Gamba take the Osaka derby in style … move level with Cerezo… Antlers take out Omiya and move into 2nd. Nagoya drop points to Marinos, Frontale hit 6…. S-Pulse and Reds draw … getting tight at the top!

Dodo finally coming into his own? Gamba move in on the top three. Cerezo watch out, your neighbours are going to break your hearts (again! See 2005!).

Cerezo held but hold on to 2nd, Nagoya win to stretch their lead at the top.Marinos take out Frontale to join in the hunt for a top three finish. Kashima and Gamba win well to pressure the top three, also. Getting tight in the top half.Omiya and Jubilo win to pull clear at the bottom. Kyoto beat Vissel (who ended with nine men) to drag them into the mire. Kyoto (and Yamagata) still look J2-bound, though. FC Tokyo beaten by a resurgent (?) Reds to stay in trouble, also.

Referee sent bouquet and bottle of champagne by Sanfrecce manager!

Gamba take out Jubilo …. keep up with the pack!

Never thought I’d be saying this …. Nagoya and Cerezo Osaka pull clear at the top!!Cerezo Osaka 2-0 Omiya Ardija 9,799Urawa Reds 1-1 Kashima Antlers 51,177Vissel Kobe 0-0 F.C.Tokyo 13,798Nagoya Grampus 1-0 Kyoto Sanga F.C. 13,944Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 Montedio Yamagata 12,393Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Shonan Bellmare 14,395With three games tomorrow (below) … read on for the table as of tonight.18:00 Yokohama F M vs. Niigata18:00 Gamba Osaka vs. Iwata18:30 Shimizu vs. Kawasaki-F

Away day blues (and blacks) for Gamba – more wasted points!

Japan striker Kisho Yano is poised to join German club Freiburg, continuing the exodus of international players to Europe since this year’s World Cup.Yano left for Germany on Thursday for talks with Freiburg officials after J-League club Albirex Niigata received a formal offer for the 26-year-old.”I couldn’t believe (the offer),” Yano told Japan’s Nikkan Sports newspaper. “I was hoping for this so I could move overseas. (jsoccer.COMment – so were the Albirex fans!)”I want to play on that kind of stage and I wanted to play with a first division team in Europe.”He would join Japan team mates Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04) and Makoto Hasebe (Vfl Wolfsburg) in the German top flight. Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima joined Belgium’s Lierse after impressing at the World Cup while midfielder Yuki Abe is set to join English club Leicester City.Kisho Yano is Japan’s Emile Heskey! Lanky (but not as “beefy” as Emile), Allow me to explain:His ball control deserts him more often than it turns up…. He is missing from games for hours on end, and then pops up to remind you how brilliant he can be, or more often, that you have to get out and buy another sack of spuds for the Mrs.He’s manager’s pet (Martin O’Neill, I am talking about you!) … he’s rarely dropped, despite more talent getting splinters in the bum on the bench, and is selected time and again for the national team, while showing us bugger all on the field in the Samurai Blue shirt!Good luck to him … I suggest that he won’t be missed, even by Albirex Niigata! On the other hand, he could become a legend (or a leg end) in Germany!It’s a funny old game!

http://japanleaguesoccer.podbean.com/Disappointing for a Gamba fan – all the possession, but three goals against – two set plays and a wild speculative strike – more concentration, more closing down, and take the chances Gamba!Includes Pixy interview, Kennedy snippet and a curtailed Endo one-on-one – more to come on that!

JAPAN midfielder Yuki Abe is set to become Paulo Sousa’s latest addition to Leicester City’s squad after the Foxes tabled a bid for the 28-year-old.Abe, of Urawa Reds, has been told to take the next week off by his club after the Foxes approached the player’s agent with a deal to take him to the Championship.The holding midfielder has been capped 49 times for his country and was a big part of the Japan squad that reached the second round of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.Sousa needs to act quickly before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline.The experienced international midfielder seems set to agree on a move to experience English football!