The Sagan Tosu Herald
Squad1 Apr 2030
A fracture rules Rio Nitta out for 103 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sagan Tosu will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match27 Mar 2030
Cup progress for Sagan Tosu
A 2‑0 win over Omiya Ardija, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Player ratings1 Apr 2030
Yosuke Nakata could not have asked for more on his first appearance — 8.51
Debuts are survived rather than enjoyed. This one was enjoyed: 8.51, 1 goals, and a manager already being asked whether he starts again next week.
Market1 Apr 2030
Makito Uehara has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sagan Tosu they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Player ratings1 Apr 2030
No sign of nerves from Daichi Tanaka at 15 — 8.16
The hardest thing about being 15 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Daichi Tanaka did not need any: 8.16, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
The dugout1 Apr 2030
Faustine Samaki says Sagan Tosu went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad1 Apr 2030
A falling-out at Sagan Tosu
Kento Tachibanada and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Apr 2030
A row about effort at Sagan Tosu
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Shuto Abe was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces1 Apr 2030
Sagan Tosu supporters have found a favourite in Daichi Tanaka
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 15-year-old it feels ownership of. Daichi Tanaka has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
In brief
- Market Makito Uehara is free to find somewhere else
- The dugout Osamu Henry Iyoha gets it from the manager
- Player ratings The afternoon belonged to Shuto Abe