The J-talk Podcast

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with a review of a breathless weekend of J2 football. James kicks things off with a review of 9 games (start to 07:35), then Jon joined to discuss the game between two teams from Shikoku: FC Imabari v Tokushima Vortis (07:35 to 23:30). After that, there’s the usual Most Bravo Player coronation, transfer news, and previews of upcoming league and cup matches (23:30 to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Stuart Woodward returned to the pod to chat about his appearance on the Ｊリーグと私 You Tube series (link is for the You Tube playlist, Stuart's episode isn't up yet), and Yokohama F.Marinos making it two straight wins in the wet at Machida on Saturday (to 34:10). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other nine games, as Kashima kicked six points clear at the top of the table as we reached the halfway point of the season.

In this week’s JTET, James Taylor and Jon Steele review the latest Levain Cup and J2 action. In part 1, James has a roundup of 2 Levain Cup games and 6 league matches from matchday 17 (start to 05:45). In part 2, James and Jon talked about Iwata’s cup win over Gamba Osaka (05:45 to 14:40) and Kofu’s dismantling of Yamagata in the league (14:40 to 27:55), selected their Most Bravo Player (27:55 to 32:05), discussed some managerial news (32:05 to 40:15), and previewed league and cup fixtures (40:15 to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Dan Orlowitz joined Jonny and Ben in Part 1 of our new episode to chat about his new piece in The Guardian, Hajime Moriyasu's experimental national team squad, and Hiroshima's comfortable win over FC Tokyo at the National Stadium on Sunday. Then in an elongated Part 2 Jonny and Ben run through the other games from J1 Matchday 18, including Yokohama F.Marinos ripping up the form book with a fine home win over leaders Kashima, as the bottom three at the start of the matchday had a weekend to remember.

A jubilant James Taylor was joined by Jon Steele to talk about the latest events in J2. First, James reviews 9 games from matchday 16 (start to 08:25). Then, James and Jon discussed Mito’s win over Kumamoto (08:25 to 18:10), before chatting about high-flying Hollyhock in more detail (18:10 to 30:30). They round off the episode with Most Bravo Player (30:30 to 34:35), general news (34:35 to 40:, and a look ahead to league and cup fixtures (40:45 to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

There were certainly many talking points from the weekend's top flight round, and we begin this episode with some positivity from Jon Steele after Yokohama FC moved out of the drop zone with an away win over Shonan on Saturday, as the sky blues continue to make a decent fist of their return to J1 (to 21:00). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben continue their roundup of Matchday 17, beginning with Kashima extending their advantage at the top of the table after they downed Shimizu, and Kashiwa lost at Machida. Next up is Kyoto, who piled on the misery for bottom club Yokohama F.Marinos with a fine away win, before we move on to events at Saitama Stadium, where Urawa claimed a controversy-laced home win over FC Tokyo (Ben's rant alert). Following that we review all of the other games, before finishing with a look ahead to midweek and weekend action.

James Taylor and Jon Steele got together again to review the latest round of J2 games. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from matchday 15 (start to 06:55), and in part 2 he and Jon analyse the big match: Omiya v Sendai (06:55 to 22:40). They also pick a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 26:20) and look ahead to the matchday 16 and Levain Cup fixtures (26:20 to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben flip the script and go from bottom to top on this week's episode, running through (almost) all positive results for the bottom six at the start of the matchday in Part 1 (to 45:45), before Neil Debnam joins the pod to chat about Kawasaki's ACL Elite adventure, and their defeat on Sunday at the hands of Kashima (to 1:13:08). Finally, your co-hosts round up the final two games, before previewing J1 Matchday 17.

James Taylor and Jon Steele gathered their remaining energy to discuss the final set of J2 Golden Week fixtures. James reviews 9 games from matchday 14 in part 1 (start to 06:55), then chats to Jon about Sapporo v Iwata (06:55 to 25:10), Most Bravo Player (25:10 to 30:25), and the matchday 15 fixtures (30:25 to end).   Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben wrap up Golden Week with a look back at the midweek action from J1 Matchday 15. We begin with 1-0 wins for Kashima and Kashiwa on Tuesday, then move on to Wednesday night's action - Kyoto's dramatic late victory at Machida, and Hiroshima squeaking past Shonan - before reviewing the other games from Tuesday, including excellent wins for both Osaka clubs.

With the Golden Week holidays in full swing, Jon Steele takes control of a solo JTET mini-pod to run through all of the J2 action from Saturday 3rd May (Round 13 of the season). Over a 15-minute pod, you'll hear about all of the goals and talking points from the Round 13 matches, along with Jon's pick for a Most Bravo Player and a quick look ahead to Tuesday afternoon's full slate of fixtures (Round 14). Thanks for all the support as always, and enjoy the pod! *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben begin by commiserating with Kawasaki after their ACL Elite final defeat, then review all eight games played on Saturday in J1 Matchday 14.

Regular JTET co-hosts Jon Steele and James Taylor get together for another monthly update of the topsy-turvy world of J3. The episode begins with a discussion of recent goalfests involving Kochi United (start to 08:50), then takes in the standout attacking performances of Paulo Junichi Tanaka (08:50 to 17:30), Giravanz Kitakyushu’s impressive defence (17:30 to 20:25), a checkup of James’ beloved Zweigen Kanazawa (20:25 to 32:10), and a look at the bottom of J3, with a brief focus on the struggles of Thespa Gunma and Azul Claro Numazu (32:10 to end).   Thanks for your support of the J-Talk Podcast, J-Talk: Extra Time, and J-Talk: Short Corner. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

In this brief episode, James Taylor rounds up all the action from J2 matchday 12 (start to 04:05), selects a Most Bravo Player (04:05 to 05:40), and previews the upcoming fixtures on Saturday and Tuesday (05:40 to end). Apologies for the variable sound quality this time - there were some technical issues. Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

Jonny and Ben return with a midweek special, to round up the eight games played from J1 Matchday 13 on Tuesday. After beginning the episode with a quick look back at Kawasaki's ACL Elite quarter final win (Spoiler Alert: They won their semi final, too!), we begin our J1 wrap with the game Jonny was at: Gamba Osaka's win over incumbent leaders Kyoto (to 14:45). Then we move on to Kashima going top, and Kashiwa second, with away wins (to 23:10), Shimizu and Machida both moving up after also winning on the road (to 30:50), Tokyo Verdy's second straight win, and Hiroshima Crisis Watch after their home defeat at the hands of Niigata, plus the only draw between Shonan and Fukuoka.

With a rush of Golden Week matches hoving into view, the JTET team looks back on the most recent slate of J2 fixtures (played across Friday and Saturday last week). In Part 1 (Start to 04:15) James gives us a whistle-stop tour of the action from 9 of the Round 11 games. Then in Part 2, Jon was joined by familiar voice (but first-time guest) Leslie Mabon for a deep dive into Iwaki's stunning 4-3 win at Nagasaki. In a wide-ranging chat, the boys talked about Leslie's impressions of the Peace Stadium, the match itself, & the season so far for both clubs (04:15 to 44:40). There's also time for Most Bravo Player chat (44:40 to 47:00), and a look ahead to Tuesday afternoon's J2 action in Round 12 (47:00 to Finish)! Big thanks for Leslie for taking the time to pod with us, and we hope everyone enjoys the show! *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

With Golden Week upon us, the stars aligned and former co-host Sam Robson was able to join Jonny and Ben for a full review of all eight games played from J1 Matchday 12 over the weekend (the large majority of them on Friday night). Sam also shares his thoughts on the state of the league - with goals down across the division - while we were keen to discuss teams like surprise leaders Kyoto and promoted high-fliers Okayama with him.

James Taylor and Jon Steele return with another packed episode of JTET. In part 1, James reviews 9 games from J2 matchday 10 (start to 07:20), then he’s joined by Jon to analyse Montedio Yamagata v Ehime FC (07:20 to 22:40) and elect a Most Bravo Player (22:40 to 27:20). To round out the episode, the boys take a deep breath before looking ahead to the upcoming bombardment of J2 fixtures (27:20 to end). Thank you for your support of the J-Talk Podcast and J-Talk: Extra Time. *Join the J-Talk Podcast Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our JLeague Chat Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky here: @jtalket.bsky.social

After the rest of the Levain Cup Round 2 games were played last Wednesday, Jon Steele covers all of the action from a J2 standpoint in an 8-minute mini-pod. All 5 of the J2 v J1 ties last midweek went into extra time, but in the end only one 2nd-tier side made it through to the next round! Jon also nominates a Most Bravo Player from the midweek madness. *You can support The J-Talk Podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/jtalkpod *Find our dedicated Discord server here: https://discord.gg/UwN2ambAwg *Follow JTET on Bluesky @jtalket.bsky.social

Alan Gibson returned to the podcast, to help Jonny and Ben review goings-on from last midweek, and how the four Kansai clubs are faring after 11 rounds. We chat about the three J1 games - including Steve Holland's ouster at Yokohama F.Marinos after their home loss to Shimizu - and the conclusion of the 2nd round of the 1st round of the Levain Cup last Wednesday (to 18:30), before moving on to Matchday 11, beginning with our new leaders Kyoto, Kobe's fruitful week, and draws for both Osaka sides (to 1:05:55). Then in Part 2 Jonny and Ben round up the other six games, and look ahead to games coming up in Matchday 12.