <b>Tsukasa Shiotani</b>, this week joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are we really stuck with what we've got? Is what we've got really good enough to survive another Ardija relegation scrap? The Gamba match counts as a must-not-lose fixture, as a victory for the Blue and Blacks will close the gap between the teams to three points. Can the Squirrels defence keep out a fired up and desperate Leandro, <b>Yasuhito Endo</b> and co? Has Zlatan Ljubijankic succumbed to injury almost before his Omiya career has started? All in all, Ardija once again go into a key game with more unanswered questions hanging over their heads.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-78184316131338932652012-08-04T00:08:00.002+09:002012-08-04T00:08:55.158+09:00Zlatan Interview Clip<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a short English-language interview with <b>Zlatan Ljubijankic</b> starting at 3m 18s of this clip from the Ole Ardija TV show.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IuDdzmyzPso" width="425"></iframe></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-15374788823448919742012-07-29T21:31:00.000+09:002012-07-29T21:31:30.588+09:00Trialists And Tribulations<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friendly, Sun 29 Jul</span></em><br />
<div>
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></strong></div>
<div>
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya Ardija 1-3 Kansai University</span></strong></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 scorer unknown 2'</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 Ueda 69'</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-2 scorer unknown 74'</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-3 scorer unknown 79'</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">GK Kitano (K Shimizu HT)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kanazawa</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Tsubouchi (coach Otsuka 58')</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF trialist</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Hashimoto</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF trialist</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanakubo (trialist HT)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW Ichikawa</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW Ljubijankic (trialist 20')</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-86584562182580602072012-07-29T05:34:00.003+09:002012-07-29T05:35:19.087+09:00GGOA Coach Survey: The Result<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Fresh out of the worst result since he took over at NACK5, </span><b style="background-color: white;">Zdenko Verdenik</b><span style="background-color: white;"> has received what amounts to a tentative thumbs up from Omiya supporters. The Squirrels went down 4-1 at Kawasaki Frontale, but a slim majority of readers voting in the most recent GGOA survey here on GGOA have indicated that they're happy that the Slovenian is in charge at Ardija.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">60% of participants voted to the effect that Verdenik has done well - even though the Frontale result means that he has picked up only five points from six league games. In contrast, no voters at all said that they wishes that former coach <b>Jun Suzuki</b> was still in charge. Full results are as follows: </span></div>
<div>
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Who should be Omiya coach?</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">1. Verdenik - he's doing a great job 60%</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">2. We should have got someone else 40%</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">3. I wish Suzuki was still there 0%</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to all who voted.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-75701765807429094862012-07-29T04:57:00.000+09:002012-07-29T04:57:48.013+09:00Second Half Slump Stuns Squirrels<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J1 Game 19/34, Sat 28 Jul</span></em><br />
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<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kawasaki Frontale 4-1 Omiya Ardija</span></strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 Hasegawa 19'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 Nakamura 45+4'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">2-1 Kobayashi 47' (PK)</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">3-1 Kusukami 69'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">4-1 Renato 71'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kataoka (Kanakubo 83')</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kikuchi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">DF Shimohira</span><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Aoki</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Carlinhos (Ueda 77')</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watanabe</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watabe </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Hasegawa (Ljubijankic 73')</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Cho</span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Subs not used:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK K Shimizu</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Ichikawa</span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Cards:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Cho 33'</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Kikuchi 46'</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-43358659001669577832012-07-28T00:15:00.000+09:002012-07-28T00:15:34.078+09:00Kawasaki Preview<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There might not have been any actual matches to enjoy, but that doesn't mean Squirrels fans haven't had an interesting time of it since the 2-2 draw with Vissel Kobe at NACK5 a couple of weeks ago. And both the main events during that period could act as inspiration to Omiya ahead of Saturday's game at Kawasaki Frontale.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Transfer speculation has gone into overload since the departure from Ardija of <b>Rafael</b> and <b>Kim Young Gwon</b>, but Rafa's replacement is now confirmed and available for selection. It's anticipated that <b>Zlatan Ljubijankic</b>, signed from Belgian side Gent, will start on the substitutes' bench against Frontale. While it would be asking a lot of Ljubijankic to make an immediate impact - for one thing, he hadn't completed preseason training in Belgium - Omiya supporters will be forgiven for being desperate to see the Slovenian international in action.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">It's been clear throughout the season that we need a new approach to getting goals and Ljubijankic represents <b>Zdenko Verdenik's </b>means of delivering a sharper Ardija attack. The big question will be who Verdenik will in due course select to play alongside the newcomer and the favourite at the moment would seem to be - and this was pretty much unthinkable at the start of the year - teenage striker <b>Shintaro Shimizu</b>.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">After picking up an injury in training on Thursday it isn't clear whether Shimizu will be available to play against Kawasaki, but the youngster must be bursting to stake his claim for a permanent slot ahead of <b>Yu Hasegawa, Masahiko Ichikawa</b> and even the disappointing<b> Cho Young Cheol</b>. At Frontale, in the meantime, depending on Shimizu's fitness Hasegawa and Cho look the most likely partnership to start.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">As well as the arrival of Ljubijankic, the other source of encouragement for Omiya came from a top quality performance by midfielder <b>Keigo Higashi</b> in Japan's sensational Olympic victory against Spain on Friday. Higashi put aside his poor league form to show discipline and creativity when matched up with a strong Spanish team, bringing one excellent save from <b>David De Gea</b> and setting up chance after chance for his team-mates. More broadly it was a display that underlined the high standard of football on offer in the J-League and Ardija's player was at the very heart of the Japanese team. </span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Zdenko Verdenik meanwhile needs to get points on the board for Omiya and Kawasaki's recent bad run of results suggests that, with or without Higashi, Saturday's match is a winnable one. Like Shintaro Shimizu <b>Carlinhos</b> was injured in training in midweek but indications are that he may be fit enough to play. Zlatan Ljubijankic may be the longer-term solution but the immediate question is still, Where will the goals come from? </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-13116781499141347892012-07-22T05:02:00.001+09:002012-07-22T05:03:11.985+09:00Higashi On Target As Olympics Near<span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya midfielder <b>Keigo Higashi</b> is surely playing himself into the starting line-up for Japan's bid for 2012 Olympic glory. The Squirrels starlet added to his assist from the midweek friendly win over Belarus by opening the scoring in the first minute against Mexico on Saturday. If only he had done the same for Ardija even once this season. But never mind. It'll come, I'm sure. Anyway, the Young Samurai went on to win their last pre-tournament practice game 2-1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z0bDSnkbgkg" width="425"></iframe></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-20381566992396802842012-07-22T04:52:00.000+09:002012-07-22T04:54:51.168+09:00Kanazawa Nets In, Er, "Friendly" Win<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friendly, Sat 21 Jul</span></i><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya Ardija 1-0 Urawa Reds</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1-0 Kanazawa 27'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi (K Shimizu HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Tsubouchi (Yamazaki 60')</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya (Kataoka HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kikuchi (Koinuma HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DF Shimohira (Suzuki HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa (Oyama 60')</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda (Hashimoto HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watanabe (trialist 60')</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watabe (Kanakubo HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW Hasegawa (Cho HT)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">FW S Shimizu (Ichikawa HT)</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-70396657590327750272012-07-21T02:09:00.003+09:002012-07-21T02:09:51.391+09:00GGOA Readers' Survey: Vote Now!<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">We're just over half way through the 2012 season and in many ways up to now it has been a normal Omiya campaign - that curious combination of the tempestuous and tedious that characterises life as a Squirrels fan. </span><b style="background-color: white;">Jun Suzuki</b><span style="background-color: white;"> began his third year as Ardija coach but despite delivering yet another Saitama Derby win over Urawa Reds he was fired within three months, as Omiya sat in their traditional position just outside the relegation zone.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Zdenko Verdenik</b> was Suzuki's shock replacement, a man with decade-old J-League experience but whose most recent employment appears to have been as an academic at a university in Ljubljana. Since his arrival Verdenik has made a major impact off the field, moving quickly to sell both <b>Kim Young Gwon</b> and fan favourite <b>Rafael</b>, but his results don't look all that different to those achieved by his predecessor: five points from five league games so far.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva; font-size: medium;" style="font-family: inherit;">So who would Squirrels fans like to see in charge? Has Verdenik done enough to show that he's the man to take Omiya forward? Did Jun Suzuki deserve more of a chance? Or should Ardija have appointed someone else? It's time for another GGOA Readers' Survey, so you can have your say on the matter by going to the right-hand panel of this page and voting! </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-14302513826481102802012-07-20T22:07:00.000+09:002012-07-20T22:10:39.686+09:00The New Signing... It's Zlatan<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Omiya Ardija have confirmed recent press rumours with the announcement that </span><b style="background-color: white;">Zlatan Ljubijankic</b><span style="background-color: white;"> has joined the club from Belgian side KAA Gent. Ljubijankic, who will take squad number 11 at Ardija, is a 1m 86cm 28-year-old Slovenian international forward.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The basic facts of his career are that he began in his native country with the NK Domzale club in 2002, immediately helping them to win promotion to the top division. Ljubijankic went on to notch up 40 goals in 155 games for Domzale, the highlight being a championship win in 2006/07. Midway through the following season he moved to Gent, where he has found the net another 27 times in 125 appearances. A member of the Slovenian national side since 2006, Ljubijankic attracted wider attention when he scored in the 2010 World Cup match against the US in South Africa [see clip].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IGllMgtdzAo" width="425"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">At Omiya he will of course be playing under a former Slovenia coach in <b>Zdenko Verdenik</b>, which presumably provides the reason for the signing being made in the first place. Ljubijankic also follows in the footsteps of <b>Klemen Lavric</b>, another Slovenian striker who turned out for the Squirrels with mixed results between 2006 and 2008.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what can we expect from our new signing? Follower of the Belgian league <a href="http://twitter.com/goalgary" target="_blank">Gary Niblock</a> observed, "Zlatan's a striker by trade but often plays out wide. He's not a prolific goalscorer by any means but is good at link-up play. Target man would be his best role [and] I could see him doing well in Japan. Gent like to play a fast, high-tempo game so if he gels well with the coach and his team-mates [one-touch football] should be no problem for him."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's true that Ljubijankic has a less-than-stellar scoring record, but the aim in bringing him to Omiya would seem to be to have someone as a focus for the attack who could combine with other players while maintaining the speed and momentum. <b>Rafael</b> could not do this consistently and has been shipped out; <b>Yu Hasegawa</b> may be big and he does have other skills but he is atrocious in the air. The opportunity is there for Ljubijankic to come in and be a new Squirrels hero.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-42447074541381886082012-07-16T00:12:00.002+09:002012-07-16T00:12:53.681+09:00Kobe Video Highlights<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iJM_kDJh03s" width="425"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-38363021075362438072012-07-15T03:42:00.001+09:002012-07-15T03:42:38.475+09:00Shimizu, Watabe Net In Thriller<em style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">J1 Game 18/34, Sat 14 Jul</span></em><br />
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<strong data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Omiya Ardija 2-2 Vissel Kobe</span></strong></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">0-1 Tanaka 20'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">1-1 S Shimizu 26'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">2-1 Watabe 67'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">2-2 Tashiro 74'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK Ezumi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Murakami (Kataoka 26')</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Fukaya</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Kikuchi</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">DF Shimohira</span><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> </span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Aoki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Carlinhos</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Higashi (Kanakubo 77')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Watabe </span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW Cho (Hasegawa 61')</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">FW S Shimizu</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Subs not used:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">GK K Shimizu</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">DF Suzuki</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Ueda</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="font-size: 16px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">MF Kanazawa</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
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<em><span data-mce-style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;" style="font-family: inherit;">Cards:</span></em></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y Kikuchi 38'</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: inherit;">Y S Shimizu 38'</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760879627692612052.post-87996466745600988482012-07-14T05:03:00.000+09:002012-07-14T05:03:23.196+09:00Kobe Preview<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The preview of last week's match at Kashima Antlers made something of a big deal of the game as a measure of the progress that Omiya have made under new coach </span><b style="background-color: white;">Zdenko Verdenik</b><span style="background-color: white;">. With </span><b style="background-color: white;">Rafael</b><span style="background-color: white;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white;">Kim Young Gwon</b><span style="background-color: white;"> now formally departed, Verdenik's team lost 1-0 but even so there were reasons to be satisfied with the overall performance. Whisper it quietly but there might even be some cautious optimism developing around NACK5 Stadium.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Going back to the Kashima match, the decisive moment came sixteen minutes from the end when <b>Daigo Nishi</b> found space on the Squirrels' left and fired in an angled cross/shot that eluded everyone and crept in at far post. On balance I think it was an attempt on goal by Nishi - but it was unquestionably very hard to defend against, given that any defender attempting to intervene would have found it almost impossible to avoid conceding an own goal. Credit to the Kashima player, then, for making the most of a brief lapse in concentration by the Ardija back line. And it's only fair to say that Omiya rode their luck at times, <b>Yuya Osako</b> being guilty of missing a couple of chances before Nishi broke the deadlock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But <b>Koji Ezumi</b> put in another strong display in the Squirrels goal - there have to be question marks over whether <b>Takashi Kitano</b> will get back into the team when he's fit - and at the other end Verdenik could have seen his men go at least two goals ahead in the first twenty minutes. <b>Keigo Higashi</b>, for instance, continued his extraordinarily ineffective 2012 by fluffing a clear one-on-one and soon afterwards <b>Takuya Aoki</b> somehow managed to avoid converting from close range.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They were disappointing moments, of course, although at least this was a game in which Omiya created clear chances. In the second half, too, teenage substitute <b>Shintaro Shimizu</b> came within an ace of getting his first-ever J-League goal when he crashed in a header that <b>Hitoshi Sogahata</b> was happy to be able to grab out of the air. Ardija ended up getting punished for the opportunities they didn't take, but on another day they could have come back from Ibaraki with at least a point. It was hardly a crushing defeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So there are indeed some positives to bring into Saturday's game against Vissel Kobe. The Maroon Bulls have found some form under incoming coach <b>Akira Nishino</b> but lost 1-0 to league leaders Vegalta Sendai last weekend. This is a fixture that Omiya need to get something from, but take their chances and there's reason to believe that the Squirrels can do<span style="font-size: 16px;"> it.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0