none of these games has been a 10 goal Andorra vs Spain type game … in the euro qualifiers you will see some teams that simply cannot compete and shouldn`t be there. but thats not us. we have a professional league. our players get scouted and recruited by teams from other leagues.

maybe people have different definitions of the word “compete”, cos I`d say we are competing right now. equal to? no. on top of. no. but competing with? yes.

The Japanese are notoriously poor both in goal and in front of goal, but their creative ball-playing talent would put many countries to shame and is the equal of many European and South American countries in this department. You can find good creative Japanese talent even in the weaker sides, even in J2.

What I find odd is how Nagasaki is so strong at school level football yet has no J-1 or J-2 side (V-Varen Nagasaki are trying to break into J-2). Certainly the game is growing in Japan though Mike has a far better understanding as to how this is happening as most of my knowledge is a result of drinking too much Yebisu with Japanese football fans in my old haunt of Nippori.

Baseball over 40′s game … football under 40′s game … any truth to this sometimes thrown about line for Japan and sport.

Sack Pimbo now before its too late!

What Mike is talking about is our need to reach the level of the Japanese and the gaps that exist between the domestic competitions. The paths may be different however the benchmarks are quite similar. Hence Japan provides a very good meter as to the development of domestic football in Australia, and let’s face it, they are direct competitors at club level and hence comparisons are valid.

Japan is a country with a large compact rich population. Given these factors, and the premier position of soccer in their country, their league should be a first level competition instead of closer to a third level competition like the A-league.

We should look to countries like Holland, Portugal, even Croatia, for our foreign models.

I believe that we will match the Japanese in the end, however they have a good decade’s head start so for the next ten years I’m expecting us to compete well, have the occasional victory, however on balance be on the receiving end at club level. Regardless of the results I’m already enjoying the ride.

Adelaide v Shimizu S-Pulse; you think we organize a friendly?

Australia has…what 150 playing in Europe, still not one in the last 16 of the Champions League, but out of that lot we get a few into the main leagues. Maybe with the strength of theJ-League the Japanese don’t need as many but they need more if they are to go to another level.

As for Japanese scoring goals…evidence suggests otherwise….they can’t, not really, not yet, not outside of Asia, in the World Cup where it counts. Look at the last World Cup and the one in France…even the one in Japan…if they could score they would have progressed much further in all tournaments…they created a million chances were a joy to watch but embarrasing in front of goal….everytime.

Imagine a team combining Japan’s wonderful playmaking abilities with Australia’s mental fortitude and imposing physique. They’d be a force to be reckoned with, I dare say!

It’s not an issue that I care that much about, but when I see Australian fans consistently suggesting that a) Japanese players don’t play in Europe, and b) that Japanese players can’t score goals, I find it’s just as easy to let the facts speak for themselves.

It seems strange going on about they have scored goals. Haven’t you wrote in your blog before about lack of good strikers in japan due to cultural reasons (fear of losing face).

Not only was Okudera the first ever Asian player to score in the European Cup when he did so for 1. FC Köln against Nottingham Forest in the 1979 semi-final first-leg, but he also managed a decent return of 34 Bundesliga goals in a German career spanning a decade – long before the Japanese game was ever professionalised.

As for having so-and-so many Brazilians in a top-scoring chart being a “savage indictment” – again, it bears scratching the surface. Most playmakers in Japan are Japanese. Last year Yoshito Okubo (now at VfL Wolfsburg) and Yoshizumi Ogawa scored 11 league goals, as did Marcus Tulio Tanaka – while Minoru Suganuma, Hiroyuki Taniguchi and Shinji Okazaki chimed in with 10.

Only one of those players is an out-and-out striker (Okazaki) and that’s not to mention that fact that fellow strikers Atsushi Yanagisawa scored 14 league goals and Shingo Akamine 12 goals themselves.

The idea that Japanese players can’t score goals is a myth (they clearly can), as is the fallacy that Japanese players don’t play in Europe (Nakamura, Okubo, Hasebe, Honda, Ono, Morimoto, Matsui et. al. suggest as much).

Adelaide United lost 5-0 in aggregate over two legs

Mariners only needed one game and lost 5-0 over just one match.

Ohtani – If pedantry could score goals you would be deadly in front of goal : )

Once again I will play you LM half time speech it is worth watching for motivation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmarinators.net%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D3428.200&feature=player_embedded

BTW hope the hands are better …. Can see Man U … winning the Champions league against the dark blue Smurfs

It was just a simple case of the Mariners ending up with a tummy ache … After a sweet trip to a candy shop, which ended up … them going down on the good ship lollipop …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_RZTusUzM8

~~~~~~~~
KB

We missed four goals of which two where sitters and two where great saves, plus so a number of times we could not even get a shot on.

Our back four near an organiser and talker, Bozza was great at this when he was there…

Maybe it’s the coaching, maybe our best are overseas, maybe it’s skill , but what I noticed is when we had the ball they had the confidence to push hard on us and keep us under pressure .. we on the other hand held off watching and trying to close down space , when they had the ball, but by hanging off made space for them to pass into and run at. At it’s simplest this was the huge difference in the two teams.

Can anyone please explain what one earth he meant by that. Or is it some Escriváist love bomb?

Ben a big day for me just in… say a pray for managed to get to present to a massively big client today … hopefully will get called back in a couple of weeks for more talks… just mega size client for a practice of my size to pull…

But to the game … Gee Wizz went there with so much hope and sat in disbelief…we got smashed but first 3 goals were very soft on our behalf… just very poor defending like we have been doing all year … but we did not hold shape and our finishing in front of goals was pathetic to say the least…

IMO only Grumps/ Eleich & Shuke could walk off the field with there reputations not harmed… Elrich was a a class above most on the park and I hope his knee gets better soon it was still heavily bandaged last night but when he came on we started to threaten down the right side instead of conceding heaps of space down there.

Mike it’s in degrees because by God we created enough chances last night just could not finish them… we are closer than most thing … however it was nice to see a team just play with shape and style and attack all night… BTW the Japanese sides we have played are not as much into diving as other countries in Asia and I found that aspect of their play quite pleasing they played tough not fall over each time they got touched.

BTW a youtube of LM at half time you might enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4x05Z3MSkQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmarinators.net%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D3428.200&feature=player_embedded

I’m sure if the Socceroos dominate like that in the Melb game in June, they will make sure they score one way or the other.