Pixie to Leave Grampus. Who's next?

Grampus

Grampus manager Dragan Stojkovic will be leaving the team at the end of the season. More details and a review of his time as manager will appear in the next issue of JSoccer Magazine. So who will be our next manager? Could it be the guy on the right in the this story from the Chunichi Shimbun?

Vegalta End Grampus Streak at 16

Grampus

A determined and energetic performance by the visitors from Sendai saw them leave Nagoya with all three points. Although they were a bit lucky to keep clean sheet, both teams hit the woodwork, their counterattacking style was much better suited to the wet conditions and they should have added a least one goal to their own tally. Time for Yanagizawa to hang-up his boots, as he should have done at the end of last season.

More details to follow at Kansai-Grampaloge

Coming soon. The Kansai Grampalogue

I am slowly switching over to posting some of my Grampus related information to a new blog, the Kansai Grampalogue. As you might expect, with the strong Grampus connection it has, many of these concern Tokushima Vortis. Although this includes players, such as Keita Sugimoto and Shinta Fukushima, they also have Toru Hasegawa and Tomohiro Tsuda on loan. The most recent post being Tomohiro Helping Vortis Challenge for J1 Place.

Eventually, most of the Grampus game reports and news will be added to this site. This site will also include occasional guest appearances by other bloggers covering Kansai teams.

Grampus Extend Unbeaten Streak

Nagoya continued their recent trend of dominating possession, but leaving it late to claim all three points. This time it was potential title challengers Sanfrecce, who eventually succumbed 3-2, leaving Grampus in sole possession of third place, four points behind league leaders Kashiwa and Yokohama, with a game in hand.

Piksi Dust & Naoshi Magic Sink Kobe

Another inspired substitution by the manager sees a player score on his return from injury. This time it was Naoshi Nakamura's turn. His blast of clear air turbulence proving the difference between a Vissel side lacking the guile to earn a point, and a Grampus team that did no more than they had to.

This game got off to an inauspicious start, with both Vissel's Okubo and Tulio picking up early injuries that looked like seeing them get subbed early. However, both managed to play on for a few minutes and both eventually looked none the worse for wear. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the pitch, which cut up easily from the opening minute.

Okubo was the first to look like making a quick return to the bench. One burst of speed to create space in midfield, saw him tweak a muscle and spend the next few minutes limping noticeably. However, as the half wore on he gradually started to move a bit more freely again. Tulio was hurt in a typically robust tackle, and was also feeling its effects for several minutes. Overall, Grampus had the better of the half, but tended to try and be too clever close to goal. Tamada having a chance midway through the half, but slicing his shot wide. At the other end, Isomura made a timely block as Vissel's Hideo Tanaka advanced into the danger area. Takagi was also forced to come-out quickly to smother a Yoshida effort. The best effort of the half however, fell to Tulio who was brilliantly setup by a deft Josh back heel, but hit his effort weakly at Tokushige.

Vissel came out looking the sharpr and more determined team in the second half. First Okubo shot wastefully wide and cutting inside to create a good opening. Ishibitsu then headed over from 6-yards with one of their best chances of the game. Their only other clearcut chance saw Okubo hit a tame effort from close range into the arms of a grateful Takagi. Meanwhile, Stojkovic had brought on Naoshi Nakamura for Isomura after 69 minutes, and the midfielder was soon settling into his alternating role of midfield terrier and support striker. It was s typical burst from midfield that saw him drive towards the Kobe goal, as the Vissel defence retreated, late in the half and unleash a wicked shot that left Tokushige floundering. Once again, Piksi had seen a player mark his return from injury with a goal. At this rate, Mu Kanazaki will owe us a hat-trick on his return.

Naoshi and Makito set to return

Midfielders Naoshi Nakamura and Makito Yoshida are expected to return to the first team for today's clash with Vissel Kobe. Naoshi may well get to start, having come through a practice game on Tuesday. Makito is more doubtful, but may at least make the bench. So we should have our Dream Team of Dani and Naoshi to dominate the midfield again. The Columbian has looked not half as effective without the industrious Nakamura to share the defensive load.

With former Japan No.1 Seigo Narazaki also making rapid progress after his dislocated pinkie was expected rule him out for up to four weeks; he now looks at least a possibility for next week. This leaves only Mu Kanazaki of the regulars still out through injury. With Fujimoto and Ogawa settling into a good rhythm, the Mie native's direct approach is missed, but not as significantly as we might have feared.

Nicky Makes Japan U-17 Squad

Grampus U-18 Nicky Havenaar, son of coach Dido and younger brother of Ventforet forward Mike, has been selected for a Japan U-17 team. They will play in the INternational Youth Soccer tourny in Niigata later this month. Looks like we may have a eady made replacement for Masukawa or Tulio in a couple of years. :-)

Resilient Sandai Hold Champs at Bay

We are now over a dozen games into the season and the Vegalta reliance is proving as reliable as the Grampus concentration isn't. This was 6th draw in 13 games for Grampus, and 7th in 14 for Vegalta. Although this is a faltering start from the current league champions, there are still over 20 games to go and the team is nicely poised in the chasing pack.

This was another game that saw Nagoya edge possession but fail to convert their chances. Indeed they had to rely on a former Grampus player, Makoto Kakuda, for their goal when his attempted clearance flew past Hayashi in the Sendai goal. However, the team's inability to maintain concentration at the back had already surfaced as the home team had snatched a the lead late in the first half. A late surge in an attempt to get the win saw U-22 forward Nagai introduced and Tulio pushed into attack, but Sendai held out for well-earned point.

Danilson on his way...

to Grampus.

As expected, Consadole Sapporo and Nagoya Grampus, are said to have agreed a transfer fee for the Columbian midfielder to make his move permanent. The Hochi Sports, reports (Japanese), and we can probably expect an official announcement on Monday.

This is in stark contrast to unfounded rumours of supposed interest from Germany. Admittedly, from a club with a track record of underhand dealings. While such a move was very unlikely, the rumour probably achieved its objective in pushing up the transfer fee.

Grampus Cruise to Emphatic Win

An even more one-sided half than the two-goal advantage the home team gained by the end. Nagoya started as they were to continue, as Kennedy flicked a good Ogawa cross toward goal, but the effort lacked conviction and did not test Higashiguchi in the Albirex goal. While it took the forwards a while to find their range and coordination, the midfield had no such problem as Naoshi and Danilson alternated in closing down Niigata in the opening minutes and establishing control of this area. The Grampus forwards again missed an opportunity to take an early lead when Kennedy's layoff for Tamada proved elusive and another promising move came to nothing.

Danilson continued to impose his will in the middle, making a good interception near the edge of the area that saw the desperate Adriano tumble to the turf in an vain effort to hoodwink ref Nishimurs into awarding a free kick. Meanwhile the Nagoya forwards started to improve their coordination. Ogawa layed-off a good ball back for Kennedy but the Aussie fired wastefully over. However this proved to be a short-lived reprieve for the visitors as they fell behind when Fujimto burst into the box and pulled the ball back to give Tamada a simple job of sliding the ball home. Niigata then fell further behind when Ogawa latched onto a raking Masukawa cross-field pass and Kennedy tucked home the loose ball. Kennedy continued to look not quite in sync with his teammates and he had another layoff towards the end that failed to find a Grampus player moving into space to finish the move off.

HT: 2-0

Albirex came out for the second half looking a bit sharper and more determined. Indeed the earned an early free kick, but failed to seriously test Narazaki. A Cho shot a few minutes later had the former Japan No. 1 scrambling but the effort drifted wide. However, this proved a short-lived reprieve as Grampus soon assumed control again. Danilson, dominating the midfield, but still looking off his best, saw an effort deflected for a corner. With their defensive roles unneeded, Fujimoto and Ogawa were free to roam forward at will and Ogawa in particular had several good breaks through the middle. One saw him latch onto a deep Tulio pass, but fail to control the ball in time to get in a meaningful shot. The two attacking midfielders then combined as Fujimoto burst into the box and pulled the ball back for Ogawa, but again the finish was not there.

As the game appeared to be winding down to comfortable, but not emphatic, home win, Niigata conceded two late goals. The first, saw Josh Kennedy get a faint touch on a corner that then cannoned off a defender and into the goal. Surely, a won goal you may ask? But, no Josh did get a touch on the ball and although it was the deflection that defeated Higashiguchi, the Aussie was credited with his second of the game. Kennedy and Tamada then saw effort fail to add to the score before Hayuma Tanaka added the fourth with a neat finish in extra time.

Mu Out for a Month (Again)

Grampus midfielder/forward Mu Kanazaki has rejoined the injury list with another muscle strain. The poor lad didn't even make it back as far as the first team, breaking down in training on Sunday.

Apart from MU's own struggles with this type of injury, Tulio, Masukawa, and Danilson have all also had problems with strained muscles this season. You have to start wondering if the training regime in Nagoya is working...

Time to Stop FIFA's Tax Fiddle?

Don't be silly. Why do you think they chose Switzerland?
As long as Coke, Viza and adidarse continue to bank roll their corruption, don't expect any change soon.
BBC News - Fifa: Six facts about world football's governing body

Fifa crisis: claims of brown envelopes stuffed with new $100 bills | Football | The Guardian

Guardian article and photo on the bribes being offered to FIFA officials, including Blatter. He has admitted he received such an envelope and did nothing to bring the perpetrator to court. He may returned one envelope, but one wonders how many others he has has received...
Fifa crisis: claims of brown envelopes stuffed with new $100 bills | Football | The Guardian

Josh Kennedy scores ahead of Socceroos return

Josh Kennedy scores ahead of Socceroos return | Herald Sun
Ben Somerford also has a summary of the Aussie contingents' performance this weekend, and a more accurate description of the action at Toyota, in his piece for Aussie FourFourTwo.
442.AU: Kennedy Back On The Scoresheet

Igor Back with a Bang for Grampus

Igor Burzanovic, out for 6 months since rupturing ligaments late last season, made a surprisingly early return to action today. The Montenegrin came on as a late sub and scored the fourth and decisive goal in the 5-2 win over plucky Avispa. The Fukuoka team eventually finding themselves outclassed after a useful first half.

Grampus were boosted by the return from injury of Masukawa, who passed a late fitness test, and Igor Burzanovic who made the bench. Both Narazaki and Danilson recovered from minor strains that had made them doubtful and started the game. So, somewhat surprisingly Piksi was able to field what was close to a full-strength team.

Nagoya started well, but the visitors also defended well and had the occasional chance of their own. Noashi was released into space by a raking Danilson pass early on, but the midfield terrier was too slow to get a shot off and the chance went begging. Danilson was also making his physical presence felt in the anchor role and this allowed his defensive midfield colleague to take up a more advanced position better suited to his nature. Masukawa and Ogawa also had half chances, but failed to convert them. The gentle giant in particular, should have done better with a chance on the goal line.

However, Nakamura's more attacking role soon paid dividends as his low cross was fumbled by the Avispa goalie and Kennedy pounced on the loose ball to give Grampus the lead. The lead was cancelled out almost immediately though, when Sueyoshi was brought down in the area and Okamoto calmly converted the resultant penalty.

Grampus started well again in this half, and Kennedy setup Tamada to restore the the lead with a shot that took a deflection off the hapless Kamiyama. The Fukuoka 'keeper then mad amends for his earlier miss with a good save to deny Naoshi. However, the visitors would not concede defeat that easily and Shigematsu pulled them level again after 20 minutes with a deft header.

Shortly after this, Japan U-22 speedster Nagai replaced Ogawa and thereafter, the game increasingly swung Grampus's way. Shortly after the half hour mark, Fujimoto restored the lead with a well-struck shot on the turn. Burzanovic then added the fourth shortly after coming on as a late sub. The Montenegrin scoring from an impossible angle, and picking up a yellow card for his understandably emotional celebrations. Tamada rounded off the scoring with a neat finish after Nagai had shown good hustle to keep the ball in play near the corner flag.

Although the number of shots, corners and free kicks were fairly evenly distributed over the course of the game, Grampus dominated possession 63% to 37%. This level of control was eventually reflected in the scoreline as the visitors ran out of energy in the final 10 minutes.

Blatter Admits Incompetence

So what has Septic Bladder been for the last 13 years?
He has just admitted that he runs FIFA secretively, refused to listen, was corrupt/inept and ignored public relations. If FIFA re-elects this donkey they deserve go bankrupt.
The 75-year-old Swiss pledged to "open the doors, reinforce dialogue, improve our corporate governance and handle our public affairs with the kind of priority it deserves"

'Corruption' taints very top of the beautiful game - Scotsman.com Sport
Mainichi Daily News: Bin Hammam fights back in bribery scandal
BBC: 'Fifa is corrupt and should be scrapped', says former delegate

Fifa crisis: impotence of world body adds power to elbow of clubs | Football | The Guardian

Septic Bladder and his FIFA cronies dead on their feet?
Fifa crisis: impotence of world body adds power to elbow of clubs

Grampus Bow Out of ACL

A promising first half display by Nagoya in Suwon ended when Danilson tweaked a hamstring and had to be replaced after 40 minutes. Although the Korean's had taken the lead, when Yeom headed home a good cross that saw him outmanoeuvre Arai to make the space. However, overall the young defender had a good game and made some good interceptions and even had a rasping shot that tested the home 'keeper. He certainly showed enough promise to earn some more time alongside Tulio in the centre. On this evidence, he deserves to get the chance to challenge Masu and Chiyo for a place.

Nagoya's chances of staging comeback ended with Danilson's twinge, as it forced Nakamura to withdraw to the holding position, where he is energetic but lacks the Colombian's presence and more constructive distribution. Any slight chance of a fightback was lost when Narazaki, took too long to clear a back pass, allowing a Suwon player to get a touch and setup an easy finish into the unguarded goal, midway through the second half. At that point, the Korean's closed up shop and played out the remaining minutes with everyone pulled back into their own half for most of the time.

Arai Set to Make ACL Debut?

It looks as though we may well get a chance to see Tatsuya Arai in action at last. He is said to be a serious contender for a starting role alongside Tulio in Korea tomorrow night.
中日スポーツ:新井、２年目プロ初先発:グラニュース(CHUNICHI Web)

Hasegawa Makes Vortis Bench!

On-loan Grampus goalie Toru Hasegawa makes the bench in tonight's game in Gifu. With Tokushima having two good goalkeepers in Oh Seung Hoon and Hideaki Ueno, it looks like Toru has been working hard to get a chance. I hope he can prove that he is good enough to join Vortis on a permanent basis, or better yet that he can challenge Takagi for the number two spot at Grampus.