: You don't like Michael Church? I think he's quite good.
Michael Church? PLEASE tell me you are kidding. The guy isnt even capable of counting to 16!!!!
OK, thats a bit of an exaggeration, what I mean is, he isnt capable of determining that nine is more than half of sixteen. Despite the fact that he "supposedly" watches the matches for every team, every week (based on his articles, I get the impression that he rarely watches more than 1 or 2), he continues to claim on a frequent basis that "the majority of teams in the J.League prefer a three back defence". Now by my count, the J1 teams that play four backs, at least as the formation they adopt most of the time when starters are not injured (as of 2003) are Vegalta, Antlers, FC Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy, Marinos, S-Pulse, Cerezo Osaka, Vissel and Trinita. Several other teams adopt a four-back line on occasion, depending on circumstances. Assuming that you are better at mathematics than Michael Church, you should be able to tell that his claim is inaccurate. Next year, when Kyoto (three backs) go down and Niigata & Hiroshima (four backs) come up, ten out of 16 teams will be playing four backs. Plus, if you read his claim carefully, it always says "in the J.League" rather than "in the J1". Since 9 of 12 J2 teams played a four-back lineup in 2003, that makes his claim even MORE ridiculous.
Naturally, Church doesnt make this claim because he thinks its true (if that were the case I would view him as even MORE of an imbecile), but rather because he is deliberately trying to prejudice readers against Zico and his strategy for the national team. Sorry, but I just cant respect any "journalist" who would print untrue information in the name of promoting their own politically charged view.
: I'm not a fan of any team per se. I just support J League as a whole. But I guess I root for teams that I think are doing the right thing at the moment. That's why I want to see teams like FC Tokyo and JEF do well. I think that both of those teams have first-rate front offices. I say that, because they're progressive-thinking, make smart player acquisitions, take excellent care of their foreign players, and are always in synch with their coaching staffs. I also want teams that have good fan support do well. Emperor's Cup is such a crapshoot to predict, but I'll just go with FC Tokyo. Which teams do you like?
Pretty much the same as you. I like the League as a whole, and can only really tell which is my favourite team at a given moment by watching to see which team I emotionally root for when teams play head to head. For several years Antlers were my favourite, though mainly because I viewed them as the force that could preserve the league's integrity against the corporate takeover effort by Yomiuri. Lately Ive been less of a fan, if only because I wanted to see someone besides Antlers and Jubilo win the championship. I was a huge Flugels fan, and consequently have a hard time supporting Marinos, though I was happy to see them win the title this season. I like the style of play used by JEF and Vegalta, and I am growing more fond of Verdy as time goes on (of course, they are no longer the same team as the former Verdy Kawasaki). I found myself cheering for Reds in the Nabisco Cup this year, so Id say they are probably my favourite at the moment, though Cerezo Osaka and Ventforet Kofu (my hometown club) are close behind. As for the Emperor's Cup, I will be supporting Kunimi High School. Nothing I love better than an exciting underdog!!!!!!!