Bad-a -Bing-Bad -a- Boom! Color Me Badd.....Verdy 1 - 3 Thespa.

They Wanna Sex You Up!!!

J1 next season? If someone asked me that question with a mouth full of cornflakes I`d have to put my spoon down, get a cloth and mop up the mess that I`d just spat on the table.  Or keep the cornflakes in my mouth wanting to swallow but unable to because I can`t stop laughing. Yesterday`s loss was served up with a pinch of bad luck but a smothering of bad play.

So where to start....the matched kicked off and once again Verdy were caught napping early on. The game was only three minutes old when Thespa`s Brazilian import Rafinha intercepted a pass aimed for Takahashi, Fukatsu slipped when about to make a challenge to leave Rafinha clean through with the easy task of beating Shibasaki. Bottom corner, 1-0 and Verdy were all over the place. For the first 10 minutes Verdy were clueless, Thespa had so much time on the ball and piled forward in waves at every opportunity. After the 15 minute mark Verdy settled a little and even fashioned a couple of chances themselves with Hirashige and Inoue both missing the target with headers when well placed. Thespa`s Brazilians combined well just before the break with Shibasaki getting down smartly to save a rasping drive from Alex. At the break Thespa were ahead on points but Verdy were still in with a shout for sure. 

In the second half things went from bad to worse and Hiroki Bandai had already stumbled and fluffed an easy chance when he made it 2-0 on 56 minutes. Thespa broke quickly down the right and had Rafinha unmarked on the overlap, his fizzing shot was screamed past Shibasaki only to be blocked by a diving Tsuchiya. Unfortunately, his block left Bandai with the easiest of tap ins. So two goals down and that was it I thought game over. However, I was wrong as after this Verdy were to come roaring back to life only to once again balls it up big style.

Kawakatsu went to the bench bringing on Kikuoka for Kobayashi and just a few minutes later Verdy were back in it. Hiroki Kawano swung in a near post corner and Tsuchiya was on hand with a powerful header the keeper had no chance with. It was a nice change up as Kawano had gone long on all corners previously with little success.  Kawakatsu then went to the bench again bring in Maranhao for the utterly anonymous Hirashige for only his second appearance of the season following his loan from Kofu. And WHAT A NIGHTMARE game he had. I don`t want to criticise him too much as the bloke will be feeling lower than the World`s Shortest Man this morning. To miss an easy chance is annoying but to miss TWO from in and around the six yard box is the stuff of nightmares. The first one came from a Kawano corner, and the onrushing Maranhao somehow spooned the ball first time from about 3 yards up and over the bar. A shocking miss and another was to come for Maranhao on 70 minutes with game finely balanced. Maranhao created the chance himself when the keeper was surprisingly unable to hold his weak shot from outside the box, Iio was on hand to lay it back to Maranhao who went for power and succeeded only in screwing it wide. Two unbelievable misses. 

Next came a completely bizzare sending off with Kazunori Iio recieving his marching orders presumably for something said to or about the referee. The ball had gone for a throw-in and the linesman flagged for the referee to come over. They had a conflab and the upshot was Iio going straight in for his early bath. There had been no challenge on anybody, no pushing or shoving, no handbags, no moment of controversy nothing. Presumably Iio just let his frustration boil over and popped out while everyone was waiting for the throw in, impregnated the referee`s daughter, keyed his car and left a big one unflushed in the referee`s bath. The linesman grassed him up and that was that. 

Tokyo Verdy Official Kazunori Iio Soap

The final salt in the wound came in injury time with Thespa carving open the Verdy defence with a nice move through a shattered and battered Verdy back line. 3-1 loss, Verdy in bits and supporters boo-ing like hell at the end.

Finally a quick word about Color Me Badd. Are Verdy as bad as Color Me Badd? They are as annoying as Color Me Badd but on the plus side Verdy don`t sing about "Sexing You Up". Phew! Next week it`s Toyama away scene of a superb 3-2 last gasp win last season. 

Onwards and Thankfully Not Sexed Up By Color Me Badd The Boys March On!!