You Lucky, Lucky Bastar..........Verdy 1 - 0 Ventforet !!

Apologies for the late posting readers but Tokyo Nerdy troops have been basking in the forests of Ibaraki, tents, (rental) BBQs, (because some spack forgot to put it in the van....ahem), beers and beautiful countryside aplenty. Ibaraki has two football teams in Kashima and Mito. One is good and one isn`t. Though what Mito lacks in football team, it certainly makes up for in countryside. Beautiful forests, mountains, rivers, onsens. Fantastic. Anyway, I digress....I watched the video upon return to Nerdy HQ and saw a ridiculous result following an absolute shoeing by the team in second place..........but you know what readers?? We`ll take the three points, love them and treat them like Jesus` very own pickled nutsack. Unbeliveably precious though a little embarassing to have in our possesion.
What can you say when The Boys have been battered into oblivion yet come out on top?? Jesus is in the line up?? Nope, too many non believers. Mohammed?? Nope too controversial and impossible to spot flying down the wing as no-one knows what he looks like. OK, The Dali Lama? Nope too old and being Tibetan he`s probably crap at football. The Divine Intervention theory is seemingly a non starter.
How about Verdy locked up shop, played possesion football and held out for the 0-0 and scored one on the break? Wrong again as to play posession football you have to actually have the ball in you posession to begin with.  That leaves pure, unbridled, jammy, lucky, lucky, lucky, bastards....."You had a corridor??" "I used to dream of a corridor!! you lucky, lucky bastards......"
Yup, that`s the answer!! Great!! After the nightmare beginning of the season, and the very future of the club still in massive doubt for next year, we`ll take it. Kazuki Hiramoto with his 6th of the season after yet another 1-0 win. Little bit of revenge for the earlier loss in the last minute at Ajinomoto earlier in the season, though this time clearly the WORST team won. Ventforet had the ball from the word go and pressured and pressured the Verdy goal and looked to have taken the lead at around the 15 minute mark, the ball was swung across the Verdy goal from the right and with Doi and all covering defenders beaten, the Kofu attacker inexplicably headed against the post when it would have been easier to score. Following this new "Tallest Player in the J League" (following ex Verdy Donkey Yuzo Funakoshi`s transfer to the Sagamihara Junior High School League) Mike Havenaar did his best impression of "The Donk" after being put clean through from a dreadful Verdy backpass. Lame effort easily snapped up by Doi. Havenaar had a general nightmare and was also at fault for the Verdy goal on the half an hour mark after being outmuscled by Verdy right back Kensuke Fukuda on the touch line, Fukuda went round the outside of the Flaming Great Gallah and swung over a cross which the oncoming Hiramoto was able to attack, and head comfortably into the back of the net. Absolutely against the run of play and worse was to come. Verdy were to have one more effort on goal in the entire match and the Verdy net was peppered, the defence had their pants pulled down at will by the Ventforet frontline but all to no avail. The result is all that matters. We won, they didn`t. Their forwards might have had the biggest off-day since time began but there you go. If the game were replayed ten times over Verdy would lose handsomly most games. But the game won`t be replayed. Verdy didn`t lose and The Boys can be happy in the knowledge that whatever else happens this season (and close season) Jesus` "bits" were safely put in their collective Green jars for future generations to admire and sniff when they think no-one is looking. Onwards and Upwards The Boys March On!!!!