Will Our Cup Runneth Over?

Yaza you diamond!!!

Due to family holidays to Australia and Scotland, both of us from On the Gas have been out of the country while our lads have been blazing a trail to Kokuritsu in the Emperor's Cup.

A 1-0 Christmas Eve quarter final win over the old enemy, Urawa, our first triumph over the Red Cubic Zirconias since the 2004 Nabisco Final, was followed by a victory on the 29th by the same scoreline over Cerezo Osaka, who resorted to volleyball tactics in second half stoppage time (you cheating twat Ryuji Bando) but were undone by Tatsuya Yazawa's 73rd minute belter from 20 yards.

And so tomorrow we will play in our first ever Emperor's Cup final, against Kyoto, who themselves have stunned the Japanese football world by making it an all-J2 final, the first time thats happened in the 91 years the competition has been going (though J2 has only been in existence for 13 years so thats pretty misleading!!!).

As we know, we completely bossed Kyoto in the league this season, winning 4-1 at their place in late May before smashing them 6-1 (after going a goal down) in early September, but they were a different team in the last two months of the season, and won eight of their last nine to finish the J2 season in seventh before beating Kashima, Shonan and then Yokohama to reach the final.

There's no secret to how we'll set up and try to play, as Naohiro Ishikawa has clearly supplanted Sotan Tanabe in Big Bear's preferred XI and the other ten pick themselves, so our thoughts turn to the 'hosts' (Kyoto, from the left side of the draw are the home team) and their dynamic young forwards Miyayoshi and Kubo.

Miyayoshi scored an excellent goal on the break in the Aji Sta clash so we know all about him, but Kubo is the ace up their sleeve, an 18 year old who was their top scorer in the league with ten goals. He's started the last three games on the bench but his fresh legs have changed games when he's come on, as Yokohama can attest to after Kubo bagged the match-winner on the 29th deep into the second half of extra time.

The other threat they have of course is our old 'friend' Dutra, who came back into favour (and form) towards the end of the season after not making a league start for almost three months. He netted the winner against Shonan in the quarter final and also scored in the semi, so we'll have to be mindful of him, meaning Konno, Morishige and the gang at the back will have their work cut out for them all afternoon.

But we pose a strong threat which they know all about as well of course, so this shapes as a belter of a game, which we should win if we have enough movement in their final third and take our chances when they come, along with restricting their chances to counter-attack. Another Yazawa winner would complete a brilliant season for him, but of course we'll take a goal from anyone.

I'd love to be there but might have to watch on telly as A) I don't have a ticket and B) the Mrs is stonewalling, saying we should spend our first New Years Day as a married couple with her family! F####K! Ah well, whether I'm there or not it'll be a great day for all Tokyo supporters, as we look to secure our first Emperor's Cup and spot in the Asian Champions League, which goes to the winner.

Come On You Gasmen! Up the Gas! Smash Kyoto!

Nine Months of Job Done - Part 2

Nine Months of Job Done Part 1

A total of 29 players took the pitch in the 38 J2 league games for FC Tokyo in 2011, and here we'll run the rule over how they got on. There were several surprises as younger players emerged and took on important roles, and hopefully that'll hold us in good stead for our return to the top division next year. Of the 29, an impressive 17 players got on the scoresheet, as our goalscoring responsibility was shared throughout the squad.

As with last season, I'm grading on the following scale (slightly re-worded from '10, and with a + or - sometimes added for emphasis) based on how much was expected from individuals and how well they delivered:

• A - Excellent Season
• B - Consistently Good; Exceeded Previous Standard/Expectations
• C - Did As Expected; Nothing Special
• D - Below Previous/Expected Standard; Failed To Meet Expectations
• F - Rubbish/Useless/Shit

but unfortunately due mostly to injury the following players are graded as - N/A: Takuji Yonemoto, Sota Hirayama, Tomokazu Nagira and Roberto all made just one league appearance, and Pedro Junior only two (the latter two aren't even with the club anymore of course, and Nagira isn't coming back). The third and fourth 'keepers, Satoshi Tokizawa and Ryotaro Hironaga, along with young midfielder Kento Hashimoto, are also of course not rated as they didn't make it onto the pitch. That leaves us with 24 players to assess, so lets get stuck in:

GOALKEEPERS
Shuichi Gonda 20 appearances - 11 clean sheets:
Our 'undisputed' number one 'keeper surprisingly spent almost three months on the bench after returning from Under 22 duty in June, but his shot-stopping and distribution didn't suffer when he was finally recalled. Will be a key man for us next year. For this season, consistently good. - B

Hitoshi Shiota 18 appearances - 12 clean sheets:
Had a lot more opportunities than expected, and didn't let us down. Still behind Gonda in terms of distribution especially, but although we said he should probably move on (for the sake of his own career) in Episode 12 of Gas Talk, he'll likely also get ample chances to play in '12 with Gonda's national team and Under 22 duties. A good year from Shio. - B

DEFENDERS

Yuhei Tokunaga 37 appearances - 3 goals:
After again being ineffective in the defensive midfield role in Matchdays 2 to 7, he was rejuvenated by his return to right back, the perfect two-way fullback for this division. He also chipped in three goals in four games in July and August, the best of them a screamer in the 5-0 thumping of Kumamoto at Kokuritsu. Also pinch-hit at centre half three times in the absence of Konno and/or Morishige. Note to Mr. Popovic - HE'S A DEFENDER! - A-

Masato Morishige 37 appearances - 6 goals:
Had a lot to prove after a disappointing 2010, and more than delivered this term. Extremely solid at the back, far more disciplined than last year and also a huge threat from set pieces, with his free kicks a legitimate weapon. He made a firm believer out of me, and would be my choice as the next captain of the club if/when Konno leaves. - A+ & Co-Winner of the On the Gas Player of the Season Award

Yasuyuki Konno 33 appearances - 1 goal:
This was all a bit easy for him, wasn't it? While Morishige bagged the goals (and more headlines), Konno was simply a class above the forwards in this division. Never ruffled and always an excellent distributor from the back, he was my choice as Player of the Year. Now, how can we convince him to stay? Anyone got any incriminating photos...? - A+ & Co-Winner of the On the Gas Player of the Season Award

Kenta Mukuhara 26 appearances (4 as sub) - 2 goals:
Only one more start than 2010, but there's no doubt that Mukuhara made strides this season as he kept Hokuto out of the team from September onwards. His two goals were highlight-reel quality (though he did get lucky on a last-second deflection against Kitakyushu) but more important was his consistent defending, not to mention a burgeoning combination down the left with Tanabe that should bear more fruit next year. - B+

Hokuto Nakamura 24 appearances (3 as sub):
The supporters will remember his determined run and cross for The Salad's winner away at Shonan in November, but while that was the high point, and even though he did make 21 starts, he certainly took a step backwards this season, and Mukuhara's impressive form meant he only made three pinch-hit starts in the final three months. Caught out of position too many times for my liking. For the most part he was "below expected standard." - D+

Takumi Abe 8 appearances (1 as sub):
Showed some very promising signs when he started the first six games, but was exposed by Hiroki Kawano in the away derby and then Shingo Kumabayashi in the loss at Kusatsu. The latter game was the end of his run in the team, and after he made one pinch-hit start at the end of July, he didn't make the matchday squad for the rest of the season. One for the future, but is he physically equipped to be a regular J1 player? - C

Jade North 4 appearances (1 as sub):
At any other J2 club (and plenty of J1 clubs too) the Aussie international would've been a permanent fixture at centre back, but Jade had the misfortune (not sure thats the right word) of being next in line behind our two best players, in our strongest position. I felt he should've had a couple more opportunities (when Tokunaga filled-in against Tochigi at Kumagaya and Oita at Kokuritsu), but in his three starts we saw a composed, dependable defender who we should bring back next year. Top bloke, too. With more chances I'm sure this grade would've been higher. - C+ #KeepJadeInTokyo!

MIDFIELDERS

Tatsuya Yazawa 37 appearances (5 as sub) - 5 goals:
The supporters had him level with Morishige in our Player of the Year poll, and no one would've predicted that before the start of the season. Yaza no doubt benefitted from Ishikawa's struggles to get/stay fit, but he started every game but one from Matchday 10 on merit, as his delivery from set pieces was a strength of the team and you could never fault his workrate or willingness to try the audacious: see the backheeled flick for Lucas' goal at home to Kitakyushu. Now if he would just stop going down so easily... - A-

Hideto Takahashi 32 appearances (1 as sub) - 4 goals:
THE success story of the season, no question. I admit to being sceptical at first that he could succeed in the holding role, but he grew in confidence game by game and was outstanding from the middle of June onwards. He'll notice the jump in class in J1 next year, but if he continues his development he could be anything. The competition for the central role between himself and Yonemoto should be fascinating to watch in preseason, though he's a contender to replace Konno at centre half (his original position of course) if Yone's knees hold up. - A

Yohei Kajiyama 34 appearances - 6 goals:
Worked very well with Takahashi, and was quietly effective rather than spectacular. After his disjointed 2010 this was a good bounce back year from the tortured genius. I'd still like to see him move the ball on quicker, but as we all know with Casual thats never going to happen! Will have a point to prove back in the top flight next year. - B+

Sotan Tanabe 31 appearances (1 as sub) - 5 goals:
After not making a league appearance in 2010 he burst back onto the scene by bagging a brace, his first ever goals for the club, in the 4-1 romp at Kyoto in late May, and followed it up with a brilliant volley in the next game against Ehime FC at Komazawa. Was often hit and miss after that, but combined well with Mukuhara down the left and always looked to create against blueprint-following J2 defences. Five goals was a solid return, looking forward to how he follows up next year. - B+

Naotake Hanyu 37 appearances (3 as sub) - 5 goals:
It appeared he was being phased out early doors after he only made two starts in the first six games, but the injuries to Hirayama and especially Takamatsu meant he became a fixture in the hole, and he started every game from Matchday 7 on. Had some anonymous games and didn't score enough, but his game intelligence ((C) Rafa Benitez) - runs off the ball to create space etc - made him indispensible. Only got through the full 90 minutes four times, but lost his title as Mr. Early Bath to Tanabe. Well in Roswell. - B+

Naohiro Ishikawa 23 appearances (20 as sub) - 3 goals:
2009 seems like decades ago now, Nao, doesn't it? Again fitness was his achilles heel, and he was restricted to impact substitute duties for almost the entire season, finally making his first start in early November. Of course he scored the goal of the season, so we know he's still got the goods, and if he can stay upright in the preseason he'll relish the chance to run at J1 defenders next year. I've wavered a bit on his grade, but considering his fitness problems I'll go with... - B-

Tatsuya Suzuki 18 appearances (10 as sub) - 2 goals:
He made eight starts? Really? Must've slipped my mind...Oh thats right, all but one of them was at the beginning of the season, when we were poor. Just a coincidence that we won only two of his eight starts? No. Time to find a new club, mate. - D

Kazumasa Uesato 17 appearances (15 as sub) - 1 goal:
Probably the disappointment of the season. Much was expected when he arrived on loan from Sapporo, had chances after Yonemoto's injury but failed to impress in his two starts, and then was nearly forgotten as Takahashi made the holding role his own. When Shimoda was chosen ahead of him for Shonan away that told you all you needed to know about how much the boss rated him. Good luck back in Sapporo next year. - D-

Genki Nagasato 8 appearances (7 as sub) - 2 goals:
It was difficult for him to come into a settled squad and make an impact, but he showed flashes and scored a great goal in the win at Ehime. This division looks to be his level though, and I'd expect we'll try to sign a J1-caliber wide man to take his place. C-

Kohei Shimoda 3 appearances (2 as sub):
Probably didn't need to be rated as he only made one start, but I wanted to mention him as he was quite good in that game, the win at Shonan away. Not sure how many chances he'll get next season, but a good squad player. - C

OUT ON LOAN - Yohei Otake 11 appearances (9 as sub)- 1 goal:
Ah, The Little Maestro... Just not Mr. Okuma's type of player? It certainly looks that way after he barely played in the last 11 games of last year following Big Bear's return, and then made only two starts (with a goal and an assist in the first of them, the 4-1 win at Kyoto) this season before going to Cerezo Osaka on loan in August. Always seen as a bit of a luxury player, if he comes back to us hopefully Mr. Popovic will get the best out of him. At 22, its not too late. - D

FORWARDS

Roberto Cesar 29 appearances (13 as sub) - 10 goals:
The Salad wasn't the prolific scorer we were hoping for, but the injuries early on forced him to be the focal point and he led the line admirably until Lucas came in. When he had six goals to the halfway point he seemed to be coming into his own and I thought he'd kick on and get about 15...but a calf injury saw him miss eight games and then Lucas proved impossible to shift from the XI in the last ten. Some cracking goals though, and he won the Shonan away game off his own boot. - B+

Lucas 23 appearances (5 as sub) - 9 goals:
Our second-all time leading scorer answered the bat signal at the end of June, re-energizing the club upon his return, and his first goal back, the last in our 5-0 battering of Kumamoto sent Tokyo supporters into raptures. The Salad's injury saw him make his first start in late August and he was quickly up to speed, bagging our only hattrick of the season at home against Kyoto in September. Nine goals was a terrific return and the big fella kept his fitness levels up which bodes well for 2012, as all signs point to him coming back. - A-

Daisuke Sakata 10 appearances (9 as sub) - 1 goal:
I was intrigued when we signed him at the midway point of the season, but he never really got much of an opportunity and Mr. Okuma wasn't able to integrate his abilities into the team structure. If he stays with us Sakata will definitely benefit from a full preseason with the new manager, but he'll need us to shift back to 4-4-2...the question is will he be able to work his way ahead of Lucas, Hirayama and The Salad (and Kazuma Watanabe?) for regular starts? - C-

Daiki Takamatsu 5 appearances:
Forwards from Oita just don't work out for us, do they? Terrible luck for him breaking his leg in the away loss to Kusatsu, but truth be told he was fairly ordinary in his five starts and if it was up to me he'll be elsewhere next season. - D

There you go then. Had a lot more fun writing this than last year's version, in which I (had to) shitcan almost everyone. Part 3 of Nine Months of Job Done should be up early in the new year, and by the time its posted hopefully we'll be Emperor's Cup winners! Part 3 will focus on 2012, who might come and go in the offseason and how our new manager (not officially but seemingly 99% sure) Ranko Popovic might have us set up.

Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all On the Gas readers (yes, even you too, Anonymous!) from myself and Tokyo Bairn.

Up the Gas! Smash Urawa!

Gas Talk Episode 12

Recorded on Tuesday evening, Gas Talk Episode 12 is a bumper 63 minute end of season special, with Dan and I running through a whole list of topics related to our club's eventually successful 2011.

After beginning with a chat about the Emperor's Cup, we discuss our boys wrapping up promotion and the J2 title, and also talk about some of the successes and surprises of the season, both for us and also across the division. Later on we talk about the possibility of Yasuyuki Konno's departure, I bring up my ideal successor to Konno as club captain, and we touch on the imminent appointment of Ranko Popovic as the club's new manager.

Also discussed are some possible personnel moves and what we'll need to do to become successful (again) in J1. Its a long listen, but I think we touched all the bases.

You can listen on the player below, download the mp3 by clicking on the Gas Talk logo on the right, or wait for it on iTunes.

Enjoy.

Nine Months of Job Done - Part 1

FC Tokyo 2011 - The Season in Review

I've had a bit of trouble getting motivated to start this FC Tokyo season review, a sharp contrast of course to the end of last year, when my blood was boiling after our horrific meltdown at Kyoto that led to our season-long stint in the second tier.

Back then the title - Nine Months of Hell - rolled off my forked tongue, but even that has caused me trouble this time around... Nine Months of Glory? No, while we won the league by eight points we had a lot of very inglorious performances, and there was nothing glorious about being in J2 in the first place... Nine Months of Muck? No, a little harsh on the quality of J2 and our peformances in it, though I could see Tokyo Bairn being in favour... and so on and so forth before I finally settled on the distinctly un-catchy Nine Months of Job Done, which has absolutely no ring to it at all, but tries to capture the fact that our 2011 season was all about the job of getting back to our proper 'home' - J1.

As with last year I'll do this in three parts: here a general review with various stats and awards thrown in for good measure; Part 2 a run through of how the squad performed player-by-player; and Part 3 a look at what lies ahead back in the top flight next season, who's likely to come and go, and what our targets should be as we return to J1. So lets crack on then...

At the end of the day, all we did this year was get back to where we belong. I can of course understand the joy of the players and supporters at having clinched the J2 title, after all, its the first league championship we've ever won, but you wouldn't catch me dead buying any J2 Champions gear, as we should never have been in the division to begin with, and I admit to carrying that chip on my shoulder almost the whole season.

The Envelope Please...

While I continue to plug away on my FC Tokyo Season in Review pieces, here's a little end of year lead-in piece...

Its the On the Gas FC Tokyo Player of the Season Award!

Made 'em myself I did.

I ran a poll on the blog asking supporters to choose their player of the year (you can still see it, over there on the right), and also asked my O.t.G. colleague Graham, and frequent Gas Talk podcast guest Dan, late of Aishiteru Tokyo but now of Goal.com to give their top threes, along with my own. We'll award 3 points for a first place vote, 2 for a second, and one for third. Here's how it all shook out:

Supporters: (20 votes on blog poll):
1. Masato Morishige & Tatsuya Yazawa (5 votes each) - 3 pts each
3. Yasuyuki Konno, Hideto Takahashi & Naotake Hanyu (2 votes each) - 1 pt each

Dan:
1. Yasuyuki Konno - 3 pts
2. Hideto Takahashi - 2 pts
3. Tatsuya Yazawa - 1pt (with an Honourable Mention to Masato Morishige)

Graham:
1. Masato Morishige - 3 pts
2. Hideto Takahashi - 2 pts
3. Yasuyuki Konno - 1pt

Me:
1. Yasuyuki Konno - 3 pts
2. Masato Morishige - 2pts
3. Hideto Takahashi - 1pt (with an Honourable Mention to Tatsuya Yazawa)

I'll go into the reasons for my choices a little more in Part 2 of my season in review, but... All of that leaves us with joint winners as Morishige and Konno both collected eight points and are thusly crowned co-winners of the 1st Annual On the Gas FC Tokyo Player of the Season Award!

Entirely appropriate actually, as their combination in the centre of our defence was the platform on which our promotion and the championship (and several club records) were sealed. A tie for the award and Takahashi and Yazawa also tied for third! Congratulations lads, now if you'll excuse me I've gotta find my hacksaw to chop those trophies in half...

(Part 1 of Nine Months of .... is coming soon...)

Konno Wins Ridiculously-Named Award ... Then Skips Off To Osaka?

Exciting he isn't, but our captain was the J2 Player of the Season.
That's him in the middle, pondering his future.

FC Tokyo captain Yasuyuki Konno has dominated the thoughts and minds of Gasmen supporters in the past couple of days, for reasons first good, then bad. I enjoy writing that: FC Tokyo captain Yasuyuki Konno. But I might not be able to for much longer...

In my opinion Konno's the best player the club has ever had, and I include Amaral in that. I wouldn't be able to put up much of an argument to support my view, as I only saw "The King of Tokyo" play twice in the flesh, but for his unwavering consistency and calmness under pressure over eight seasons, first in central midfield and then at centre half, Konno would get my vote. But thats a discussion for another time, long-term supporters might already be fuming I had the audacity to rate someone over The King...

So firstly the good: at last night's J.League Awards Konno was honoured as J2's Most Exciting Player, a frankly ridiculous name for the Player of the Season Award. With one player nominated from each team, if we take the award by its 'true' title, there's no way Konno would've won, as he was up against far more 'exciting' talents like Chiba's Masaki Fukai, Ehime's Manabu Saito, Yoichiro Kakitani of Tokushima, Verdy's 16 goal striker Takuma Abe and Takumi Miyayoshi of Kyoto, to name just five.

Exciting has never been Konno's bag, but if it really is an Player of the Season/MVP-like award, then his only competition from this list is Tosu's centre forward Yohei Toyoda, whose 23 goals saw him finish seven clear of Abe for the Golden Boot, in the year that the Kyushu club finally secured promotion in their 13th season of asking. To be honest, considering how heavily Tosu rode Toyoda's goals and how much they improved (rising from 9th to 2nd, scoring 26 more goals) I would have given it to him, as I said in the middle of last month. But Konno is the most high profile player in J2, a fixture in the national team and the best player in the division, who also had a superb season, so no-one was surprised when the silverware went to him.

Sapporo 2-1 FC Tokyo

J2 Matchday 38

The Salad wonders to himself "How many days do we get off now..."

Before a bumper crowd of 39,243, easily the biggest of the J2 season, Sapporo booked their spot back in the top flight with a 2-1 win over Champions FC Tokyo at Sapporo Dome today. Two goals in seven minutes at the end of the first half from the home side's leading scorer Yoshihiro Uchimura proved to be the difference, although there were some nervy moments for the hosts in the closing stages after Tatsuya Yazawa netted with ten minutes remaining.

Entering the final day level on points with Tokushima but with a two goal advantage in goal difference, Sapporo certainly had the harder fixture on paper, with Tokushima visiting 14th-placed Okayama, but it just wasn't the Shikoku side's day, as they had a 48th minute penalty from Takaaki Tokushige brilliantly saved onto the bar by Okayama 'keeper Hidenori Mago, and were then unfortunately picked off in second half stoppage time, losing 1-0, meaning Sapporo finished three points clear and will play in J1 next season for the first time since 2008.

At the Dome the opening half hour was fairly even as the teams felt each other out, with Daisuke Sakata (in for his first league start for us in place of Naohiro Ishikawa) failing to gel with Lucas, though the big Brazilian looked to impose himself on proceedings with a couple of shots from distance, one of them forcing Sapporo 'keeper Lee Ho Seung to tip over the bar for a corner.

The opening goal came on a Sapporo counter attack, and with our right fullback Yuhei Tokunaga caught up the pitch, a ball over the top found Hiroyuki Furuta in acres of space down their left. Furuta dribbled into box and slid the ball across the face of goal, just out of reach of Shuichi Gonda, and Uchimura slid in ahead of Masato Morishige to poke the ball home and give the rowdy home crowd the lead they craved.

Sapporo v FC Tokyo: Saturday 12.30pm

J2 Matchday 38 Preview

Love this Sapporo...

This one...not so much.

Our J2 adventure comes to an end tomorrow, with a lunchtime kickoff away to Sapporo. This game means far more to the hosts than it does to us, as they are sitting in the third and final promotion place, and anything other than a win will likely see them spend another season in the second tier in 2012. The game is already a near sellout, and by kickoff there may not be an empty seat inside Sapporo Dome.

US

Besides our two long-term absentees everyone is available, with the likely exception of Casual, and we owe it to the rest of the league, especially Tokushima (who are goal difference behind Sapporo in 4th), to take this game as seriously as any other, even though the league is won, our promotion is confirmed etc. etc. With any other manager you might say there's the temptation to make wholesale changes, but remember its Big Bear in charge so we can pretty much rule that out.

Therefore Shuichi Gonda should return in goal, and the rest of the XI will probably remain largely the same (although can we completely rule out Big Bear giving Tatsuya Suzuki a sympathy start...?!), considering there are two full weeks between this and our next Emperor's Cup game, away to Mito. I'd love to see The Salad and Lucas starting together, but that seems unlikely, and as Daisuke Sakata was tried in the hole during Wednesday's intrasquad training match, the manager obviously realised that playing Tatsuya Yazawa there didn't work against Chiba.