Verdy 1 - 0 Tokushima

Verdy registered their first win over a top 6 side this season with Takura Kikuoka`s effort on four minutes enough to separate the sides. Sapporo got drilled by Sanga to leave the gap to 3rd at 8 points. Too much? Yup. Next up Kataller Toyama tomorrow before the Derby next weekend.

Countdown to 2012 Mito 1 - 1 Verdy

Killing Time

Maranhao for Verdy on 56 minutes, Tsukasa Ozawa equalised with 8 minutes to go. Didn`t watch it, not bothered about the replay. Tokushima up next on Wednesday but it`s getting difficult to work up the enthusiasm to set the video. Can`t make the return derby game, can`t make the Urawa away game both because of bloody work. One or maximum two games for me till the end of the season and then I am DONE. One plus point is that Urawa dropped into the drop zone at the weekend thanks to Omiya`s win so it`s possible that everyone in J2 will get a decent ground to go to next season. Let`s hope so! I raise my glass in the hope of an Urawa relegation. Though Verdy haven`t been anywhere near to going up in any of the last three seasons; in terms of "big" games I can`t think of two better teams to go down in two seasons than FC Tokyo and Urawa. Let us hope that FC Tokyo`s (more than likely) trip back to J1 is just a blip and they can happily re-join us in J2 in 2013.....
On a side note what a completely shit weekend of sport. Wales done in the rugby, Wolves done by the Tesco Shit Baggers and Verdy shit as usual. Gotta wonder why I bother sometimes.

Into the Next Round! Verdy 7 - 1 V-Varen Nagasaki

Verdy break their Cup duck and here`s another....er broken duck.

Verdy put there Emperor`s Cup hoodoo behind them with a mashing of V-Varen Nagasaki at the weekend. A pleasant day at Komazawa started with Nagasaki threatening to spoil the day by taking the lead on 20 minutes before they were battered into submission through goals from Maranhao (2), Abe (2), Kikuoka, Kobayashi and Tsuchiya. Couldn`t really ask for more though the crowd was a paltry 2,701. Why does nobody give a flying crap about the Cups in Japan? Verdy battered one of the best of the JFL and next up; (assuming they can put away the University side) currently one of the worst in J1. Urawa play Wednesday night for their place in the next round.

Emperors Cup 2011

State of that!!

Another Emperors Cup extravaganza starts and probably finishes for Verdy next Monday with a game at Komazawa against 3rd placed JFL outfit V-Varen Nagasaki. JFL`ers? Piece of piss you`d think until you look at Verdy`s record against JFL opposition since they won the Cup in 2005. Played four lost four. Honda FC, Honda Lock, SC Tochigi and Machida Zelvia have all done the Greens from the lower division. In fact Verdy have the unenviable record of having lost all five Emperors Cup games since winning the thing. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were also on hand to dump on the Greens.
One interesting titbit is that should Verdy pull off a result and if Urawa Reds also manage to actually beat somebody this season then the two teams will meet in the 3rd round at Saitama Stadium. C`mon The Boys!! We might not be going up this year but to put Urawa out of the Cup and pour even more misery on their season would certainly be a nice tonic. And failing that going to a ground with a crowd bigger than an English non league game will make a welcome change. SO C`MON VERDY FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIFE WIN A GAME TO SET UP A GOOD DAY OUT FOR THE IDIOTS DAFT ENOUGH TO STILL GIVE A SHIT!!!

Happy New Year!! Tochigi 0-0 Verdy

Down and Out In Tikrit Hills

A Happy New Year to All readers of Tokyo Nerdy 1969, may 2012 bring you all that you wish for!! 2011 is all but mathematically done for Tokyo Verdy so let`s look forward to next year. Barring a miracle the likes of which hasn`t been seen since Mary got away with blaming her pregnancy on a supernatural, omnipresent all seeing, all hearing figment of her imagination; we will be spending another year in J2 with all the excitement, razamatazz and glamour that comes with it.
Once again the Verdy faithful can look forward to a stadium packed to the rafters in one tiny section of the area behind one goal. Another season of "Do you remember when we were half decent.....?" Another season of starting with high hopes only to fall flat and in the end not quite make it. There have been some absolute plus points this season with the goals flowing like turps in a tramp`s beard against the lower ranked teams but when we`ve come up against the top teams, when it matters?? Just not good enough. Of the games against the top 6 teams we have taken just FOUR points from a possible TWENTY ONE. The draws against JEF, FC Tokyo, Tokushima and this week SC Tochigi a pitiful return for a team who started the season as an outside bet for third.
There have been some wonderful moments this season and some real spankings but that doesn`t cover the failings of the season overall. Pre-season Verdy were looking good for a run at promotion with the scoring problems of last season seemingly addressed with Maranhao, Ishikawa and Hirashige all brought to add to the weak looking line up of Hiramoto, Inoue and Iio.
The goals have indeed flowed but last seasons rock solid defence has fallen apart. New signing Kota Fukatsu just wasn`t up to the job after Tomisawa got injured. Shibasaki doesn`t inspire confidence either and as a keeper it`s essential that your back four has faith in your ability.  I can`t blame the whole season on one incident but can`t help feeling the injury to Yoichi Doi in the FC Tokyo game has contributed hugely to the leaky defence. It`s not only that he is a better keeper than Shibasaki in terms of his own game, he is also far more vocal in organising his back line and delivers a damn good rollicking when required.
On the plus side the midfield play at times this season has been breathtaking. One touch passing and play around the box has been superb. Kawano has been superb this year after having an up and down 2010, Kikuoka has emerged from the shadows of Yoshiaki Takagi to take his position in the team and scoring some cracking goals on the way. Yuki Kobayashi will definitely be moving on to brighter things in the future given his form this season. He plays the mopper upper role very well and it can only be a matter of time before he is cherry picked.
Probably the story of Verdy`s season has been the "come from nowhere" story of Takuma Abe. Stuck up front as an emergency striker due to injuries Abe has bumped, barged and blasted his way to the top of the scoring charts with some superb displays. As I said before he has the knack of being in the right place at exactly the right time and does the simple things well. He makes Hiramoto and Maki look positively ANCIENT in comparison with his speed of thought and inter play around the box. I look forward to seeing more of him next season for sure.

The Lady Above a Virgin or Tokyo Verdy in J1 in 2012?

So what about the rest of this year? Well just sit back enjoy the games and look forward to 2012 and try again. If at first, second and third you don`t succeed?? Fuck the whole thing off and support Nadeshiko Japan. Onwards and Nowhere The Boys March On The Spot!!

She`s Got Dickie Davis Eyes......Gainare 0 - 1 Verdy

Scrappy win, Maranhao with the goal on Abe`s spadework. Gainare had more chances and if they had anyone who was decent in front of the back four they would have won. I`ve watched 90 minutes on tape with no fast forward and that really does sum up the game.

2 Goals Forward, 4 Goals Back...Sapporo 4 - 2 Verdy

Oooof!!! Livin` My Life Quarter Mile At A Time....

Defensive blunders were the name of the game tonight in a match Verdy had a good chance to win and claim three points to close in on 3rd place. Consadole will be relieved to take the points and keep the heat on FC Tokyo after spending much of the 90 minutes on the back foot.
The game was only 2 minutes old when Tomisawa and Tsuchiya let Hiroyuki Furuta burst through them to finish. Hiroki Kawano hit back just two minutes later with a devastating run through the middle holding off two defenders to fire home. The rest of the first half saw a lot of probing by Verdy with a few shots peppering the Sapporo goal but nothing really of note.
The second half started where the first finished with Verdy in the ascendancy going forward and looking to take the lead. Sapporo had a total of THREE chances in the second half and scored every single one. The second goal came on 61 minutes with Yusuke Kondo sending a perfect lob over Shibasaki after Tsuchiya and Tomisawa again hesitated and left Shibasaki trapped in no mans land.  Iio hit the post with a shot and turn in the box before Yuki Kobayashi let fly with a rocket into the roof of the net following good work by Yusuke Mori. Mori left his marker on his backside before slipping the ball to Kobayashi to fire an unstoppable effort home from just outside the box. At this point Verdy looked likely to go on and win it but were to be undone by some awful defending. Okamoto took the first of his goals in the 88th minute when Tsuchiya sent a looping header back towards his own goal, the ball came back off the base of the post and left an easy tap in. 13th Century Dung was rubbed in the wound just a minute later in order to bring out a puss when Okamoto again took advantage of Verdy`s generosity to fire home even after getting the ball caught under his feet and Verdy having plenty of chances to make a challenge and deciding to leave him be.....
So where does that leave us? In need of some solidity at the back. The forwards can score till the cows come home on occasion but while last year the defence was a rock, this year the defence has been the achilles heel. Finally, Maki and Hiramoto were on for the last ten minutes and looked ponderous, old, rusty and utterly done for the season. Hiramoto has struggled for fitness this year but when he has been on he has looked pedestrian and Maki hasn`t done a single thing in either of his cameo appearances. Ok, maybe he isn`t 100 per cent fit but I`ve seen nothing so far that indicates he is worth a seat on the bus. Verdy are fast running out of games to get up to that 3rd place, it`s not impossible but tonight`s game was the kind they had to win, had the chances to but ultimately didn`t.

Coach Kawakatsu on his way to the 2011Uncle Albert Lookalike Contest

Oh well, I`m now the proud owner of probably the fastest Skyline GTR on the planet so who cares? It cost millions but I`ve saved up in the last two weeks. Call it a midlife crisis but what`s wrong with racing round the streets of Tokyo at 320KMH?  Vroom!!!!!