The J-Talk Podcast

JTET - J2 Season Review 2023 (Part 1)

After a short break to recharge the batteries, the JTET team are back for some club-by-club reviews of the 2023 J2 season!

In this episode, the focus is on the top seven teams from the final league table. Jon Steele and James Taylor begin by looking at the automatically-promoted sides: Machida Zelvia (Start to 06:50), and Jubilo Iwata (06:50 to 12:50). 

After that, special guest Lewis joins us to look back on a fantastic season for Play-Off winners Tokyo Verdy (13:00 to 26:00). You can find Lewis on Twitter @illusionofease.

Jon and James then reconvene to run the rule over Shimizu S-Pulse (26:00 to 32:30), Montedio Yamagata (32:30 to 39:10), and JEF Chiba (39:10 to 48:30).

To round off Part 1, another special guest, Daniel Kuroda, gave us his thoughts on V-Varen Nagasaki's 2023 campaign (49:00 to Finish). Daniel is on Twitter @NagaSapo_EN.

Thanks to Lewis and Daniel for their contributions, and to all our listeners for their support this season - Parts 2 and 3 of our season review will be coming soon!

*For reference, we asked Lewis and Daniel to record answers to these questions for their segments on the pod:

1) What grade would you give to your team’s 2023 season, and why? (A, B, C, D, E)

2) What was the high point of the season?

3) What was the low point of the season?

4) Who was the most important player for your team this season (you can pick the manager, if he was the most important)?

5) What was the biggest surprise of the season for you (from your team, or any other team in the division)?

JTET - J2 Awards (2023 Edition)

The J.League season might have ended, but the JTET machine cannot be stopped (believe us - we've tried).

This week, Jon and James got started with some ACL chat (Start to 12:30), covering Kofu's superb result last midweek over in Thailand (and their frankly astonishing passage to the knockout stage as group winners).

After that, the gents shared their choices for J2 Team of the Season (12:30 to 48:20), with some interesting similarities and differences to discuss. The boys also picked a manager, rookie, best player, and goal of the season into the bargain!

To round things off, Jon quizzed James on some of the more eye-catching J2 transfers that have already taken place since the final day of the season (48:20 to Finish).

Hope everybody enjoys the show - we'll be posting some more detailed season review content over late December/early January, so please stay tuned for that!

Episode 494 - Emperor’s Cup Glory for Frontale

Kawasaki won the Emperor's Cup for the second time in their history on Saturday after prevailing in a penalty shootout against Kashiwa at the National Stadium, and in Part 1 of our final episode of the year Neil Debnam guests to commiserate with Reysol, but then celebrate another trophy under Toru Oniki, before our attention turns to what is sure to be a fascinating winter transfer window for Frontale (to 29:07).

Then in Part 2 we discuss the Japan squad for the New Years Day friendly against Thailand, some early offseason managerial and transfer moves and the permutations for the final round of ACL group stage games this midweek, before wrapping up another bumper year in the J.League and on the pod.

J-Talk: Extra Time – J2 Playoff Final & J3 Round 38

The curtain came down on the J2 season last Saturday, as Tokyo Verdy met Shimizu S-Pulse in the playoff final. Jon Steele was at the National Stadium to see it, and in part 1 of this week’s JTET he tells James Taylor all about it (start to 21:45). After that, James and Jon take a look at Ventforet Kofu’s exploits in the Asian Champions League, with their group finely poised heading into the final matchday next week (21:45 to 29:40). There’s also time for a quick chat about managerial news (29:40 to 37:15). Then, in J-Talk: Short Corner, Mike Innes rounds up the final day of a thoroughly entertaining J3 season (37:15 to end).

 

Thank you for listening throughout the season, and special thanks to Patreon subscribers for their support of JTET and J-Talk.

Episode 493 - J1 Final Day & Team of the Season

It was our great pleasure to welcome Sam Robson back to the pod for our blockbuster season wrap-up episode.

After a brief catch up with the great man we ran through all nine games from the final day of the season (to 1:04:08), before running through the Patreon poll results and piecing together the J-Talk J1 Team of the Season, before looking ahead to Saturday's Emperor's Cup Final between Kawasaki and Kashiwa.

J-Talk: Extra Time J2 Playoff Semi Finals & J3 Round 37

In part 1 of this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele discuss the J2 playoff semi-finals (start to 14:00) and look ahead to the final (14:00 to 23:40).

 

In part 2, the fight for 2^nd in J3 is going to the final day – Mike Innes has all the details about the penultimate round of the season and a preview of the final day (23:40 to end).

 

Enjoy the final weekend of the season!

Episode 492 - Kobe Are J1 Champions

Vissel Kobe won the first J1 Championship in their history on Saturday afternoon, and Alan Gibson guests to talk us through a tense 90 minutes at the Noevir Stadium, and what this title means for the club, plus towards the end of Part 1 Alan shares his thoughts on how both Osaka clubs, Cerezo and Gamba, are shaping up under their current managers (to 43:45).

Then in Part 2 we run through the other eight games from J1 Matchday 33, highlighted by a difficult weekend for both Yokohama clubs, with F.Marinos seeing their title hopes dashed, and Yokohama FC all but mathematically confirmed relegated.

Episode 491 - High Fives All Round

Japan got their World Cup qualification campaign off to a very satisfying start during this international break, and we round up the 5-0 wins over Myanmar and Syria (not necessarily in that order) (to 16:45), before comparing notes on how the Asian Cup squad is shaping up, with some very difficult decisions looming for Hajime Moriyasu (to 31:00).

Then its back to J1 matters, as we hand out six more Player of the Season awards (to 53:40), and then wrap up the episode with an in-depth preview of the huge games coming at the top of the table (to 1:03:00) and in the Relegation Dogfight in J1 Matchday 33.

J-Talk: Extra Time J2 Playoff Preview & J3 Round 36

The regular J2 season may have ended, but some teams still have games to play: James Taylor and Jon Steele preview the playoff semi-finals and Kofu’s Asian Champions League game (start to 15:40), before chatting about some confirmed managerial departures (15:40 to 27:10).

 

We know that Ehime will be in J2 next year, but who will join them? The battle to finish 2^nd – or should that be not to finish 2^nd? – in J3 is in full flow, and Mike Innes has all the details in J-Talk: Short Corner (27:10 to end).

 

Thank you as ever to all our Patreon subscribers and listeners.

JTET - J2 Round 42 / J3 Round 35 Review

The JTET crew are back with another episode, keeping you up to date with all things J2 and J3!

To start things off this week, Jon Steele and James Taylor cover all of the J2 action from a dramatic final day of the regular season. Jon reviews the battle for second place and some of the 'dead rubber' fixtures (Start to 09:50), while James casts his forensic eye over the tussle for the last available Play-Off place, and the rest of the second-tier games (09:50 to 15:50).

After that, you'll hear Jon and James in conversation, sharing their views on how the season climax unfolded. The boys start with Mito v Shimizu (15:55 to 22:40), then discuss Tochigi v Iwata (22:40 to 28:15) and Omiya v Tokyo Verdy (28:15 to 35:30).

There was also time for Jon and James to chat about JEF Chiba v Nagasaki (35:30 to 42:00), and Yamagata v Kofu (42:00 to 49:50). After that, the boys (basically men at this point) look ahead to the Play-Off games coming up in a week's time (49:50 to 53:00).

Rounding things off in perfect style is Mike 'The Magic' Innes, who has all of the J3 latest for you (as ever) in 'J-Talk: Short Corner' (53:00 to Finish).

Thanks for all the support so far in 2023 - enjoy the show!